Project 52 – Portrait

The theme for week 12 of the Project 52 Pet Photographer’s blog circle is “Portrait”.

In photography, a portrait is usually a representation of a person often depicting only the face and shoulders. The art of it comes in capturing not only the likeness but also the essence of the subject.

At Animal Services, when doing the adoption photos, I try to capture the dog’s personality in three photos. The first is a portrait, the second a full body shot and the third is hopefully a fun shot.. all taken in the hopes of having a potential adopter take a second look.

With the portraits, I have certain criteria that I try to meet. The first is to have the dog look straight into the lens. I want there to be a connection between this dog and the viewer and nothing does this better than puppy dog eyes. The second is to have the ears up… not folded back. Ears-up translates into a happy, relaxed dog. I wish I could also insist on a smile… and sometimes I do actually get one… but in the shelter environment, this is a bonus.

Here are some of our recent beauties…

When capturing pets with their people the objectives of the portrait are a little different… it’s all about the love.

With my own dogs, the portraits are more relaxed and candid… more about capturing moments. These photos are our memories and mean everything to me.

This one is of our foster dog, Odin. We have had him for two weeks and he is making slow but steady progress. He is such a gentle, goofy boy.

And last, but never ever least, my lovely Lacie, taken after playing in the snow… my heart.

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” ~ Edward Steichen

Project 52 _______________________
This post is part of the Pet Photography Project 52 blog circle. To see what the next photographer is sharing for the weekly theme, “Portrait”, visit Jo Lyons Photography, the down-to-earth dog loving photographer for cherished dogs of Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle and the Great Lakes Region of NSW. Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here. Enjoy!