We all love taking cute photos of our pets, but have you ever thought of taking your photography skills a step further and conducting a colour powder photoshoot? Our pets love to play, so experimenting with the dynamic properties of colour powder can produce some amazing action photography. On a typical photoshoot, colour powder is usually added to the back of the animal’s fur as they sit still, before releasing to create a big colour blast effect! Sounds simple, right? Wrong! They always say to never work with animals, but we’re here to give you the best head start so your photoshoot can go as smoothly as possible!
Before the shoot:
1. Location, location, location!
Firstly, decide on the location of your colour powder photoshoot. If you choose an outdoor location, it will be much easier to clean up, however you have less control over the background and lighting of your shots. Staying indoors or in a studio will be a whole lot messier, but will give you a lot more control over the background and lighting, producing better quality photos. A black background with backlighting will definitely produce the best results, just take a look at Jess Bell’s incredible work!
2. Bring along an extra pair of hands... or two!
If you think this is a one man job, think again! There are so many elements to a pet colour powder photoshoot, the more help the better! Your photoshoot team must consist of one photographer, at least one colour powder applier and at least one ball thrower/treat giver - preferably more!
3. It’s all fun and games!
Remember to pack something to play catch with, like a frisbee or tennis ball. The coolest action shots are typically captured when the animal is jumping in mid air! They’re also at their happiest when playing with their favourite toys, and photos of happy dogs are definitely what we want to capture in our pet photoshoot.
4. Leap of faith!
Set up obstacles for your pet to jump over. You don’t need to set up a whole agility course, just set up one obstacle right in front of the camera to capture those big leaps and cool shapes!
5. Works a treat!
This one is pretty important - bring lots of treats! You can’t expect your pet to be the perfect model if they’re not being rewarded! Keeping your pet stimulated with incentives is the best way to ensure your photoshoot will run as smoothly as possible.
During the shoot:
6. Speed it up!
Animals move pretty fast, so you’re going to need to use a camera with a fast shutter speed and burst mode. Only taking one photo per leap gives you a slim chance of capturing the perfect action shot, and will quickly tire your pet out, no matter how many treats you have on hand. If you’re using a smartphone, there are plenty of apps you can download that will give you all the tools of a high quality digital camera.
7. Get low!
It’s common photography 101 to know that shots at your subject’s eye level will have the most impact, especially when shooting portrait photography. If you hadn’t noticed, most pets are a lot smaller than us, so be prepared to get yourself low, hold your toys low and deliver your treats low.
After the shoot:
8. Add the finishing touches!
Some colours like yellow and green may not show up too well in outdoor photoshoots, and darker shades of purple and blue may disappear into a dark background. It would be a miracle if the end results of your photoshoot turned out exactly how you envisioned, but in the likely case there’s a little something missing from your photos, you can always fall back on an editing tool. Edit your shots to make your colour powder pop and remove any background distractions. Photoshop would be our first choice but you can also use a number of free editing apps on your smartphone that do a fantastic job.
9. Clean as a whistle!
You’ve finished your photoshoot, the studio is a mess and your pet currently resembles a peacock. But whatever you do, don’t bathe your pet straight away! This will strip the oils from their fur which makes it more adhesive and will run the risk of staining their coat. Before any water is introduced, remove loose powder with brushes, hair dryers and towels. Only once you’ve thoroughly removed all loose powder should you bathe your pets, before promptly feeding them the rest of the treat supply!
10. Sharing is caring!
You’re telling us you’ve captured some fabulous shots of your adorable pets and you haven’t posted them online for us to enjoy?! We love seeing your colourtastic creations so tag us in any of your photos for a chance to be featured on our social media!
If you’d like to conduct your own pet colour powder photoshoot, why not mix and match our super vibrant colour powder in 7 different colours for maximum rainbow results?
