Happy snow covered Easter (as of yesterday, yes this is a day late, whoops!). Kris, Blue & I send our “hoppy” greetings and love.
Plastic Egg Activity for Dogs!
Did you happen to have plastic eggs, or have they been on hand for generations for children, either yours or for you as a child? (If you don’t have any, run out now and snag some!)
Why do you need plastic eggs? For an Easter egg hunt for your dog! (Plus this activity can be done anytime – if it is rainy, snowing, too hot, too cold etc).
Start with clean plastic eggs.
Pop them open and drop a smelly, tasty, little morsel of a treat inside.
Once your have prepped as many eggs as you want, its time to hide them!
For beginners, have your dog watch where you hide them, give them a “find it” command and help your dog find each egg. Give them the treat inside. ** Make sure they don’t chomp on the egg! This type of plastic can shatter!
Make it more challenging by hiding your dog when he or she is out of the room. Bring your dog into the room and encourage them to “find it”. Help your dog find the eggs and reward them with the tasty treat inside.
Hide a few, a ton, hide them hard or easily and make it a fun game. The plastic egg hunt is a great boredom buster and metal exercise for your pup. (Mental exercise is a great way to tire them out!). If the weather is nice, hide them outside.
Blue & I use the slightly larger eggs (he has a big mouth and I don’t want the smaller ones going down the hatch). You can use the giant eggs, the bigger ones, standard size or small eggs. As long as your dog can get a whiff of treats the egg size doesn’t matter!
The middle of the day is when the sun hits the highest point in its arc as it travels across the sky. (Yeah yeah, the Earth rotates, the sun stays still, yadda yadda!). At the hightest point, the most light is available to grow plants, bake landscapes and mess up photographs.
Did you know that the middle of the day isn’t always noon?
It’s true! Head to Date & Time and type in your city (or a big city in your region). If you scroll to the current date and click on it, you’ll see a curved graph that illustrates when the sun rises, hits the middle of the day and when it sets. (This is a great tool for photographers for planning around golden hour & sunset!)
March 15th in Minneapolis has a middle of they day landing at 1:21 pm.
5 reasons why dog photography during the middle of the day sucks:
SHADOWS! Trees, leashes, the photographer’s shadow, all arrive dark and hard edged to cross the dog in your scene. Why are these shadows so dramatic? Because the sun is a teenie tiny light source a long ways away, which means the light it casts in the middle of the day is hard light. (The smaller the light source the harder the light & shadows, the bigger the light source the softer the light & shadows!)
CONTRAST! Contrast is the range of brightness in an image. Middle of the day images tend to be VERY strong in contrast with hard shadows and overly bright whites. This means you can have super bright whites and very dark darks all together in one image. So much contrast!
HIGHLIGHTS & LIGHT COLORS! The lightest parts of your image now have gained a TON of light due to the sun being overhead. This means highlights may tend to be blown out (no details left, pure white) and light dogs are prone to looking like dogs without details.
SQUINTY EYES! People aren’t the only ones prone to squinty eyes! Facing a dog into the sun (sun at your back) can make your dog squint too!
HOT HOT HOT! The middle of the day is the hottest time of the day, especially during the summer! Not comfortable for people or dogs to be active in, especially dogs with double coats and squashed faces.
Here are some examples featuring dogs from Tri County Humane Society. Every Tuesday at 11 am I swing by and photograph the adoptable dogs and cats. The dogs and I traipse outside, no matter the weather (exception is brutal cold). Which means we land smack in the start of the middle of the day.
All of the image are unedited to give you a solid representation of why photographing dogs in the middle of the day sucks! (They get leashes edited out before they are sent to Tri County Humane Society to use on their website!)
OOOOF! It was sunny on Tuesday! Note the hard shadows coming off his feet & legs and the shadowing on the side of his face (indicating where the sun was). The shadow by his eye closest to the light is from his eye socket! LB is a light tan dog which meant the brightness of the light gave him an extra light coloring and some overly bright highlights.
Another of LB! That blob in the lower right hand corner? That’s my shadow! He’s facing the sun more, which means he has less shadowing on his face, though the cheekbone shadow is quite strong. Check out that leash shadow! When it comes to editing out leashes, make sure to look for the shadow from leash as well! Or you could end up with a strong black line across a leg or foot (like above)!
