On Photographing Animals

The last several shoots have included one VERY large dog and about a dozen horses as subjects. I feel a little bit like I've been herding cats!

I definitely approach photographing animals differently than photographing people.  Even if I plan on shooting with available light, I always bring lighting gear, just in case I can't find the light I need or want so that I can create my own.  With animals (and kids), however, I need to be cognizant of their unfamiliarity with big, white, round and floppy discs (my reflectors) or lights that flash at them or even the way my gear sounds. (I once photographed a horse that was fearful of the sound of the shutter!) I work hard to find the right space and the right light to avoid a lot of hullabaloo.  And I bring my patience with me, because more likely than not, it's often a waiting game for the animal/kids to put it's/their best face forward.

When the magic happens, it's awesome!

Would you like to have your favorite animals photographed?  Drop me a line and we can plan it!

Pro Photographer Quick Tips: 6 Simple Tips for Prepping for your Portrait with Kids or Animals

It's no simple task to gather the family, make them look presentable and keep them happy so that you can record the moments forever.  I only have one kid and one dog, but I totally get it.

Here are my favorite 5 tips for making the most of your portrait time:

1.  Prep AHEAD of time.  Let's talk about anything you'd like to include in your portrait or the clothing ahead of time.  Get everything cleaned, pressed and ready ahead of time.  Now, put it somewhere safe where it can wait for your appointment time.  Get hair cut a week before, drink lots of water, eat healthy and get some sleep in the days before. For your animals, groom them ahead as much as possible.

2.  Plan a mellow day the day of your appointment if possible, or at least a couple hours before your appointment, so there is time to relax.  Rushing around just before a session often leads to arguments and tension (I've seen that happen!)  so keep the hours before the session as relaxed as possible.

3.  Sometimes optimal light time for photography falls during meal times.  If it's not conducive to have a meal, at least have snacks.  Some healthy ones--not sugar filled ones!  So kids (and adults) aren't grumpy or hangry!

4.  Know that it's totally okay to love the images where the subjects aren't looking at the camera--the ones where they're interacting and having a good time and forgetting that I'm there recording the moment.

5. Be patient.  Sometimes it takes a little time for everyone to relax into the session.  Animals don't always cooperate and kids, well, they can be kids!  I have lots of patience and I'm there for you.  It'll happen, it often just takes a bit of extra patience and a little extra time.

6. Treats.  I'd like to believe that I make sessions with kids so fun that we don't need treats for kids, but particularly with animals, bring their favorite treats as incentive.  As in the very best, their very favorite.  Perhaps the treat isn't even edible, but a favorite squeaky toy, ball or whatever it is, make sure it's available for the session.  I'll also bring treats.  (Sometimes I feel like I'm the pied piper because my treats are different than usual--it makes me very popular!)

Have more questions about your session?  Contact me!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Portraits on Location: Equine Photography

What is it about loving horses?  I’ve never met anyone who outgrew their love of horses, myself included.  The relationship between Dolly and Michelle is a very special one and their connection is palatable.

I’ve known the two of them for a while now and Michelle and I have long been planning to create a gorgeous portrait of the two of them, but life got in the way, as it sometimes does, and our plans had to change.  Dolly currently has limited mobility, so our session took place in her stall.  

Creating portraits in a stall could have been confining--and stalls aren't always the prettiest of places (and you definitely have to watch your step(!), but I focused on their connection and just let things happen organically. It didn’t always work—horses are basically really big lap dogs that don’t always do what you need them to do.  

Every time I changed position, Dolly left Michelle to come over to see what I was up to. 

I think the in between moments came shining through.  Michelle and I hope that soon, Dolly will be able to walk further into a nearby field and we can continue our session, but until then, I hope these portraits demonstrate the very special love between these two.

Featuring Merry and Bright: The Carlson Family

When your client works in retail fashion, it's a given that the clothing selection will be taken care of.  I was super excited to come up with something different for the Carlson Family when they told me they wanted bright, fun, silly and in the studio!

I liked the idea of a white background to set off their bright, silly outfits and the kind of hard light and shadows you see in fashion editorials.  Right before this shot, Lulu the dog was running around like crazy--but hey, just call me the dog whisper.
Merry and Bright!

Portraits not only make great holiday cards, but they make great gifts and there's still a little time left! Give me a call to schedule your appointment time!

There's no place like home. Portraits at Home!

I'll go just about anywhere to shoot a good portrait, but admittedly, I love photographing clients in their own home!  When you're at home, you're relaxed, a bathroom is nearby, and food and drink make merry.  My clients this weekend wanted to combine a "We've moved into our new house" and "Merry Christmas" theme all in one--a great idea!

Before any session, making a plan for the shoot so that it flows smoothly is critical--particularly when kids are involved.  Or dads.  Sometimes dads too.  Or anyone really.  With home portraits, I like to take a look ahead of time to see the areas I have to work with and the lighting conditions.  It allows me to plan out my lighting and the equipment I'll need to bring.  We'll talk about each area that we plan to photograph in and what needs to be done to ready it for the shoot. If we need furniture or props, we'll talk about that and make sure they are there the day of the shoot.  Clothing is always covered in the conversation.  On the day of the shoot, I want you to feel completely ready and relaxed--not feeling like you've got to run out to find one more outfit.

With this home session, we planned to start at 2:30--typically not an optimal start time during an outdoor session, but we planned to start at the front of the house in a beautifully shaded area and work our way to the open area in the back with direct light as the sun started on it's downward trajectory.  When kids are involved, I usually have about an hour before they start to tire of me.  I'm fascinating and fun, but I like to leave those littles wanting more rather than spent, so I plan my sessions to make the most of my kid time.  But at home, I usually get a little longer, because kids can take a break and head to their room or grab a snack.  And I try to plan the most fun part of the shoot for the end, so that the anticipation of the end shot keeps the energy level up.  With this home session, we planned on a few that involved the pool, so EVERYONE was excited to get to that part!  Just another cold winter day in Southern California!

Got a crazy fun idea for a shoot with me?  Let's chat about it!
Talk to you soon!

Don't forget this member of your family!

Do you have a four legged member of the family?  Or maybe no legs at all?  Someone with fur, scales or gills?  Think about including them in your family portrait!  We'll come up with an animal friendly location so the whole family can be included!