Pet Photography in St. Louis: Why Not Use Your Phone? A Photographer’s Take.
This photo is from my most recent client session. The SOOC (straight out of camera) shot was quite involved, including off-camera flash, positioning of the dog, very specific settings, and intentional use of my portable studio + accessories and more. Editing was a whole other beast! This image included backdrop clean-up, intense adjustments, forming the light, and much more.
The Truth About Phone Cameras, Pro Gear, and Why Your Pet Deserves More Than a Quick Snapshot.
Phones are a fantastic tool! Being especially convenient, they work beautifully for capturing everyday memories. It’s understandable to ask yourself why hiring a professional photographer makes sense in this market of workhorse devices… but the reasons are plentiful! This becomes wholly noticeable when you seek the kind of images you’d proudly hang on your wall. These portraits capture your dog’s unique beauty/personality and need to demonstrate a clear distinction between a snapshot and a crafted piece of art. This article seeks to break down why hiring a professional pet photographer (such as myself) offers much that your phone simply can’t, and why it makes such a dramatic difference in the final images!
Professional Equipment Comes at A Hefty Price for a Reason. That Reason Is Quality!
My main camera body is a Canon R5, one of the most highly regarded professional cameras available (with a price tag approaching $3,000 without any accessories or lenses). Boasting many important features, let’s “focus” on one that is glaringly obvious… sensor size! The R5 utilizes a full-frame sensor (36mm x 24mm). Compared to the latest generation of iPhone sensors (about 9mm), the R5 has a stunning ability to gather light… which is what photography is all about! This also affords better low-light performance, introduces substantially less noise in the image, and produces exceptionally vibrant and accurate colors. A larger sensor also aids in depth-of-field control, dynamic range (detail in bright highlights and dark shadows), and quality which is high enough to crop without fear of losing a crisp, professional look! This is only one of many features which gives the R5 an advantage over modern phones. When you begin to consider other fundamentals of using a professional camera (manual settings, for example), the differences begin to stack even higher. With such a tool, I can prioritize shutter speed for freezing the motion of your dog as they run around, prioritize aperture when I want a beautiful background blur for that close-up headshot, and prioritize ISO or other settings when in low light. I also love the advanced eye tracking on the R5 to ensure that your pet has tack-sharp focus on their expressive eyes/face!
How about lenses? The lenses of a professional photographer are real glass, each designed for a specific purpose. In my case, I don’t own a lens that isn’t one of Canon’s “L” series, which is the highest quality optics available. I use the 135mm for buttery backgrounds and dramatic edits, the 24-70mm for versatile storytelling, the 100-500mm for fast action and candid moments from afar, and the 10-20mm for wide-angle fun. These lenses alone cost approximately $9,500. Don’t get me wrong… someone can have all of this (and the mountain of extras needed for a portable studio, etc.) and still not take wall-worthy photos, but the numbers and investment doesn’t lie and when things go correctly, you have a stunning image on your hands!
Lighting Makes or Breaks an Image. I can Control it! A Phone Can’t.
Phones rely on whatever light is already there, or you can choose to use less-than-desirable accessories for an often janky/unprofessional result. In general, phones brighten, darken, or “enhance” (using that term loosely) the scene through an algorithm, often leading to blown highlights, muddy shadows, blur, harsh contrast, etc. A professional photographer brings off-camera flash/strobes with important accessories such as a variety of modifiers. This lets me create light in any environment when needed (and we just discussed ways that a professional can achieve superior results under natural lighting). This way, your pet can look crisp, dimensional, and beautifully lit every time!
Speaking of Control… I Shoot in “RAW.”
On a phone, photos are automatically compressed, smoothed, brightened, and sharpened (with very little room for adjustments afterwards). I have my camera set to shoot in RAW. This means that the SOOC image has every bit of detail preserved, the color is true, shadows and highlights are recoverable, and the editing possibilities are endless! When shooting in RAW, the real magic comes through experience in editing rather than having the camera choose what your picture will look like.
Editing Continued…
Just as with my physical camera equipment, I have invested heavily in a highly color-accurate and photographer-specific editing monitor. This gives exceptional detail and ensures that every aspect of how your image looks is intentional. I also regularly invest in training courses for using Lightroom and Photoshop! The larger screen size also makes details pop much easier than on your phone. Can you see how the professional’s experience is worthwhile throughout the entire process?
Professional Photos = Professional Prints!
This is major and represents the meaning behind Top Breed Pet Photography’s motto… your pet is art! Seeing your pet’s images on a screen is one thing, but having their photo mounted to your wall is an experience truly worth having! If you’ve tried printing a photo from your phone’s camera at anything approaching a size suitable for impressive wall art, you would have likely noticed lots of grain, lack of detail, odd artifacts, and an overall lack of sharpness. When compared to a professional photographer’s results, the differences are stunning! My largest print on my personal wall is 30x40. Even at this massive size, the dog (and entire image) is razor-sharp and extremely detailed. The printing process as a whole is an entire skill to navigate on its own, which is why I highly recommend going through me for acquiring prints! If you’d like more detail about this, I give additional reasoining on my FAQ page.
Conclusion…
Take photos of your pets with your phone! Seriously… it’s a lovely feature of that little device in your pocket! Not every picture has to be a crafted piece of art. When a special occasion is in order and you do want to have your companion captured in gorgeous detail (and then physically represented on your wall with an equally beautiful piece of art), contacting a professional is the way to go! If you’re in St. Louis or the surrounding area and want to experience this process for yourself, I’m your photographer! Reach out anytime via any of my available resources, including my contact form which can be found here.