"This is capturing of our four-legged family members that depart faster than humans, for obvious reasons" says Anna Listerna, owner of a 10-year old she-cat, Saba.
Saba has already been through two shootings. When she was still small, her owner got her the first one. It was easy, because the kitten got some toys, and didn't even pay attention to flashes. "When the cat grew up, I thought it would be cool to have some new photos to match the old ones. This time they were to be of a real cat lady" laughs Anna. "And it was not that easy this time. Saba wouldn't sit against a backdrop and kept running away from the set. After two hours she just fell asleep. Both the photographer and I felt hot and tired. And what I was left with after several hours of donkey work were just 12 photos" adds the woman.
Spontaneous and unpredictable
The new fashion of taking professional photos of animals was quickly recognized by photographers, and professional shootings of dogs and cats are becoming more and more a part of their offer. However, it may not be as easy as it seems. "Children and animals are the most difficult models in the world" says photographer Tomasz Gola. "Why? Because they are spontaneous and unpredictable" he adds. "I've never been more tired than after a shooting of a little dog" laughs Michał, photographer from Wrocław. "It was a little French bull dog. It didn't look too squiggly, but it wouldn't hold still in the studio even for a moment. Every other moment it seemed that I had the frame just right, but the dog would turn its head, and I had to start everything all over again.
Only for pet lovers
There is yet another one condition to fulfil before one can take up such sessions. One just must love animals. "They instantly sense if you like them or not, and in the latter case they simply refuse to cooperate" says photographer Emilia. The girl has photographed animals many times before and knows that the basic thing is affection towards them, and a load of patience. "It happens that in 200 shots I have only two good and in focus.
Photo shoots like a photo story
Tomasz Gola, photographer from Wrocław found his own way to photograph animals. "I offer my clients open air photo shoots, a kind of a photo story shooting. Dogs feel at ease in a park, a meadow or in the forest. They run, jump and race the wind. This makes really interesting frames" he says. However, if a client insists on a studio shoot, the animal needs to be given time to get acquainted with the place. "It's not human to stand in an appointed place, look in a specific direction and tilt its head in just the right way. It is a spontaneous model that can feel uneasy in a new place" adds Tomasz. This is why you can't rush things. Acquaintance needs to be made with the four-legged client, and some sniffing around must be allowed. Also, forget shouting. It is important for the animal to be full and after a walk, in order not to be distracted by physiological needs. "The animal must simply be as relaxed as possible" adds Tomasz.
Dress-ups and prinking
Dress-up shoots are more challenging, though. This particular trend is not exactly to animal rights organizations' liking. As much as it is not exactly animal abuse, they say, it puts them in a very uncomfortable situation. However, as photographers say, the customer is king. If they want a photo of their dog in a suit or a dress, one needs to first persuade the dog to have such outfit put on, and secondly, not to shred it with its teeth 10 seconds after buttoning is done. The reason for the spreading of animal photo shoots trend may be that there are more and more animal photo blogs on the Internet. Photographers who own a cat or a dog upload their photos in such high quality, that everybody who are in love with their own pets also want to have such snaps. And what is the cost of such pet photo shoot? Of course it all depends on the requirements. One in a studio costs up to 300 PLN. An outdoor photo shoot, if there is no need for adjusting lights and editing photos too much, costs from 50 to 100 PLN.
fot. tomaszgola.com
