Meet the Dr. Dolittle of Pet Photography
Sept. 26 -- Jim Dratfield is the Dr. Dolittle of animal photographers. He talks to the animals he photographs using their own unique languages. His efforts pay off.
"When I am photographing a client with their animal, a lot of that time, if I am playing with the animal, or saying silly things, it's really to relax the client," Dratfield said.
It's the clients who pay fees of $1,000 and up per session to get Dratfield's artful take on their pets. The pets couldn't care less about lighting and angles. That's what this former actor likes about animal models.
"I have never had, for example, a dachshund tell me, you know, their snout and profile really, really looks bad. 'Can you, can you just cover me from this angle?' Uh, that's not so true with the humans, however," Dratfield said.
Capturing Relationships
In addition to the private jobs he's hired to do, Dratfield, 44, has traveled the world shooting animals and the ways they reflect different cultures.
Some people like to dress their pets for photos; but Dratfield says that's not the largest part of his work.
"I tend to do a lot of nude animals, and I tend not to do a lot of dressed animals. But, you know, if that's what the client wants, then I am, I am up for doing whatever," he said. "I once photographed a skink lizard. And one was pregnant. And she was very demure, very lovely. But the male skink lizard wanted to take my finger off."
In Hollywood, Dratfield's clientele includes the actress Lara Flynn Boyle, the owner of five dogs, including a new puppy. Wherever he goes and whatever type of animal he shoots, he says — what he tries to focus on is the relationship between the human and animal companions.
And he doesn't seem to get star-struck when taking photos of Hollywood stars. "I had never met her before. And whether she was an actress or not, it's about that relationship. I mean, to be honest with you, I was more focused on the dog," he said.
Boyle appreciates Dratfield's focus. "You see some of these things and they always look posed or trite, and it just, from looking at his book I just knew it would be a really relaxed sort of shot," she said.
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