Scrappy! A lovely dark brownish black dog. The sun was at his side, which meant the side of his face opposite was VERY dark in shadow. The hard edges of the shadow are harder to see in the grass, but you can see by their darkness how much contrast was in the light that morning. The highlights and white are quite bright – note the leash clasp, white on his chest and birch trees in the background. Overall the image has a contrasty, crunchy look that isn’t dreamy or really pleasing.
Another of Scrappy! Again the light is coming from the side of Scrappy, which means the opposite side of his face and body is enrobed in shadows. Note the brightness on his face where the light is hitting making his dark brown black color overly bright. And the rather bright spot on his tongue too! The brights and darks in the grass give if a fussy, messy look.
What can you do when that’s the time you have to photograph adoptable dogs?
Now there are some ways you can get middle of the day lighting to work for you!
Backlight Position yourself facing into the light, with the light at the back of the dog. No squinty eyes and you’ll get some lovely light that tickles whiskers and hairs. The biggest downfall – dark dog faces. Since the light is behind the dog, there isn’t much light that will fall upon the dog’s face. You can play with it a bit in post processing or use a reflector or pop of fill flash to help balance your image.
Open shade This shade is found at the edge of shadows with your dog facing out of the shadow towards the light. The shaded background will behind your dog and the light from the edge of the shadow will bounce and illuminate your dog. The easiest way to see this in action is to use your garage. Open the garage door and position your dog right where the shadow meets the light. Observe. Rotate your dog to face into the garage (note the super bright background). Then lead your dog into the garage and watch how the light dims and grows the closer to edge of shadow you move.
Embrace it! Position your dog facing the light and photograph away. There may be some squinty eyes, some high contrast and blown out hightlights, but you potentially can have lovely blue skies and true colors on your pup. Or head to an area of interesting shadows and place your dog within them to capture the artistic side of middle of the day shooting.
Not sure if you’re in middle of the day light? Check for hard shadows! Deep dark shadows with crisp edges is typically an indicator that an image was captured sometime during the middle of the day.
We’ve made it through the 5 reasons dog photography in the middle of the day sucks, with examples, and ways you can work with middle of the day light with deep shadows, bright whites and high contrast!
The last in the series is the Short & Sweet Session!
What is the Short & Sweet Session?
Short & Sweet Sessions are shorter in duration (20 minutes!) and offered exclusively a few times during the year, typically during the summer and when the fall colors arrive.
The session goes like this:
We meet at the location of my choice (if you want to pick your location the Digital Dog is your pick!)
I meet your dog / dogs and you and we begin!
Locations for Short & Sweet Sessions will offer tons of diversity in backgrounds with less strolling, since we are on a time limit!
We pause, ask for a sit, a lay, a stand in place and look at the lady making mega goofy sounds.
This process repeats for the duration of the session. Low key, fun and chill as we meander for 20 minutes.
The session ends, we depart ways – me to start curating your gallery, you and your dog to head home and snooze the evening away.
In regards to “posing” – it will always be an ask. Do you think your dog will sit/stand here? Put their feet up? Lay on the lumpy bumpy ground? If the answer is yes or probably then we will direct your dog to what we would like them to do. If it results in a stand vs or a lay vs stand, no worries we will work with it! We will ask once or twice and if we get a nope from your dog, we’ll adapt and carry on.
The aim is FUN! If the ask doesn’t mean fun for your dog, we won’t push them.
What kind of images will be captured during your session?
Headshots
– Shoulders and up of your dog’s head (classic like any portrait you have had done in your school days).
Full body portraits
– Portraits with your dog’s full body, in a sit, lay or stand.
Action shots
– Your dog walking with you away and towards me, your dog running away and towards me (if you can hit me with a ball you get bonus points haha!), swimming, shaking off, carrying a stick – all ways your dog is in motion!
Details
– Whiskers, toes, noses, eyes, ears, tails, butt swirls, all the details that make your dog who they are!
Your bond
– From family portraits to your hand on their head, your hand and their paws, your dog at your feet and any other ways we can capture the bond you share with your dog.
Some other things you might be wondering:
Do we have to stick to one location?
Yes we do! 20 minutes will give us enough time to stroll slightly, but not enough time to cover a lot of ground or visit multiple locations.
Why can’t we do pictures in the middle of the day?
