Pet Photography Stories

It's all about pets for Richmond photographer

 By DIONNE WALKER, Associated Press (ASAP)

 Richmond - Toenails clicking across the floor of his studio announce photographer Michael Waine's latest client. In struts a white and gray pouf of attitude sporting a classic GAP pullover. Baci is in the house.
            The poodle-Maltese makes his presence known -- zigging across the floor, hopping onto platforms and peeking into baskets of props. Marcy Blume follows close behind, her expression worried. She's late for this, their third appointment; she's been too busy running to doctor's appointments for her terminally ill mother to choose a photo package for Baci (pronounced Bah-chee). Now she discovers her checkbook is missing. This could be a long shoot.
            Waine grabs a stool and talks Blume down in his sing-songy voice, comforting but firm as he guides her toward photo ideas. He'll use the same tactic on Baci, unraveling his canine quirks and later, maneuvering him into the perfect position for the perfect shot -- tricky when your subject would rather lick the camera than pose for it.
            Michael Waine is a professional pet photographer, and he considers himself among the best. His subjects range from triplet Chihuahuas to preening horses to jumbo German Shepherd dogs. The challenge with each: Make the camera see the humor, coyness, coolness owners see in their pet pals, using an arsenal of squeakers, toys, props, treats -- even song. "I don't treat them like objects," says Waine, who sits on a small crate while shooting, to be eye-to-eye with most animals. "I try to understand their personality."
            In the '60s, a youthful Waine planned to teach. He earned an English degree and landed in a tough Brooklyn classroom. "I was an English teacher for two weeks," recalls Waine, a silver-haired Mr. Rogers type. "They wanted to kill me." Waine turned to a college side business he had inadvertently started when his friends saw pictures of his puppy and asked for their own versions.
Still, "I didn't take it seriously," says Waine, who decided instead to pursue a career in commercial photography. More than a decade later, a fast-paced career with clients like Time Magazine had left Waine ready for a change. In 1990 Waine relocated to slower-paced Virginia; when Hurricane Gaston damaged his studio in 2004, Waine wiped the slate clean. "I wanted to switch gears," he says. "After 30-plus years of doing commercial work ... I wanted to do something I loved the most."
            Baci is one minute rolling around on a doggie bed, the next, munching chicken bits while Blume arranges his clothing. Apparel include a $90 jean jacket, ski hat and lumberjack fleece. His yarmulke -- Baci's family is Jewish -- is at home. "Baci!" Waine calls, and squeezes a tiny squeaker he uses to gain pet attention. Like clockwork, Baci trots over. "He's very confident," Waine says. "I like that." He'll spend the next 15 minutes playing with Baci, determining his response to commands and what makes him excited.
            Some pets are naturally photogenic, like Jazmine, an ebony Chihuahua Waine recently photographed for a local pet trainer. The biggest challenge there was figuring out whether the puppy's new rhinestone collar complimented the outfits she was modeling for a pet clothing line. Other animals are more difficult. Cats, for instance tend toward one expression: I'm going to scratch you.
"This," Waine says waving a small red boa on a stick, his eyes dancing, "is all I need and I can get a cat to do anything." For dogs, he uses squeakers and rubber bones; he holds a treat over the camera to grab their gaze.
He'll snap dozens of photos before finding the right one, displayed for the pet owner's examination on a laptop screen near his camera.
            "I'm at a disadvantage," says Waine, "I don't have much time to spend with the animal (and) people want the world."
            Baci isn't cooperating. He won't mimic the cute things he does at home, and keeps running toward the camera. Waine unleashes his secret weapon.
"Baaaaaaaaaccciiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" he sings, operatically.
The dog tilts his head to the side quizzically and Waine gets a shot. Again he sings. Again, Baci tilts his head. It's not what you say to animals," says Waine, who came up with the tactic after years of trial and error. "It's how you say it."
            Pet owners spent around $38.4 billion on their animals in 2006, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. They're buying gourmet treats, high-end kennel stays and, in Beth Oxenham's case, photos.
Waine photographed her three Norwich terriers last summer.
"You take photographs of them to remember them at different stages," says Oxenham, whose eldest dog, 14-year-old Lucy, is fading. "I thought, you know, it's now or never." Blume never wanted a dog. Then her mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. Depressed, she looked online and found her "lil chunk o'luvin'."
"Right now, I'm spending my days in the hospital," says Blume, who wanted to capture the face that's held off the sadness. "He's my emotional support dog."

Capturing The Moment

I was working with a golden retriever named Sedona who is owned by Lynn Harpold, a vet who works at a local animal clinic that offers critical care for animals.

