Written by J.B. Shepard, professional pet costume maker, dog portrait artist, and founder of the Puptrait Studio in Baltimore, Maryland. The Puptrait Studio may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication. It’s a new year and you know what that means it’s almost time again for our favorite holiday —National Dress Up Your Pet Day! In celebration the Puptrait Studio has put […]
For this lens guide our focus is singularly on the best lens for shooting dog portraits — the one specific type of mirrorless and DSLR lens that I and so many other pet photography professionals use in the overwhelming majority of their shoots.
That’s not to say that this is the only lens you can use or that you can’t take great photos of pets with a different lens. But with that said, this is the only lens that I personally use for my paid pet photography assignments.
Your dog is never more fun than when it’s a play and this is especially true on snow days. Snow is a new and exciting experience for most dogs. And, when a serious blizzard rolls through the area odds are you’re taking off from work — which our dogs are understandably pretty jazzed about.
I have been pointing my pet photography students to this entry level camera line since 2012 with great results. Even the oldest cameras in that line are super cheap…
Is watermarking your photos the best way to protect your photos? While it might seem like every photographer is watermarking their photos, there is serious debate as to whether the practice is helpful.
To be clear, we’re not saying that a professional pet photographer can’t capture group portraits of older, larger or more active dogs. In fact, many dog portrait artists will even go so far as to even guarantee that they can. But as quoted by Chris Farley in his titular role of the 90’s comedic classic Tommy Boy, “…if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time.”
Written by J.B. Shepard, a professional pet photographer and founder of the Puptrait Studio. Handling a dog during a photoshoot presents some fairly unique requirements. It differs from most approaches to training and behavioral modification in that a photographer is less concerned with compliance and more focused on engagement. More often than not, professional pet photographers seek to trigger facial expressions and moods, rather than encourage any specific behavior, trick or action. Consent is the key to great dog portraiture […]
Written by J.B. Shepard, a Washington D.C. based professional pet photographer and founder of the Puptrait Studio in Baltimore, Maryland. Washington D.C. dog owners area have a wealth of options when it comes to on location pet portraits. Some of the most iconic backdrops in our country are located just a short drive from Baltimore and Northern Virginia. Between all of the national monuments, the iconic buildings and the National Cherry Blossom festival, it’s no wonder why the National Mall […]
Written by J.B. Shepard, a professional pet photographer and founder of the Puptrait Studio. Photographing a running dog isn’t a simple task. In fact, taking great pictures of running dogs consistently can be down right difficult — as it requires a photographer to understand dog behaviors, how to use artificial light sources / light modifiers, how their camera functions in extreme conditions, and how to frame less than optimal scenes. But with proper understanding of the hurdles specific to these […]
Written by J.B. Shepard, a professional pet photographer and founder of the Puptrait Studio. Photographing black dogs can be tricky. But it’s not as difficult as many aspiring dog photographers have been led to believe. In fact, with a better understanding of light and reflections it is possible to take great photos of black and dark furred dogs consistently. Black Dog Photography Tips & Tricks We’ve put together a collection of tips and tricks to help pet photographers create better […]