We could…. if you want hard dark shadows, overly bright whites, crispy contrast and possible squinting dogs (people for sure squint in middle of the day light!). Backgrounds can be overly bright, and shade can be dappled, just not the ideal for stunning portraits of your dog.
Instead if you want the dreamiest, warm, happy light then the timeframe of two hours before sunset is when the light will be the best. (It’s called golden hour due to this lovely golden light!). I favor evening golden hour as the light wanes into sunset vs the golden hour of the morning due to the color of the light and geez that sunrise can be EARLY!!!
Though…. depending on what we want to achieve we may have to consider different times of the day.
Looking to head to the lake, get a still stunning reflection and some lifting fog? Then we are going to need to be at the lake at sunrise (lakes in MN are typically calmest in the morning). The same rule applies for frost, dew and morning fog. If we want to experience it, we will need to arrive at sunrise. For sunrise golden hour will have 2 hours after the sun rises for the best light.
Wanting to do epic hiking through the woods and forests for your session? We will need to bump our time earlier in the evening especially the deeper we go inward. Trees tend to block a fair amount of light the deeper we go into the depths.
And if you have the power to… order us up a cloudy day that breaks at sunset into puffy clouds that a bathed in stunning colors… shucks I can’t order that up either!
Does my dog need to be leashed?
Yes! Since we are out and about your dog will need to be leashed during the session. Leashes will always be edited out of your final images so your dog will look like an off leash superstar!
When is the best time to do a Short & Sweet Session?
When they are announced! These are exclusive, limited edition sessions that are only available a couple times during the year. Classically they land in the fall with fall colors. Summer and the winter holiday season can also have Short & Sweet Sessions too, stay tuned for the announcements throughout the year!
How do I book a Short & Sweet Session?
Want to be the FIRST to know when the Short & Sweet Sessions are available? Sign up to be a VIP here: VIP form
Texting or calling to see when the next Short & Sweet Sessions will be happening – 320.428.0135 . You can also email () though it can be slower for response times. Skip sending pigeons – Blue will either chase or eat them…
Let’s capture your dog with playful, vibrant and classic images in a Short & Sweet Session!
This session is quite short in duration – a whopping 10 minutes! Hence the Teenie Weenie name! This is an exclusive session offered only at certain times during the year – during fall colors & at holiday time.
Teenie Weenie Sessions can occur indoors in a studio setting or outdoors in a super awesome location! (And yes, they are similar to Shitty Weather Sesssions minus that they can occur from April to November and CAN be done outdoors!)
The session goes like this:
You arrive at my garage, park in the driveway next to my Outback.
Open the gate and come in the garage door.
Everything is set up and ready to go! Studio strobes, backdrop and ample treats (if your dog has allergies let me know!).
Leash off, collar off if you want some “nudes” of your dog.
We wrangle your dog on the backdrop, with or without holiday props, and capture playful, fun, silly and classic images.
This session is QUICK – 10 minutes and we wrap! Perfect for super busy schedules.
You and your dog depart, waiting for the gallery to arrive within 2 weeks of your session.
Or if we are outdoors:
We meet at the location I have picked – it will be awesome!
Our 10 minute timer starts.
Loads of silly noises to get your dog’s attention during the allotted time.
We wrap, you head on your way and eagerly wait for your gallery to arrive within 2 weeks of your session!
In regards to “posing” – it will always be an ask. Do you think your dog will sit/stand here? Put their feet up? Lay on the lumpy bumpy ground? If the answer is yes or probably then we will direct your dog to what we would like them to do. If it results in a stand vs or a lay vs stand, no worries we will work with it! We will ask once or twice and if we get a nope from your dog, we’ll adapt and carry on.
The aim is FUN! If the ask doesn’t mean fun for your dog, we won’t push them.
What kind of images will be captured during your session?
Headshots
– Shoulders and up of your dog’s head (classic like any portrait you have had done in your school days).
Full body portraits
– Portraits with your dog’s full body, in a sit, lay or stand.
Treat Catching Shots
– Your dog, their mouth and epic drool as they catch treats tossed their direction. Fun and full of humor! INDOORS only!
Props
– Christmas props or winter props like scarves.
Your bond
– From family portraits to your hand on their head, your hand and their paws, your dog at your feet and any other ways we can capture the bond you share with your dog.
Some other things you might be wondering:
Do we have to stick to one location?
