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Photography, Sessions
The Pet Photo Booth – Glens Falls Pet Fest
  • Posted By Jason
  • on May 27,2016

When I heard the news that my town (Glens Falls, NY ) was hosting an event called Pet Fest, I knew I had to be there. My girlfriend, Emily, suggested that we set up a pet photo booth at the event and the idea took off. I paid my deposit to have a booth and set out to purchase all the materials I needed to make it happen. Turns out, I needed a lot of materials. The tent, the backdrop, the backdrop stand, sandbags to weigh everything down, etc.

Read my post on Pet Photography Tips for some more advice and follow me on my Instagram and Facebook pages for more of my work!

Once I had all the necessary supplies, my dog, Red, became the test subject for the lighting and props. I published this image online and after it received nearly three quarters of a million views, I knew I had the right product.

Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer

You might say it’s cruel to put my male dog in a pink feather boa and tiara, but he is totally rocking that thing.

My setup is a 4×4′ light blue vinyl backdrop, speedlite/softbox key light, and another speedlite lighting the background through a shoot-through umbrella. I photographed all the dogs with a Canon 6D and a 17-40L (in an effort to exaggerate some of their features). The squeaky thing from inside of Red’s toys (pressed against the barrel of the lens with my left hand, treats dangling over my head, and a lot of patience were the key to getting good looks from the dogs.

Red had to stay home for Pet Fest, but I donated 20% of the proceeds collected from the event to Friends of Phoebie Animal Rescue in Queensbury, NY, the shelter that I adopted him from last summer.

Here are my favorite photo booth sessions:

Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet PhotographerGlens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet PhotographerGlens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer Glens Falls Pet Fest Photo Booth Jason Checkla Photography Pet Photographer

I recommend bookmarking this page to look at any time that you need a smile. A huge thank you to everyone that came out to Pet Fest and stopped by my booth!


Photography
Pet Photography Tips: Dogs and Cats
  • Posted By Jason
  • on February 8,2016

I’m not ashamed to admit it. I regularly use my fancy camera to photograph my cats.

You probably do it too. A new lens or camera arrives in the mail and you immediately lose sight of all the daydreaming you’d done while waiting for your package to arrive. You may have envisioned yourself photographing a beautiful landscape or capturing that perfect moment in perfect lighting of a friend candidly laughing. Pet photography is the farthest thing from your mind. You tear off the bubble wrap and what do you shoot first? Cats.

Pet Photography Tips-8

Nala. 6D with EF 85mm f1.8.

Cats is always the answer. Maybe that’s just me, but as soon as I realized that this was happening (expectation vs. reality), I started to embrace it and I started to enjoy it. Cats are great for testing a lens’ sharpness. Also, they are adorable and people love them. Keep scrolling for the pet photography tips!

In an age where you can make a living off of your Instafamous pet, there really isn’t any shame in hashtags like #catsofinstagram or #dogstagram. In fact, if you’re a working professional and you’ve got the itch to share your pet’s latest and greatest portrait, you ought to know what hashtags you should be using. Cats and dogs are family and unlike babies, you probably actually enjoy seeing them in your social media feeds. For that reason, they are a valuable marketing tool.

Pet Photography Tips-1

Gracie. 6D with EF 50mm f1.4 USM.

Pet Photography Tips.

Red. 6D with 17-40 f4L.

With all that in mind, here’s my advice on how to master pet photography and best capture your furry friends:

Know Your Pet

…or the pet that you are photographing. It’s best to try and capture your cat or dog in a moment where they are showcasing their personality. If you have a lazy pet, consider capturing them in their sleep. If your pet is high-energy, grab a favorite toy of theirs and catch them in action. The easiest time to get those dog-action shots is when they’re running back your way with the toy or stick that you threw for them. The easiest time to snag the perfect portrait is right after you’ve worn them out from a game of fetch.

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Molly. 6D with EF 35mm f2 IS.

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Thompson. 6D with 135mm f2L.

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Dixie. 6D with EF 85mm f1.8.

Get On Your Pet’s Level

This is a big one. Most of my favorite pet photography portraits have been taken when I’m literally laying on the ground. This puts you on their level and gives you and your viewer more of a perspective into what it’s like to actually be a dog or cat. The alternative is the human-pet perspective that we have with animals on a regular basis. A bonus to this perspective is that they tend to look at you funny too. Sometimes this comes at the expense of getting a little dirty when outside, but it’s worth it for the results.

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Nala. 6D with Samyang 24mm f1.4.

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Red. Fujifilm x100s 23mm f2.

