Pet photography help

rogerpb800 · June 21, 2014

Can anyone help me?

I want to photograph pets. I have the picture that I am getting (pic1) and the one that I want (website reference http://www.zoostudio.com.au/ – just an example among thousands in internet, but that kind of light/picture is the one that I am looking for). Another nice reference: http://www.carlidavidsonphotography.com/

Gear and set
My gear is d300 / 24-120mm plus one Einstein and two alienbees AB800 with softboxes and grids in two of them. The softboxes are about 1,5 meter from the dog (I can provide more details about the distribution).
Shooting in f10, around 70mm, 1/125.
RAW and white balance manual + color checker passaport.
The camera is about 1,5 meter from the dog.

Doubts
I can see that pic1 is different, but what is different? Contrast, sharpness, color, etc…I am not able to define it! If I learn to define it I think I can get there!

Learning
So, I can see 2 ways of learning that: one is by someone just help me to reach the same quality of the website in reference; the other way is by `learning light` and really understanding it for photography. If I am not asking so much, I would like to have both lessons ;-)

Can anyone help me to reach the quality of websites in reference?
Can anyone advise me where I can learn light (not only the basics)? Any book/internet for studding advanced light?

Many thanks!
Roger
PS.: The pic1 was not worked in photoshop – it´s as RAW.

time2smile · June 22, 2014

Welcome,

Try here for light.....
http://nikonclspracticalguide.blogspot.com/

puzzledpaul · June 23, 2014

From an outsider's pov (no interest and almost zero experience) re pet photography, I'd think there is very little difference between taking pics of pets and v.small humans

At the end of the day, light is light ...

As such, there's been a fair bit of useful info / yakking in the people forum here ... both in the stickied 'pullbacks' thread and others that provide setup details as well as the results obtained from those setups.

Couldn't see your 'pic 1' btw, therefore don't know whether you're getting down to the subject's eye level ... or not

I'd also suspect that pics on sites such as those you pointed to ... have been tweaked / pp'd to some degree or other, unlike your unseen (atm) pic 1, in order to make the subject 'pop'.
If you want this sort of result, then you'll probably also have to consider similar degrees of tweaking - as well as getting the pic as good as possible in the first place.

As regards books ... I found this very useful. (I have this older edition ... I note there's a newer one now)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240802756/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403503340&sr=1-3&keywords=light+science+and+magic

pp

rogerpb800 · June 23, 2014

I´m sorry guys, here goes the pic1.

Also, does a PRIME lens is a `must have` in order to reach the kind of quality as in the mentioned websites or it will help me just improve sharpness?

Many thanks,
Rog

puzzledpaul · June 24, 2014

Personally, I think you'd have got a better response with this query if it'd been posted in the people forum, since they're more used to messing around with flash based setups - both studio based and outdoors.
Since all of the linked pet examples (that I've looked at) have been studio shots, then there can't be that much difference (imo, anyway)

Also, several of the 'people' forum shooters have uploaded pics of their pets for others to cooo over

The only times (from memory) that I've seen flash based setups here is for stopping motion in hummingbird type shots or (as I sometimes use) for a tad of fill flash using a flash beam extender with a long lens. Otherwise it's - as you expect - natural light:)

Re your pic, I'm no flash expert (or dog lover), but what I see is

A bored / dejected / disengaged etc dog, with poor / no eye contact
Too tight a crop overall, and especially re dog's right ear being clipped
Flat light, so very little light 'modelling' going on.
I've no idea re the 'done thing' with chains / collars etc ... but this looks a bit odd (to me) -just disappearing into the jowls, rather than no chain at all ... or pullng back to show it all ..+ the little bit showing under dog's L ear.
Needs some pp work
Again, have no idea (what the pros do), but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they 'groom' the critters, prior to a shoot, with 'stuff' (good technical term

) to make their coats shine more than usual ... in a similar way that food 'togs do all manner of things to tweak the scene / subject.

Pick a few favourite pics from the sites mentioned and try to 'reverse engineer' them re light setups ....depending on how keen you are with all of this, maybe even consider getting a suitable (inanimate) prop to practice your light setups on ... something that won't get bored or fidget etc

pp

Stumblebum · June 24, 2014

My first suggesting would be to listen (or continue to listen) to Paul, that is free of charge education that would cost you much more elsewhere.

Light is most important of all elements....your shot lacks punch....maybe you need bit more intensity or juice (too much diffusion? not sure) and directionality....higher angle....one behind the subject to get some rim light effect, one higher and from side.....
You can shoot at wider aperture than f-10....try the widest you can...f-4?
Hit the eye with AF

Lens quality makes a big difference....yours is good lens...but I am sure studio photographers are shooting with top of the line portrait lenses....f-1.2, 1.8, 2.8 etc so both sharpness and detail as well as background are effected.
Processing is also a big part, almost as big as correct exposure....maybe you need more intense highlights...without ruining it of course...temp may need to be adjusted....

