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Studio Shoot: One Dog with Natural Light

Lesson 13 from: Pets and People Photography

Vicki Taufer

Studio Shoot: One Dog with Natural Light

Lesson 13 from: Pets and People Photography

Vicki Taufer

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Lesson Info

13. Studio Shoot: One Dog with Natural Light

Lessons

Class Trailer

Day 1

1

The V Gallery Evolution

15:52
2

Selling the Experience

09:33
3

Why Pets?

19:08
4

You and Your Clients

16:32
5

Pet Photography Intro Q&A

10:26
6

Creating a Market: Dog Days of Summer

36:30
7

Educating Clients about Dog Days

29:03

Lesson Info

Studio Shoot: One Dog with Natural Light

I s so wise I mean I try not to go too high if I don't have tio I mean right now I'm s oh eight hundred at one twenty fifth and two way so I'm definitely gonna have tio nailed like paxton won't be able to be moving too much and uh I wouldn't be able to do a shot where I was getting both morgan and paxton like together and focus but if he's just going to buy her feet it actually would look really nice on the brick wall will go out of focus so we're gonna try it we're going to roll with that right now and just see um what that looks like and the one thing I didn't mention I guess I think I wasn't on camera when I was setting some of this up is that um I do do a light meter reading but then as far as my white balance I should draw and do all that afterwards but I do use all the presets soas faras like um setting you know I wonder if I wasn't you know I think on the shots are shooting I wasn't on flash on the last one so but I mean they're raw so I'll do the white balancing afterwards in l...

