Animal Reflections Photography - Creating Beautiful Portraits of Pets and the Families Who Love Them

Whether it is a cat or dog, a pig or a horse, your pet is a special part of your life and family. Pets are given family names or names of famous actors or famous sports figures. Pets have special chairs, are given treats for good behavior, even take up space in your bed without a second thought. Your pet is a companion and is loved like any other member of your household. Owning and caring for a pet means dedication, unselfishness with your time, and the rewards are without question - priceless.

Family portraits are a way of capturing a special time or event in your family’s history. So too are school pictures and team photos at Little League. The field of pet photography focuses on the love of your pet and capturing that love on film. Pet photography captures your favorite cat, dog, and yes, other animals in loving, fun, and memorable poses. This pet photography makes the perfect addition to your living room wall or the company corkboard at the office. In addition, there are boutique items such as coasters, custom jewelry, handbags, and blankets just to name a few which make great gifts for any occasion.

There is a pet photography studio in North Kingstown. It is called Animal Reflections Photography. They are located at 610 Ten Rod Rd., first floor in a gorgeous studio with exposed brick walls and tons of natural lighting. At Animal Reflections Photography, there are some samples of clients such as cats and dogs on the walls along with some boutique items for ideas. Owner and pet photographer Allyson Barth was kind enough to give me a tour of her studio and tell me about Animal Reflections Photography. Here is an excerpt from my visit.

Allyson, great to meet you and congratulations on this amazing studio. So why chose pet photography as your specialty?

Thanks. First off, I do family photography as well. I want people in North Kingstown to know that I offer that service as well. But, to answer your question, I found a niche that I happen to feel a strong personal connection to. I am a pet owner and think that pets make great subjects for beautiful photographs.

So, what is your background in photography and how did you get started?

I completed a certificate program at RISD and have been active in this field for a few years now. My parents owned an antique store so they supplied me with some of the furniture and accessories you see here. The antiques make for some incredible back stories in the pet photographs. I had a client mention to me how unique the photographs were, not only because she loved her dog, but also the antique chair he was sitting on.

I know this next question will be a tough one to answer, but do you have a favorite animal to photograph or is one animal easier than another?

Not a tough question, all of my subjects are my favorites. Cats, dogs, bunnies, they are all welcome here. Believe it or not, cats can be a bit more difficult than other animals to photograph. I'll use a heating pad for kittens to keep them still. Little tricks here and there. I had a dog once that was afraid of the strobe lighting here in the studio so that made for a long shoot. But, overall, its an individual pet thing in terms of their behavior in here.

So, do you have make any special arrangements with the animals and their owners?

This waiting room serves as the first impression for both the pets and their owners. Many a time has the animal “marked their territory” in my waiting room, which I’m certainly ok with. I want them to feel at ease with me and the studio. This will make the pet more photogenic and receptive to my instructions during the shoot. I use squeaky toys and other gadgets to perk them up and to get that choice shot. I have tons of lighting here for a crisp, clean shot of the animal’s distinctive appearance and features. We have a number of backdrops with various scenery images for the owner to choose from. And, there are furniture options that are both modern and classic looking. It is a true customized photography session and I will work with you on every detail.

Do the pets get treats during the shoot?

Typically, I wait until the end. But, yes we reward the animals with treats.

Is your business limited to just the studio or are you available to go off-site?

Yes, we will go to the client’s home to shoot a project. We ask that the pet be good off of a lease for our safety. In the case of shooting a project outside of the studio, I would recommend a consultation with me so that the animal and our staff is assured of safety. The great thing about the studio is we have every possible photography advantage at our disposal here inside. Lighting is a huge concern for photographers and sometimes people’s schedules don’t allow for shooting under the ideal lighting of nature.

Talk about the boutique items you have to offer your clients.

Well, we have a number of items here in the waiting room to choose from. Handbags are really popular. Custom sterling silver jewelry like this necklace I’m wearing are a nice gift. In addition to the framed wall pieces, we also offer tumbled stone coasters, blankets, and mugs just to name a few. We have some examples on our website www.animalreflectionsphotography.com.

Allyson offers free consultations on the photography as well as the finished products and boutique items. If you need reprints or would like to see the photos from your pet’s photo shoot, Animal Reflections Photography keeps the images on file. To learn more about Allyson Barth and her pet photography business, see the links below.

Animal Reflections Photography

610 Ten Rod Rd.

www.animalreflectionsphotography.com

401.294.1201

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