With their boisterous energy, sweet puppy faces and little paws, what could be more fun than photographing a puppy? Of course, when photographing pets, even in a controlled environment, like a photography studio, they can be unpredictable, and puppies bring a whole set of challenges. There’s no shortage in cuteness, but short attention spans coupled with the inability to sit still creates an environment that will take some patience, and lots of energy to capture great shots.
In the following video from Fstoppers, Lee Morris takes his new 9-week old Vizsla puppy, Leo, into the studio for some adorable shots as well as gives some simple tips for photographing a puppy in three unique scenarios.
Gear Used
- Nikon D750
- Nikon 60mm
- Profoto B1
- Paul C Buff Beauty Dish
1. Don’t Place Them On The Ground
Puppies are wiggly and love to explore, so if you give them too much space to wander, they will do so! Lee recommends keeping them on a higher surface (like a coffee table) and something easily moveable/turnable, so when the puppy wants to lay down facing away from the camera, you can just rotate the surface (in this case a small ottoman).
2. Use a Macro Lens To Get Closeups
Because of their little faces, getting close enough to a puppy to get its features may be difficult without a macro lens. Lee uses a 60mm lens typically used for wedding ring shots for his portraits of Leo.
3. Consider Lighting
When lighting a puppy in studio, you can light them pretty much the same as a person, keeping in mind that the puppy has a bigger nose so be aware of shadows. Make sure you use a strobe light to freeze them in motion since they move very fast, all the time.
4. Use Props To Get Unique Looks
The use of props for any portrait session, pets or humans, adds more interest in the image. In one of the setups, Lee uses an Alien Bee ring flash to get not only interesting flat light, but also as a natural circular frame in one of the final images. For the last setup, Lee also uses plexiglass and honey to shoot through, with which he was able to get some unique shots of Leo with his little tongue out. When using the plexiglass trick, just be aware of reflections off the glass and keeping the glass clean.
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Watch the video below to see the pictures from Leo’s session or see Fstopper’s post here.