For a cover image for a pet products catalog I was working on, my task was to show a dog playing in a water sprinkler. I have always been fond of photographing liquids in my commercial work and I welcomed the challenge. We needed a dog that loved water as much as I do. Sedona was perfect!

We were shooting at the right time of day so the water was back lit and glistened against a dark background of distant trees. The only difficulty was that our water supply to the garden sprinkler came from a well and the pressure was not too strong. So we bent the hose in half and we were now able to release the water much quicker than if we had just turned on the water valve. In order to get Sedona to be in a good spot, we put a small piece of cheddar cheese on top of the sprinkler and waited while holding the garden hose at a distance. We folded the hose so the flow of water was temporarily stopped from flowing to the sprinkler.

Just as Sedona came over to get the cheddar cheese, we released the hose and the water came up through the sprinkler, almost sparkling in the sunlight. Sedona reacted to the rising water as any dog would, and wanted to play in the sprinkler. We got several great takes of the dog, and her body language tells the story well. I would say we were very successful with our cover shot.

I suggested to the art director a possible concept for the back cover, using Sedona again. I thought it would be like storytelling to show the dog again on the back cover shaking off the water, and once again, success! We would wet her down and I was ready to shoot. There is only a brief moment when the water shakes off her coat and I got it!

Gettting The Dog To Sing

Dijon is a Bijon Frise dog who belongs to Deborah and Michael Schmidt. I was telling Deborah that I have been able to get dogs to smile in front of my camera.

She thought that was terrific during our photo session with her and Dijon. Deborah needed a photo for possible use for Christmas so I had her and Dijon wear Santa hats for one of the poses we were working on.

I kept thinking about getting a dog to sing so I asked Deborah to sing softly to Dijon and to our amazement, Dijon joined in. He tilted his head upward and began making sounds as if he was joining in on a duet performance in front of my camera.

What a joy! What fun! The two of them showing the comfort they have shared for years were now singing in front of my camera. I can now say that I have not only gotten dogs to smile in front of my camera, but also to sing!

Getting The Dogs To Smile

Recognition

I have always believed that people are motivated by three things, financial security, love and romance, and recognition.

Making lots of money has never been my priority, rather doing something I love to do has always been more important to me than how much money I earn. The work I do is very creative and always different. I love capturing wonderful moments with my camera. Of course I need money to live but also to further my creative goals.

As for love and romance, I am blessed with having a wonderful wife for many years who shares in my dreams as well as the more mundane things in life like choosing a wallpaper design. She and I would walk into a wallpaper store and look through the heavy books filled with hundreds of samples. I would mark a page and exchange my sample book with her and she would hand me the one she just spent twenty minutes looking through. It is really amazing that she and I would come up with the same sample of wallpaper!

The thing that motivates me the most is recognition. I have always felt that getting a pat on the back for a job well done was equally as important as getting paid for the job.

In my commercial photography life, I have won several awards and trophies and my motivation would soar to new heights. Being told that the work I delivered had far exceeded the ad agencies expectations gave me more of a feeling of worth that a million dollars. As I began doing more and more pet portraits for people in the consumer market, I began to enjoy a new kind of personal recognition that I had not gotten in the thirty years of being a commercial photographer. When I would deliver an album of pet portraits to the pet owner, I only wish that I had a tape recorder with me to share with you some of the many kind things that were said about working with me as well as the finished job I had just delivered. The enthusiasm and joy expressed to me as I delivered the album has been overwhelming. I would watch as the pet owner turned each page slowly and commented on how terrific their pet or their child seen with their pet had looked in the photos. I would travel home after delivering the album feeling like a hero, a winner! Yes, recognition makes me want more recognition and it empowers me to work that much harder in my next photo session.

Helping Dogs Feel Confident

When a dog takes on the “misery stance”, we will see the tail between the legs, the eyes looking away from me, and the ears down and close to the head. This usually happens because the dog is unaware of the owner’s wishes and unsure of my intentions. It my pet photography photo sessions this can sometimes be a challenge. When the dog looks bored or frightened or tired, these conditions make the photo session next to impossible.

I use a low key and soft mannerism with this type of dog and my task is to make it feel safe and happy. Before I begin photographing the pet to be seen alone or with his the owner, we first have our “romping around time” together. I take the dog into a fenced in area where it is free to escape for a while to eliminate if necessary, but more important, to be free to wander around and lose some of the stress they have when they first arrive for the photo shoot. If I am shooting several animals together, I do this with each dog individually and deal with them individually so they are not fearing me. I am very persistent with the animals and I treat them as if each one is the only animal of its kind in the world. I use praise and reward to get the dog to become confident. I always have a small bag of treats in my pocket, sometimes 2 or 3 different kinds, and I watch to see which treat the animals likes the most.

