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Writer's pictureLisa Olson

Watercolor series

I came up with the watercolor series idea while I was doing a 6-month international challenge called Emerge with Unleashed Education. Emerge has 12 unique dog photography challenges that pushes you to create impactful, technically correct, storytelling images. You can read more about the journey on my blog called Journey to award winning images

big white dog playing in the water that is light with gel lights for a colorful photo taken by Lisa Olson with pets r family

The final Emerge challenge goal was to take a picture of a dog shaking water off that is sharp and visually interesting. This is the challenge that helped me figure out the lighting setup for my watercolor series because I wanted to photograph this challenge using strobes to light the water.

dog shaking off water that is light by gel lights for a colorful photo taken by Lisa Olson with pets r family

I knew that the best way to see the water was to light it from the back (learned that from my portrait photography days). I originally didn’t plan on using gels on the strobes but after the first photo shoot I realized it was missing some visual interest.

new watercolor series by dog photographer Lisa Olson that is colorful and unique

I tried three strobe lighting setup with one main light and two back lights with gels. The gel lights I did a variety of colors and found I liked a combination of a warm color and a cool color. Such as blue and red together or teal and bright purply pink.

dog standing in the water for fun colorful photos that are taken by dog photographer Lisa Olson with pets r family in ogden utah

The rain/water system had its own unique challenges. I wanted something that made interesting water patterns or looked like it was raining. It had to be something that was easy to store, inexpensive, portable and safe for dogs. I skipped drilling holes in a PVC pipe and went for different hose attachments, which are cheap and easy.

rain water system makes rainbow colors that are light by gel lights with a dog sitting in the water

After a few failed attempts I found three rain/water systems that were simple and visually interesting. Below are some samples of the water setups I LOVE!

unique water and rain system designed and made by dog photographer Lisa Olson
dog standing in a photography water rain system that is light up with gel lights for a colorful photo taken by dog photographer Lisa Olson
yellow lab standing in a photography rain water system built by dog photographer Lisa Olson with pets r family in ogden utah

The vibrant amazing colors with dogs gave me a safe alternative to Holi Powder photo shoots which can be hazardous for dogs. Click HERE to read how and why Holi Powder photo shoots are dangerous for dogs and should be avoided!

safe alternative to holi powder photo shoots by using a water rain system taken by dog photographer Lisa Olson who named it watercolor series.
safe alternative to holi powder photo shoots, a dog jumping through water that is light up by gel lights for a color photo taken by dog photographer Lisa Olson with pets r family

It was hard to select which image to enter into the Emerge challenge because I got so many phenomenal shake images from a variety of photo shoots but below is the picture I selected, and it placed in the Top 10 images. (insert happy dance)

dog shaking off water won an international contest with unleashed education emerge challenge

Judges Feedback: Wait a minute, did someone intentionally use the Unleashed brand colors to score bonus points?!? Aside from the awesome color, the dog is in a great cyclical flow of the shake, and that has allowed all that water to create a frame that is not unlike a galaxy pulling you into the center. A fantastic and original take on this challenge brief.

creative dog photo shoot that is safe for dogs as an alternative to holi powder photo shoots designed by Lisa Olson with pets r family

All images are copyright ©️ 2024

Pets R Family®️


Photography for pet parents who believe Pets R Family and belong in photos too!

 

Specializing in puppy portraits and dog photography while encouraging dog moms to step outside their comfort zone and have a creative photo shoot with their furbabies. 

Lisa Olson is an International award-winning published professional dog photographer, certified dog trainer and certified in pet psychology (understanding animal body language). 

 

Pets R Family photography was voted Best Of Northern Utah in 2022 and 2023. 

Pets R Family dog photography studio is located in North Ogden, Utah and is designed to help dogs feel comfortable, safe and relaxed. On location photo shoots available throughout Northern Utah from Logan to North Salt Lake.

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