Curious, how do others do home pet photography; not outdoor but inside the home. How much equipment do you take, do you bring backgrounds and tables? How long does it take you to setup and take-down; etc. Do you make your photos look like the home or do you use covers and backdrops to make it look like studio shots? Do you charge extra for home photos because of the setup time and transportation time?

Reason for question; just completed my first in-home session of two Brussels Griffins with a African Grey Parrot. It was fun, successful, but like all areas, I would like to learn how to be more productive and learn what is appropriate equipment to bring. I brought to much equipment (three backgrounds, three lights, umbrellas, camera gear, etc.) I have a studio but decided to do this in-home because of the size of the dogs and the added parrot.

I've done two in-home shoots. I always have way more equipment than I need, "just in case," but the extras stay in the car.

I did a combination of backdrops and "in their environment" shots. Personally, I like the natural look of the pet in the home much better, but it is more challenging to find a good scene.

They had some nice furniture and a nice dark red painted wall; a plant behind the chair with a flash from below helped set the scene. All in all, the job was easier then I expected. Combining the bird with the dogs was a little challenging because the parrot like to be the "alpha dog" so could not get the dogs and parrot to close.

Okay John, I wanna see, I wanna see! Sounds like you had your hands full. Hopefully we can see what you did.

Peggy Sue

I will post photos Tuesday after client review

Actually I just had one of these where the client wanted it done at his home indoors, wanted it to appear formal and like it was done in the studio. It was a small home and very dark inside. The only place I could set up was in the living room and extending into the kitchen. I used a backdrop stand, a backdrop 5' x 10'. I brought 2 bees but ended up using just 1 with a brolly box. I do use wireless remotes so no problem there. This was all set up in maybe 10 mins and down in a bit less. The shoot overall turned out better than I had imagined but the challenge wasn't the setup, the challenge was it was 4 dogs that he wanted in one portrait, then 2 of them in another, then each of the 4 in individual portraits. I did bring extra backdrops for color choices, extra studio lights, other modifiers, vegabond II in case of no good clean power, studio samples, and of course my backup camera and my 580 EX II and bracket. Now there is no way I brought everything in. I went in with nothing, met the pups, metered inside the home, made an assessment and only brought in what was needed. Like I said, the setup was a breeze.

I almost exclusively do in-home shoots. It is a lot of effort - and I think one of things people do not understand when they see our prices. We hear often that our prices, for a sitting, are too high. It is not just a matter of how much stuff we have to bring into the person's home, but how much re-arranging we have to do when we get there to make suitable shooting conditions.

Generally, I bring in 5 or 6 poles - 2 for the backdrops, plus the 4 flashes I generally use. I typically bring 2 or 3 backdrops in the event that the family does not want to do something 'natural' in their home (which is most of the time). This does not include the camera equipment, of course. It is A LOT of stuff. A lot more than I bring with me to shoot a wedding in actuality.

James

This was a good session; my first in-home of pets. The owner is getting the photos as a gift for his wife. Going to the home has really helped because I have been able to see the style and layout of his home, his decor, and what would fit best with his previous choices (his other art work and furniture). He has asked my opinion of many of his choices and seeing his home has enabled me to give better advice what might look best.

John,
I do a lot of in-home formals and I use the same setup that I use for Group shots at shows or portraits in my studio: 2 AB400s, Silver umbrellas, backdrop stand and several backdrops.

Since it's the same setup I always use, the settings are pretty much always the same too. So all I have to do is concentrate on the dog(s) or other animals. I've done location shoots were I've schlepped in all my studio stuff and then looked around and saw a penthouse full of 18th century antiques. Since the pet subjects were Standard Poodles, I just put my 580 flash on and bounced it off the rather low ceilings and, voila, instant studio. But the "props" were spectacular!

My only advice is don't make it so different that you get caught up in exposure and lighting ratios when you should be concentrating on the subjects. My setup is *almost* always the same: same lights, same distance, same umbrellas, same backdrops.

Jim

Thanks Jim and James; Bob, Jim and Peggy Sue, good to have advice from those who do more home shoots than I.