ight room but for these I might have a set on cloudy and advise outside I haven't set on so but I override it anyway and do um a white balance it's okay and you know what every client that I've ever asked a photo after fi it's just like oh I didn't get a pedicure oh my feet are dirty no they look great honestly I I think your feet look great so um I'm gonna just look through here so the plan always okay paxton's getting cozy so the plan is we're going to kind of work around paxton and I have a decent area to work with here so I just want to probably avoid the outlet so I'm going to try to bring you kind of about like like right where you're at morgan would actually work great and then we're just going toe I have treats or do you have one okay now I'm actually gonna just have your feet so I'm going to try to get paxton to sit or lay down or I can come up there retreats you know you're actually we can do one shot quick first just hold the ball see if you can scoot this way get him closer to you and just hold the ball in the air like out so I'm only just getting your hand so yep cv and scoot back a little low a little closer to the brick wall yep yep I'm just turning pullem um it's even get on a little more keep going keep going keep going turn him sideways a little bit he's listening well yeah, great okay get that time anybody okay go ahead and what I want to try to do is get him over by your feet um lane yep sitting down by your feet yet but you're a see if you can turn him around and you almost can step over him so when get paxton where he needs to be um and then turns I don't know if he'll do this but maybe if you throw me the ball is he gonna pry run at me he's pretty focused at the ball yeah um I'm just trying to see if we can get him to tow actually I can have someone help me again I might have somebody stand off to the side with the ball so he's watching this way because he's going to keep being focused over their way just relaxing and so you're gonna just stand up tall that's okay I'm gonna have you maybe stan a foot over over yep yep okay yeah let's try it now that she's here no tryingto try that he's wearing so you stand over there that's what you know what why don't what if you sit down let's get one of the two of you can you sit down with him although uh may have to end up bringing lights in the scenario I don't know if we've got enough way e I think yeah we're gonna have to yeah hey, what fixed it? Bring your other arm bring your other arm around them paxton hey yeah maybe throw it to me just okay right okay yeah morgan that lean in and so don't hot yep there we go we're simply throw it actually up in the air like above my head like there um so watch since you're throwing that they're right yep he might put that tongue in for a minute there are other arm that's hanging straight down over him wrap it around his neck a little more there we go but that time you might be a photo shop thing but that dario morgan right there beautiful person pass me aboutthe okay lean forward lean for awesome awesome okay, quote, I think um I think that um well we can try you know what I would love to actually get us a couple of justin paxton here so maybe with um is there a chair? We don't have to be there any chairs up action would fit in besides the brown couch pride don't are they all too small? Oh yeah where is that? Thanks to be over here. I wish I would have thought of that I totally forgot that was even there's that white ish to stress chair he would actually fit in I guess I was trying thinking all my other chairs are too small and then it's only the brown couch that was actually nice thank you but nothing do that squeaker oh, center actually air gap um I could try it if you want to sit up we can try that instead I'm gonna have you give me the baby you know I know exit exit your ball again you know what if you get exactly that chair I could have you both in if you don't mind yes sitting let's try that and then um anything for good or if he'll sit the other option you know what if you could sit you don't rather get up just um kick your shoes off and kind of you can have him like sitting between you and lee know over him just like the very first shot when we started but with um yes so sit kind of towards the edge of the chair seem kind of pulling back perfect we can just hide the ball maybe with your hands maybe beautiful paxton was here has been working, huh? Who's it wrap your arms one hand over the other just a little bit hey, what about you? Paxton twenty eight uh treat treat country in your way we go I think we got him a little too hot paxton I think I think we're good I think we're good I think yep I think we're good you done, buddy oh, there he goes paxton he's good job let's ask a couple questions, right um violent k had asked are there any pets you will not shoot if their temperament is just too aggressive when do you draw the line? I've only had that happened one time and it actually was three weeks ago and I did shoot it was for dog days but I was very removed I let the owner pretty much handled the dog I would be you know, it's probably only time I've had that case where if they call back teo do it again, I would probably have to consider um I probably do it for dog days just because there's too many other things and people happening like they'd almost have to do just their own chute where I think it's a lot more controlled and um I have never had to tell somebody know because their dog was that aggressive that was really the first time that ever happened and I didn't say anything to him I think it was pretty off obvious and no girls just like that, we just kind of had to stay back and I got a couple of cute shots but I couldn't get involved like it was really like I was fearful is gonna bite me or my assistant, so but you're not you have never been scared otherwise no, I really no, I really have I mean there's been big dogs and you know, but they're just big they're not you know that usually a lot of the bigger dogs are not aggressive I mean, they actually sometimes they're really chill like some of the bigger ones, but, uh, dana and maces wondering, uh, what do you do if the dog is scared of the camera? Um, every question I try to think back in over a past scenario that may have happened, um, I don't know brown treats, you know, I mean, it's it's I mean, you guys saw I mean, this is this was not easy. I'm not going to say like, oh, I you know, I got a ton of stuff I got some nice things I mean, as far as if just for a dog issued there'd be a couple great shots, I could do something with, um yeah, it would it would I don't know what the dog being scared of the camera I mean, I think you kind of the arsenals limited as far as I know, I mean, you're pretty much like I mean, these dogs were very motivated by a ball, you know, so even more so than I think the food, the treats, the squeakers, but now that's all I pretty much for dogs, you know? I mean, I'm actually surprised a lot of I have right where I shoot is my cabinetry like where I store stuff and