Yes we do! Teenie Weenie Sessions are short in duration – 10 minutes! This gives us ample time for image diversity, but no wiggle room for strolling to different locations. (Especially if we are shooting in studio!) If you need more time, the Digital Dog is a better pick!
Does my dog need to be leashed?
YES! A leash will help wrangle your pup and keep him or safe during your session. All leashes will be edited out of the final images!
If we are in the studio, then no, your dog doesn’t need to be on leash!
When is the best time to do a Teenie Weenie Session?
Fall color time and winter holidays! Teenie Weenie Sessions are limited edition sessions that are only available occasionally. Typically these sessions are available when the leaves burst into bold color in the fall and when the world begins to look like Christmas.
How do I book a Teenie Weenie Session?
Texting or calling to inquire WHEN the next Teenie Weeni Session will be happening – 320.428.0135
Emailing () works too, though it can be slower for response times. Skip sending pigeons – Blue will either chase or eat them…
Let’s capture your dog with playful, vibrant and classic images in a Teenie Weenie Session!
This session takes place from January to March, during the shitty weather season when it is too bloody cold to be outside for portraits (general rule of thumb: it needs to be 15 degrees or warmer to do a session outdoors, including windchill.) So when it is too cold outside, we move indoors!
And what makes a Shitty Weather Session different than a Digital Dog Session? BACKDROPS!
That’s right, from crisp paper (light blue, pink, red, dark green, black or white) to massively funky patterned backdrops, these are playful “studio” sessions. Swing by my house and I’ll have the garage prepped and kinda cozy (our garage tends to stay chilly but not freezing cold in the winter, I’ve got a little heater that helps).
These sessions are great for fun, classic studio images with or without winter holiday props.
The session goes like this:
You arrive at my garage, park in the driveway next to my Outback.
Open the gate and come in the garage door.
Everything is set up and ready to go! Studio strobes, backdrop and ample treats (if your dog has allergies let me know!).
Leash off, collar off if you want some “nudes” of your dog.
We wrangle your dog on the backdrop, with or without holiday props, and capture playful, fun, silly and classic images.
This session is QUICK – 10 minutes and we wrap! Perfect for super busy schedules.
You and your dog depart, waiting for the gallery to arrive within 2 weeks of your session.
In regards to “posing” for the Shitty Weather Session – there will be TONS of treats and loads of luring. We will ask your dog to sit within the perimeters of the backdrop and aim their attention towards us. If your dog lays instead of sitting, we’ll work with it for that image, then ask your dog to reset into a sit.
Backdrops and props can be a little weird for dogs, don’t worry if your dog doesn’t feel comfortable next to a prop or sitting on the backdrop. Blue is pretty much a pro model and still is weirded out by the paper backdrop if he backs up into it.
The aim is FUN! If the ask doesn’t mean fun for your dog, we won’t push them.
What kind of images will be captured during your session?
Headshots
– Shoulders and up of your dog’s head (classic like any portrait you have had done in your school days).
Full body portraits
– Portraits with your dog’s full body, in a sit, lay or stand.
Treat Catching Shots
– Your dog, their mouth and epic drool as they catch treats tossed their direction. Fun and full of humor!
Props
– Winter holiday props – Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s, Mardi Gras and Easter all can be incorporated for fun images to share or create cards with!
Some other things you might be wondering:
Do we have to stick to one location?
Yes we do! Shitty Weather Sessions are ALWAYS indoors with a backdrop, the main location being my garage. If you’d like to stroll outdoors with more time, the Digital Dog is a better fit!
Does my dog need to be leashed?
Nope! They are free to explore the garage and be “naked”. If your dog is mega bouncy and won’t hold still, we may have to leash them to wrangle them to the proper area.
When is the best time to do a Shitty Weather Session?
Anytime between January to March! And time of day is open too! We can shoot in the morning, the middle of the day or into the evening. Being indoors and a studio, it doesn’t matter when we have the session!
How do I book a Shitty Weather Session?
Head to the online booking to see the available dates from January to March! Book your session online! This is the fastest way to book!
Texting or calling is the second fastest way to book a session – 320.428.0135 – while emailing () can be slower for response times. Skip sending pigeons – Blue will either chase or eat them…
Let’s capture your dog with playful, vibrant and classic images in a Shitty Dog Session!
