A family portrait, including the dog: thank you Julien!
I have dozens of photos of Musher in my phone. These are great memories of the times we spent together. But I decided to go and meet a professional photographer to find out more about this job! Julien Pignol chose to do family portraits, including the dog of course! Discover his work via this interview.
1- Hello Julien, can you introduce yourself for the members of the Emmenetonchien.com community
Hello to the whole community and thank you for this interview! My name is Julien Pignol and I am a photographer, based in Saint-Malo. I have been photographing pets for about 10 years. This adventure started in 2008 with pet portraits and I developed a business at the time called Le Studio des Animaux. We worked mainly with pet shops all over France and the team had more than 50 photographers. I stopped managing this company (which is now called Family Studio) to devote myself to the profession that I love, that of photographer. My work is divided into 2 distinct parts: an activity of family photographer, which includes portraits of children, animals but also weddings and life events... and a work of "author photographer" that is to say, with the sole objective of making photos that I like and which I hope will one day be exhibited, published, etc.
2- Where does your passion for photography come from? And even more for the dog photo alone or with their family?
This passion comes to me from my father who was a photographer and from my uncle who was also. It is a very complete profession where one does not get bored. We constantly meet new people and we have the great responsibility and the privilege of entering a little into the family history for … a lifetime! We must therefore not make mistakes and surpass ourselves at each meeting!
3- One of our members shared some great shots that you took of her whole family, including dogs. Is it possible to have a portrait taken?
Oh yes ! it's quite possible to have your portrait taken, but not too hard, don't worry! Joking aside, I do shooting sessions during which I will accompany my clients, guide them a little, put them in confidence and let them evolve as if I were not there! Of course, I keep an eye on the grain and I try not to miss any of the beautiful moments that appear. I like spontaneity, I like when the emotion is real and palpable and I also pay great attention to the decor, the framing, etc. In short, everything that makes a good photo! I have set up fairly low rates to allow as many people as possible to take advantage of my services.
4- Where does your inspiration come from?
Inspiration is everywhere! I go a lot on the internet to look at the work of other photographers, but I also sometimes look at advertisements in women's magazines, posters, framing in films… I'm quite sensitive to lights, complementary colors, framing. Studio photography is also a big part of my job! If the technique is essential to succeed in the photo we have in mind, it is not everything.
5- What's next?
I am preparing a photographic series called Canis Mundo. The principle: these are paintings that highlight beautiful dogs in emblematic settings around the world. So far, I've taken shots in Brittany, Mont Saint-Michel, Paris and Marseille in front of famous monuments and I'm constantly looking for beautiful, obedient dogs and locations. For more information, you can visit my website et my facebook page.
Thank you Julien! We understand your job better now. I already know what I am going to plan for my next vacation in Brittany. I loved the photos you took of Florine and her family; I too want a beautiful family portrait with Musher in the spotlight. Julien agreed that I use his photos for Emmenetonchien.com; Many thanks for sharing this!