Jill Shantz

Doggy Style: Tips and Tricks for Photographing Pets

Article written by Barbara Morban, IACC Vice-President

On April 14, 2016, our Guest Speaker, Jill Shantz, MPA, shared her insights into photographing pets. Throughout the presentation she shared slideshows of her impressive work.

Jill graduated from NAIT in 1999 and started her own business part- time while working for Burch Photographic in Sherwood Park and then as a NAIT photographer for numerous years. She opened her own studio full time in 2007. As a long-time animal lover, in 2008, she began to specialize in pet portraiture. In 2014, she received the first bar to her Master of the Photographic Arts designation and national accreditation for Canine Portraiture.

According to Jill, photographing pets is very challenging and requires a great deal of patience (similar to taking photographs of children). Since pets are unpredictable, and typically feed off their owners' emotions, Jill remains calm, cool and collected. She admits that with some pets it is best to keep your distance and to 'ignore' the pet (don't look; don't touch; don't talk).

In preparation for and/or during each shoot, Jill:

gathers information about the pet
selects a good location in which the pet is comfortable (some dogs are afraid of flashing lights; cats tend to be at their best when at home; the pets are never photographed in Jill's home)
decides whether to pose the pet or to use a more relaxed approach (Jill admits that she has been known to stalk a pet to get a good shot; most dogs are on a leash, which she erases in post-processing)
figures out how to get their attention (e.g., uses duck calls, treats, barking, meowing, talking excitedly)
works with the owners to ensure they are being helpful (e.g., sometimes owners need to leave the room so that the pet is not distracted; well-trained dogs and those with therapy and agility training are easy to work with)
takes a variety of shots (e.g., head, full body, details such as eyes and ears)
spends about a maximum of 1.5 hours on a shoot (the attention span of the pet influences the length of the shoot).

After the presentation, IACC members asked lots of questions about how Jill promotes her business; decides whether to release the print in colour or black and white; deals with copyright of images; and contracts with her clients. Members also asked about her most memorable shoots.

A big thank you to Jill for sharing her expertise with us. Her personal stories about some of her challenges filled the room with laughter and her presentation illustrated why she is such a successful and creative photographer.

Please visit Jill's website at http://crittercollections.com.

Jill Shantz: Guest Speaker: April 2016