My choice for this first outtake post was easy  and I realized it would be about 5 minutes into the shoot.

The subjects: a pair of Pomeranians named Oscar and Frasier being photographed in Pleasanton in front of the new Firehouse Art Center.

The goal: get Oscar and Frasier to sit still long enough to grab a shot of them looking at the camera with the theatre behind them .

Problem #1: Oscar had to be on leash and barks constantly when excited

Problem #2: Being photographed means being excited

Problem #3: Did I mention problems #1 and #2?

I’ve posted a series misses followed by the one shot I got from the sequence that passes muster. In reality, there were quite a few more outtakes and really only one or two others of the two dogs together that ended up working well as a printable option. You’ll need click on the image to see the individual shots.

Outtakes

Two Black Pomeranians at Pleasanton Theatre (click to see large)

Final Shot

Two Pomeranians posed in front of Pleasanton Firehouse Theatre

What you can’t see  is one of the two pet parents lying on his back behind and below the two dogs holding on to Oscar’s leash as his wife is directly behind me jumping up and down shaking a treat bag. At the same time,  I’m  taking as many shots as I can and trying to keep these two whirling dervishes in focus while they spin around and hop over each other. Oh, and did I mention this is a public space so there were people riding by on bikes and stopping to watch while we did this. Whew, I’m exhausted again just thinking about it.

I also have to give kudos and many heartfelt backslaps to Oscar and Frasier’s mom and dad who sacrificed good posture and self respect to make this all possible. You guys were awesome!

Claire Bear in her new home

Last month I photographed a 7 1/2 year old Basset Hound named Claire Bear for a My Mutt poster supporting Golden Gate Basset Rescue — the group that pulled her and 6o other Bassets from squalid conditions at a commercial breeding facility north of Sacramento. Fortunately for Claire Bear and a good number of the other Bassets freed that day this story has had a relatively happy outcome.

But it does serve as an object lesson in the problems and heartbreak puppy mills like this one can cause and why it’s so important that the public and all aspiring pet guardians know about them and avoid them.

Bassets in a filthy run on their rescue day. Photo courtesy of Golden Gate Basset Rescue

Claire Bear spent 6 years there and for most of them she was force bred — having as many as 8 litters.
She and the other dogs were severely undersocialized and by the time they were rescued in December 2009 they were living in total filth. (You can read further details on the GGBR site).

After the rescue Claire Bear lived with a foster family for almost 2 years before landing in her forever home last fall and still bears the psychological scars of the ordeal she experienced at the puppy mill.  Until very recently she really showed no signs of knowing how to be a dog. She spent most of her time hiding under a blanket-covered coffee table, knew no commands, didn’t know how to play, was afraid of toys and didn’t bark at all.

Claire Bear outside in an enclosure her new guardian built for her

Thanks to the incredible patience and kindness of her new mom Claire Bear is showing some small but encouraging signs of improvement. At first she tolerated no contact and only left the safety of her coffee-table fort in the middle of the night when everyone slept. When I met her in January she allowed her mom to touch her and, when coaxed, climbed onto a couch. However, it took close to two hours before she would stay in the same room with me. I was not able to touch her and she still did not respond to food, treats or any voice commands from her mom.

In the three weeks since then her mom reports she’s begun showing interest in deli chicken and now knows the words “up” and “din din”.  This is all really positive but it’s also painstakingly slow going. Much of the time dogs like her who miss out on normal socialization and human interactions in the formative months never get a chance to progress to this point or show any improvement. That’s because it takes someone like her mom who literally spent months planning and preparing for Claire Bear’s arrival and and now devotes hours a day working with her. Claire Bear still has a long a way to go and may not ever get to the point where she trusts people. It’s my hope that I’m able to report back regularly on her continued progress and I’d love at some point to spend more time with her and get new pictures as she settles in at her forever home.

Claire Bear, (then named Claire) on her rescue day

Those familiar with me know I typically don’t dip into controversy or blog from a soap box but in cases like Claire Bear it’s really difficult not to.

