Dogtography. Kaylee Greer
curious and find the process of photographing a dog quite interesting. They feel excited to be a part of that process for the day. Invite them in with open arms. Give them cool behind-the-scenes info or stories about your job, or engage them by showing them the back of your camera after a particularly nice shot. This keeps the client interested and involved. If you make them understand everything you that you’re doing and why you’re doing it, they are going to be a lot more willing to allow you to keep up with the whole adventure and do whatever it takes to help you keep crushing it. I’ve been on shoots with other photographers who speak with their clients very little or not at all as they’re working, and I have to tell you, the overall awkwardness of the situation makes me cringe all the way down into my shoes. When there’s no communication, I can feel the tension of the shoot growing, and that tension directly translates into bad energy. Without proper communication, it can make the whole experience feel more like a chore and less like an adventure they’ll never forget—which is exactly the opposite of the type of experience you want to provide. (Ahh, see. You didn’t get very far into this book before I dropped the inevitable on ya: While we are in this business because we love dogs, people skills are still very much necessary. Womp womp.)
If you’ve done your very best job managing the energy of the day’s adventure with your pre-shoot conversation, but you feel like your client is still tense or nervous, start off your shoot with a long walk to the first photo spot. Even if that spot is close by, you can sneakily walk the outer perimeter of the park with the client and dog and then circle back to it. Just keep up the conversation and let them know you’re taking inventory of the best spots as you walk—this will buy extra bonding time before commencing the shoot. This extra time invariably helps to relax both owner and dog into the situation, not only with the new location, but also with you, as a person and a new friend. This simply gives you time to build rapport with the client, which goes an incredibly long way to relieve any lingering discomfort or tension.
If you’ve done both of the above and there are still any shreds of anxiety or discomfort from either dog or owner, reset the situation by starting the day off with a completely non-photo related activity. Take out a ball and have a fun and upbeat game of fetch to build confidence; go for a short, leashed jog with the dog to build a bond; or take out the amazing, stinky-delicious treats and inject a little fun and excitement into the atmosphere.
These shoots (and the potential need to repair them if situations or energies go awry) are never a one-size-fits-all situation, since so much depends on the personalities of the dog and accompanying owner. Should your shoot’s energy get out of control, it will be up to you to find the best way to get everything back on track and make the day a positive experience.
Do Your Homework
It’s not often that I work with perfectly well-behaved and impeccably trained dog models. More often than not, I’m working with the “every dog.” You know the type of dog I’m talking about. Let’s be real, you probably own the type of dog I’m talking about (I know I do). They’re dogs with quirks. Dog with complex personality traits, fears, phobias, obsessions, play drives, prey drives, and all the other eccentricities that go into forming each dog’s unique personality.
The more I know about each dog I’m about to photograph, the better my chances are of getting that dog to cooperate in front of my lens. One of the easiest ways to show up to your shoot prepared is to send a pre-session questionnaire to your upcoming dog model owner (because, for some reason, the email that you sent directly to the dog at [email protected] bounces back with the auto reply “Sorry, I cant type. I don’t have any opposable thumbs. This is an automated message”).
Here’s a list of the exact questions in my questionnaire that I send out to each client before we meet up for our shoot.
Dog’s Name(s)
Dog’s Age(s)
Dog’s Breed(s)
What most motivates your dog?
In what type of environment is your dog most comfortable? (Park, city, beach, hiking trail, etc.)
Is your pup allowed off-leash?
Does your dog have any fears or behavioral issues we should know about? (Don’t worry, we don’t judge!)
Please describe any dietary restrictions or allergies your pup might have.
Any other fun and exciting tidbits that you’d like to share?
It’s pretty simple and straightforward, but helps me cover all the basic behavioral bases that I need to know beforehand. Feel free to use the above list to help prepare, but also take some time to think of any other questions that you might want the answers to before your next photo shoot.
IT’S ALL IN THE APPROACH
Picture this. You show up to your shoot at a park on a beautiful sunny afternoon. As soon as you’ve gathered your gear, you spot your client and their dog (to help fully form this scene in your imagination, let’s say the dog is a chocolate lab named Hank). Hank is, of course, beautiful, and your instinct is to sprint full speed toward him because you’ve secretly chosen to become a dog photographer simply to cuddle more dogs (it’s possible I’m projecting here).
Well, as the saying goes, first impressions are everything. From the moment that you enter into that dog’s world, you are setting the tone for the energy of the rest of your day together. Approaching a new dog directly, flail your arms wildly with too-frantic energy and repeatedly screaming “I want to squish your head off your body!” is not a great idea if you want to kick things off on the right foot.
1.4
FIGURE 1.4 While documenting stray and street dogs in Costa Rica for a special project awareness series, my partner Sam and I encountered this timid, weatherworn pup in a lonely parking lot. In a situation like this, approach becomes incredibly important. Our human body language and energy may either draw the dog in, or reinforce pre-existing fears that he may have about human beings. Sam’s very soft, gentle, nonconfrontational body language in this photo I snapped of him meeting this sweet, stray soul is a very good visual example of a successful and respectful approach to a new dog. (As a note, if this photo bums you out, I highly recommend you get out there and volunteer at one of the thousands of shelters in the world who could desperately use your help to make a difference in the lives of forgotten dogs like this one.)
You may notice that two unacquainted dogs never approach each other in a straight line unless they’re looking for a fight. As a rule, dogs always politely circle or approach one another indirectly after they’ve taken a nice, wide berth. Keep this in mind and apply dog rules in order to make an approach in the most respectful way possible.
Take a deep breath and calmly approach the owner, speaking to only them while mostly ignoring the dog. Hold your hand out palm down and allow the dog to sniff you to his heart’s content. If the dog is approved to have a treat, calmly treat him without getting down on his level.
After a minute or two, you’ll probably be able to sense the dog’s level of confidence. If the dog seems calm, get down on his level and allow him to investigate you. If the dog still seems hesitant, just give him time. Every dog is different, and while some will warm up right away, others are a bit more skeptical when it comes to new people. If I know I am going into a shoot with a fearful dog, I’ll build in extra time so that I can make this introduction stage as long as necessary. In past extreme cases, I’ve waited over an hour before ever attempting to bring out any camera gear in order to give the dog as much time as possible to be comfortable and reach a state of calm.
The owner may be hesitant to let their dog too close