On Sunday, we had a shoot set up in the studio for a friend of ours whose 5-year-old daughter, Serenity, had recently had a birthday. Mom had promised her a photo shoot to help her start her modeling portfolio. Serenity is a very active, effusive young lady and is quite photogenic so we all agreed it was not a bad idea to see just how much the camera loves her.
My two "assistants" Linda and her sister RoseAnn, put together a wide variety of costumes, make-up, wigs and hats and also volunteered to be cheerleaders. To top it off, we had one of Cassidy's puppies here from the last litter and Serenity had visited them often so she was excited about seeing him and he was very happy to see her.
Once we got into the studio, Serenity suddenly decided that it was all too much for her. She started to cry and said she really didn't want her picture taken. Her mother talked with her and her grandmother talked with her but she was just frightened by everything. So, I had an idea and I put my arm around her and asked if she would do me a favor. I wanted to get some new pictures of Rowdy but he hadn't been in the mood lately so I was wondering if she would pose with him for a few shots. Serenity seemed pretty excited about that idea and she agreed to pose with one of her favorite guys: Rowdy.
Here's one of the first pictures we took of them with Serenity in her Rock Star outfit and playing guitar for Mr. R.
Well, 3.5 hours, 8 costume changes and 420 frames later, we were done with the shoot. Serenity really got into the costume changes and make-up and was fabulous to work with. Occasionally, she'd get a little uptight and asked if Rowdy could join her and he'd leave my side and pose for a few photos until she was relaxed again and then he'd come back to me for some head-scratching. Here's one of those times.
When we had finally wrapped things up, Serenity came over to me and asked me for a favor -- would I mind taking one more picture of her with Rowdy for her wall. I told her I would be delighted. Here it is.
I photograph people as well as dogs and the Rotties can sometimes be an issue for folks coming into the home studio. Not everyone is comfortable with 120 lb. black & tan dogs! We usually keep everyone out of sight (and, hopefully, out of sound) but with some people who know our guys and love them, just having them around can be calming. In Rowdy's case, since he's the consummate doggie model, he makes it easy for people and especially young children to feel comfortable in front of the camera. If it weren't for him, the entire session would have been a bust.
Instead, we filled out a portfolio with over 100 final images. Good job, Rowdy!
Jim
