FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Iron-clad Love-it Guarantee

All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”:

Schedule

• Monday to Saturday. Sundays are available upon request but there is an extra charge of 75.
• The time of the day will have to arranged according to the cat’s and/or the dog’s schedule. See the “Cats and Dogs Questions” further down the page.

Either call me at 604-328-9874 or email me at syv@sritch.com or use the contact page at https://www.sritch.com/pages/contact.html to schedule your photography sessions.

What’s The Process for cats & dogs photography?

Usually, we’ll have 3 visits:

• An introduction/meeting with you, your cats/dogs. We discuss and I meet the “guilty parties”. I will often take the dog on a walk. We get to know each other. Some dogs have problems with the walk because of age, arthritis… Then we just go for a slow short walk or we sit, have treats… This takes from half an hour to a couple of hours for the walk/play time.

• Then we have a couple of photographic sessions a few days apart. It must be a few days apart and not a few weeks apart or all the trust building work will be lost. The photo sessions usually last from one hour to half a day depending on the weather, the mood and how it goes…

Why 3 Visits?

1. You are not buying/paying for my time. If it takes three to four sessions to get the right photographs, then it will take three to four sessions.
2. Many animals are shy.
3. Many cats and dogs are afraid of strangers and hide under the desk, under the bed or …
4. Many dogs are afraid of cameras.
5. All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”.

Iron-clad Love-it Guarantee

All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”:

Money

Are You Insured?

Yes, I “carry” a $2 million liability. The word “carry” is in quote because I use to literally carry the insurance paper in my bag as a one page printed form, but now it’s a long PDF document.

All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”:

Can I Share The Cats & Dogs Session With A Friend?

Yes, but… and now here is the famous but:

1. I get paid by one person. However you can arrange payment between yourselves.
2. Maximum 2 cats or 2 dogs (it’s 47 per extra cat/ extra dog).
3. They must know each other and get along. We can have them play but we can’t have them fighting.
4. Both of you will have to be there together for the introductions and for all the sessions.
5. Each person can order different photos.

What About Travel Time?

I am located in Vancouver itself, but I can travel most of the Lower Mainland. From North/West Vancouver to Surrey and Langley, after that there is a small nominal charge, either call me at 604-328-9874 or email me at syv@sritch.com or use the contact page at https://www.sritch.com/pages/contact.html.

Can I Get The Digital Images For My Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr…?

Of course! And you will receive your photographs already properly sized and prepared for Facebook, Pinterest…

Can I Get The Digital Images For Wall Paper On My Cell, Ipad And Desktop?

Of course! And you will receive your photographs already properly sized and prepared…

Can I Make My Own Prints, Like at Costco…?

Yes, you can purchase your digital pictures for the proper size. You will receive a JPEG image in sRGB format (all printing shops accept this format) at the proper resolution. This will be “good enough” for the generic places like Costco, WallMart, London Drugs…

Can I Purchase A Session As A Gift?

Of course!

What Happens If I Hate My Proofs?

All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”:

The Fine Print About Prints

(Pun intended)

• All products are archival quality (see “What is archival quality” further down).
• 50% of the photography session fee is due at the time of booking to reserve your space on my calendar. The rest is due at the introduction/first meeting.
• Every client is required to sign a standard model/property release in order for me to photograph their cats or their dogs. The agreement is required prior to the sessions. I will email you the form.

All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”:

Dogs/Cats Questions

Cats

Cats, usually, follow the process:

• Hunt: Outdoor cats will go hunting, literally. Indoor cats play and run around the house
• Eat
• Cleanup: that’s when they will clean themselves
• Sleep: that’s the time to recharge the batteries for the next round

The best photos are done usually before and during the hunt, aka the play time.

Dogs

Usually, dogs have more varied life than cats. Most dogs go for daily walks, some dogs do not go for any walk at all, especially the smaller dogs.

• The better times for photographs are around the regular walks and around the regular play times. Usually an hour or two before the meal time is a great time to make the photographs.
• The worst times for making photos are just before any meal or just after any meal. At these time, the dogs are only interested in the coming meal or in digesting the meal. They are not interested in playing or in working for the photographs.

Why Do you Ignore my Dog For The First few Minutes?

Dogs are the most observant animals on earth. A dog, in a few seconds will know your state of mind, the state of your body, your breathing, your heart rate, your mood, where you’ve been…

I’m not ignoring your dog, actually we having a silent conversation. I’m letting her observe me. She can see my behaviour, my attitude… I’m giving her the time to decide that I’m a good person…

Why Do you Take Your Dog For A Walk?

The walk is the basic interface between people and dogs.

The true character of a dog is revealed during the walk. It doesn’t have to be a long walk. With older dogs, the walk could be 10 minutes. With younger dogs, the walk could be from 20 minutes to an hour depending on how it goes. The walk allows me to experience who your dog is, and it allows your dog to experience who I am.

