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 to adopt Carly, you can submit an application online through the Bella’s Bully Buddies website.
Black & White Puppy Pictures
Photographing puppies can provide a great opportunity to play with scale and take advantage of their natural adorable dispositions. For this set we knew that we wanted to take advantage of Carly’s black fur coat and juxtapose her cuteness against a stark scene. We shot Carly against a seamless white translum background alongside a number of foam heads that we had laying around the studio.
Unusual & Creative Dog Portrait Props
These heads designed to be used as wig holders and are not something that you would typically expect to find a dog portrait studio. But our studio owner and dog photographer J.B. Shepard likes to use them when casting aluminum sculptures. So, we just happened to have a few on hand. And, it’s a good thing we did – but the imagery he produced here is bordering on unreal.
Behind the Scenes of Carly’s Studio Session
Below is an example of the base layer that captured in camera. Bulk processed as black and white photos, these image provided a clean but interesting base layer to begin our compositing work from.
Surreal Photo Composite Art Portrait
A few hours and a couple hundred Photoshop layers later, we’ve created an impactful black and white image that is out of this world. The battle assets were originally sourced from open source photos from WWII’s Battle of Dresden and photos of parachuters, bombers and fighter jets. Special attention was paid to the atmospheric perspective and camera blur of the parachuters and planes to instill a clearer sense of depth and action.
What is a composite dog portrait?
Composite dog portraits are one of our favorite styles of dog portraits to create. By blending multiple assets together in Photoshop we are able to create an image that literally would have been impossible to create using strictly traditional photography means or capture in camera. No longer limited by what is real or possible, composite techniques often result in some of our most creative and whimsical dog portrait compositions.
Contemporary Dog Art
Like most great art, this creative dog portrait is best left up to interpretation. Our purpose with this piece isn’t as much to express an idea, rather to get the viewer thinking. Who are the faces? What are they looking at? And, what does it all mean? That’s for you to decide!
Washington D.C. Dog Photographer
Are you a pet owner in the Washington D.C. or Baltimore area looking for a dog photographer? Check out our online scheduling app below to view availability and book a free Puptrait session. At the Puptrait Studio we never charge local dog owners sitting fees or session fees for in-home photo sessions or studio sessions who meet their minimum print commitment. Learn more about how you can book a studio puppy portrait and pay only for prints.
