Days in the life of a pet photographer
My own little sausage dog, Conrad, is very proud to be an ambassador for the fab Dorset based clothing and accessories brand Brakeburn. They do amazing contemporary clothing for an active, outdoor lifestyle, and, most importantly, a really cool sausage dog line 😁
Check them out at https://www.brakeburn.com
I had a great day at the weekend photographing sausage dogs at their annual Christmas Party.
All these lovely little guys were dressed up in Christmas outfits and had great fun running free and playing in a large hall.
In between playing and entering their fancy dress competition I managed to get them to sit still long enough to have their picture taken. I’m so pleased I didn’t have to judge that competition because they were all dressed in fantastic outfits and I wouldn’t have been able to choose a winner.
Here are just a few of the great little dogs and their splendid Christmas outfits 😊
I had great fun with a bunch of energetic dalmatians, including a six month old puppy.
Such great dogs to work with, and the puppy was incredibly entertaining 😊
I met some completely different dogs recently when I was asked to photograph some gorgeous Pulis for a breeder.
These very hairy dogs were full of fun and enthusiasm and I had a great time chasing them around 😊
I also met a white Puli for the first time – previously I have only seen black ones.
Milly is a very cute little Jack Russell terrier that I was fortunate enough to get to photograph in the studio.
She is very clever and full of fun, and she kept us entertained with her antics with both her own toys and the ones I keep at the studio.
As is often the case, especially with intelligent dogs, it took a while for her to settle down, because she wanted to explore and work out what everything was about. But after a while she settled and got into having her picture taken, and she turned out to be quite a natural 😊
I have photographed the very handsome Murphy before on outdoor shoots but this time he came to me for a few indoor photos.
It is always an absolute pleasure working with his big, affable dog. He is so obedient and good natured that my job is so easy with him, and being so handsome it would be hard not to take a good photo of him 😃
I had to think big today when I had a visit from the handsome, energetic Springer Spaniel, Alfie.
I have been photographing small dogs lately so my setup had to be adjusted for this gorgeous boy but it was well worth it – he is just the sweetest boy and so much fun.
Poor Alfie has had so many health problems and accidents, including several operations, over the years, and yet he is so full of life and energy – a real inspiration!
I recently had my busiest day of photography ever. It started just after 9am with three gorgeous smooth-haired miniature dachshunds, including a very handsome dapple called Max. What makes him extra special is his different coloured eyes, and it was important for me to ensure that this was portrayed in his photos.
As I finished taking pictures of the three smooth-haired sausages, they were joined by four wire-haired mini sausages. One of them was a slightly unusual pin wire, who is quite nervous of strangers, called Pingu. Such a gorgeous little dog! My main concern was to get him to feel relaxed enough to lose his rather worried expression and come out of his shell with his three female companions, one of which was a real sweetie, who kept rolling over to have her tummy tickled. In between tickles she also entertained us with tricks, including balancing treats on her nose and then snatching them.
After lunch I was joined by four absolutely stunning long-haired miniature dachsies. Two of them were brothers and they were a most gorgeous cream colour. One of the girls was the most energetic sausage dog I have ever come across. She ran constantly round the outside of the studio from the moment she arrived till the moment she left. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that she had a border collie in her ancestry.
The final photo shoot of the day was a more mature black and tan miniature dachshund, with a rather distinguished grey muzzle and his much smaller and younger chocolate and tan companion. They were both very well behaved, which made my task much easier.
Yesterday was another great day meeting the handsome Tweenie Dachshund Hagrid – a gorgeous Black and Tan boy with the most amazing tail.
Hagrid wasn’t too sure at first about all the strange photography things scattered about and couldn’t work out why there was a weird woman (me! 😄) pointing cameras at him.
It didn’t take him long though to find the toys on the floor and soon ended up having a great time playing with them and forgetting about the weird person following him around.
At the end he met my little Conrad and they hit it off really well 😊
It was a real treat working with this gorgeous boy – it makes my job such fun when I get to meet great characters like this and their lovely owners 😊
I am currently working on a great project: a 2018 Dachshund Calendar for a local group, who will be donating all profit to a charity called the Red Foundation.
This is so exciting – let’s be honest, there is very little that beats getting to spend lots of days indoors or outdoors with lots of sausage dogs in all shapes and sizes.
My first photo shoot for the calendar was with a gorgeous mini sausage over the weekend. We went for a walk together, and I brought my own wonderful mini sausage, Conrad, along.
Most of the photos I took on the shoot were done as we walked along, and I managed to capture this sweet dog playing, having fun and generally being herself.
At the end of the walk when they were both tired, I managed to get the shot I was after for the calendar. Below are a few of the pictures from the day, but you will have to wait for the calendar shot until it is published 😉
