DIY Dog Photoshoot

Recently, I started a new project with a good friend of mine and my two dogs. I think I'm in the part of my life that many people called "QUARTER LIFE CRISIS" where we really want to discover the type of lifestyle or career path that we want to pursue. In my part, I started this passion project of mine creating dog apparels. Having limited budget and resources, I was eager to find things where I can save some extra bucks. I wanted to have good photo materials for marketing purposes but I'm not willing to spend a big amount of cash for studio photos. So I just thought, why not make it a DIY project instead! Having no strong background in photography I try to research some tips in taking photos of your pets. After days and days of researching in our ever trusted GOOGLE, finally I'm ready to start my DIY Dog Photoshoot.

STEP 1 | COME UP WITH A THEME

It's always easier to start a project when you know how you want it to look like once your done. Giving your project a theme makes it easier for you to come up with your concept for the whole shoot. In my case, I chose to go for SUMMER Theme and showcasing it's festive vibe since that's how we celebrate it here in my country. 

STEP 2 | CREATE YOUR DIY MINI STUDIO SET

Renting a studio can be really costly so might as well come up with an alternative. You can create a mini studio set for your dog in a very affordable price. All you need is an Illustration Board, White Cartolina, Double Sided Tape and Scissor.

a. Put together your white cartolina using the double sided tape to serve as your set back draft. Size depends on your preference since we have different type of dogs. 

b. Use the Illustration Board as flooring for your set. (White part should be the one exposed)

c. Construct your mini studio set where there is a roof but slightly exposed to natural lighting. (In my case, I chose the garage.) You can put together your set there and make sure to shoot during 10am - 4pm for natural lighting.

d. Add some props to showcase your photoshoot's theme.

STEP 3 | FIND YOUR FOCUS

One of the best advice I got when you want to take a good photo of your pet is to know where to focus your lens. Focusing in your dog's eyes gives the photo a soul and an added appeal. Also, a good doggy smile won't hurt too. You can get that smiling face from your dog by taking them on a walk before the photoshoot. 

STEP 4 | CHOOSING & EDITING

Choosing the best photo from the bunch is one of the key element of coming up with a good photo material. Once you're done choosing, it's time to do some photo editing. Having a DIY Dog Photoshoot may limit your final material due to lighting. Luckily, Photoshop is available to almost everyone who can use it. You don't need to be a professional graphic artist to edit your photo materials. Just adjust the Exposure of your photo, crop unnecessary elements and add your logo. 

Here are some of the final photos I come up with my DIY Dog Photoshoot project for my Fur Babies Apparels Summer Collection. 

The best part of my DIY Dog Photoshoot is that it only cost me Php 150.00 ($4) and one day to finish everything. I guess a good dog model is a plus factor ^_^ 

Hope you can try this out with your pets too. If I can do it, surely everyone can.