Pet photography in Sarasota -staging  /patience  / creativity

We love our pets! They become our family and are in our hearts forever! Creating a memorable portrait of our pet seems as important as creating one for the family, but it may present different challenges.

In this blog I want to share some of my success stories with you, reasons for hiring a professional and what to do with the photos after the session.

There are different reasons for photographing our pets. Maybe they are getting older or they are part of the family legacy portrait. A pet portrait is a great gift for birthdays or anniversaries! Perhaps your pet is a champion and marking this event deserves this attention. Whatever the reason is, they deserve the special spot on the wall or bookcase just like other events in our lives.

Reasons to hire a professional:

Hiring a professional allows you to be involved in the photography session either as a subject, to get your pet’s attention, and keeping them still and calm. Sometimes they need a distraction with a treat or prop.

I used many diversions over the years to help get the perfect shot. With horses, we crinkle paper to get their ears to rise, with cats I use the feather on a stick and with dogs its a treat, a squeak toy or whistle, the choices are many.

Another important reason to use the professional photographer is for quality. Quality in many forms, technique, post production and handling of the subject. As a professional photographer, I cannot emphasize enough how my expertise to keep subjects focused and calm is helpful. This sounds obvious but its usually what destroys a photo shoot when it is not present.

The key ingredient is the art of patience. I wait and allow the pet to relax. I add a different “stage” to the photo by creating an environment either in the studio or on location. I can also change the scene in post production and that helps alleviate tension during the shoot. When photographing a pet it often becomes necessary to allow them to be in their most comfortable environment, such as a favorite blanket or chair and these places are not always beautiful but the pet may not want to move.

I choose the correct lighting, placement and propping if necessary to create a memorable image that is different from the way an owner may see their pet. I am not trying to create a snapshot, I am usually hired to produce something different.

After the session:

Post production has now become an essential expertise to creating unique photographs. Many people feel photographers charge too much for their work but they may have no idea how much work went into producing the photographs you view later.

I often implement a digital painting technique to my pet photographs that allows the pet to be the focus of the photograph. I do this by photographing the pet in their comfortable environment and then later painting the distractions away. It’s not a formula but a technique I created to select certain colors and tones to enhance the portrait.

You can also use the photographs by applying them to products such as mugs, pillows and almost anything which can be found online or at your neighborhood camera store. I try to offer the use of the photographs in different ways such as collages, mounted surfaces made from metallic materials, canvas and gallery blocks. Also creating gifts from the sessions in the form of purses, computer bags, and sterling silver jewelry.

Whatever your reason may be, I found that documenting our pet’s photos over the years brought so much happiness as we reflected on the times spent together in the life events they shared .

If you are looking for pet photography in Sarasota , Call Sally Ullman photography

941-301-8926941-301-8926