Dog Photography

Whilst writing her diploma thesis, she discovered or rather confirmed that dog photography is demanding and encompasses not only photographic knowledge but also knowledge of cynology. More and more photographers are choosing this genre of photography – both abroad and here in Slovenia. Judging by the questionnaire, there are simply too few dog owners who would be willing to pay for ** professional dog photography, as such photographs do not mean much to them and they prefer to take them themselves – even though the quality is poorer and has nothing to do with professional photography. Knowledge of cynology is advisable, and through the questionnaire she found out that it is also desired by dog owners. It is difficult for ** a photographer and a dog to work together if they do not understand each other or the photographer does not recognise the current mood of their model.

Problem

Whilst writing her diploma thesis, she discovered or rather confirmed that dog photography is demanding and encompasses not only photographic knowledge but also knowledge of cynology. More and more photographers are choosing this genre of photography – both abroad and here in Slovenia. A few years ago, photographers would not have even considered this direction, but now specialised photographers are appearing on the market who deal with or earn money solely from dog photographs, such as

Anne Geier, Claudio Piccoli, Natalie Große, MoNoa Photography. Unfortunately, we do not yet have this in Slovenia, although quite a few professional photographers offer dog photography alongside their other services (Maja Lesar, Blaž Košak, Isa Gauvin Photography).

Solution and Method

Judging by the questionnaire, there are simply too few dog owners who would be willing to pay for professional dog photography, as such photographs do not mean much to them and they prefer to take them themselves – even though the quality is poorer and has nothing to do with professional photography. This genre of photography is also not sufficiently known and widespread, as most respondents were not even aware of the existence of such an offer, which surprised me quite a bit. At various ** cynological events** or ** dog sport competitions**, one can notice stands that offer or advertise dog photography, and there is also more and more such promotion on various social networks.

But it seems that there is simply too little discussion on this topic. Dog photography is anything but simple, as the photographer and model do not speak the same language. Communication is difficult, as the dog does not understand their guidance, and we do not understand them.

Therefore, it is important that we are patient and adapt to the dog.

Results

Knowledge of cynology is advisable, and through the questionnaire she found out that it is also desired by dog owners. It is difficult for a photographer and a dog to work together if they do not understand each other or the photographer does not recognise the current mood of their model. It is necessary to know that excessive ** drooling in a dog** means that it is ** stressed** or simply ** tired**.

Of course, we would not photograph a human model in such a state, so why would we photograph a dog? We cannot know this if we have only been educated in the direction of photography and have never previously dealt with cynology. Whilst writing her diploma thesis, she found common characteristics and similarities that dog photography has with portrait photography.

Clear communication is needed between the subject and the photographer, and for both genres the ** rules of composition, ** lighting and location apply. Differences begin to appear in the ** method of communication** and knowledge about individual topics, e.g. portrait photography requires knowledge about posing people, which differs between men and women. This knowledge cannot be transferred to a dog, which has its own rules.

Of course, similarities also appear here, e.g. that the photograph opens in the direction of the gaze. The biggest difference is represented by knowledge of cynology, which helps us understand and communicate with the dog. Without it, we do not recognise what we have captured in the lens – whether the photograph is good or bad.

As an example, they photographed a dog that is drooling, has dilated eyes and is averting its gaze. Perhaps some might find the photograph cute, but in reality it shows a dog that is under stress. Of course, we would not photograph a child who is crying or clearly shows that they are not in the mood, so why a dog?

These misunderstandings occur precisely because of a lack of knowledge about cynology. Whilst writing her diploma thesis, her love for dog photography became greater than it had been until then. She gained a lot of new knowledge that she wants to use as soon as possible in her next photography session.

She would like others to see what she sees in this photographic genre and give it the opportunity to flourish in the future.