My wife caught me feeling sorry for myself one Saturday afternoon after yet another model failed to show for a scheduled shoot. She told me I needed to find something else to take pictures of – something that didn’t rely on the fickle feelings of female models. So I turned my camera to our two dogs – Max and Guinness. After many (MANY) bad photos of them, I finally figured my technique and style, and found the confidence to start taking pictures of other people’s dogs.
My first attempt at a dog portrait was during a family photo session with one of my favorite models, Danielle. Her dog was a part of her family, so I made sure I did a photo or two of him.
That shot worked so well, I decided to find more dogs to photograph, so I took my camera with me to the dog park a few times to practice with as many subjects as I could.
Feeling confident in my skills and techniques, I asked my neighbors to bring their dogs by the house one Saturday so I could do a little more dog portrait practice before I set off on my next Big Photography Project – taking pictures of rescue and shelter dogs. My neighbors happily obliged, and I met some adorable fuzzy faces one Saturday afternoon.
As much as I love spending my Saturday and Sunday afternoons taking pictures of beautiful women, I think I like taking pictures of dogs better. Don’t get me wrong – I can find room for both. But the shelters and rescue groups need better pictures of the animals in their care. We need more good pictures of fuzzy faces.
Leave a Reply