Want to Get the “Hiring A Dog Photographer” & “Taking Dog & Puppy Photos” Cheatsheets?
In this episode we are joined by Kerry Howell, a professional dog photographer. She shares some tips and tricks on better dog photography as well as when you should consider hiring a professional photographer for your breeding business. You’ll love Kerry’s simple and easy approach that makes this process a lot less painful and easier to accomplish.
This is the first lesson of a MasterClass on better photography that dives deeper into Kerry’s professional photography tips! Get the whole MasterClass included with your membership to the Dog Breeder Society, or buy the individual MasterClass using the link below.
Want more from Kerry Howell on Dog Photography?
Transcript:
Julie Swan | 0:14
You guys are in for a treat today. Today we have Kerry Howell of Kerry Howell Photography. I love that Howell.
Kerry, thanks so much for coming on the podcast today. It’s so nice to have you, and you are a brilliant photographer and you’ve photographed what, thousands of dogs at this point?
Kerry Howell | 0:30
Yes, thank you so much for having me on. I’m so excited to talk to you. I love everything that you teach, so I’m here just to talk about all things photography with you so I can help you and all the other dog breeders out there have beautiful photos.
Julie Swan | 0:46
It’s going to be so nice because it is quite the pain point for breeders, this photography thing. They’re always gross, they’re always sticky, and it’s always eight o’clock at night when somebody wants a photo. So today we’re going to talk about some of the mistakes breeders make with photos and just people in general taking dog photos.
But anyway, let’s hear a little bit about you. How’d you get started in dog photography?
Kerry Howell | 1:11
Sure, so I was a professional or I still am a professional photographer. I started in real estate. So I photograph houses and I was always working with business professionals and then I adopted a dog, his name’s Papaya, and I just started taking photos of him all the time.
Like I couldn’t take my camera out of my hands because I just wanted to capture him and I was like, wow, this is fun to do. And it brought so much more joy than taking photos of someone’s house. So I just really wanted to just start taking dog photos for people and I actually volunteered at a local shelter and that was the best practice ever. Because all I wanted to do was take photos of dogs.
So I just went in there and just asked like can I take some photos and they’re like, totally. So once a week I took their dog photos, and it was the best practice because these shelter dogs, they’re not trained. They don’t know sit very well, or at all.
So they’re kind of crazy but it was really nice just to be around the dogs and just to kind of figure out, okay how do I photograph these animals so they can get adopted, and how can I showcase their personality, which was really important for the shelter. Because that’s really what you’re selling too. It’s their personality to see what kind of lifestyle and what family they’ll fit in with.
So I started doing that. And then while I was practicing on those dogs, I was growing my dog photography business too. So I could take photos for families with their dogs, because it’s just so nice to get a good photo and put it on the wall, and just looking at it just makes you really happy. So that’s why I love to do it.
Julie Swan | 2:56
It is such a big difference too when you have a well-taken photo on your wall. I think I remember I had this picture of my daughter, and she had been eating toothpaste at 18 months old in my bathroom, and I did frame that, and then later realized that I have a picture of my shower on my wall and it was weird.
Kerry Howell | 3:14
I think that could work in your bathroom but nowhere else.
Julie Swan | 3:19
Yeah so I’m guilty of making all these mistakes myself. Yeah. So what are some of the things, how are you capturing some of that personality on these dogs?
How do you capture personality in a still photo?
Kerry Howell | 3:34
Yeah so I feel with the shelter dogs, I just wanted to let them be them. I think the posed shots, they’re really not that great. Everyone especially too, when someone wants their picture taken of their dog, they are like okay sit look at the camera, but that’s really not my style.
I like to get more of the candids. So what we would do at the shelter, we would take the dogs for a walk. So there would be the volunteer dog walker, and her job was just to walk with the dog. And I’d either get behind, or in front of the dog, and just get them while they’re walking, I would have treats with me or a squeaker toy.
