Meet Jack. Jack just turned three and this was our fifth or sixth portrait session with him and his brother.

Tammy is gaga over Jack and she's not a fan of Bichons or Poodles. Jack is half each, but such a cool little guy.



This is Daisy Mae, a recently rescued Bichon who is still showing both the physical and emotional trauma that landed her in rescue to begin with. She's in a nice foster home at the moment.

These little ones are what the event is all about.



Here's what our set looked like from a distance. I ended up moving and feathering the fill on the right quite a bit to kill the shadow it was casting.

We had really wanted to do more formal, no prop sessions this year, but rain and mud made the flowers a good way to hide muddy paws for those who didn't get to us in the very beginning. Still, we did a lot of our sessions with the dogs positioned away from the crate to keep it simple and focused on the dog.

The great thing about this tent is that the poles work wonderfully with super clamps to get the stands out of the way. It's also much bigger than the EZ-Up we've been using.

The bad thing about it is that it is REALLY heavy.

I tweaked my back while setting up and barely made it through the event. This morning it took me 10 minutes to put on a pair of sweats!

I've got a 3-dog private sitting this afternoon, so I'm going to be heavily medicated.

Great photos Jim. I love your set up. I never thought about using an Ez-UP. That may make life easier for those cramped houses! Thanks so much!

The trouble with an EZ-up, at least the 10x10 version is that as the sun moves, you end up getting sun/shadow across the subjects.

Of course, you can overpower that with lights, but it's still something to consider.

You also don't get much separation between subject and background. In the setup shown, there is a space of about 4-5 feet from the back of the table to the backdrop.

EZ-up has a 10x20 version that would make setup easier than this tent, but they are really pricey. I have a lead on one for free, so I may give it a try.

Thanks for sharing. Are you powering with a Vagabond?

Not in this case, and not if I can help it. I just don't have the confidence I need to rely on it.

I need to go somewhere that I have power and run the lines as a backup, but shoot with the VB. That said, until the brownout issue with the VB and Cyber Commander is fixed or I upgrade to Einsteins, there's not a lot of motivation for me to use it for its intended purpose.

The VB makes a great battery charging station at long outdoor trials with no power though.

I plan on setting up a studio like this for the Maltese Specialty which will take place in San Diego, Spring 2011.

Our specialty is indoors. I plan on shooting tethered and will have access to a printer so I can sell prints and also CD's of the images.

The profits will go to Maltese Rescue.

That's great. BTW, I've contacted you a few times about a rescue Maltese and haven't heard a peep back.

Oh, with the Maltese, since they are small, you can basically use the same setup as Helmi Flick and Preston use for cats.