Are your portraits paintings?

I am always asked this question when people see my portraits. I am a photographer of 40 years experience. I bring the skills in lighting, posing, composition and printing I have developed over time to create photographic portraits printed with pigments on canvas that are equal or superior in many respects to traditional oil paintings for their realism and truth to the spirit of the dog.

I make one canvas print of each portrait for my client and one for my archive. Your portrait will have my imprint on the front and is signed and numbered "1 of 2" with the date on the verso.

If you are looking for a painting of your dog I recommend that you visit Christine Merrill's web site. She is represented by the William Secord Gallery in New York and creates wonderful paintings of dogs.

We present your dog's beauty and nobility in the style of classic dog portraiture. If you are looking for "cute" or "contemporary" dog photography you might look here or here.

There are many German Shepherds on your site.

I am honored to have been chosen by New Skete Shepherds to photograph the breeding pairs showing their puppies' lineage. I have over 25 portraits on display at the New Skete Monastery. If you are looking for a German Shepherd puppy, I highly recommend you visit the New Skete Shepherds web site. Many thanks to Julia and Brother John for their help with this project.

What size are your portraits? Are they framed?

My portraits are sized to fit the requirements of my client's architecture. A common size is 30" wide by 20" high and is included in the price of the session. Oversize prints can be up to 54" wide and as long as needed. We recently delivered a print that was 4.5' wide by 6' tall. Generally my prints are shipped rolled and unframed to allow allow for client taste in framing. We do advise on framing choices and will occasionally offer framing for an additional charge.

What should I do to prepare my dog for her portrait?

1. Grooming
   Make sure she is groomed a day or two before the shoot so she looks her best.

2. Training
   We photograph dogs in their normal postures: standing, sitting and lying down. Since we light each dog individually, it's a tremendous help if the animal will stay in the posture for a couple of minutes while we photograph her. If your dog is well trained to sit-stay, stand-stay and lie down-stay then she will do well and you'll be happy.

3. Treats
   Expecting lots of treats to tempt your dog into posing as we've described rarely works as the dog quickly gets bored with the treats and we then have nothing left to work with. An occasional treat (maybe three in a 20 minute session) is appropriate if needed and part of your regular routine with her. We recommend small slices of hot dog or chicken or a little canned tuna fish as rewards for good behavior.

4. More Than One Dog
   We can photograph two dogs in one sitting as a pair. If you want finished individual portraits of each dog the price is $850.00 per portrait in our studio.

How long does a portrait session take?

We usually spend about 15 minutes acclimating the dog to the studio, lights, new people, etc. The photography takes anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes depending on the animal. You should be ready to leave an hour after you arrive.