Finally... a Pet Photographer with a heart!

[ChristopherCoy]

I dont know why pet photography seems to be such a highly guarded secret, but its like Fort Freakin Knox. Perhaps its this way in other genres of photography as well, I only notice pet photography because that is what I am primarily interested in. Either way... WHAT'S THE BIG FRIGGIN DEAL?

See this blog:
http://www.cowbellyblog.com/category/for-photographers/

And scroll down to 'revealing the lie.'

[janetg]

i don't get it... he talks about LR in the 'reveal'. ??

[J Eddington]

I think they are just trying to say that everyone edits their photos. NO DUH!

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by J Eddington

I think they are just trying to say that everyone edits their photos. NO DUH!

Well there's that... but I was referring more to the fact that (A) she posted a 'secret', and (B) she briefly explained what she does to improve photos.

As a beginner you're often told, 'proper exposure, proper exposure, proper exposure.' Yeah well, when your shooting RAW it doesn't matter how good you 'nail' an exposure, the colors will still be somewhat drab SOOC. I observed this, and no matter how much I tried to improve my exposure, I still felt like I wasn't getting that 'pop' with my photos. So I emailed a few photographers whose blogs I had found, and just asked them generic questions about PP techniques they may use. And 99.999999% of the time, IF I got a response at all, it was very generic, non-specific, and most times it was things like 'I have my little tricks.' It was as if I was trying to steal their identity, and empty their bank accounts. At the other end of the spectrum are those that are willing to help, but only if you have two grand and a paypal account to purchase their marketing/action/preset/build a business in a day sets...

Granted she didn't reveal any significant amount of PP techniques that anyone can't figure out for themselves... but I've had LR and CS3 since July and I'm only now starting to learn how/what things mean and actually understand how they affect a photograph.

[debbry531]

I don't think it's an unwillingness to help - but rather an inability to provide a simple answer. I'd probably answer similarly - but because I do a little of this and a little of that, depending on a particular photo/shoot. I don't have specific PP techniques that I can define and that I always use -- it's pretty organic with me as I go along and it depends on the dog, the setting, the lighting, etc. Dogs vary so wildly - ranging from white to black, tiny to giant, skittish to lazy, and everything in between - that, at least for me so far, no two shoots have been alike. Plus you frequently can't control your lighting very well (dogs just don't take direction well!) so sometimes that has to be "fixed" in post -- though sometimes it doesn't. Looking back at some of my past shoots, I can't tell you what I did. My experience - and I know the same can be said for a number of other pet photographers - is largely based on trial and error and just playing around with an image to see what happens when I do X or if I then add Y. That said, I also think there's probably also a little hesitancy to share something that seems very closely related to one's personal style -- in other words, to share with you how to make your shots look just like mine. Because of the nature of the shots, some basic tips - like how to brighten eyes or whiten teeth - don't really apply.

I'm sure Jamie will be happy to share more with you, if you attend her workshop for $1000-1500. ;)

[toverman]

Originally Posted by debbry531

Dogs vary so wildly - ranging from white to black, tiny to giant, skittish to lazy, and everything in between - that, at least for me so far, no two shoots have been alike. Plus you frequently can't control your lighting very well (dogs just don't take direction well!) so sometimes that has to be "fixed" in post -- though sometimes it doesn't. Looking back at some of my past shoots, I can't tell you what I did.

This applies to people as well! Except most people don't know what to do when you say "Heel."

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by debbry531

That said, I also think there's probably also a little hesitancy to share something that seems very closely related to one's personal style -- in other words, to share with you how to make your shots look just like mine.

But that's my point exactly... I dont want my photos to look like anyone elses, I just want mine to look better than what they are. Why does everyone feel like beginners are trying to recreate their work?

[Jake]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

....... Why does everyone feel like beginners are trying to recreate their work?

Because a lot of times they are.
Plus depending on the photographer, they may get 20 emails a day asking those questions. That's when they start charging for workshops.

If you haven't already, join your local PPA and ask some photographers in person. Then they really look like jerks if they ignore you walk away.

[Tom]

Yeah, it all depends.

If someone asks what I do to polish off my pictures, the answer has got to be "It depends." Some pics take a lot of work. Some don't take any. And I don't import every picture, add 25 to contrast, at 10 to clarity, add 50 to recovery and export it.

On average, I get about 5 emails a day asking various things from "I wanna take gooder pictures, will the rebel with the two lenses at costco do that for me" to "Can you tell me how to get on the sidelines" to "I want to improve this aspect of my photography, how would you go about it" to "will you critique my portfolio" etc. I try to answer everyone, but sometimes life is just too busy and my answer won't really address everything they are looking to hear.

Yeah well, when your shooting RAW it doesn't matter how good you 'nail' an exposure, the colors will still be somewhat drab SOOC.

Not entirely true. It is very important how good you nail the exposure, because you don't want shadows and highlights to be clipped. The less you have to do in post, the better. When you better understand how to control light, you can do a whole lot more to make your picture have the more contrasty look that you are desiring through the lens, rather than through post.

[David Whatley]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

As a beginner you're often told, 'proper exposure, proper exposure, proper exposure.' Yeah well, when your shooting RAW it doesn't matter how good you 'nail' an exposure, the colors will still be somewhat drab SOOC.understand how they affect a photograph.

Chris, shoot a shot in RAW and as a test, make no adjustments, just save for web in "sRGB" and see the difference.