In the end this is really a story about a courageous little dog and some truly remarkable and caring people who pulled her and five dozen other animals out of horrific conditions. However, you simply can’t escape the fact that puppy mills like the one she came from exist and they exist because there’s a market for them.

Though extreme in terms of the number of dogs, this is not isolated and there are dogs living in similar conditions right now around the country. There are even reports (not proven but also not isolated) that the puppy mill operators responsible for Claire Bear and her 60 companions are selling dogs again, though through intermediaries and not directly themselves.

The only way to remedy this as far as I’m concerned is to diminish that market by informing the new-pet crazed public about two things:

1) There are an overwhelming number of wonderful animals both young and old desperate for homes and living on borrowed time in shelters and foster homes all over the country.

2) If you simply refuse to go the adopted-pet route and must have a pure-bred puppy or kitten,  do your research. Find and work with a reputable breeder. Check on them. Ask for references. If you can’t find any or they aren’t willing to give them to you that’s a good sign for you to look elsewhere.

There are a number of fancy tricks involving flashes and light modifiers that can help (we can get to those down the road) but there are also some basic tips and simple tricks you can live by that don’t involve gear at all but just changing when you take your photos or where your pet is when you do.

Morning light is really great for photographing light or dark-colored pets (click to enlarge)

1) Shoot first thing in the morning or early evening

I know it seems counterintuitive but you generally won’t get good photos of pets (or people) if they’re bathed in direct mid-day sun. The light’s really harsh and unforgiving and since your camera is trying to average out all the different exposures a dark-colored dog mixed with bright sun and a blue sky equals a black blob. The light’s much more gentle and flattering right after the sun comes up and right before it goes down. Even better, the light has that nice golden hue to it so you end up with shots that have a warm tone to them plus lots of detail, including fur highlights. Added benefit: you won’t get a bunch of shots with a long pink tongue in them because your dog won’t be panting in 90-degree heat

2) Keep your subject out of direct light during the rest of the day

Some moments obviously won’t wait 4 hours for the sun to start going down. In these cases moving your pet to the shade or an indirectly, but well-lit space is the way to go. Sometimes this takes a little experimenting because you don’t want to go to the opposite extreme and not have enough light. When I’m outside doing this I also try to make sure the animal is at least facing the direction the light is coming from when we’re in the shade. When you’re indoors and the pet is in direct light try drawing a light curtain or covering the window with a white sheet to diffuse the light  (or you can just nudge them over a few inches)

Albert in and out of direct sun

In the pair of photos here (click to see them large), check out the first shot on the left of little Albert’s puppy butt in a sunbeam. See how all the white in direct  sun is almost completely blasted out with no detail? Now check out the second shot after he moved two feet over the left under a coffee table. You can see the same sunbeam on the right but the direct sun is blocked from his face and body by the top of the table. He’s also facing the window the sun’s coming through so he’s getting well lit by the indirect light (which gets an added boost off the shiny surface of the table)

3) Shoot in the fog or when it’s overcast

A lot of people complain about the fog here in San Francisco. Not me. It makes my job a lot easier. Fog and overcast skies give you a wonderful, even light with no harsh shadows. You can shoot pretty much any time of day without worrying about it. Colors really pop, too

Admittedly, these tips don’t cover everything when it comes to lighting and I fully expect (and hope) there will be a lot of questions and quite a few posts down the road about it.

Stay tuned for more tips coming next week. And, please, post questions here or email me if you have suggestions for what those tips might be…

Coming up next time: What’s Your Background?

Cast your vote! I’m nominated for Top SF Pet Photographer
on Bay Woof’s Beast of the Bay

Getting down low on the job. Look closely, those jeans get pretty filthy

When people ask me if there’s just a single tip I can give them to improve their pet photos the one I generally pass on doesn’t requires any special equipment or training (except maybe some stretching and basic flexibility exercises). It’s even an approach that works with any camera. Ready? Try shooting at pet level.It’s simple and basic but I promise it really makes a huge difference and moves you away from typical, predictable pictures of your dog or cat looking up at the camera.

