E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I am a longtime professional portrait photographer- mostly traditional, formal and casual portraits of PEOPLE! I never thought of myself of a pet portrait specialist although every now and again the doggies and puddy tats would be brought to my studio for a portrait.

Some years ago, I was exhibiting my work at a home show- y'all know- a consumer show with furniture, home renovations, decor, housewares ect. In our display were many wedding pictures, children's portraits, corporate portraits of business folks and politicians and a few pet shots.

To promote our business we would runs "show specials" offering some of our more costly large wall portraits at somewhat reduced prices. A gentleman visited our booth and inquired about having his CHILDREN photographed and pointed to a very large portrait in a gilded frame and inquired about the cost. I quote a price of $600. He hesitated and finally intimated to me that his wife routinely takes the kids to the local mall and the "portraits " run just a few bucks...etc. Then he spotted a life size image of my own Polish Hound- 30x40 in a walnut frame- canvas mount- the works! $2,000 on special. He told me about his beloved German Shepard and handed me his credit card to get the "show price" and made an appointment! A few week later we made a very nice "sitting" of Ludvig (his dog) and the final order was nearly $4,000- copies for the breeder, the vet and a few relatives!

So...ever since then, I advertise in pet shops, breeder magazines, vet's offices, and make it known that we make formal portraits of dogs and cats. We do them all- pure breeds, mongrels, prize winning pedigree and feral cats, all shapes, colors and sizes. I love doing it even with bad dogs and uncooperative cats. We always tell folks to include their pets in family portraits. We donate our services to the Humane Society and the the shelters and rescue operations in our neighborhood.

Of course, not every client spends thousands of dollars but we always enjoy creating really cool images of the "Pampered Pets"! I have many hundreds of pet portraits in my files.

Funny, I did not know about this section. If anyone out there wants some tips on photographing (I never say shooting) your pets, just let me know.

Of course, I do have some stories to tell about naughty pets. Like the cat who bolted out of the camera room, into the darkroom and ran under the sink- found a hole and went in under the floor! He would not come out. The client went home a left the cat there overnight, so we put out some food and nabbed him (the cat- not the client) when he came out for breakfast.

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JerseyBob Loc: New Jersey

Beautiful portraits and great article!

Houstoncatlover

Wonderful photos! I take mostly cat photos for a no-kill shelter here in Houston. I’m always looking for backdrop ideas. Any suggestions? Thanks.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Thanks for sharing.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Thanks for you kind comments!


Background management for cats is fairly simple in that the are not especially large animals- you don't need large expanses of background material. There are many methods.

If you are working out of doors, any natural background will work out, especially if you use a wider aperture and throw the background sufficiently out of focus. Foliage, textured wood, wooden steps all make good props and backgrounds.

Indoors- sometimes I just place the cat on a window ledge and use the outdoor scene as a background.

You can also set up a "studio"- like system with multiple off camera flash. You can use a painted multi-colored background- you don't need a very big one even for a full body pose. You can purchase such backgrounds for the Denny Manufacturing C.o. (1-800-844-5616 ask for catalog) or paint one on a length of canvas or a window shade.

To paint a background you lay in a base coat of flat black or gray latex/acrylic paint. After it dries, you can add splashes of color (same kind of paint) with brushes and sponges- keep it out of focus for best results.

Other background material can be a few pieces of barnwood, or "fake" barn wood paneling. Sometimes I just had an old oriental style rug on the wall and again, keep it out of focus. Another aproach- I let the can play in a medium size basket and shot downward- the basket weave is a nice background. You can use seamless background paper made by Savage- It comes in various colors and shades. A high key portrait of a white cat on a white background is a possibility.

I often find great pet backgrounds in fabric stores. You can buy cloth remnants in solid colors and prints- a couple of yards will do the trick. Black velvet or velveteen eats ligh for a jet black background. Green colors bring out the color of an "orange cat".

If you tell me what equipment you are using, I can assist you further.

Houstoncatlover

Thank you very much. You have given me plenty to work with.

I shoot with a Sony a7rii and a 24-70 2.8 zoom. There is a fair amount of natural light in the rooms. Only occasionally do we use strobes. Thanks again.

nanaval Loc: Cornwall

Very good selection..

lovemypups Loc: Kentucky

Hi E.L. The Pampered Pets Corner was just started recently by myself and Dixiegirl because of our love for pets-any and all! I think we've gotten off to a really good start and our hope is to share our stories about our pets as well as see all the adorable pets out there and encourage those who are learning photography (and those who just need to practice and a bit of motivation) to get out those cameras and start clicking I work a full time job, so my practice time is very limited, but my joy is going to the Canine Obedience School where I have taken my 3 dogs for lessons over the years and take photos of the students as they are working with their pets and then the students are given a two photos for a graduation gift. One of them while working with their pet and a portrait of their puppy/dog. It's really good practice for me, the lighting isn't the best in the training area so I'm always learning about which setting will work best, and I've been given a dedicated area to get the portraits for the students. I've recently purchased my first set of strobes, to that has been a challenge as well for me, but I'm always ups for a challenge and willing to learn as I go. Any and all hints and tips are always appreciated and we hope to see some more of your wonderful photographs

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Strobes are great for pets. It freezes movement when it is the main ligh source- the flash duration is extremely short and won't usually frighten most pets.

Here's "OLD FRIEND" a Basset Hound, photographed in my studio with a multiple flash system. The main light was a Photogenic Studiomaster unit with a 16 inch parabolic reflector- close and feathered at about 30 degrees. The fill light is a Photogenic Skylighter behin the camera.. Another 16" unit was used at a kick light at 135 degrees on the right side. A Studiomaster background light adds a touch of light to the painted background. The feathered light brigs out the coat. The subject was amused by my "cat" noise- I learned to Meow authentically!

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Dixiegirl Loc: Alabama gulf coast

Beautiful work, E.L., and an entertaining and informative narrative! We're so glad you found this section. I, for one, would like to learn all I can about pet photography and look forward to your posts...and delightful stories!