Dog portraiture

Eventer · Jan 21, 2015

Hi team,
I came across photographer Portfolio | Alicja Zmysłowska Fotograf Psów | Fotografia Psów
And I'm absolutely mesmerized by her dog photos!
One question - how?! I'm aware they are fairly post processed but how do the eyes always look so stunning?
What lenses do you think she works with? Any insight or ideas to taking photos like this or taking dog photos in general would be great
I'm a full time Vet Nurse and Id love to try my hand at a bit of outdoor pet portraiture - and always have plenty of dogs to work with which is a bonus!

qleak · Jan 21, 2015

Eventer said:
Hi team,
I came across photographer Portfolio | Alicja Zmysłowska Fotograf Psów | Fotografia Psów
And I'm absolutely mesmerized by her dog photos!
One question - how?! I'm aware they are fairly post processed but how do the eyes always look so stunning?
What lenses do you think she works with? Any insight or ideas to taking photos like this or taking dog photos in general would be great
I'm a full time Vet Nurse and Id love to try my hand at a bit of outdoor pet portraiture - and always have plenty of dogs to work with which is a bonus!

Those are pretty cool. From the exif info of the files on their site it looks like they are shooting with a Canon 7D

70-200 f4 (for action / obstacle course)
85 f1.8
50 f1.8

Most of her shots are either wide open aperture or very close to it

Eventer · Jan 21, 2015

Thanks! I have a 50mm 1.8 and a 24-70/2.8 so ill play with those

Mr.Photo · Jan 21, 2015

Just as with people, pet portraits work better with the medium to longer focal lengths. As for the eyes, it's all about light. Typically a diffused flash is used as fill to light the eyes. A direct flash will give a steel eyed glow to the eyes which you don't want.

Working with animals is challenging. They don't always sit or stand the way you want them to. Patience is a virtue in this case. Most of the shots I've taken of my pets is done with a longer focal length lens 85mm or more and I stand at a distance, and can take dozens of shots to get something I like.

tirediron · Jan 22, 2015

Have you tried contacting her? No better place than the source! As for the eyes, if I had to guess, I'd say, selective adjustment brush in LR, and an exposure, and saturation boost (and of course nailing the focus). Animals do require patience, but they're very rewarding to work with, and a lot of fun. General tips: Make sure the dogs are well exercised (a moderately tired dog is a MUCH better model than one who's desperate for a walk). Have a selection of attention-getters, and ideally, at least one "parent" as dogs will almost always respond better to their own human's calls, then someone else's.

TCampbell · Jan 22, 2015

As for the eyes... photographers will deliberately work to put "catch light" reflections onto eyes to accent them. You control the size and shape of the reflection by the shape and size of the light. In one of the photos it looked as if I could see the reflection of a large parabolic umbrella (possibly with her silhouette in it) in the catch-light reflection. You'd have to ask the photographer what she uses but many photographers have their favorite "go to" tools for catch lights.

Braineack · Jan 22, 2015

Too much post processing for me.

Dont get me wrong, they are great. But I can't stand superimposed objects and fake blur.

The eyes are way overdone in a few of them.

cynicaster · Jan 22, 2015

Yeah... that photographer definitely has skills, but the results are a bit too dreamy/surreal for me, to the point of being distracting.

raventepes · Jan 26, 2015

One thing you may want to take a look at is a Lens Baby Optic Swap system to get that dreamy effect. As for the eyes, it would seem that the eyes are what she tries to focus on, which, for portraits is normal. You may also want to look into an 85mm f/1.8G while I'm thinking about it. Stunning lens.

Eventer · Feb 2, 2015

thank all for the advice

I googled the lens baby optic - i think i need one! along with an 85mm
Heres a couple dog photos I've taken over the past couple weeks

i have a couple more i want to share but they are still sitting in Lightroom at home

Mr.Photo · Feb 2, 2015

Those are pretty nice. I too agree that the photos in the link you posted are a bit over processed for my taste. I tend to prefer a more realistic natural looking photo. However a good lens, and the right conditions can make for a great photo