Hey Guys,

A bit about my set-up. I have been using either a three or four flash system employing Gary Fong Domes to help diffuse the light. One light is typically used as a bounce to help keep shadows down. One flash is typically located about two feet higher than the head of the pet - from as far back as the room will allow (never a lot here in the City). The third light is aimed to add fill. I typically use the bounce and higher flash as main light at a 4:1 ratio.

I have been hesitant to employ monolights principally because I generally don't have the space. They are definitely preferable for doing any sort of portrait work...and if I had a studio, that is definitely how I would do it. Manhattan homes though are a bit of an experience. I have been in apartments as big as you can find, and apartments where I had to photograph the pet sitting in the living room from the bedroom because the room was so small. I am going to post some photos later of a beautiful Poodle that I photographed two weeks ago. I was working from less than 3 feet away for much of the shoot.

So, the moral of this story is I guess I may need to do one of three things: (1) Cut the power of the bounce as that is probably causing much of the shadow, (2) Change the position of the fill, (3) Always shoot with a fourth flash angled in such a way to make sure that shadows don't occur.

Cheers
James