pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

Through The Lens

Photographer: Jim Dratfield

They say a picture's worth a thousand words — in some cases, it's more like a thousand memories. When in doubt just ask Jim Dratfield, owner of Petography.com, a New York City based pet photography studio. He's been the one waiting, quite patiently, for that one moment.

Jim's photographed thousands of pets, from the small and perfectly groomed to the large, loud and rambunctious. Surprisingly, his photos reflect calm, cool, and collected pets, chock-full of personality. Oh, the magic of pictures. If you only knew the half of it...

"Often an animal will run into the shot then run out of the shot and that's OK," says Jim who's used to this kind of thing, unlike pet owners. "People feel really bad about it, like 'It's my baby, I want my baby to do really well' and then they get anxious and I really encourage people not to feel that way ... I should make a video tape of what a photo shoot really looks like, I mean, the camera is such an illusion."

An illusion that's made Jim a world-known name with calendars, greeting cards, and eight books to his name; soon to be nine when Random House publishes A Dog for All Seasons, in the months ahead.

"It was kind of a fluke for me," he says, looking back on a hobby turned career that he sort of stumbled upon. A professional Broadway and television actor, Jim never truly considered photography a career, let alone pet photography. "I was in the play 'The Man Who Came to Dinner' and I was the son who goes off to become a photographer... I could've saved myself 14 years of angst," he says.

Photographer: Jim Dratfield

While his roles on stage and in the television series St. Elsewhere were fruitful, Jim wanted something different but was unsure. He attended a workshop on alternate careers and discovered a way to combine his passions: pets and art. "This really started to take over my life, that was a good thing. I realized for myself what I really wanted was an artistic outlet more than anything."

And did he ever find one.

Jim's pictures have bought him a passport around the world. "I'll go as far as Mongolia in one direction and New Zealand in the other," he says. Jim travels often for work. Every year he also makes routine visits to Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Southern Florida.

Despite his high demand, Jim makes sure he gives people's pets the attention they deserve. "I never base my photo shoots on time or film. I don't do three rolls. I don't do four rolls. I respect animals for being animals. I don't expect them to be models...when I go into a situation I never expect a pet to be trained. I work at the speed of the pet. Some shoots are 2 hours, some shoots are 5 hours." He also makes sure he limits how many jobs he takes in one day. "It's really exhausting. Part of the reason I can't do more than two to three shoots in a day is that it's such focused energy... you have to be ready for that moment."

Getting a pet's attention at times can be extremely challenging. Jim recalls one experience like it was yesterday: "I had two dogs that were crazed. They were two Corgis and they wouldn't respond to anything that you said. Normally there's a word, a sound, or an expression that can get them to respond. Something like 'treat' or somebody's name, it's like 'Where's uncle Charlie?'

The owner said 'There's a city in Wisconsin.' 'Green Bay?' no response, 'Oshkosk?' got nothing, then I said 'Milwaukee?' and the dogs just lit up, looked at me and tilted their heads. They were completely focused. I thought to myself: 'These dogs are amazing, they're The Great Milwaukee Dogs'. The owner started giggling in the background and I realize she was trying to say to me to say the word 'walk' without saying it. So it was the word 'walk' and here I was thinking these dogs knew certain cities and not other cities."

Photographer: Jim Dratfield

Several experiences like these have taught Jim to give himself plenty of time with each four-legged client. He says he'll do up to three animals per site, to allow each pet individualized attention and ample time for group shots. He says he really likes to include pet owners in his photographs though the animals are the easier to please. "I've never had an animal complain about their profile and such."

That said, Jim says animals help him set the stage for candid shots."When people are relating to their pet they're less self-conscious than when they're getting their picture taken. They put all their energy into that relationship." While Jim snaps portraits, he says he prefers to capture the relationship between a person and their pet. He tries to catch unguarded photos of dog and human playing together, taking a walk, sharing a hug, and things like that.

"I can always take a pretty picture but I want to capture the personality of that person's pet," he explains. Jim spends a lot of time getting to know his furry clients. He tries to set up shop somewhere the pet is most comfortable, be it a favorite couch, room, or outdoor space.

"I encourage people to do indoor shoots and outdoor shoots." Jim says he loves the feel of natural light though it's not always possible depending on the location. "You just have to make sure you have enough light to catch light in the eyes of your dog... sometimes it may be too dark for my camera without some sort of a flash."

On indoor shoots where Jim brings his own lighting kit, he also makes sure his assistant tags along. "It looks like one of those Hollywood photo sessions."

Jim says both indoor and outdoor shoots have their own uniqueness and he doesn't prefer one over the other. Though he does admit that sunny days aren't always the best to do photo shoots. "The truth is that nice even light where you're not getting a lot of shadows is probably the ideal situation. Cloudy days that are not dark clouds but clouds that are like a light silver sky are a really wonderful light to photograph in."

He often shoots in black and white and sometimes converts to sepia, which he describes as a brownish print with a timeless feeling. He also, of course, works in color. By request, he'll hand-tint photos (taking a black and white photo and literally painting in portions with color for a very vintage look).

About two weeks after a photo shoot, Jim selects his best shots. He sends out a really nice leather bound portfolio, on loan to a client, who can then take roughly two weeks to select the shots he or she wants. After that it takes about two to three weeks for the finished photographs to be sent home. All in all, from beginning to end, the process takes about two months.

Most clients choose one of Jim's packages: $1,000 for local jobs, $1,100 for jobs outside a 50-mile radius of New York City and $1,200 if he's trekking to the Hamptons. The packages allow for different sized prints and shots from the portfolio. Clients may also add on individual prints or select from other custom high-end items, like sterling silver cufflinks, business cardholders, jewelry, and more. The jewelry is made from Jim's photographs. "I work with a jeweler and we have an agreement. The photos have to come from photos that I've taken," he says.

For those of you living outside the tri-state area, Jim's happy to send a portfolio and brochures to show your friends. If you know five or six people interested in setting up a photo session Jim will fly himself out to your neck of the woods at his own expense. "Some people don't want to go to that trouble, or don't need to go to that trouble, and say 'Look, I want you to come out." Jim says in those cases, his travel, lodging, and transportation must be accounted for.

Jim says whatever corner of the world, he's always impressed by animals. "There's such a purity in their response to things. They're not mugging for the camera. I truly believe in the old adage that 'the eyes are the window to the soul' and animals are just so expressive in their response. They don't fake it and you pick up on that." Jim credits his career to his previous dog that passed away, Kuma. "I was just fooling around taking pictures of him... when I looked at it, it was like a light bulb went off... when Kuma died I realized that he'd left a legacy. If it weren't for him this incredible career that I have now would never have happened," he says. He's quick to mention that he now has Caleb, a very loyal companion as well.

Jim says pets have taught him a lot about his life and the lives of others. "I understand I'm not doing brain surgery," he says, "but I also understand that I'm doing something that's really very special to people and it makes me feel very good about what I do for a living."

Click the books below to view some of Jim's fabulous photography books:

For more information: www.petography.com