When I now bring the dog in front of my camera, I flash the strobe lights several times while petting the dog. If his tail is not standing, the tail can be made to stand upright by brushing my hand with the lightest touch from the base of the tail to the tip using a fast flicking motion. This works very well with cats too. Eventually, the dog likes this and the tail will stay up. If I am working outdoors, I have also run with dogs while on a lead and given the lead a quick tug. Since the tail adds balance to the dog’s movement, it will raise its tail when there is a jerk to the lead. The best way to keep the tail up is by making the dog happy.

Most dogs are very clever and are seldom depressed. I ask the owner if the dog knows how to respond to obedience commands and I reward the dog when it comes, sits for me, and especially when it stays until released. I also verbally praise the dog countless times (persistent positive reinforcement) until we become friends. The dog no longer fears the photo session and now understands that this get-together is all about him. By me being persistent, by returning the dog to the targeted spot where my lighting will be optimal, and by constantly praising and rewarding the dog when I get really good takes, I finally have the dog feeling confident that the camera work will not harm him and that he is very special and doing a good job. Everyone wants to know that they are doing a good job. Animals are no different. They want to please us. I cannot shoot until the pet begins to feel comfortable and happy. The ears and the tail go up when I squeak the squeaker that is always near my camera. Sometimes the tongue comes out and I now feel that the dog is ready to begin his portrait session. He is no longer unsure about the owner’s wishes or my intentions.

He is feeling confident! I can now create a custom pet portrait that shows the dog’s personality. If the owner is to be seen with the animal, I ask the owner to maintain a smile or pleased look continuously because animals never stay still. Capturing wonderful moments takes control. With the owner looking good for a continued amount of time, I can now work the animal towards a great gesture, a smile or a tilt of the head, and big open eyes that reveals the soul of the animal!

Michael Waine, Pet Friendly Photographer

The pet industry is growing fast. More than ever before, people are treating their pets like members of their families. We now have many more pet shops, groomers, and veterinarians. Traveling with pets is becoming more common than ever before and the hospitality industry knows it. Breeders, kennels and good obedience trainers are becoming easier to find.

Finding the right pet is rewarding and comforting for many. As we live longer and some of us become empty nesters, our desire to have animals in our homes allows us to continue to love and nurture an animal as much as if it were a child of our own.

I have many reasons for wanting to work with animals and photograph them. One big reason is that people want to be recognized and to show others the comfort they enjoy with their pet. Some want to share the joy of having a new puppy. Some want to have memorable images of their older pet who might not be with them in a few months. There are many reasons why people want pet photos.

When Steve Cook, the editor of West End’s Best Magazine, asked me to write an article about being a pet photographer, I was flattered. I was telling Steve how I get the results and I came to realize that it just takes a lot of patience, persistence, and praise. Dogs are pack animals and will respect the leader of the pack and give the leader cooperation only when the leader has earned their trust and respect. The behavior I want from the dog is best when it is not forced but given willingly by the dog. That’s the only way you can get the dog to “smile”. Before my photo session begins, I talk to the dog, play with him, and give him a chance to do what dogs do. He is a dog, not a furry object. He has his own unique personality, sometimes shy, sometimes outgoing. For me it’s not about the breed, but more about the personality. Since I only have a short amount of time to get results, I think it is important that the dog be made to feel important and to understand that this get-together is all about him. He must see that he is the focus of the attention and he is very important to us. My success comes with this kind of cooperation, not control. You can control a dog for a few moments, but he might want to cooperate for a longer amount of time if you guide him towards the right attitude and behavior.

Before I begin photography, we might romp around for a short while before getting in front of the camera. I might ask the dog to sit or be obedient and then praise the dog with food treats. By using treats and rewards, I can get the dog’s attention. By gaining his trust, I try to become the pack leader for the session time. By showing them how persistent I can be, and how much I really want a certain pose, they understand that this get-together must be important. It’s not magic that I use, it is my respect for the animal’s individuality that gets me some very fine pet portraits. Add the pet’s human to the mixture, and we now have a captured moment that often shows the comfort shared between the owner and his or her pet! How wonderful it is for me when I deliver the images or album and hear how the owner can’t wait to show it around! That is my reward, my praise, my motivation!!!

Why I Bought A Puppy

Here is a very short story about why I bought a puppy.

I bought a puppy because my wife never puts her shoes in the closet.

She does now!

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them , who had to be left behind.
They run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent' his body eager quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together...

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