As you may remember, last month I attended a fantastic workshop by Seth Casteel, the founder of Second Chance Photos. Second Chance Photos is a non-profit that is dedicated to helping shelter pets find homes through photography. A good photograph can make the difference in the life of a homeless animal – better photos help animals find homes.
After the workshop, I emailed Seth to see if he’d be willing to do an interview for my blog. He graciously agreed.
Below, you’ll find Part I of our email interview, which included a few questions from me as well as some from you. Today, learn about how Seth got started as a photographer, how he started working with shelter pets, and some practical tips. I’ll be sharing Part II of the interview next week.
How did you get started as a pet photographer?
I’ve always loved animals and photography, but two things in my life launched this new career path. I adopted a dog from the local shelter and started taking snapshots of her for fun. I really enjoyed the unique challenge of working with dogs as well as the rewards of capturing a special moment – a glimpse of her personality. About the same time, I heard about some kittens that were found on the movie studio lot where I worked. The kittens needed to find forever homes so I volunteered to photograph them to help catch the attention of potential adopters. All of the kittens found homes. From there, I began volunteering at the local shelter. Then landed a private client. Landed a magazine cover from that first private client shoot. And then wheeeeeeeeeeeee.
How did that work lead you to taking photos of shelter pets?
Shelter pets started it all. When I first started volunteering, I didn’t realize pet photography would become my career though. It was a nice surprise!
What is the biggest difference you find between shooting rescue and non-rescue dogs? Have you found that certain types of dogs are easier to photograph?
Zero difference. I’ve worked with thousands of dogs – a wide range of breeds, ages, backgrounds and personality-types. Some of the most photogenic and cooperative dogs have been shelter dogs and some of the most challenging “models” have been pets with homes. You just never know. 🙂
What do you think makes a dog more photogenic?
There is a great picture for every dog – you just have to find a way to figure out what that picture is.
Do you have any tips for taking photos of “ugly” dogs or dogs that may not be quite as cute on the surface? (I admit, this one’s not from me – I have puppy blindness and think all dogs are cute.)
Both photography and the appearance of dogs are subjective – so it really depends on who is viewing the photos. The key to any good dog photograph is emotion. If you can capture emotion in a photo, no matter what the subject looks like, you’ve got a winning shot that people can relate to.
Do you have any tips for handling a photo shoot with a fearful dog?
Patience. If you try to force a photo shoot on a fearful dog, the photos are going to be negative. Try to understand what the fear is – the camera? you? the world? At some point, you may just have to put on a long lens and hide in the bushes. 🙂
It’s both refreshing and inspiring to talk to Seth… I can’t wait to share Part II of the interview with you next week! Stay tuned (and if you have any additional questions for Seth, please feel free to share them in the comments).
Oh, and don’t mind Bella… she thinks she’s some sort of hotshot reporter now that we’ve scored this interview.
