International photographer Vincent Lagrange tells you how skillful to visually enchant an emotional association with your furry ( Or scaly ! Or feather ! ) best protagonist .
To take awesome pet photograph , you might believe it ’s necessary to have a fancy camera , a high - powered lens , a bank of illumination , and a bag full of treats . But Vincent Lagrange , a photographer who specify in fauna portraiture , says stillness is your most powerful tool .
" I ensure the setting and decor are quiet with as few distractions as possible . bump off any sort of stochasticity to make a calm atmosphere , " he tells Daily Paws . " I also ensure I can shield myself with curtains if I really have to so as to get the veracious tending . "
Photo: Courtesy of Vincent Lagrange
Lagrange , a native of Belgium , is heavily shape by fine artistic production photography . And while he ’s captured a few renown and stately forms of architecture in his time , his lens is now focalize on companion and untamed animal . " I used to shoot the great unwashed and player , but I felt much happier impersonate animals andprinting themin a size that makes humans palpate small , " he read . " I like the idea of turn the world around so in that way , the animals receive more care than humanity does today . "
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He says one of the reasons he loves working with animate being is they do n’t need makeup or a hairdresser — they’re just stark . He encourages pet parents to strive to entrance other emotions with their animals , ones they do n’t normally have .
Lagrange ’s current on - die serial , The Human Animal Project , was revolutionize by his darling Belgian shorthair cat , Dwiezel . The project raises awareness about animal causes both raging and domestic . His Instagram feedis fill with beast in the studio apartment , from his locomotion , and of his favorite pets at abode : Ray , a Belgian Griffon ; Django , aHimalayan , and Polla , a rescuedPersian .
In his 2021 book , The hot dog : Human Animals , it ’s easy to see why the aspect of stillness works to produce stunning pet photo . His advice ? Patience .
" Patience is the key in this process , peculiarly for me , since I set my focus manually . Nothing in my process happens automatically , " he read . " I like the form of a craft that take time — that ’s also why you get the beautiful results . It ’s a kind of yoga for me . "
5 Pro Tips to Take Great Pet Pictures
1. Get Your Pet Comfortable
Lagrange says taking great favourite picture start with the relationship between you and the animal . " Their consolation is one of the most important things to be able to make a nice portrayal . This is also the case with hoi polloi : the chemistry between the model and photographer has to be correct . " If your pet is n’t in the mood , then wait and try again another time . They still have a say in this process and might delight you with other aspects of their character when they ’re ready .
2. Use Soft Lighting
Next , apply soft lighting , whether indoors or out . " I recommend not to apply flash , since it ’s not natural to get a flash in your eyes every sentence , " he says . " Therefore , I practice a soft daylight lamp so that the feel are also all very squeamish . “This oneormaybe this onemight be a beneficial fit and are n’t too expensive .
3. Hold the Treats—At First
And this might storm you , but Lagrange does n’t usetreats — at least , never in the commencement ! " When it make really hard , I start with smell , sound , air current , and my own sound database . " He ’ll skin , ululation , and purr if necessary to get a more bona fide reaction . He thinks giving food right away makes an animate being tired and uninterested in the shoot — but he ’s not above handing out bits of lightly - seared knock boeuf when it ’s time to coax a more unmanageable model into action !
4. Don’t Worry About the Equipment
As a professional , Lagrange usesLeica photography equipment , but with these crown , you ’ll have just as much luck with your pet exposure using some of the phone camera options available now .
5. Have Fun!
Most of all , simply bask expend time with your treasured ducky in a fun and novel manner , letting the picture shoot blossom out naturally . Lagrange says there ’s not a path to betoken how long it will take to get the results you desire . " It really depend . Sometimes it ’s done in an time of day , but sometimes I spend a whole day on it . I do n’t push the animals and make certain they are always comfortable . "
