Pet Photography Made Easier with the Apollo Orb

These pictures were taken at Love Thy Pet, a local community pet store in Brooklyn NY. Every year they give back to the community by offering Free Pet Photos.  I started taking pictures for them during their pet adoption days. If a person adopted a cat or dog, they would receive a free photo with their new pet that day. We decided to also offer photos to long time clients on a classic white backdrop. I shot at mostly at F10-F11, ISO 100 and 1/160.

Separating a pet from their normal environment really helps enhance their personalities and facial expressions. Having a photo of a dog or cat on a Wrinkle-Resistant Backdrop - High-Key White (9' x 20') seems so easy to do as a photographer but is actually very hard to capture for the average non-experienced person.

I like to see people’s reactions when they view the back of the camera screen and realize how goofy and/or glamorous their pet actually is. These animals bring so much joy into people’s lives and it’s a truly unique and wonderful experience capturing the essence of that love.

I found it best to use the Apollo Orb Octabox with 40-Degree Grid (43") when photographing Pets. Since I received the Orb, I hardly ever use any other diffusion tool on my key light, especially for pet photos. It produces a nice even light with gradual fall off and beautifully soft shadows when needed. It’s also extremely perfect for fast mobility since it’s based off of an umbrella design.

I’m no longer struggling to put together an octobox while my clients are waiting. Pets are impatient, the quicker I can shoot, the better. My set up time has been cut by at least 15-30 minutes by using a Westcott Apollo Orb.

This blog was written by Taryn Truese, the Event Manager at Unique Photo.