Social Photography > Environmental Pet Portraiture:
Social photography is about capturing moments within a person life or in my case, a dog life.
Environmental pet portrait photography is usually having the subject in their most natural environment. This can be anything from home environments eg bedroom, living room to favorite places like gardens, beaches, parks, fields, etc. Obviously the place is depending on the subject, where the subject feels more relaxed, comfortable and less pressured. However it's very important that you as a photographer pich the suitable location.
Clearly, choosing the place is the most important bit in environmental portraiture, because the environment always has an impact on the subject and affect the way they present themselves in the shoot. For example, one of the best place of taking picture of a dog is a near park, it's tempting to use that as your default shooting location. But while this may look attractive, it's not always the best option. You should find out some things about your subject first and then try to incorporate them into your photographs. So this way you can probably get more meaningful images.
The photographer aim here is always to capture the subject on a location where the subject/dog feels more relaxed without becoming anxious or looking staged. So it's a bit more like in street photography.
The basic, recommended kit for this type of shooting is:
- a DSLR camera
- a prime or zoom lens (eg between 50 mm - 200 mm)
- a tripod
- 5 in 1 reflector (if required)
- fill light (if required)
This 28-70 mm lens can be a good choice for pet portraits as you can take pictures from a quite far distance which will allow you to don't distract the dog from acting natural.
However, with the average 18-55 mm lens you can shoot in darker lighting conditions because it has a fairly low F stop that allows your camera to let lots of light in. While you can still have small amount of range for zooming in that will allow you to take mid close up images without disturbing the subject.
Natural light
On location your main light source is the Sun, but using natural light can be an obstacle to tackle. Not everyone has access to to certain bits of lighting equipment, which means that you would be forced to improvise using natural lighting. Even if you're happy working with natural light it can still cause problems as there might not be enough light to expose your subject and the surroundings correctly.
5 in 1 reflector may can help you reflect some of the light back.
On location your main light source is the Sun, but using natural light can be an obstacle to tackle. Not everyone has access to to certain bits of lighting equipment, which means that you would be forced to improvise using natural lighting. Even if you're happy working with natural light it can still cause problems as there might not be enough light to expose your subject and the surroundings correctly.
5 in 1 reflector may can help you reflect some of the light back.
Here is my earlier post about how to use a 5 in 1 reflector on location:
OWN EXAMPLES CAN BE SEEN BY CLICKING ON THE LINK UNDER!
However, it's very unusual to use reflector when taking pet portraits on location, so if possible choose the right day for the shooting and on the day if possible choose a brightly lit locaiton which offers plenty of diffused, natural light.
When shooting outdoor it's recommended to avoid the direct midday sun as this produces very harsh shadows and can take away some of the details of your subject and environment. On a sunny day, look for some light shade (for example under a tree) where the sunlight is softer. Alternatively shoot in the early morning or early evening or on over cast days when the sun isn't as strong and the clouds will act as a natural diffuser.
When shooting outdoor it's recommended to avoid the direct midday sun as this produces very harsh shadows and can take away some of the details of your subject and environment. On a sunny day, look for some light shade (for example under a tree) where the sunlight is softer. Alternatively shoot in the early morning or early evening or on over cast days when the sun isn't as strong and the clouds will act as a natural diffuser.
EXAMPLES...
Outdoor...
I like the contrast to this photo, the darker ground helps to emphasize the main subject as well as the small dof. The light seems very soft possibly because the dog is surrounded by trees. I also like the choice of location as the neutral colours of the background give warmth to the image.
My favorite thing about this image is the backlight that makes the dogs stand out and creates a rim of loght around the edges of the subjects hair. This rim of light then creates a perfect border of contrast between the dogs body and the background. Although the sunlight is very strong the over image is good as the dogs turned away from it.
What I like on this image is that light is coming from a low angle and also creates a lens flare that adds more interest and warmth to the image. It has a nice Bokeh effect.
On this image I really like the contrast between the white dog and the red, darker background, it makes the dog really stand out and the small dof also emphasizes the main subject. I also like the way that the camera has been bending over to left and give a nice effect to the image. The weather was possibly cloudy and the overcast sky diffused the light perfectly for this shot.
I like the contrast to this photo, the darker ground helps to emphasize the main subject as well as the small dof. The light seems very soft possibly because the dog is surrounded by trees. I also like the choice of location as the neutral colours of the background give warmth to the image.
My favorite thing about this image is the backlight that makes the dogs stand out and creates a rim of loght around the edges of the subjects hair. This rim of light then creates a perfect border of contrast between the dogs body and the background. Although the sunlight is very strong the over image is good as the dogs turned away from it.