So when I would squeak it at the right moment, they would look at me, and they’d look all happy and excited, or when you take the treat out you know what face they make. They get all excited or they turn their head. So I let them just be dogs, and let them just be themselves, and just walk, and that’s pretty much the best advice ever, is to just be patient and let them be themselves.
Julie Swan | 4:39
Let them be themselves. Yeah absolutely. I think it’s true too, because think how many times have you got that photo of you, where you have that forced smile, and it’s just awkward and it just looks very posed.
Kerry Howell | 4:52
Right when you go one, two, three, smile it’s like everyone’s like ugh, but if you’re naturally smiling, or if you say something funny, or if you’re in the moment, those are the best kind of photos. And you don’t need the dog looking directly at the camera every time, especially to sell them, or to get them adopted, they can be looking off to the side and have a goofy face or a happy face.
Or if they are a more shy dog, you should definitely capture that too. You don’t have to make every dog look happy and excited. If they’re just shy, and just kind of grumpy dogs, just photograph them like they are, because maybe someone else has that similar kind of personality.
So I think you should just capture them. Because someone will love them for who they are. So let’s capture them for who they actually are.
Julie Swan | 5:39
That makes a lot of sense. I know I have a grumpy old cowboy friend who would do very well with a grumpy dog.
Kerry Howell | 5:44
Exactly yeah grumpy people don’t want to see their excited happy dog.
Julie Swan | 5:50
That makes sense. That’s good. I know that the shelter is using some of your photos, do you find that any convert better?
Kerry Howell | 6:02
I do hear feedback saying that after I do their photo shoots, that they definitely do get adopted faster, and they’re going to the right family, which is so important. Especially with your dog breeders, you want your dogs to go to the right family, and to fit that lifestyle and the personality. And I do think the professional photos capture those details and just the moments.
And when I say professional, you can do this yourself, and you can capture their personality with your phone, you just have to be patient and wait for it, and to just show who they really are, so they can be bought. And that’s really the whole goal of all of this too, is to portray them in the best possible way to sell them, and then you can make your clients really happy.
Julie Swan | 6:52
Mm-hmm. I like that you’re stressing that you’re capturing the personality that’s authentic to the dog. I always think back to those, I don’t know if it’s the Humane Society commercials or whatever, but they always have that dog that’s all slumped over in the back of the frame, it always reminds me of the pictures of the kids in Ethiopia and they have flies landing on them I’m like who is not helping the kid. Why are we taking photos of this, let’s help these kids.
Kerry Howell | 7:20
Yeah, yeah. I think too, you just have to think about how is the person going to feel when they look at this photo. So if they’re looking at the poor dog who is stranded, it’s yes I mean it could be a marketing tactic to pull on heartstrings, but maybe we could convey a different emotion. Like “oh they look so happy let me like buy them,” or “oh they look so grumpy and sad let me adopt them.” But we should try and photograph them in their best light.
Julie Swan | 7:48
I agree. I think it’s a service and a respect to the dog to show them in their best light.
Kerry Howell | 8:00
Yes, exactly. And we do have all the resources to make our photo look like we want it to. So we don’t have to make the poor dog look all sad and stranded, we have the resources to make them have the background be nice, and make the puppy themself look clean and presentable and good.
Julie Swan | 8:15
Yes exactly. Yeah, we definitely do. So speaking of having the dogs be clean. . . I know you’ve seen quite a few things that are unfortunate in photos especially, breeders we’re just as guilty as everyone else, but do you want to share some of the faux pas people are making.
Kerry Howell | 8:39
Yeah. I think first off, one of the most important things you could do is just make sure your dogs are clean. It’s kind of like if you are selling dishware, you wouldn’t have dirty dishes, you wouldn’t take a picture of them in the sink all dirty. You would take a picture of them clean and shiny. So I would make sure the dogs are clean, because again that’s something we can control. So before you take any pictures of them get them clean, and make sure their pen is clean.
