Dogtography. Kaylee Greer
instruments that are about to be shoved into their personal space. (Oh, a prerequisite for being a dog photographer? You can’t be too dainty about your gear.) Put everything that you’ve brought with you down on the ground.
While approaching dogs is likely not a concept that’s entirely new to you, here’s a quick list of important points to remember to make your next photo shoot go as smoothly and successfully as possible from the beginning:
Do not approach in a direct, straight line.
Do not make immediate, direct eye contact.
Do not lean or tower over the dog’s head.
Scratch the rear end or underside of the dog’s chin; not the top of his head!
No kissing or hugging (yes, this is very, very hard for me, thanks for asking).
Get low, on the dog’s level (please note, if you sense aggression of any kind, give the dog space rather than getting on his level).
Put all large objects (e.g., photography gear) on the ground before making your approach.
Speak in a soft voice while controlling your energy—keep it calm and even.
Respect their space, read their body language, and do not corner them. Always leave an escape route and let them take it if they choose to move away.
Give plenty of opportunity to sniff! You, your bags, your gear, and the wagon you may have brought to cart it all around in!
I’ve seen (and experienced firsthand) the wrong style of approach throw off an entire photo shoot from go. Successfully approaching your dog model will start your shoot off on the right foot and set a positive precedent for the rest of the day. So, now that you’ve got that down, what’s next?
Positive Reinforcement
Oh, positive reinforcement, what would I do without you? Without writing a full-length dissertation on the subject, let me sum up the concept of positive reinforcement in the simplest way possible: instead of punishing a dog for bad behavior, you reward him for good behavior. Sounds simple, right? In truth, it kind of is.
Undoubtedly, I will use positive reinforcement at every single one of my shoots. For this example, let’s recruit our old pal Hank the chocolate lab, again.
I’ve made my introduction to Hank, and I can tell he thinks I’m one of the good guys. We’re off to a great start, but the second I take out my camera, with it’s black, clicking body, and it’s long 70-200mm lens, I can tell that Hank doesn’t trust it. Perhaps he thinks my bizarre contraption is a relative to the dreaded vacuum cleaner he does battle with every week at home. Perhaps it reminds him of a snake that once bit him when he was a pup. Who knows? The bummer is, I can’t explain to Hank what the purpose of this odd clicking box is. I have to find another way to let him know that this new and strange item will not hurt him. Even better, how about letting him know that it will benefit him—maybe even bring him treasures! I want him to associate this bizarre camera machine with his favorite stuff in the world (perhaps treats, a favorite toy, or even a good old-fashioned neck scratch). Here’s exactly how I make that association.
Let’s say that Hank loves treats. (A Chocolate Lab who loves treats?? Blasphemy!) First, I’ll place my camera on the ground maybe five feet away from Hank. Hank gets a treat. Then, I’ll coax Hank a foot closer to the camera. Hank gets another treat. Closer, treat, closer, treat. So far, so good.
Once Hank is confident enough to be close to the camera, I’ll actually put a treat directly on my camera body or lens and allow Hank to eat directly off of the strange device.
Will your camera get covered in dog slobber? Yes. (And the guy that you take your camera to once every few months to have it cleaned will invariably say, “What did you do to this thing?!”) But that’s the name of the game.
Next, I’ll pick up the camera. Hank gets a treat. Then I’ll click the shutter. Hank gets yet another treat. With enough repetition Hank will make the connection that every time my camera makes a clicking sound, a treat is coming. (And if you know anything about Chocolate Labs, you know they don’t want to live in any other reality than the one in which another treat is coming.) This method of positive reinforcement is simple, easy, incredibly effective, and should be used throughout the entire shoot. If you come across a dog who is not treat motivated, try a toss of a favorite ball or toy as a reward. If your dog is neither treat nor toy motivated, use the owner to positively reinforce the behavior with a “good boy” and a scratch behind the ear. Use whatever motivator your particular dog model might value the most as a frequent reward, and you’ll be set up to capture him giving his best, happiest expressions while looking directly into your camera. Pure gold.
SPECIFIC DOG BODY LANGUAGE SITUATIONS
When I dreamed up this particular chapter of the book, I thought, “Oh! I could show examples of bad body language and why it’s so crucial to know what it means!’ And then I smugly thought, “I’m sure I have no bad examples anywhere in my 800 bajillion-photo collection, because I’m a professional and of course I would never capture moments of discomfort in dogs!”
Well get down off your high horse, Greer. It was very humbling to see how many examples of bad dog body language I had lurking in the deep, dark corners of my Lightroom catalog. (This is where I would insert that wincing emoji face if I were sending this information in an embarrassing text to a friend.) I’ll start this section off by saying everyone makes mistakes, even me! But, knowing how to decipher between good and bad body language in dogs will make all the difference in the world in your work and the way viewers perceive your level of expertise. The one thing that I can say about these following photos is that they are images that would never show up in a client’s gallery or anywhere near my portfolio or social media accounts. Additionally, as a disclaimer, please be assured that as soon as I noticed this type of body language happening on-location, I never let it perpetuate past one or two frames. As soon as I caught wind of what the dog was trying to tell me, I immediately paused the sessions that you’ll see in these upcoming pages to fairly address the dogs’ levels of comfort. All that to say, please don’t call PETA on me. The truth is, these photos would never see the light of day if it wasn’t for this book, right here, where I’ve pulled them out of archived hard drive hell and printed them largely on this page for you to see in all their glory (and for me to cringe and live out here in the wild fields of embarrassment for a bit. Quite a humbling process this book-writing thing is, eh?). For the greater good of our learning purposes, and so that these mistakes are repeated as infrequently as possible by dog photographers the world over, let’s get into this madness!
Check this out, straight from the Dog Breath Photography first-hand challenges and experiences hard drive, a collection of dog body language cues that tend to signal discomfort or distress that you always want to look out for. Keep in mind, this is not an exhaustive list, but these are likely going to be the most common cues and behaviors that you’ll see in the context of a photo shoot. If you spot these behaviors pop up at your shoots, it is your responsibility to translate what your dog model is trying to tell you, and then work to correct the scenario before you indiscriminately continue shooting. Not only do these body language cues mean the dog is uncomfortable and his needs are not being addressed fairly in that moment, but this kind of visual discomfort in your subject reflects directly and poorly in the impact of the final imagery you’re working so hard to create.
Lip Licking
Lip licking is commonly seen as a submissive gesture that dogs will offer when feeling stressed, threatened, or frustrated. When there is no food around and a dog is licking his lips, studies have come to find that this is most likely a pacifying behavior. It is the dog’s attempt to calm himself and others around him during what he perceives as a threatening or uncomfortable situation. If you see this at