What I like on this image is that light is coming from a low angle and also creates a lens flare that adds more interest and warmth to the image. It has a nice Bokeh effect.
On this image I really like the contrast between the white dog and the red, darker background, it makes the dog really stand out and the small dof also emphasizes the main subject. I also like the way that the camera has been bending over to left and give a nice effect to the image. The weather was possibly cloudy and the overcast sky diffused the light perfectly for this shot.
Indoor...
What I realized on all of these images that the pictures were taken on the dogs' eye level so the viewer are looking from a leveled up point of view and the camera angle didn't really changed on these photos.
What I like on this image is the eye contact with the dog. Again it's on eye level and the viewer is looking straight into the dog's eyes. Evoking some feelings in them as the dog expression is quite sad. The room probably not as well lit as in the other examples however the dog is probably lying in a close range so the image is well exposed.
Again, I like the emotion that captured on this photo from a good point of few, taking the picture from the front on eye level.
What I like in this image is that the light is very soft and the floor reflects some of the light back and brighten up the shadows. Also the small dof helped to emphasize the main subject. The room is light enough which helped to expose the dog correctly, the light is coming from two ways from the back and from the right side. The dog is leveled with the viewer's eyes sight and a small vignette has been applied on the edges.
Application of pet portraits
These type of pet portraits can be used for commercial use or can be taken for clients. You can find these environmental photos of dogs on food bags, on websites, dog magazines, books, etc. There is a wide board of usage of these kind of shots.
Depth of Field
I researched how we need to set our camera to get shallow depth of field and create a nice BOKEH effect in our photos as I realized this is the main technique that has been used while creating those photos.
Shallow depth of field basically means that your background is all soft and out of focus and it helps you highlight your main subject and get rid of any distractions in the background.
How to get it?
Positioning of subject: position the subject you are wanting to photograph as far away from any objects behind them as possible. So the background is going to be a lot more blurry.
Portrait Mode: Portrait mode chooses a large aperture (a small F stop) which will make the depth of field smaller.
Aperture Priority Mode: This semi-auto mode is a great way to control dof as it will ensure your images are well exposed. Choose a large Aperture for shallow dof.
Zoom lenses: If you have the basic 18 mm - 55 mm kit lens shooting at the 55 mm end of the lens is best because this means you can stand further back making your subject more at ease and pushing your background even further away from your camera. You'll still get nice blurry backgrounds if you use the fastest aperture available.
Here is a very detailed tutorial about DOF:
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm
What I realized on all of these images that the pictures were taken on the dogs' eye level so the viewer are looking from a leveled up point of view and the camera angle didn't really changed on these photos.
What I like on this image is the eye contact with the dog. Again it's on eye level and the viewer is looking straight into the dog's eyes. Evoking some feelings in them as the dog expression is quite sad. The room probably not as well lit as in the other examples however the dog is probably lying in a close range so the image is well exposed.
Again, I like the emotion that captured on this photo from a good point of few, taking the picture from the front on eye level.
What I like in this image is that the light is very soft and the floor reflects some of the light back and brighten up the shadows. Also the small dof helped to emphasize the main subject. The room is light enough which helped to expose the dog correctly, the light is coming from two ways from the back and from the right side. The dog is leveled with the viewer's eyes sight and a small vignette has been applied on the edges.
Application of pet portraits
These type of pet portraits can be used for commercial use or can be taken for clients. You can find these environmental photos of dogs on food bags, on websites, dog magazines, books, etc. There is a wide board of usage of these kind of shots.
Depth of Field
I researched how we need to set our camera to get shallow depth of field and create a nice BOKEH effect in our photos as I realized this is the main technique that has been used while creating those photos.
Shallow depth of field basically means that your background is all soft and out of focus and it helps you highlight your main subject and get rid of any distractions in the background.
How to get it?
Positioning of subject: position the subject you are wanting to photograph as far away from any objects behind them as possible. So the background is going to be a lot more blurry.
Portrait Mode: Portrait mode chooses a large aperture (a small F stop) which will make the depth of field smaller.
Aperture Priority Mode: This semi-auto mode is a great way to control dof as it will ensure your images are well exposed. Choose a large Aperture for shallow dof.
Zoom lenses: If you have the basic 18 mm - 55 mm kit lens shooting at the 55 mm end of the lens is best because this means you can stand further back making your subject more at ease and pushing your background even further away from your camera. You'll still get nice blurry backgrounds if you use the fastest aperture available.
Here is a very detailed tutorial about DOF:
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm
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