What Do You Use For Posing?

When photographing pets, especially smaller breeds of dogs, cats, and other very small critters, what type of posing table or bench do you use? Do you photograph on the floor?

Nicole,
I personally like to shoot most of my pet portraits on the floor as long as there is a crane close by to help me back up . But for some of the smaller breeds and for puppies, that's not always practical. So I have an overstuffed chair and a sofa I can drag into position and drape with my background material when shooting them. I like the fact that the structure of both the chair and the sofa restrict egress points which is great for puppies that always seem to find a way to scootch off the set.

Jim

Nicole,

I use what I know. I am a dog groomer. I find that dogs that are used to being groomed do pretty well at moderate heights while staying relaxed. I will put a prop (chair, basket, bench) on top of a 24" or so table. I run the background on top of the table to hide it and the added height tends to keep the pet in place. Too low, and they will be more likely to jump right off.

Of course we're on the floor too. There you just have too wait them out to get the shot.

Doug

Doug, thanks for sharing, I've been kicking around the idea of becoming a dog groomer myself but that's another story for another post. Here is a sample of how I currently have my home studio set up.

The table is approximately 4.5ft (width) X 3.5 feet (height) X 2 feet (high). It's heavy and bulky and not very portable. I'm looking for a better solution to this. Of course this set up only works for smaller breeds of dogs, cats and other small critters. Large and giant breeds I would photograph on the floor or outdoors.

You could try one of these for cats and small dogs. Two of them c-clamped togeter for larger dogs. Set low for big dogs, set higher for cats. 300 lb capacity. 12 lbs carrying weight. http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000003096-Pack-Away-Folding-Table/dp/B00339913W

Scary table. I have used the plastic kind, in a pinch. The problem, is they are slippery, and not solid and stable.

An agility type table would be stable, portable, light weight! And a non skid surface is easy to glue to it, or lay on it.

A wireless trigger helps save knees, and allows you to be offset from the camera.

Not true. With two clamped together they are very stable. With a fabric clamped on they are not slippery. They are stable enough for 300 lbs. Perhaps you were using a different brand. They work fine for me, but most of my clients are 30lbs or less and I find cats to be a little less clumsy than dogs.

Do you use trained pets for your photography ?

For the most part I photograph the family pet. Obedience levels all vary.

Same here with me. Most of my guys are 'family dogs.' A lot of my guys are also used for show, but they are often not as well trained as the family pet. I DID photograph a K-9 dog for a local county over the summer, but I don't think that is what you are asking about.

James

Preston, we have very heavy-duty folding tables that will -- and have -- held firm with a mature Rottie standing on them. Of course, we're usually dealing with Rotties with a fair amount of show experience and they are used to standing on podiums for some of their win shots. Pets are not used to being off the floor and tend to get a bit anxious the higher you put them. I have used those tables for a bunch of shows involving smaller breeds from Toys to Shelties and simply draped them. I've also used grooming tables which are made to hold fairly substantial animals.



Again, show dogs can handle tables and podiums. Pets and puppies can't always. And you need to make sure you have some sort of non-slip surface on the table whether you drape it or use the natural rubber of a grooming table. When I drape a table, and I'm posing a dog stacked, I spray the surface with some Tacky Paw so they don't slip.

Jim

Any ideas on a folding table that is portable enough to drag to homes? When I do the dog show, I create a set - but it is not practical for home usage. It is not big enough nor light enough. As a result, I wind up making things as I go along in the homes....and of course, it is just not as good as shooting off a well designed platform.

James

James,
I built two styles of tables myself. I bought folding legs (Home Depot,I believe) and mounted them on a piece of 3/4" plywood. (It's 30"W x 42"L) It's handled up to 200 lbs. On the top, used a rubber/vinyl matting I bought from a restaurant supply. Total cost under $75.

I also made an 18"-24" table again with 3/4" plywood mounted on a 2"x4" frame. The corners are framed so I can slip either 18" or 24" legs inside that are also 2x4's. For added safety, I drilled a 1/2" hole through the frame and the leg so I could slip a bolt through both and secure with a washer and nut. I use this at my studio mostly. (I'm at home. Sorry no pictures.) I am not "carpentry inclined" and I pulled this off.

Doug

Just a footnote about the lightweight tables. I'm actually using a couple of NFL tailgating tables that are 2x4 or two Lifetime folding tables that are 2x4. And I do either brace them or bungee cord them together, and I weight them down with my travel case or whatever heavy I can find. So, yes, if you don't do that they are kind of scary tables.

In my studio, I have 4x4x2'H platforms (on wheels) in each room ... on the road, portrait booth, shows etc I use any combination of 1 to 3 - 2x4' tables that go to 3 heights (knee, normal table & buffet) ... these, when the legs are stretched out, have minimal to no wobble ... when I don't know what the next dog will be, I keep the tables at knee height, if I'm doing a small dog breed show, they're up to buffet height

to stop the slickness of the tables, I have a fuzzy, stretchy black fabric that I clamp down securely, then toss the color de jour over that for my photos