"How did she do this?" That was all I could think when I looked at Barbara Karant's new book,
Small Dog, Big Dog
. I was familiar with Barbara's work with Greyhounds
, and knew she was a talented dog photographer, but still, this is the high wire act of dog photography; framing big dogs and small dogs together, getting both (sometimes three or four) dogs to look at the camera, composing interesting angles, lighting, focus, coordinating the breeds, preventing dog fights. "How did she do this?!" I felt like I was asking a magician to reveal her secrets, but I had to know. So I emailed Barbara to see if she would tell me what went into the making of her charming and ambitious new book. Barbara graciously responded. Here is our Q+A along with some of my favorite shots:
Moira McLaughlin: Where did you find the dogs? Did you have a casting call?
Barbara Karant: I am involved with several kennels, vet practices, and training facilities because of my work with Greyhound rescue, so I put out the word through a variety of channels that I was looking for dogs
for a new book. I gave people guidelines of my needs and it just snowballed. I asked for dogs to
come with their best friends, big or small, and I got a huge number of responses. I didn’t have a
casting call, although one of the kennels had one for me and sent me all the results. People were
great helping to get the word out.
We also did a poster that loosely described the project with photo of a mastiff and a pug asking “Is Your Dog Model Material?” We distributed it to the people who were willing to help us
and they either posted the flyer or emailed it to their clients. We did the same through my studio and sent it
to anyone and everyone we knew with a dog.
MM: How did you decide which dogs would go together?
BK: In the end many of the dogs that appeared together in the pictures were not from the same
households or had even met prior to the photo shoots. I selected dogs to be photographed
together based on looks and scale. At the beginning of the project I established a whole set of criteria
that I wanted to fill. For example, I knew I wanted to do a shot with all brindle dogs, a shot
juxtaposing fuzzy and hairless dogs, old and young dogs. There were also specific breeds I
wanted to see together like the Chinese Crested and the Bearded Collie or the Greyhound and
the Pug. I also included a lot of mixed breeds because they are so unique, plus many of the most popular dog breeds like Labs, Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas, and Vizslas.
Basically for each photo shoot I had a choreographed scenario of which dogs were coming when
and being shot with whom. I also had a rough outline of how I thought I would shoot the dogs. I
would have to say that the scheduling of the photography was almost more difficult than the
photo shoots themselves. The logistics of this project were very complex. Additionally, we shot during the winter and spring and every time we had long-furred dogs like the
Afghans, Collies, Tibetan Mastiffs, Newfoundlands, Old English Sheep dogs, or Bernese
Mountain dogs, it either rained or snowed or both (no kidding) so they had to be “touched up”
before going on set! One kennel actually had a groomer on hand for us. Sometimes people
would cancel at the last minute or the dogs didn’t get along, so we just had to wing it on the day
of the shoot.
The safety of the dogs was paramount in importance. In the end it all worked out. Sometimes the
last minute combinations of dogs made for the best pictures. We shot over 190 dogs, over 60
breeds and a multitude of mixed breeds. We shot show dogs and rescues alike. It was so
rewarding and touching
MM: Any tricks of the trade for getting the dogs to stay in the
same frame and look at the camera?
BK: I am not a canine photographer. I have come to this specialty in a unique
way. My area of expertise is in architecture and interiors and I began shooting dogs merely to
give Greyhounds Only, the rescue group I work with, a continuing revenue stream from the
use of my pictures. We produced cards, t-shirts, and a variety of other products using my shots.
This is how I accidentally found another type of photography that I really enjoy and I have added
animal photography to my specialty list. I now have a subdivision of my business called Karant
Canines. It is pretty unexpected how things work out in life.
Here are some suggestions for photographing dogs:
- Either use available light or let the dog get used to a flash before trying to take pictures. This might mean you don’t even take any pictures for the first 15 minutes you are “shooting” the dog.
- Get some assistance while you are shooting. It is easier to have someone else engaging the dog while you are paying attention to taking the pictures. Or vice versa if you trust
your helper to take good pictures.
- Have lots of high-value treats. Forget the dog cookies; go straight to the roast chicken, steak, hot dogs, lunchmeat, cheese, and salmon or liver treats. Every dog is different, so have a variety of enticements available.
- Have lots of funny noisemakers or squeaky toys or speak in tongues yourself. A human is capable of making some really strange noises if it means getting results. You might surprise yourself at what sounds you can make to get the attention of your dog. Try it!
- Get down to the dog’s level for the best shots.
- Be very patient and wait for the picture to happen instead of trying to “make” the picture. The more relaxed and good-humored you are the better the shots will be.
- Make it really, really fun for the dog and it will be really fun for you too. The best is when you are laughing so hard that you cannot trip the shutter.
- Last get some kneepads and practice doing squats or your legs are really going to hurt if you take pictures for any length of time.
MM: Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your process and your tips. After hearing more about how Small Dog, Big Dog came together I am even more amazed that that a photographer with a background in architecture pulled it off so beautifully. Somehow your made your ability to "make it really, really fun for the dog" jump off the page and you created a book that it really, really fun for the reader too. Brava!
Order your copy of Small Dog, Big Dog here. A portion of the proceeds go to Morris Animal Foundation's Canine Cancer Campaign.
To learn more about Barbara Karant visit her website.
P.S. Don't forget that tomorrow, June 25, 2010, is Take Your Dog to Work Day.
by Victoria Chess tells the story of Madame Coco and her five Bull Terriers. Forced inside on a series of rainy days, they decide to throw a costume party to entertain themselves. The illustrations and the bad dogs are hilarious. These are real dogs “doing their business” and ripping up cushions, drawn in a style compared to the great Edward Gorey. Layla loved the large vivid pictures as a baby and still continues to enjoy it now that she’s 2 1/2 and she sleeps in a big girl bed.
