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.
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 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 […]
Whimsical photoshoots, especially surreal composites and digital paintings, are some of our favorite styles of dog portraits to create. Which is why we were so excited to have an opportunity to work on this private Chihuahua portrait commission recently. As these projects tend to be rather open ended and a little less straight forward to commission in comparison to our standard photo shoots, we thought it might be fun to walk through each step. Surreal pet portraits move beyond possible […]
Cute puppies make for the weirdest dog portraits We went back to basics with an all white set shooting Carly and then decided to get a little creative in post. Carly is a 3 month old American Pit Bull Terrier mix currently in foster care at Bella’s Bully Buddies. As you can see, we had a little trouble keeping this sleepy pup awake as she was totally pooped from her training class earlier in the day. If you would like […]
Written by J.B. Shepard, a professional pet photographer and founder of the Puptrait Studio in Baltimore, Maryland. Affenpinschers are often affectionally referred to as “monkey dogs” or “ape terriers” because of their uncanny resemblance to a number of smaller New World Primates. The French refer to the breed as “diablotin moustachu”, which translates into English as “mustachioed little devil”. Dogs that look like Ewoks That all said, having recently had a chance to work with a handful of these adorable […]
Written by J.B. Shepard, a professional pet photographer and founder of the Puptrait Studio. IPTC is an acronym that stands for “International Press Telecommunications Council”. Established in 1965, the IPTC serves primarily as a global standards body of the news media. Over 50 news organizations and companies are members of the IPTC — including the BBC, Getty Images, Press Association (PA), Reuters, The New York Times, and Associated Press (AP). What does the abbreviation IIM stand for in photography? The […]
Pet photography gear guide from the pet portrait pros. Discussing basic camera bodies and lenses (and when to use them), and specific gear recommendations from master pet photographer and Puptrait Studio founder, J.B. Shepard. It has never been easier or more affordable to get serious about learning pet photography. But choosing what gear to get started with can be quite daunting. To help we’ve put together a quick walkthrough equipment guide for aspiring pet photographers. In this article we will […]