Because when I go into the shelters, I know how hard it is to have the pen clean. But we don’t have to shoot at the mess, we can find a background that is not messy. And I think you just have to be very aware of that. We want to look very professional, and that we’re selling valuable puppies. So I think you should just take the time to clean the puppies, clean the dog. But just take the time, I think that’s important.
Julie Swan | 9:39
Yeah, it’ll be worth it in the end. It’s worth the extra effort because I think the impression is when you have that dirty photo, it’s like well if they’re dirty, and you’re taking photos of them, how dirty are they all the time. You would assume that their photos are in their best state so how bad is that.
Kerry Howell | 9:55
Right, I think the photo shows not just the puppies, but how you run your business. It’s like a direct correlation between you, and the puppies, and they want to see “oh they’re being well taken care of. I trust that if I give them my money I’ll get a healthy dog.”
So you definitely should clean them, and then even clean blankets. It goes again with what you were saying about photographing of them in the best light. You don’t want them to have a bunch of dirty blankets and chewed up dog beds, because that doesn’t give a good impression.
Break out the clean blankets for the photo shoots. It’s just like a house photo shoot, you’re not going to photograph it with dirty old blankets on the bed. You’re going to bring out the white bedspread just for the photos that no one ever uses. Just have your blankets that are for the photo shoot, and then afterwards just wash them. That’ll go a long way. Even the shelters do that. They do the same thing, they have the nice blankets and the nice toys for the photo shoots. It’s very important.
Julie Swan | 11:00
I’m glad to hear we’re not the only ones.
I always try to get a really cute, they have like those sort of vintage looking toys. They sort of play into my hunting dogs, and this old-school way of being outside with the dogs. But they’re off white, and of course with my dogs that’s never going to last.
Kerry Howell | 11:19
Well maybe just buy a duck that’s green, all green. That’s a good point – don’t buy the white toys. Don’t buy the white rope, buy a blue rope.
Julie Swan | 11:28
Something that compliments the dogs.
Kerry Howell | 11:31
Exactly. Especially showing their personality the toys will be great. So if they love to play all the time, I think having the tennis balls really help. And subconsciously, people will put two and two together, that like “oh they love to play with their ball.” And the hunting dogs, like you said, get them like a duck toy. I think that would be really cute to have that in their mouth, to show they like that.
Julie Swan | 11:59
They’ll carry them all around, and if you don’t get them a toy, they’ll carry around a dirty sock so it is much better.
Kerry Howell | 12:03
I save old socks with holes on purpose for my dogs. I really stopped buying a lot of dog toys they like socks.
Julie Swan | 12:09
Yeah, just tie it in a know, it’s a fun toy.
Kerry Howell | 12:14
Yeah, they play tug-of-war with them too.
Julie Swan | 12:19
This is good. I think I have some holes in my socks I can use this for.
Other than the background and having clean puppies, what are some other things you see that ruins photos?
Kerry Howell | 12:29
I think you need really good lighting. You don’t need any kind of professional setup whatsoever – I don’t use professional lighting and I’m a professional photographer.
Julie Swan | 12:36
By professional lighting you mean like the big things.
Kerry Howell | 12:43
Yeah, I don’t have the setup with at all that stuff, I’m not big into that, especially with dogs, because dogs move around so much, and you only have this very specific little spot to shoot with the direct light. I don’t worry about stuff like that at all, even right now I’m sitting in my bedroom with no lights on, I found the sunniest spot in my house just because I like natural light, and I hate turning lights on for photos sake.
So when you’re taking photos, or I see other people take photos, if you take them at night, that’s the worst idea ever, so wait until daylight. The best possible lighting would be during the day, shade is the best, sometimes it’s not possible, but you don’t want to have all squinty dogs in the sunlight. You don’t want to shoot directly at the sunlight either, because then you get those harsh sunspots and things like that.