As Paul suggested.....portrait forum would be more informative.
Cheers!

puzzledpaul · June 24, 2014

Stumblebum wrote: »

My first suggesting would be to listen (or continue to listen) to Paul, that is free of charge education that would cost you much more elsewhere.

haha (plain brown envelope + contents in the post)

Well, a short story to judge whether I'm a fit person to take any notice of ...

Recently gave my first ever presentation to a U3A* photography group who wanted to see the kit I use as well as some pics - I sorted out about 120 for an hour or so yak.

Spent the first 15 - 20 mins facing the group (18) describing the various bits of iron (well, Ali) mongery (on a couple of tables in front of me) I've made over the yrs.

Next hr+ ( I overran) at LT and projector, waffling on / answering Qs etc about stuff that I think is important.

Finished, group leader thanks me etc etc ... then mrs pp leans acoss and says ... 'Did you know your shirt's buttoned up wrong? '

Talk about setting a standard, eh?

Coming back to the OP's Q ... yep light is critical.

To paraphrase Zoomer's (people 'tog) mantra, in order of importance, 'cos, imo, it's equally important here

Light
Background
Composition
Pose

So, supposing you'd got even the first 3 absolutely 'spot on' ... but the dog's rear end was nearest cam, and it was licking its 'meat 'n 2 veg' ... then I doubt it'd be the shot most owners would want ... altho' it might satisfy a niche market requirement ...

... ie all aspects are important.

+ imagine you're drawing / painting a 'pet portrait' ... from scratch / blank sheet job ... and since this lark is supposed to be all about 'painting with light' blah blah ... would you bother to draw / paint in frame stuff that you (or client) didn't want to be there?

pp

* University of the 3rd Age ...

Stumblebum · June 24, 2014

Thanks for sharing Paul! If I see presenter's shirt buttoned up wrong, I assume he is a genius!:D
Also great to get the 'important item list' again! Cheers!

Qarik · June 24, 2014

for advice go to the people forum..these are essentially just headshots..of dogs. 1st thing to do if you want to reproduce the light..look at the catch lights in the animals eyes. that will give angle ans position of the light. It looks like most othe shots in the gallery is simply a large gridded softbox around 45 degree angle and from above. F10 is way too closed. Shoot at max aperture or at least 2.8 with the focal point right over an eye (everything else can be out of focus but the eyes must always be focus)

As far as your shot, it needs:

1) higher exposure maybe 1 full stop (turn off most ambient light, more flash...as a bonus you will get the bright catch light in his eyes which is something your are missing)
2) bring the light much closer so that catch light is much bigger in the eye..this will soften the light as well and give it more directionality..make sure your grids are on to reduce spill light
3) get dog eye contact with camera
4) less sadness (or more sadness!)
5) much thinner DOF (open aperture)
6) more focus on eyes
7) don't clip the ear in the crop
8) in processing..add much more contrast, vignette, maybe more more sharpening, warm up the white balance and add saturation to bring out the color in his fur (or go BW if the color is dingy)

puzzledpaul · June 24, 2014

Qarik wrote: »

F10 is way too closed. Shoot at max aperture or at least 2.8 with the focal point right over an eye (everything else can be out of focus but the eyes must always be focus)

Agreed re eye(s) being in focus, but I'd query shooting this stuff wide open or at 2.8.

There should be no background to need blurring, 'cos it's going to be controlled ... and even the 170+ mm @ f10 isn't going to get the dog's rear in focus, I'd have thought (darned small critter if it does)

Looking at the examples on the linked sites, there's more dof than the 50mm you'll get using the set up figures mentioned by the OP @ 2.8. (unless they're all miniature dogs with short snout to lug 'ole distance, of course

I'd have thought determining the 'sweet spot' on the lens being used would be a good start ... especially if the OP's concerned about sharpness?

Anyway, enough of numbers ... suggest you get the light right first, then decide the 'in focus' extent wanted.

pp

rogerpb800 · June 25, 2014

Thank you guys! I´ll do my home work and post another pic.
So far the book sugested by Paul seams to be a nice one (thanks!) - I´ve got it and I´ll start reading it as soon possible.
But, I fell that still reaming a long way for me to get there (websites in reference).

* the dog is not sad, it was an after lunch pic, so he was almost sleeping (he is my `assitant` and the pics are just examples to help me talk about my light here in the forum straight away - no post production, simple crop and not trying to compose good dog´s action) ---- He is a happy dog, I promisse!!!! :-)

puzzledpaul · June 25, 2014

Note the OP's comment in post 7.
His site's worth a look too, imo.

pp

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=188669

Pet photography help

Comments