My first ever studio work - Dog Portraits @ Rescue Shelter - opinions?

[Raj_55555]

So here I go - after years of being scared of any light source other than sunlight I finally took the plunge and here's my first attempt with a make shift studio - 2 umbrellas - 2 manual flashes and that's it!!
Total Cost of the lighting setup: Less than 275 US$ including the light stands and everything!

I'm satisfied with my initial efforts, but am still at a phase where it's more of a trial and error than me understanding what the light will do if I place them in a certain way! Expecting some serious critique and how this can be done better.

_________________________The Result______________________
All of these shots are taken at a Dog rescue shelter where I've been organizing volunteer work and crowdfunding sessions. I decided to help them setup a web-page for adoption, and put up these images along with their individual stories.

#1. The Three Musketeers!

#2. The Three Musketeers - Setup 2

#3. The old meets the new

#4. The Picture-perfect poser

#5. The naughtiest dog in the shelter (Chiku) with my friend and assistant for the day trying to get him to pose!

#6. And one where we managed to pose him:

#7. Piratina (The name as she's born blind in right eye) with her brother

#8. And another one with a different mood

#9. And one with the three musketeers to conclude:

Looking forward to some suggestions!!

Note: Mistakenly posted in "Nature and wildlife" out of habit - Admins please help in getting this thread relocated to a more appropriate sub-forum.

 

[tirediron]

First and foremost, for your initial attempt, well done!

Yes, there are some areas for improvement (as there is with every image we ever take). My thoughts on the matter: The lighting appears a bit harsh; not bad, but the whites are just a bit bright and specular. I think this could be easily dealt with in post if you're using LR or PS, or another application with highlight control or curves adjustment capability. My guess is that you may have had your lights just a bit too far away, and perhaps too high and too far off of lens axis if I'm reading the shadows correctly. With a two speedlight/two brolly set-up I would have probably had the lights about 3-4' away at most. I would also suggest going for a 'simple' type of lighting; one light 30 degrees off of lens axis on either side, and one 1/2 to 2/3 stop above the other. This will give you a flatter lighting, but one which will accommodate dogs that don't necessarily want to follow posing instructions.

Also try and position your lights (and pose the dogs) to avoid the big 'full brolly' catchlights such as we see in the middle and right-hand dog of image #1. Because dogs don't normally have a large, white sclera the way humans do, it tends (IMO) to give them a slightly demonic look. The eyes of the middle dog in #2 are perfect.

Posing multiple dogs can be a huge challenge; I do a 'Pets with Santa' charity fund-raiser photo shoot every year for a local animal shelter and my personal best is eight of nine dogs in session actually looking at the camera! Shelter dogs are going to be especially challenging because they're likely scared, may well have been mistreated, etc, but try and minimize the distractions around them, and have an assistant directly behind you with toys, treats, etc; this will usually help to get them looking at the camera. It may help to actually shoot in a dark room and have a light on your assistant to give the dogs a point of focus.

I really like your idea with #3; great 'sob story', and #7 is a great shot; that will almost certainly get him a home! When using an assistant the way you have (a necessity with many dogs) have her look at the camera and try to engage; that too will help the 'sales pitch'.

Overall, good job Raj, and it's a good thing you're doing!

 

[zombiesniper]

Great set.
No C&C from me. You did better then I could.

 

[pjaye]

Well done Raj. I agree with tirediron. And if I lived in India, I'd be adopting those three in #9. Fantastic shot.

 

[limr]

Listen to tirediron for the technical stuff. I have nothing to add on that front since I know less than nothing about studio lighting. As for the feeling of the images, however, I feel like you have done so well in showing the personalities of the dogs. The images feel very soulful and sweet. I love the unconventional posing and interactions and I really love the framing in #3. I'm sure there are technical things you can improve, but I think you are off to a fantastic start!

 

[FITBMX]

Those look great to me, and you got some great C&C up above.
I take puppy photos for a friend sometimes, but her's are normally 6-8 weeks. And they can be really hard to get them to pose. If someone holds them, they look like they are dead. And if you set them on the ground they run around like rockets, and that is really hard to get a good photo of!

 

[jcdeboever]

I have nothing to add. Cute dogs and better than anyou shelter dog pics in my neck of the woods. Well done and super first attempt.

 

[xicaque]

They are nice!!! I like them


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[BillM]

Well done Raj, love the first two. Puppies are hard to shoot !!!!

 

[annamaria]

No techie cc from me, the expressions are priceless especially on some of them. If I were looking for a doggie you'd have won me over. I would say you will probably get some interested people for sure. I think what you are doing is a great cause. Keep up it up.


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[Dean_Gretsch]

I am a dog lover so of course I liked them! The " 3 Musketeer " theme serves you and them well!

 

[JoeW]

First, this is for a great cause--kudos to you.

Second, as portraits they're pretty good. They're dramatic and interesting.

Third, for their REAL purpose (entice people to adopt the pooches), you can do better. My rationale is pretty similar to what Tirediron said in his critique. To me, the purpose of these photos (for the shelter anyway) is to get these dogs adopted. For that, you want lighting that is not as harsh, you don't want such great dynamic range. If I'm thinking of adopting a dog and the hindquarters are in shadow, my instinct is "hmmm...is that to hide a nasty scar?" I think your lighting setup and use of lighting will be critical here. I'd get more reflectors to add some fill and soft light. Look for any poses or activity that either makes them look "fun" or lays some guilt on the viewer "ah gee, I just have to go adopt that poor puppy, he just wants a home" kind of guilt.

I think you did a lovely job posing them and getting them focused. There is a lot you did right, especially for a first try and not a lot of experience with speed lights. It's a good start.

 

[beagle100]

nice K9 portraits

 

[sup_dgp]

Awesome as always!!!

 

[SquarePeg]

Great job for a great cause! I really like the pics and lighting as far as dog portraits go but I do have to agree with the others that softer images will "sell" better. Also, just a thought that while I love the 3 musketeers theme for portraits, showing the 3 together implies that they are a set and many people may not be able or willing to take on all 3 so it could discourage them from inquiring - I wouldn't make that a theme on the shelter website.