I absolutely love doing dog portraits! I relish every opportunity and hope there will be more of them.
Canine portraiture, or anything involving animals, is more difficult than photographing humans because you can't direct them as you would a person. "Tip your head this way", "Raise your chin a little", or "Smile!" doesn't work on a dog. They have to be guided manually with a treat, a toy, or a noise. And they get bored very quickly. The squeak that worked so well a minute ago is simply ignored now. Some of them just don't like the process at all.
With the two beautiful Cavalier Spaniels that were recently brought to me, I wanted to produce a rich classic look with deep colors and especially wanted to emphasize their large beautiful soft eyes. I didn't use any props because I didn't want anything to distract from the beautiful face.
While her housemate seemed to know he was a star and posed like one, this little girl was unsure of what we wanted her to do. But as is this breed's nature, she tried really hard to please us. Her picture captures everything I was going for: a gaze into the sweet, gentle, adoring soul that makes the Cavalier so very special.
© 2012 Vicki DeGruy, all rights reserved.
Technical data: Canon 5D MK II, 50mm, ISO 200, f/9, 1/250th, lit with softboxes