Here’s why.

First, since most pets are a lot lower to the ground than we are it really brings a lot of visual interest to the shot since it’s not a view of the world we see a lot of the time.

Second, your dog or cat is posed more naturally this way. They’re not craning their necks and staring up at you.

Third, when you’re at their level it’s a lot less threatening than if you’re towering over them leaning over and holding a camera above. This is especially handy when the pet you’re photographing is on the timid side.

In terms of getting to pet level there’s a number of ways to do it.

In my case, it generally means getting down on the ground — either sitting or lying prone – which for shooting outdoors means getting really dirty and going through lots of jeans and t-shirts over the course of the year. Welcome to my world. Obviously, doing this inside is a lot cleaner.

However, you can also bring the camera to them and lower it to dog or cat level. For DSLRs or cameras you need to look through to focus and compose this can be a little

The resulting photo

tricky but for some DSL’s, most point and shoots and cell phone cameras where there’s a big LCD viewfinder it’s pretty easy. Sometimes, using this approach yields really dramatic results since you get slightly tilted, off-center shots

Conversely, you can also bring them to camera level. I do this a lot when I’m shooting in someone’s back yard and they have an elevated deck or porch.  I’ll stand in the yard in a spot where my head is at deck height and have them let the dog out on that deck. You can accomplish the same thing with stairs – standing at the bottom and shooting when the dog or cat hits a stair level with the camera.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should never shoot from any other angle. It’s fun to mix things up like catching subjects from directly below as well as from above from time to time. It just depends on the pet and the setting. And like anything else, variety helps

Got questions or comments? Leave them on this post or shoot me an email. I’d love your feedback.

Coming up next time: A Light Touch

Cast your vote! I’m nominated for Top SF Pet Photographer
on Bay Woof’s Beast of the Bay

Me and Guido the Italian Kitty

I routinely get asked by clients I work with (and my Facebook and blog fans) how I get the shots I do, why I’m doing certain things on a shoot and what sort of equipment I use. The same folks often tell me they can’t ever get good shots of their dogs or cats and wonder if there’s any tips or tricks I can pass on.

The short answer is:  Yes! Pretty much anyone can learn to take better pet photos (or  photos in general) with one of today’s digital cameras whether it’s a fancy schmancy DSLR with bag full of different lenses and gear (mea culpa) or the one that comes with your smart phone.

The real trick is just trying out new things, and not being afraid to experiment.

Full disclosure: if you really start getting into this an iPhone camera or basic point and shoot will only get you so far. At a certain point you’ll have to take the leap into DSLR surf. Come on in–the water’s great.

Guido at his best

So, with that cat out of the bag (so to speak) I’m starting a regular feature here about pet photography tips, tricks and techniques. I’ve got a few in mind already to get things rolling but I want this to be an open forum so if you have any burning questions about how to do something (or how not do something please either leave a comment here or just email me.

Coming up next time: The Right Angles

Cast your vote! I’m nominated for Top SF Pet Photographer
on Bay Woof’s Beast of the Bay

I want Smile Like a Dog to be more than a place for sneak peeks from recent shoots and general announcements. So you can count on seeing more frequent and varying posts including: tips on pet photography, outtakes from shoots that didn’t go quite as planned, features on rescue groups and animals in need of homes and more glimpses behind the scenes of the crazy guy who spends a lot of his days on the ground (literally) working with dogs, cats, and other animals.

I’ll be rolling this out gradually to test things out and genuinely welcome your feedback either in comments on posts or through email. New ideas are always welcome as is constructive feedback.

Thanks for your support.

Let’s just say that as a rule I don’t make New Years’ resolutions in my personal life but there’s a bit of a loophole when it comes to my business life. For 2012 I have a number of plans for Mark Rogers Photography but one of the big ones is to be a better blogger: more compelling, more consistent, more fun.

Stay tuned…

Click collage to see large