Use The Right Lighting and Settings for Pet Photography

This is the more technical stuff. The same lighting that is flattering to humans is flattering to animals. Most of the time when I’m shooting cats, the light source is a window. With dogs, it’s the late afternoon sun. At mid-day you’ll have a hard time dealing with harsh contrast, which is especially difficult when shooting black dogs. I prefer natural lighting when available. If you must shoot mid-day, try to find a large shaded area.

If your pet isn’t asleep, it’s a good idea to use as quick a shutter speed as is practical for the situation. Actually, that applies to nearly all photography. When indoors, I typically try for 1/125s or faster and compensate for the lack of light by shooting wide-open or close-to-wide-open with some of my faster primes and by bumping the ISO. With the Canon 6D I can get away with upwards of ISO 10,000 and still clean up the noise nicely in post. Never compromise on shutter speed with fast-moving pets, because you are compromising on sharpness. My favorite cat lens (if we’re going to call it that) is my Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art. My favorite dog lens is the Canon 85mm f1.8.

When a dog is running at me full speed, I’m usually shooting somewhere between 1/1250s and 1/2500s. I find that both of these shutter speeds are acceptable for freezing a dog in motion. My aperture will be set to f2.8-f5.6 and my ISO often around ISO 1000. Auto-focus set to servo-mode if your pet is moving. Generally I use the center focus point and crop in post to make my compositions more interesting. If you bump the shutter speed a bit higher (1/3000 or 1/4000) you’ll start to freeze things like dirt being kicked up, water being splashed or rain/snow as it falls, which is AWESOME.

It’s difficult for me to be too specific, because oftentimes the answer is, “it depends.”

Pet Photography Tips-12

Marcy. 6D with 50mm f1.8 ii.

Pet Photography Tips-4

Thompson. 6D with 135mm f2L.

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Gracie. 6D with 35mm f2 IS.

Sometimes I like to get really creative with the lighting (as seen above). Firing a speedlite from off camera, I was able to not only highlight the steam coming from the humidifier, but the directional lighting helps to indicate just how fluffy the cat is.

Be Patient

You can fire away at however many frames-per-second you want and hope to get the right shot, but the more I’ve practiced pet photography, the less I’ve found myself shooting this way. It think it pays off bigger to be patient and wait for the right moment. It helps to anticipate what your pet is going to do next and shooting in smaller bursts (2-3 shots). Don’t expect to get the perfect shot on the first try, just keep shooting until you know that you have. If you don’t get the shot, don’t get discouraged. Try again later.

Pet Photography Tips-14

Mocha. 650D with Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC.

Get Creative and Have Fun

It sounds really obvious, but the best photos will come when you put the most effort into being creative and having fun. This is another tip that applies well to photography as a whole. Create circumstances with toys and treats, use foreground and background objects to create environmental interest, get high and low, vary your distance from your pet, play with lighting, etc. You get the idea. Backlighting from the setting sun is my favorite.

Did I mention treats? You definitely want to have some food on hand, if only to make the pet like you. If you’re photographing someone else’s pet, ask them the best way to get the pet’s attention. Better yet, ask them to play with the dog and get the attention drawn towards the camera.

Pet Photography Tips-15

Gracie. 6D with EF 50mm f1.4 USM

Pet Photography Tips-2

Marcy. 6D with Samyang 24mm f1.4.

Pet Photography Tips-6

Thompson. 6D with 17-40mm f4L.

I make it a point to photograph dogs with a wide angle lens at every shoot. The way that a wide angle lens pulls you into the photograph works well with the human-pet perspective, especially when you can see the leash. Not to mention the way the perspective distortion makes their noses look hilarious. Note: this is exactly why you do NOT photograph your girlfriend with a wide angle lens.

Don’t hesitate to comment below with any questions you might have and get in touch with me if you’d like me to photograph your pet! If you’d like to see more of my photography, give me a follow on Facebook and Instagram!

Thanks for reading,

Jason

Note: The featured image was taken with a 6D and the EF 85mm f1.8.


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Jason Checkla

Jason

Hi, I'm Jason! Thanks for checking out my work. I'm a wedding and family portrait photographer in the foothills of the Adirondacks -- Glens Falls, New York. Click my face to learn more about me!

Recent Posts
  • Adirondack Brewery Festival of Barrels 2018 March 11, 2018
  • The Dog Photography Photobooth - Christmas Edition - South Glens Falls, NY January 12, 2018
  • Glens Falls Holiday Cards! November 30, 2017
  • The Lensbaby Twist 60 and Pet Photography July 13, 2017
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