How to Shoot a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
"My wolfdog is just not wolfish and photogenic enough. I cannot shoot for the life of me. And my camera is crappy anyway. How do the others do it? How come that their dogs look so beautiful on pictures?"
If you are having thoughts like this, you might like to read the following article. Because that's just it - their wolfdogs look beautiful on pictures. But not all of them are wolfdog supermodels 24/7! Following 5 easy tricks can make the difference and help your wolfdog look more wolfish on your photos as well.
1. Bright Yellow Eyes
Wolves eyes are famous for their glowing stare.
Even if your wolfdog was born with darker eyes, just have the sun shine into his eyes when you take a picture and they will seem lighter.
On the other hand, cloudy sky, shadows and mist are sure to make your wolfdog's eyes loose their spark and seem dark.
See this collage - Raksha's eyes can take all kinds of light and dark colors.
2. Big Bad Wolf
Your wolfdog will seem taller, if you shoot from below. Or have him standing next to a very small dog or short person. You might also try shooting close-up, in that way there can be no comparison, whether the dog is big or small.
Thick winter fur also makes a wolfdog look bigger.
3. Feral Look
Heads down! That way a head looks longer, more wolfish, with eyes having more striking look than when the head is up. Ears seem smaller as well.
Wet fur can add energy to the picture, but don't forget that wet coat can have slightly different overall color as the light undercoat gets revealed.
4. The Head
Better portrait is usually shot slightly from a side, not a sharp profile. It will be more plastic than from the front and the not as uncompromising as a silouette. The ears can look smaller.
5. The Coat of a King
Rich fur looks good, the more the better, right? But what happens in the summer?
Raksha gets rid of it:]
If you have a wolfdog like Raksha, then to have this wonderful wolfy pictures you have to shoot in winter, when the wolfdog is in thick winter coat. If the wolfdog stays outside all the time, the winter fur will be richer than the winter fur of a wolfdog which stays in people’s heated home. A big amount of undercoat also changes the wolfdog's colour.
Freshly washed and brushed fur looks richer (like people’s hair).
7. Adjusting the Reality
Wake up and make-up!
Sadly, I'm not joking. If some people can use it to place better at shows, you might as well be informed about it too. Starting with white powder added into the fur (think wigs and Luis XVI:), the end hairs on tail can be cut to make it look shorter, also fur on stomach can be trimmed to create better silouette, and finish it off with black eyeliner, which can be applied to make the wolfdog's eyes pop out and look more slanted - just like women use it.
And I’m sure there are many more dog-torturing techiques that I don’t even know about. How about plastic surgery?
Photography Deceives, Always.
The same dog looks different when shot with mobile phone and with expensive digital camera.
Then the post-processing in computer is another wild card. Photo-editing software can work magic, and if you know how to use it, adjustments of the pictures in computer are unlimited. It's not so difficult to make eyes blue, ear perfectly shaped and tail just the right length.
