low-sensory photography experience for sensitive dogs
By Hannah Davison, studio owner and principal photographer
You are led into a room. It’s full of strange, looming objects that you’ve never seen before. A human holding a weird machine makes you stand on a big piece of paper that hangs down from the ceiling and rolls out onto the floor. Your paws slip around when you try to dodge out of the way. Then, suddenly, there is a sharp popping sound and a bright flash that comes from the big looming objects. What the?!? You’re being offered lots of treats, but it’s not worth it. No sirree. You’re outta there. That dark bathroom is the place to be! See ya suckers!
What you just read was my (dramatic) imagining of how a dog might experience the average photoshoot. The “strange, looming objects” are the strobes (studio lights) with lighting modifiers attached. The “weird machine” is the camera. The “big piece of paper” is the colourful backdrop. And the popping sound is the flash!
Some dogs can walk into a totally unfamiliar situation with brand new-to-them stimuli and just roll with it. I have many clients who arrive ready to go. “Lets get a move on, here are my poses, boom! Blue steel! Where’s my modelling contract!?” But for many pups, that kind of novel, high-stimuli experience requires a more gentle onboarding.
This is why, after five years in this business and over one thousand pooches photographed, I have adopted a hybrid flash/continuous lighting system in my studio.
What does this mean?
A hybrid flash/continuous lighting system means that I have two different types of lights available, side-by-side. I use both a continuous video light (very bright studio lights that are constant, completely silent, and do not flash or pop) as well as a more traditional studio strobe light setup, which have a pop and a bright flash every time a photo is taken. I can switch back and forth as needed between these two types of lighting. The strobe lights are excellent for action shots (treat catching, jumping, playful puppies) which is why I like to use them if your dog can tolerate the sensory input. But if we can tell that they are causing your dog any stress whatsoever, I switch immediately to the continuous light.
This development has been on my mind for a long time, because I was seeing so many dogs who clearly struggled with the high-sensory environment of a photoshoot. I photographed many rescue dogs, who had trauma in their past. These animals’ survival depended, at one point, on caution in unfamiliar surroundings. There are also breeds that tend to be more affected by sharp noises. For a long time I accepted that it was just part of the job, that it would always be more of a struggle with certain dogs.
Over the past year, however, I decided to experiment with continuous lighting. It was extremely important to me that the quality be equal to strobe lighting.
I was able to find just the right brand of powerful, industry tested video lights - Nanlight - to match the quality of my studio strobes. After a bit of practice and persistence, I have been able to incorporate them seamlessly into my studio workflow.
This is only the most recent of many practices I have adopted in the studio to make dogs feel more comfortable during their photography session. Some of the other features include:
Carpeted area with comfortable chairs, to give more of a “homey” feel to the space
Powerful AC unit for those hot summer days
A slow and gentle buffer period to introduce the dog to me, and the space
Finally, the most important feature you’ll encounter in the studio, and the one that makes or breaks any portrait photography session, is empathy. Dogs, just like humans, each bring their unique collection of history, trauma, genetic predisposition, mental health issues, etc. I work to tune in to your pet and learn what they need most in the hour we have together, and that allows me to connect authentically with them. Then, with my camera, I’m truly able to capture as many facets of their personality as possible. It’s fascinating and wonderful, and I never get bored of cracking the unique code of every subject that enters my studio.
If you’re wondering whether a photoshoot is right for your pet, please reach out.