Julie Swan | 13:42
You have that weird guy in the interview where he can’t show his face, or no you’re in the background, other way.
Kerry Howell | 13:54
I say go outside. and if you can’t go outside, stay inside but any kind of light coming in, like right now my windows are in front of me and this light is shining on me, that’s the best. Don’t ever shoot directly at a window, you’ll get weird halos around your dogs, they’ll be hazy.
And that ties into the quality thing. You don’t have to have the best composed photo, I think what’s important is the lighting, because no one’s going to want a hazy picture. A blurry picture is bad too, and you need good light so the dog isn’t blurry. So it all stems from good light.
Julie Swan | 14:32
Yeah why does that matter with the good lighting for the blurriness?
Kerry Howell | 14:39
So dogs move really fast, as we know they don’t sit still a lot. So if we have more light coming in, then they’ll be less blurry because the shot can be taken really quickly. Our phones are really good that they adapt so quickly to the light. I know my iPhone, if it’s dark out and you take the photo, it keeps the shot going for like two seconds. So can you imagine if you had to sit there for two seconds while the dog is moving? He’s not going to be in focus, he’s going to be blurry. So I say don’t take any photos at night.
If someone requests a photo of your dog, I honestly would probably say just wait until morning. I think it’s weird, it’s your first impression, so if you give them a bad photo, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Even some of my clients, the real estate clients, want photos right after the shoot. They want them unedited. And I’m like no, and they’re like well give me the edited photos later, and I’m like no, I think you should put your best foot forward always so just take photos in the daylight. I can’t harp on that enough.
Julie Swan | 15:55
You make a really good point too, because it is a first impression, and if the people, especially with real estate, you have a huge sale on the line and not having things the way you want them.
And I think about that too, people don’t want to see, they don’t want to see, you know puppies are gross, moms are gross after they have puppies. It makes a mess, and why everybody sells white whelping boxes, I’m not sure whose great idea was that, I don’t know, But they always look dirty, you have to wipe them down all the time. And so I agree with you like, it never goes over well. So I love your idea of even just having a fresh blanket that’s clean and and ready to go, that’s a decent background, or maybe a giant blanket because sometimes you just need to grab a corner that’s clean.
Kerry Howell | 16:42
Exactly. Even too, when you’re photographing them, have them in a little pen, because it’s so hard if you give them the whole yard to take photos in, they’re going to run around everywhere. But if you put them in a little pen, and you have them all where they need to be, in the shot, it’ll be so much easier for you. Same thing when you’re inside, put them in the pen near the window and take the photos. You only need a small space for the background too.
Julie Swan | 17:15
How would you do that with the pens?
Kerry Howell | 17:21
Sometimes you can drape the blanket around the pen. That really creates your backdrop actually too, so if you put the big fuzzy blanket, draped around it, then that will be the background, and that works great too when you have darker dogs. Like if you do have black dogs, I know that they’re hard to photograph, if you have white blankets, I know they get dirty, but if your dogs are clean, the blankets will stay clean. And have the white blanket, and the black dog will really pop. Because you really need some contrast there.
So that’s really important when you’re looking at your background, think of the colors of the dogs, and then think of the emotion that’s creating when you look at it. So when you look at a soft fuzzy blanket you think “oh, I just want to cuddle them, I want them in my life.”
If you’re outside and there’s a chain-link fence, think about what that portrays. Do they look like guard dogs? Do they look scary, especially if they’re black dogs? Is it making them look even scarier?
Julie Swan | 18:31
Do you need to be behind the fence? Do you find that chain-link just does not photograph well?
Kerry Howell | 18:36
It doesn’t. I feel like you’re selling a breed that’s guard dogs, that’s fine do chain-link all day. But any other dog I don’t think it gives a good look it, kind of looks like they’re in a prison too, they’re in doggy jail. And I feel like that is not a good look on you as a breeder. You don’t want to look like you chain your dogs up in a chain-link fence, and you just let them like fend for themselves.
