Coat Textures

If animals were made out of fabric, would it be easier to capture the nuances of their coats?

I mean there would be a lot less nooks and crannies, right?

How many textures do you see in the photo above?  What jumps out to you?

There are many considerations when photographing dogs and cats of different coat textures and colors.  Lighting is always a key element.  How do certain types of light reflect on and off the coat of an individual dog or cat?

The fellow above was easy to photograph.  He never moved.  But let's look at two examples of very different-coated dogs below that used essentially the same background and lighting (except for minor adjustments).  Can a single set up work for a number of different-coated dogs? 

In the image above, the coat is wispy and swirly, but relatively short.  Because this jaunty fellow has both dark and light in his coat, I wanted to light him in a way that would show both his coat texture and coloring, without being too bright or too dark.  I am always looking to see the texture of the coat come through in the shot.  I then try not to get too carried away in post-processing and OVER texturizing, by bringing up the coat too much.

In the case of this very multi-colored pup below, I did switch the lighting and brightened her up.  She was a mover, and decided that looking into the camera was not on her dance card.  I also gave her some space, leaving a good distance between myself and the platform so she would not become too nervous.  We were able to get this one still moment, and I think her coat textures and colors came through.

I did brush on a little more texture to the background in post processing.

In the end, showcasing coat texture is a very individual thing.  Not only to each dog, but to each photographer.  How much or how little is up to the photographer's choice, and ultimately, up to the owner in the final photo selection.

This week's theme is "texture."  To see more interpretations of the theme, start with Lynda Mowat from Heartstrings Photography, serving the Waikato and beyond, in New Zealand.  Then work your way around the blog circle by finding the link at the bottom of each blog.  I hope you have all the textures you like as part of your weekend!  Enjoy!