Barbet are wonderful, love able, SMART, great dogs. However photographing them can be another story. With all their hair curling/waving all over, often covering their eyes it can be downright impossible to get a good photo. Luckily today most people have digital cameras so people can shoot to their hearts content and delete just as liberally.
Below are some simple tips from me, Stacy Able Photography, who specializes in Weddings and Pet photography. I own 5 Barbet and know how frustrating it can be to get the focus correct. Black Barbet tend to be the most difficult to photograph but don’t give up. Try some of these tips below and email your Barbet photos to barbetfanciers@gmail.com or stacy@stacyable.com to submit to future calendars or blog posts.
1) Change angles
Get down on their level, shoot just their feet, tail, eyes, etc
2) Stick with natural light. Turn off or cover the on-camera flash
On-camera flashes flattens everything, cast harsh shadows, and gives pets green or red eyes
3) Stay out of direct sun, shoot in the morning or late afternoon
Bright mid day sun will create harsh shadows, late/early sun is flattering
4) Takes lots of shots
Pets are unpredictable (like children) so you never know how a shoot will go. Take lots of photos and delete the bad ones
5) Edit/Delete bad files
Show only your best work. People do not want to see 100 shots of Barbet fetching.
Below are some shots from Barbet Cleo’s first bath.. notice the different angles. I used a flash bounced off the wall next to me to create a natural light source.
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courtesy stacy able photography via www.stacyable.com