I think people gain a lot from your photos and they see how you take care of your animals, and if you care about them, and that’s really important for you to convey as a business owner. That you really do care about your dogs, and you care they go to the right home.
Julie Swan | 19:15
Yeah, exactly. And it is so true, and I do find too that even the chain-link, it almost messes with my eyes. I feel like the lighting hits it so different, in so many places.
Kerry Howell | 19:24
Yeah it’s distracting, and you just want the focus on the dog.
Julie Swan | 19:29
Yeah exactly. So that makes a lot of sense. That’s perfect. So the background, getting the lighting right, and then dirty toys, let’s not do dirty toys or shredded toys. Like a really beat-up collar that’s kind of broken that’s a no-no.
Kerry Howell | 19:49
Yeah, I would say for photoshoot day, give them a nice collar too. We know how dirty collars get, so let’s do the nice collars and let’s do the nice harnesses. And if you are on a walk with the dog taking the photos, make sure it’s a nice leash.
And back to black dogs, you can put a cute jacket on them. I know if you’re in a warm climate it might look funny, but I think you just need to figure out ways to break up the blackness and the darkness, and make them look more cute and approachable.
I have a black dog, so I know all these tips. Right now he’s been rocking his plaid jacket, it’s red, so it really makes him pop.
Julie Swan | 20:31
That’s so cute for the winter too.
Kerry Howell | 20:37
And then he’s in the snow too now because I’m near Boston, so his photographs are my favorite in the winter, because we have the white contrast of the fresh snow, and we have his red jacket, so it really really helps to make him look really cute and adorable.
Julie Swan | 20:51
I mean you could sell him over and over, but he’s yours.
Kerry Howell | 20:56
Yeah I know, no one can have him, sorry.
Julie Swan | 21:03
All right, so you also do pet photography for people, you volunteer at the shelter, but people can hire you. Which is awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about how that process works, and maybe when that’s an appropriate move for people?
Kerry Howell | 21:11
Yeah, so usually I work with people who own dogs, and they want pictures of their dogs on their walls, and all the memories, and social media. But then I also do work with business owners that want to sell their products. So my dog Papaya, he loves cheese chews so it’s so nice to take photographs of these products for the dog businesses.
And I think it’s such a good idea to get this done, whether you are a business owner or a regular person with your dog, because they look so good, and they look so crisp and clear. Specifically for dog breeders, if you wanted to get professional photos done, I think you just find a photographer like me, or someone else who specializes in just dog photography.
So everyone who contacts me, I’m very clear on what I do, and what I don’t do, so if they call me and want horse photos, I say “that’s not what I do, you should find a horse photographer.” I think it’s so important when you’re hiring someone, just make sure they are a dog photographer, and they know how to work specifically with dogs. Because their personality is much different than a horse say.
When someone contacts me, I see what their goals are. What is the point of getting the photos done? Do you want them for your memories, or are you trying to show the world that you’re a business owner, and you’re professional, and you value your work? If you’re a dog breeder, make it clear to the photographer what your goals are with the shoot. Which would probably be what I just said, that you want to show you’re professional, your branding, you want to be on point and you want to use these on your website.
I think where you want to use them too is important to say, because if you’re using them on your website, you want to know all the header photos that you want. Like photos of yourself are so important too, not just your dogs, because you’re not just selling your dogs, you’re selling your business, and your profession, and yourself. So get good photos of yourself. That’s what I would ask, what is the purpose, because we should really get some shots of you too, so you can throw that on up there.
Julie Swan | 23:35
I was just thinking, a lot of breeders are hesitant to put themselves on their website. And I had been that way for a while, but what I realized is, it’s a personal thing buying a dog, you’re adding a new family member. By having yourself on there, at least people are like “oh you’re real.” It has that level of professionalism, but at the same time approachability. I remember people didn’t know to expect. For a while there I looked 14, it was really awkward, people thinking, does she even know what she’s doing. But if they had seen my picture ahead of time, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, they would have just expected everything.
