~  Written for Everything Sheltie, thanks Dana!

So you are going to photograph your Sheltie.  It goes without saying that he should be clean and brushed with trimmed feet and trimmed ears.  Position a spray bottle and brush close by.  Fortify yourself with lots of good bait and a number of different “throw me” things; the more different they are, the better.  Some unusual noisemakers are good, too, especially for the dog who gets bored easily or one who doesn’t naturally use his ears very much.  For the really stubborn, bored dog, make some noisemakers of your own:  a soda can with pebbles inside, or an empty potato chip bag (dogs KNOW when it’s a potato chip bag being crinkled).  Use your imagination.  My dogs respond quite well to the voice of my action figure of Gollum, which says, “My precioussss.”

Choose your site with care.  Find a level place where the background is far from you or is something neither stark white nor very dark, something that does not have bold or distracting texture.  Position the dog there, position yourself, and look at what you have in the viewfinder.  Does he seem to have a little tree growing from his head?  Is your child’s tricycle or your garden bench interfering with his topline?  Does the nice wood fence behind the dog stop right at the end of his muzzle?

Where is the sun?  In general, you want to make sure that your photo spot has the dog entirely in the sun or entirely in the shade so there isn’t any odd light-and-shadow mottling to distract from his image.  Don’t photograph into the sun.  Optimal positioning is photographing with the sun behind you or a little to the side over one of your shoulders.  I try to photograph in the middle of the day so that slanting sun rays will not illuminate the eye; the darkest-eyed Sheltie can look lighter-eyed if sunlight from early morning or later afternoon shines right into the eye. Also, you want to take care that the shadows of the dog’s own ears do not fall on his face.  Sometimes, a bright but overcast day can produce excellent results because there are no harsh shadows, and since no areas are too light or too dark, it’s possible to capture great detail.  Also, the dog will not squint on a cloudy day.

Ideally, have four people besides the person with the camera:  one to hold the dog, one to re-set him when he moves slightly out of position and do touch-up grooming, one to do the baiting, and a gopher who does everything from tossing toys to retrieving bait to going for a brush or additional film.  The gopher can also hide behind bushes and make eepy noises to get the dog’s attention.  It’s possible to get good photos with only two people, but it’s not as easy!  I have done some decent photos alone, with a dog trained to hold position, by tying him to a tree, positioning him, and tossing out bait far in front of him while I clicked the shutter.  But having more people is better, so perhaps you could organize a photo session of multiple people and multiple dogs to maximize the benefits for everyone.

 You know the breed standard and your dog’s faults and excellences, so in your finish grooming, do as much subtle correction and enhancement as you can.  Smile -- a photo session is not the show ring!  No stern judge is going to examine your grooming job for various residues.  You CAN use hair spray, gel, mousse, markers, ear weights or braces, unbrushed-out white and colored chalks, and backcombing (ratting), sculpturing, etc. This will allow you to take the time you need to do your session without worrying that the coat is going to fall or the ears are going to fly or flop.  

Wet your hands or use a light amount of gel and, after brushing the hair into place, smooth the top and sides of the head.  Don’t forget to add a dab of white chalk on the underjaw so it doesn’t “disappear” in the photos.  Backcomb and/or hairspray the top of the ruff and any dip in the topline so the fur there stays up.  You can think of other things to do for your particular dog.  More than enough said.  You know how to groom!

 For a shot that is truly representative of your dog’s body proportions, the photographer will have to lie on the ground, so provide a tarp or blanket for the photographer.  For true proportion, the lens of the camera should be at the level of the middle of the dog’s scapula.

That being said, a dog that is too low on leg should be photographed from a bit lower than mid-scapula, and a dog too high on leg, from slightly above mid-scapula.  If the dog lacks underjaw, get down lower.  If he has excessive underjaw and/or excessive depth of skull, move up a bit.  If he lacks neck, get down lower.  You will have to try various positions, but in general, photographing a dog from a level much farther above ground than mid-scapula on the dog can make the dog look squatty and neckless, and from much farther below can make him look really deep-headed, so the suggested adjustments from this level should be slight!

Now think about the positioning in relation to your dog’s faults and excellences.  Some of these are “duh” things.  For example:  A dog with significant profile faults should not be photographed in absolute profile.  A three-quarters shot of the head is probably better for such a dog.  A dog that is very long in body should probably not be photographed in absolute body profile.  People seem to like the looks of too-short-bodied dogs in absolute profile, so that may be all right.  A dog with poor rear angulation might best be photographed ¾ on.  Dogs with widely flaring skulls should not be photographed absolutely head-on.  A dog with big, round eyes can be placed so he is squinting into the sun.  A dog with too-small eyes can be photographed in the shade.  As I said, duh things.

I have one important suggestion for photographing companion Shelties:  choose a view that shows both eyes.  This will reveal the expression, and this is the thing about a Sheltie that goes straight to everyone’s heart.  If you can, get the little fellow to do a dog-smile for you – open mouth, eyes sparkling, looking straight into the camera.  Difficult to resist!  One way to put the puppy or dog at ease and get this view is to pant.  Yes, I mean YOU do the panting.  Try it!

I prefer not to have an adult person in the photo with the dog or puppy looking for a home, because this can make the public wonder “How can that person give up that dog?”  If the for-sale dog is being held by an adult, I prefer not to show the person’s face, just their cradling arms.  Children in for-sale photos are fine as long as it is the dog, rather than the child, that dominates the image.  You can include toys, flowers, baskets, etc., but remember, it’s the DOG that should dominate, so limit the items so that the dog itself shines and the items do not distract.  When a puppy is in the gangly “slick” stage, it’s a little harder to make him look soft and appealing.  Try sitting him in deep grass or tall flowers, so that only his head, chest, and front legs are visible, or wrap a fluffy quilt around his shoulders.

If this is to be a record to keep of your best friend, think about his personality and include his favorite toy or photograph him lying in his favorite spot or doing his favorite activity.  You want the photograph to be not just about a cute dog, but about YOUR dog, so include things and situations that express what he is all about.  And be sure to have a friend photograph you and your dog together, for a memento to treasure.
 

What’s the final purpose of your image?  If it’s to be printed as an enlargement and used for advertising, use film, not digital, unless you understand resolution and really know what you are doing.  For the internet?  You don’t need high resolution, and digital saves several steps.

Don’t be stingy during a photo session.  Take lots of photographs – lots!!  Digital “film” is costless, so clear out a couple of chips, have an extra camera battery or two charged, and go for it!  If you are using film, take several rolls.  The cost of the film and processing is the cheap part of the venture, compared to the cost of your time and effort and the worth of an excellent photo.  One good photograph comes close to being priceless!  And after you get the images or photos, remember, your computer is your friend.  You can sharpen images that are slightly fuzzy, remove red-eye, lighten or darken images, crop out strange background things (like your friend Mona with a hot dog in her mouth), blur busy backgrounds, and tame weird clumps of hair lifted by the wind. 

It’s difficult to be objective about images of your dog, so examine each promising image while holding it in front of a mirror.  The mirror image may give you a fresh look, allowing you to evaluate it more accurately.

Also, look carefully at the components of each image.  Perhaps the rear is out of position on one shot, but the image could be cropped to a fine headstudy.  An image that is lovely but makes the dog look slightly too long, can be cropped into an overall square shape, lessening the impression of a long dog.  An out-of focus image showing a lovely outline can be lightened into pastels and made into an interesting background for a web page.

 Happy shooting!
 

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Tips by Daveena Michael, Riverdance Shelties