A couple of weeks ago I did my first paid pet portrait of a sweet cat named Jack and I hope that it is the first of many. The portrait itself certainly is not my first since I've been photographing cats since I was 9 years old and living with them since the day I was born. Back then, I used to create the scene and pose my cats with my dolls, playing cards, you get the idea - I had patient cats. Let's just say that if for some reason I had to choose one subject for the rest of my life, it would be cats. I'm pleased with variety, but I dearly love cats.
Here's a glimpse of my childhood. This is my mom, me and my first cat, Bibby.
So this paid request came from a gentleman who wanted to give the portrait as a gift to his significant other. I was pleased to learn that the referral came from my vet's office, Maple Leaf Pet Corner (Karen Konz, D.V.M - Maple Leaf Pet Corner - 206-522-8335), where it is apparent that Dr. Karen Konz-Hofmann loves animals and she takes her role as caretaker very seriously. I popped in to see Karen post-session and she not only knew the owners, but of course, sweet Jack himself. As a side note, Dr. Konz-Hofmann is the only other human that gets to maintain a relationship our cat, Buddy, and she knows how lucky she is.
My goal with pet portraiture is to capture the animal's true personality by doing the following.
- Introduce myself. You know the drill - lots of sniffing and then the okay to rub their head.
- Observe them in their natural environment, and
- Then make some photographs once they've settled down and just be themselves.
I applied this protocol to my session with Jack, and I believe, as did the owner, that I caught his personality. I wish I could be a fly on the wall to see the reaction when the portrait is presented.
Jack
Anyhow, I am happy that the first paid one is done and I look forward to doing a lot more. If you are interested in getting a pet portrait of your cat, dog or whatever, please contact me. My rate for pet portraits is $175 and that includes a portrait session of up to two hours, post-processing, a digital gallery for image review, and a free 8x10" print. I will come to you, if you want, or be glad to meet you at a park for outdoor animals. My hope is that just like all of the portraits I have taken of my cats throughout my life, some of which are long gone, the images will live on to help us remember our furry friends.
Tags:
cats, history, jack, kari, pet, portrait
Posted at: 07:23 PM | Add Comment
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