Megan Cluck - Under the Influence

 

Ron Schmidt

Ron Schmidt is a commercial and fine-art photographer best known for his Loose Leashes series, where he creates humorous and imaginative portraits of dogs placed into human-like scenarios. Rather than simply photographing animals in costumes, Schmidt builds each scene using compositing techniques that allow the dogs to appear as active characters within a narrative moment, such as water skiing, paddling a canoe, or standing inside a goldfish bowl. His lighting style is clean and bright, and his compositions are simple and centered, which helps keep the focus on expression and character rather than technical distraction. His work is playful and approachable, making the animals feel charming, expressive, and recognizable as personalities.

Schmidt’s imagery relies heavily on digital compositing. The dogs, props, and environments are often photographed separately and then combined in Photoshop to create a seamless final scene. For example, in SKIP, the dog on water skis, the rope, and the reflective water surface are layered together with matched lighting and added shadows to make the pose look believable. In Lewie & Clark, ADVENTURERS, the canoe, river, paddles, and tennis ball are composed to create a sense of movement and teamwork between the dogs. In MOBY, the dog, the goldfish bowl, the water, and the background are blended carefully, with transparency and glass distortion effects reinforcing the realism of the composite. These examples make it clear that Schmidt does not rely on staging alone, his work is shaped by digital layering, masking, and color grading.

For my own project, I want to build on Schmidt’s use of personality-driven storytelling through animal portraiture. I plan to photograph my dog and composite her into a character role, similar to how Schmidt assigns identity and narrative to his subjects. Like Schmidt, I want the humor to come from presenting the dog seriously within an absurd or unexpected context, rather than exaggerating or making the image cartoony. I also want to use a clean, bright color palette and clear compositing so the final image feels polished while still being fun. By working in Schmidt’s style, I can create a portrait that is lighthearted, expressive, and visually cohesive, but still technically grounded in thoughtful compositing.