On Location or in the Studio: Choosing a Setting for Your Dog's Portrait

One of the first questions on a dog portrait is where to shoot it. Born To Run SF offers two sessions: on location around the Bay Area, and in a Napa dog photo studio. They produce very different pictures, and the right one depends on your dog more than on your taste. Here's how to think it through.

What on location means

On location means outdoors, where your dog already likes to be. Robert's photography page lists the places: San Francisco beaches, parks, trails and vineyards, and backdrops that include the Golden Gate Bridge. The FAQ says location work "can be anywhere in the SF Bay area, and beyond."

The big advantage is context. A dog on a beach, with wet sand and open sky behind her, looks like she's having the best day of her life. A dog on a forest path looks like an explorer. A dog with the bridge behind her looks unmistakably like a San Francisco dog. If your wall will hold a picture of the life you and your dog share, location work shows it.

What the studio gives you

The studio is in Napa. Robert's site shows grounds in grey, black and white, plain backdrops with no horizon, no trees and nothing competing with the dog. Everything in the frame is her: her coat, her eyes, her ears, the exact set of her mouth.

A plain ground is quiet and a little formal. It suits a dog with a striking face, a dog with a long, glossy coat, or an older dog whose grey muzzle deserves a close look. It also suits a home with a clean, modern wall, where a busy outdoor scene might fight the room.

The FAQ adds a useful detail: "The studio is in Napa and can also be mobile." So the studio look isn't limited to Napa. Ask Robert what's possible for your dog and your location.

Match the setting to your dog

These are general guidelines, not rules. Use them to start the conversation:

• High-energy dogs who love to run often do best outdoors, where the energy becomes part of the picture.
• Easily distracted dogs may focus better in a studio, with fewer smells, sounds and squirrels.
• Dogs who are nervous in new places may prefer somewhere familiar, so tell Robert if a park or beach is already her favorite.
• Dogs with a big personality and a lot of movement make fun action frames in open space.
• Seniors and puppies may suit a quieter setting where there's less to manage.

Match the setting to her coat

Coat color matters more than most owners expect. A black dog on a black ground can lose her outline, and she needs light that carves her shape out of the dark. A white dog on a white ground can wash out the same way. Grey is forgiving for many coats. Outdoors, a golden coat looks warm against green and blue. A dark coat looks sharp against pale sand.

You don't have to solve this yourself. A photographer who works with many dogs sees the problem coming and picks the ground and the light. But it helps to think about where you want to hang the picture and what colors surround it.

Think about the wall first

Before you choose a setting, picture the room. A warm wooden wall, a bookshelf, a hallway, a mantel. An outdoor portrait with rich color can warm a plain room. A studio portrait with a simple ground can anchor a busy one. We cover frames and walls in a separate post, but it's worth a quick thought now.

You can ask for both

Nothing says you have to choose only one. Some owners like an outdoor image for the living room and a studio image for the bedroom. Others love one setting so much that they never look back. If you can't decide, describe your dog to Robert and ask what he'd suggest. His site says he has years of experience making dogs feel comfortable.

On the photography page, he says he tailors each photoshoot to fit your dog's personality and your vision. That's the right order. The dog comes first, then the picture you want to see every day.

What to expect when you reach out

Pricing for photography isn't published on the site, and the page says plainly: "For more info on pricing, products and procedure feel free to contact me." The first step is a conversation about your dog. Robert's call to action on the page is "I want to meet your dog."

Whatever setting you choose, you can be in the pictures too. The FAQ answer to that question is a single word: "Absolutely!"

To plan a session, call Robert at 415.516.9541, or look through the portfolio at /san-francisco-bay-area-dog-photography.