Interview with Herrick Photo
Award winning photographer Lynn Hammarstrom-Craggs creates beautiful pet photographs in her north London studio. We asked Lynn some questions!
Tell us a bit about your business Herrick Photo
I'm a professional photographer (and animal lover) with a studio in East Finchley, North London.
What led you to pet photography?
I grew up with a lot of rescues, so I'm used to being around and photographing pets (so much so that I also take a few dogs from the neighbourhood out in my lunchtimes). I've always enjoyed photographing animals whether they're playing, chilling out or having a snuggle with their owners. There's so much variety in working with animals!
How does a photography session go? What is the process?
First I let the animal get to know me, the studio and the garden and then when s/he's feeling happy and content, we start snapping. The animal tends to lead the poses! :)
How do you get a cat or dog to relax enough to be photographed? Cats in particular must be quite hard!
The animals first get a chance to really know the environment they're in (or just get used to me if I'm at their home!) and then I tend to follow their lead and snap away. There are also toys and treats around in abundance!
How do you capture a pet's "natural character"?
It's really important that an animal feels completely relaxed and has fun in a photo shoot, so that's definitely the main thing. When an animal feels comfortable, they start to be themselves and have a great time with the camera. Games and treats also help!
If someone wants to take a great photo of their pet at home, do you have any advice?
On-camera and phone flash doesn't tend to work well with pets (and most aren't too keen on them either) so lots of natural light is recommended. Also, it's best to have your pet calm and relaxed, so taking photos after a big walk or game tends to be the best time for an at-home photo session.
Any tips on photographing a black animal?
With a black animal it's important to use light that's on most of the animal's fur so it all shows up. Fill-in light can help make all the beauty of black fur visible. Try, too, not to have too contrast-y a background with the animal.
Show us some of your wonderful photos!
You can find out more about Lynn's photography on her website, click here.
This article contains advice from one of our many animal community friends. It has not been written by The Finchley Vet staff. We love to showcase other people's work as we think it makes things more interesting for you, our readers, however, it does mean that we have not checked any of the facts and any opinions are those of the author and not of the Finchley Vet, or Local Vet Ltd.
