I'm excited to announce that I am once again hosting a pet portrait fundraiser!
Unlike last time, I've settled on a theme, and what better theme than spring?
The inspiration for this photoset is a lush, green forest space. My goal was to emulate depth and dynamic colours - and honestly, I wasn't finding any backdrops online that I liked. So I made my own. How hard could it be... right?
I decided two cotton drop cloths (one split in half) and 4 cans of spray paint were all I needed.
I was incorrect.
After hanging the drop cloths, I jumped in with a bright green paint. Then I started layering more colours. At first, admittedly, I wasn't feeling overly confident in the way things were turning out. The colours were ok, but the shapes/layers weren't coming together the way I had envisioned.
Thankfully, the infinitely talented Bakey Tattoos was on hand to help me sort out what I was missing in my backdrop. He helped me add the elements I was looking for and suddenly, I was seeing the layers and depth I had been trying to lock down.
It was at this point, I realized I was going to need a lot more paint...
The next step, before doing any more painting, was making the backdrop more "dog proof", because the clips weren't sturdy enough. This meant taking the drop cloths down and adding some grommets before securing them to the gazebo frame with zip ties.
Now that I had a plan and the back drops were secured, I finished painting the background.
It ultimately took almost 8 full cans of paint and 4(ish) half empty cans that I used from a previous project.
Originally, my plan had been to source some real branches and plants, but in hindsight I decided it would probably be a lot easier for my canine friends if I didn't.
Additionally, I didn't want to trigger anyone's allergies (pet or human). So, though I hate plastic, I ordered some faux greenery on amazon. That combined with a few fake ferns, one Christmas tree and the fake tree my landlord left me came together to create the beautiful spring themed photo set I had ben aspiring to.
I tried some test shots with the infamous and oh so talented Mister Shmoo. And I couldn't be happier with how it all came together.
There are a few more shots with different framing and lighting combinations I want to try out before the bookings start and I will probably make a new blog post with those images - but for the time being - enjoy this time lapse compilation of me building the set, and these sample images of our handsome, good boy.
