I Named These Puppies Click, Bokeh, Nikon, Sensor, Skrim, and Gobo
Late last year, my wife and I had to say goodbye to one of our beloved dogs, Sophie. She was far too young and our loss was devastating. After several months, one of my breeder clients (Kristen from Zero Gravity Australian Shepherds) announced a litter coming.
Kristen was amazingly gracious and decided to have a photography theme to the names for this litter, partly because I was going to be getting one from this litter. To add to the entire thrilling experience, I was invited to be at the birthing! Witnessing and photographing the puppies arrival was an experience I will never forget.
I was then also given the amazing honor of naming the pups!
Click, Bokeh, Nikon, Sensor, Skrim, and Gobo came into the world on Boxing Day 2017. Of course, having a vested interest in the pups, I have been taking every opportunity to visit the litter.
It was during a visit at just over 3 weeks old I had the idea that the pups were just the right size to fit into the various slots in my camera bag. I had seen images before with a single pup or kitten and thought that the whole litter would be so much fun to try. I quickly removed all the lenses, sound makers, flashes, batteries, memory cards, etc from my Think TankPhoto bag and moved the dividers to best fit the pups.
We had momma give the pups a good feeding and let them all pee and poop (litter shoots are a lot of pee and poop!). They quickly settled in for a milk coma nap. We carefully picked each pup up and placed them in the bag, let them settle in, and shot the images.
The resulting images I have titled “Pet Photography Starter Kit,” Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced versions!
This was a very spur of the moment idea, so I had to improvise background, composition, and lighting. I chose the wood floor to add some texture and visual contrast. I only had my speed light with me so I set it up to bounce off the white roof to create an even light source to ensure the entire scene was well lit. Once on my computer, I used Lightroom and Nik Color Efex Pro to enhance the colors and textures.
About the author: Darcy Evans is a freelance photographer based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, who specializes in candid pet photography. You can find more of his work on his website, Facebook, and Instagram.