Kerry Howell | 24:15
I think too as a person who owns two dogs, and I found my dogs on the internet. I want to know that they’re coming from a real person. And that you’re reputable. Because so many dog breeders say “oh I have puppies to sell.” But they’re not even real and they steal your money. So I feel like you need to show “no look I’m real, I care,” and you’re not just selling, the dogs you’re selling yourself.
I’ve learned that from my own photography business, people aren’t just buying my photos, they’re buying my service, they’re buying me, and they want to know, for the puppies, they want to know that breeders are real people. Like I’m not just going to give my money to any random stranger on the internet. I need to know who are you. Or what if you’re this big company?
I’d rather support the small businesses, and the breeders, and I want to see a face, and I want to know you’re real, and I don’t want to see a selfie in your dirty kitchen. I want to see you with dogs behind you. I want to see you looking professional. And you can be with your dogs and stuff, but again, the photos of yourself are the same things I would say about your dogs. Make sure the lighting is good and the background isn’t messy, and you’ll be fine.
Take photos of yourself and the dogs if you’re doing a professional photo shoot. And then my process is when you show up on photo shoot day, my energy, is calm, but I’m happy and excited, and I think that dogs and the owners, really we feed off of each other’s energy. So when you’re talking to a photographer that you want to hire, make sure the personality is the type that you feel comfortable with, and that you think your dog will be comfortable with.
Then when we first show up, I let the dog smell me, even before I take the camera out, I’m just like “hey, how are you?” I introduce myself, I love how I talk to the dog like it’s a person, like how are you, but I really do, that’s how I greet them. And I let them smell me, and I’ll get on their level, because when I am shooting, I am lower to the ground, and on eye level with the dog. That’s really important.
And I let them be silly and crazy, and get out all their energy, and I’m just patient with them. They will settle down. I know as breeders, and as the owners of the dog, sometimes they start getting anxious or upset at their dog, like settle down we have to take photos. But if we all just wait it out, it’s not going to take that long, and rushing them is not going to make them go faster. It’s like rushing our kids, does it ever really go well when we yell at them to put their shoes on? No, they’re going to probably go the same pace. So we’re going to let the dogs do their thing.
And then I’ll start photographing. Again I like doing the candid’s, capturing their personality, and then just letting them be, and I’ll get all the good shots that you need and then some.
Then I will deliver them all, and usually that’s that, and then you can do with them however you want. Also, it’s good to tell a photographer they’re for a website, or if they’re for like brochures, or if they’re for something like a magazine, because you do need different sizing and things like that. So just tell all that to your photographer.
Julie Swan | 27:39
To be able to wrap it down to the right dimensions for what you’re using it for?
Kerry Howell | 27:44
Yeah. Because if you want a family photo above your mantle, you’re envisioning this 11″x14″ or 16″x20″ photo. That’s a lot different than having a header for your breeding Facebook page. That’s much different dimensions, so I think it’s just so important to know exactly what you want.
And if you take your photos yourself, kind of have that in the back of your head too. What am I using these for exactly? Or you probably have on your website, whatever you upload your photos to, you probably know they’re always going to be the same size. So you’ll know eventually what to crop, and what you need to get in your frame.
Julie Swan | 28:24
Yeah. I will say that is a huge difference in professionalism on websites too, is when your photos have consistency in dimensions. On a gallery of squares and rectangles and it’s just a mess.
Kerry Howell | 28:40
Yeah keep it simple. Everything that you do, just keep it simple visually, and it’ll be really good for your customer. They’ll really appreciate that. And it can differentiate you so much from your competitors, and that’s huge, especially if your competitor doesn’t use high-quality photos, you’re already standing out.