To make good photographs, I need to build trust between your dog and myself and the walk is the quickest way to build that trust.

Where Do The Sessions Take Place?

Since there are two separate sessions and I am very flexible. We can use:

• Your home
• Your back yard/front yard
• The park
• The beach
• The forest
• The playground
• …

It’s usually better to go to places your dog is accustomed to. New places often cause stress.

My Dog Is Always Afraid

That’s not really a problem:

1. I’m a professional.
2. I understand dogs and I mostly understand cats.
3. This is one of the reasons why there is an introduction and 2 sessions.

My job is to gain the trust of your cat or the trust of your dog. Treats, weird noises, your help… You will be amazed by what bribery can do.

My Dog Is Very Aggressive With Other People Or Other Dogs

That’s not really a problem:

1. I’m a professional.
2. I understand dogs and I mostly understand cats.
3. This is one of the reasons why there is an introduction and 2 sessions.

My job is to gain the trust of your dog.

My Dog/My Cat Never Looks At The Camera

That’s not really a problem:

1. I’m a professional
2. I understand dogs and I mostly understand cats
3. This is one of the reasons why there is an introduction and 2 sessions

My job is to gain the trust of your cat or the trust of your dog. Treats, weird noises, your help…

Photography Session Questions

Why An Introduction And Two Sessions?

Every other photographer comes in and takes their photos. So why do I do 3 visits: an introduction and two sessions?

I occasionally will take photos during the introduction, but it’s more a matter of seeing your dog or your cat’s reaction rather than making photographs.

Most dogs feel uncomfortable when having a camera pointed at them. Many dogs are not people friendly and/or are afraid. Some dogs are so afraid that they become paralyzed by the fear, literally.

Usually the best photos come from the second session. Why? It’s not just the dog getting used to me, it’s also me knowing better your cat/dog. The easy photos are the ones where the dog is sitting and planted in the middle of the photo. Not only the dog must be relaxed but you must also be relaxed enough so that we create more interesting photos.

In addition, having two sessions also gives us the opportunity of having two different places and two different settings.

Please remember that you are not paying me by the hour. If a third session is needed to get better images…

All photo sessions comes with the “Iron-clad love-it guarantee”:

I Saw You Take Some Photos That You Haven’t Shown Me. Where Are They?

I take a lot of photos. Many of the photos are duplicates. Some photos have the eyes closed. Some of the photos have embarrassing positions. A few photos will be “bad” like somebody walking in front or behind…

What About The Weather?

• We have two sessions a few days apart.
• My ideal weather is “mostly cloudy” with a few sunny breaks.
• If it’s sunny, this will influence the direction of the light and how we work.
• I like rain. Rain gives a different character to the photos. Many dogs enjoy the rain.
  • A light rain is OK. I do not even need a raincoat for the camera.
  • A steady rain or a stronger rain and I have to use a raincoat for the camera. It’s just slower for me to work.
  • A downpour. We can have an indoor session or we can reschedule.

Can I Be In The Photographs Too?

I would hope so, but it’s your choice.

What Kind Of Retouching (aka Photoshopping) Are You Doing?

Everybody is familiar with the expression “Photoshopping”. I do very little retouching. I often remove the leash on the final prints.

I do not remove harnesses or halties. I do not change people’s expression. I do not slim down people or make them younger… It’s not because of a belief system, it’s just that I know my limits. I am not a Photoshop expert. It’s too easy to do a very poor job.

If you require this extend of retouching, I will have to “farm it out” to real Photoshop professionals. They are expensive but they do an excellent job.

Others

What Is Archival Quality

Archival means that the photographs will last a long time. How long? That will depend on the material and the condition of display or of the storage.

• The standard paper that I use has a shelf life of 65 years before the colours start changing.
• The canvas that I use has a shelf life of 15 years before the colours start changing.
• The books that I use have a shelf life of 25 years before the colours start changing.

And now for the “so-called” fine print:

• The ratings are done with archival storage, meaning 18°C, 40% humidity and no direct sunlight.
• The mounting of the print does affect the life expectancy of the print.

What Equipment Do You Use?

I use mostly Canon cameras and Canon lenses. But cameras are tools just like power tools for carpentry or knives and pots for cooks. Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus or Panasonic cameras are just as good. Nobody can tell the difference between a photo made with a Canon camera from a photo made with a Nikon camera or from another photo made with a Sony camera…

How Do You Pronounce Your Name?

My first name is Syv pronounced “Sieve” but with a short “ie”. Syv is the short for Sylvain, a French first name that means the man from the forest. I have no idea why my parent chose this first name, they were not outdoors people.

Ritch is my last name.

How Do You Pronounce Your Website Name?

My website is: https://www.sritch.com: and SRITCH stands for Syv RITCH.