Photoshop Is Not A Dirty Word

Oct 13

My vibrant edit of two pugs on the beach at sunset for the Hair of the Dog Academy Edit-Palooza Summit.

There are times —like in journalism— when it’s important to maintain the integrity of an unaltered image. Pet photography is not that time.

Using Photoshop allows me to safely photograph pets on leash, and remove that leash later to deliver a flawless portrait to the client. Photoshop allows me to create an image of multiple pets together, even when they don’t get along. It allows me to remove lumps, bumps, incisions, and scars. Most of all, photoshop allows me to make a scene look MORE like it did in real life, overcoming the limitations of the camera, which simply cannot record the full range of light and colour that our eyes can see.

I like to think of my work as reality…only better. Your pets how you WANT to remember them, not as the Tasmanian devils on crack that they may actually be 🤣

A portrait of 9 English Bulldogs, reflecting in a pond. — An epic portrait of 9 English Bulldogs posing around a reflecting pond, that I made for Spruce Hollow Bullies in Moncton.

Ideally, I’m able to capture your pet looking happy and relaxed, but for those times when it just doesn’t work out that way, a little Photoshop attitude adjustment can make a world of difference!

A before and after animation showing an anxious mastiff getting a bit of an attitude adjustment in Photoshop — I photographed this mastiff along with another dog in a mini-session for a rescue calendar. We didn’t have as much time as I’d normally like for the dogs to get comfortable, and this was the best I got. A few adjustments in Photoshop made a huge difference in how happy and relaxed the dog looks.

Recently, I was asked to submit a video showing my photo editing process to the Hair of the Dog Academy Edit-Palooza Summit. It was a huge honour to be included alongside 40+ of the biggest names in pet photography, worldwide!