Julie Swan | 29:01
It’s so true, it’s so true. It’s probably something you could do once every year or two. This doesn’t need to be done all the time.
Kerry Howell | 29:10
No, no, no. I think especially photos of you, that doesn’t have to be done every year unless you drastically change. But I think you can get a long time out of it. And you can use it on your social media too. I would just say all of your website should probably be very professional photos. Social media is different. Not everyone has to be professional, because you want to show you’re a real person. But your website, it’s really important to have those high-quality photos, because that’s your first impression, and you want to show that you’re a real professional business.
Julie Swan | 29:47
Absolutely, absolutely. Oh so great. And you made us, you’re so generous, you made us a pdf download, do you want to explain what’s on it?
Kerry Howell | 29:49
Yeah. So I have this download that you can see information on how to take professional looking photos with your cell phone. So I think that’ll be super helpful. It’ll just go over in detail, what we talked about today, and bullet points so you can remember when you’re shooting, okay, lighting is important.
Background’s important. Down on their eye level is important. So it’s just bulleted out for reminders when you do take the photos. And then how to pick a professional photographer is also a download I have for you, because I do think it’s important. Everything that I wrote down, you really should just ask and feel comfortable with your photographer.
Because it’s an investment. So you want to make sure you’re spending your money on the right person. And you’ll be able to find them if you just ask the questions.
Julie Swan | 30:45
Oh, that’s such good stuff too. Because it’s really hard when you’re like, Oh, I need a professional photograph. And then you’re just like, where do I start?
And I think that’s such a great place, just to have that list.
Kerry Howell | 30:57
And so many people ask their friends and family, or post on Facebook, and they say, I need a photographer. And they’re like, Oh, my wedding photographer is great. Oh, my family photographer is amazing.
And it’s like, cool, but that’s not what we’re doing. We’re not photographing a baby and we’re not photographing a kid. And I guess kids and dogs can kind of almost be the same.
Because they’re both really fast, and they both never sit still. But I just say, find a professional dog photographer. And you can find it on the internet, and find the right person. But asking friends and family is not always the best advice.
Just like asking friends and family about business advice, doesn’t always go well. Like they should ask you Julie if they have dog breeder questions, they shouldn’t ask their family. What should I do in my business?
Because they don’t have a business. So talk to the professionals, and you’ll be in good hands.
Julie Swan | 31:54
That makes sense. Yeah. Stick to the professionals and know when to use it.
I do agree. You need a professional photographer for some of the photos on your website for sure, and for some of the more professional material for branding. But being able to take your puppy photos for buyers by yourself with your iPhone is a lifesaver, because I never get out my big camera. I don’t think I’ve sold a dog with a regular big camera photo in probably eight years.
Kerry Howell | 33:19
Yeah. The big cameras are difficult to use. I mean, I’m good at it because I use it every single day. But as you know, you have to get it out of the camera bag, clean the lens, get the settings all right, you can’t just throw it in manual mode a lot of times.
And if you do, they come out blurry. So the iPhone, I have the iPhone, so that’s why I always refer to it, but the iPhone really takes really good, quick photos.
Again, if you have the right light. And if you just have the right tips and tricks that I have, like having the treats ready, and the toys, and knowing when to squeak the squeaker.
And it saves you so much time. It’s so nice to take your own photos. So you don’t have to call someone and make an appointment, wait for them, edit them.
Just take the photos with a little bit of planning and your own personal time. You can do it.
Julie Swan | 34:14
Yes. I love that. I believe it.
I’m excited. I’ll put the link to those two PDFs in the show notes, so people can jump on and get those. Thank you so much for taking the time, Kerry.
I’m so excited to dive into the MasterClass, we’re going to talk about all your tips and tricks for getting all these things right in our photos.
Kerry Howell | 34:33
Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you so much.
I’m so happy to talk to you, and I love everything that you do. So keep on, keep on doing it.
Julie Swan | 34:41
Keep on giving the good fight.