usually I can actually knock on it like I was doing there and you would get like even an instant just little head tips I was don't know if they were kind of like past is that like kids can get past that too you know, if it was just sort of like, okay, you know, I'm kind of done and I'm gonna pants and I'm not really interested in what you have anymore like board of any sort, so um yeah, I think the things that we've used is all I would recommend I don't know if I really had a scared of the camera scenario, but I actually have it was weird I think the dog had been shot by a bb gun oh, so you know, I guess I haven't had that I got nothing I was like, wow, that don't scare like maybe just I didn't want to stay in one place but not a spirit is an area that's strange I put the camera in my face and every time I put it up for the dog just duck and go like that. I don't know what you could do I mean it's like you're almost I feel like torturing the dog keep doing that like I really don't know what you would do in that case or what you did so nicky had asked what tricks do you have for getting a dog's attention of toys and making noises over stimulate them? Do you relate back in if we get teo a point where it's too excited and you tried everything in the dog it's just spouting out yeah, you know what I would do? I mean, we sort of tried to do that here, but the way my studio set up, I mean there's a little area there's the camera room there's another separate area and then there's the outside area they could go to a swell. So, um, I would with any client again, even kids like I would say, yeah, take a break, take your dog outside walking on the block that's the benefit with the session is allowing more than enough time. So, um you're not rushing him. Mary from costa rica and nikki have similar questions. I'm wondering if you get acquainted with the dog in the studio before the shoot and nikki wondering if you spend some time right beforehand, get familiar with you and I tried to do that a little bit. I mean, I did meet with the clients and their pets outside when they first got here, but, um then, um, you know, just right here I was talking to him and, you know, you know you have you do have the scenario there's definitely more destructions for the dogs here and a lot going on um but they did pretty good a lot of people are very curious about you know animals reacting teo flash reacting do that react ever have animals react flash or I guess maybe back that up do you prefer natural light over studio light yeah I probably do if it were a bright day out in the way my window itis set up I get like I could probably shoot it uh like for s o four hundred and be like it for five hundredth of a second and that's like really ideal for me like that's what I would probably choose to shoe if it was you know, just the pats or the pet with one owner this soon is like there were the multiple dogs I would probably move to the studio light more just for the sake of of freezing motion and you just have so much more going on or I mean really I guess as I'm I'm thinking about the shoot I mean it's really one of the things to this might have been a good candidate for like said quick hop up so you know if it was really going down that way like pop outside and do some stuff you know as well so and let you get maybe a little more lifestyle shot you know like not tryingto posted here know the tongues hanging out you know, like maybe they're just like walking and I could get you know, a shot like that, you know, outside with cem cem breaker you know, just those there will be other scenarios I'd be thinking in my head as I was shooting like, okay, like this isn't working let's try try something else. Yeah, uh, arson anxious, wondering, um, what do you do with dogs like this, the high energy and not focusing specifically on dog days of summer shoes when you might not have a whole lot of time to jump outside and come back? Well, yeah. So the one difference like what I was trying to accomplish here, I feel like I was trying to definitely, like I want to show variety I want to get owner and the owner and so, like, dog days, if you had that I mean, I I just need a shot of the dog, you know, potentially up close, so I mean, I probably would have not. I would not have necessarily even tried or attempted to get some owner shots for dog days on this. It might have been, um, the owner helping hold the dogs or using the ring flash I wanted I would want to make sure they at least had something um but that's the beauty of what dog days is like you're not you're only giving them you know handful of images they only get the one that's included and then they could buy my more but okay I mean it's something just don't forget anything just don't know I mean I could have I mean a session where it's just one family and I have the full hour and it could be more difficult than I could do a dog days and have twenty paths through the studio and it actually goes a lot slicker you know? I mean, because you're aiming for just that one look that one shot you don't have to like keep trying okay, that didn't work let's try this a soon as you know you have it, you kind of move on another great question from mary from costa rica who would like to know if you use the same depth of field for short hair or long haired species and I'm just wondering in your mind when dogs come in and they have, like, say, a wine reiner is very kind of you reflective and silvery. I know the difference between like a black dog in a white dog, but are you also looking at the length of their hair their color? Are all of these factors in how you're going to shoot or what backgrounds you're going to choose inside outside or do you just you just go in and kind of well, I mean, when then, definitely. I take all that all that into consideration. Like, I guess I'm more the color. I don't take too much in consideration, the longer the short hair, I guess, but I definitely more the color, and so I'm making choices with my backdrops, and my couch is based on that, either. Really, I make the choice of do I either want to really have something that they pop up off of, you know, a bright color against their fur, or try to find something that's all, you know, similar tone. So it's, a little more monochromatic.

Class Materials

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Keynote Slides
Keynote Slides Day 2

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

This was a great topic. I tuned in thinking I wouldn't be interested, and then, wow, it was fabulous. So fabulous I'm holding an event in two weeks time to launch my own pet photography and raise food for local homeless animals. Thanks so much CL team!

Carolyn Himes
 

Vicki Taufer is Brilliant as a person and artist. What an honor to experience her for the last 3 days. Thank you to Jed for your expertise and reminder that technology can help us all have time to play more and enjoy life more! Thank you creativeLIVE team....top notch!

Student Work

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