Skip to main content

A Chihuahua with a Smile, More Puppy Portraits

I can't begin to tell you how much I have been loving creating unique pet portraits with the dogs I've had in the studio lately. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. Its got everything I want in a portrait session. I get to be creative, use my favourite props, and spend time with adorable animals, this time with one of the smallest dogs I've ever seen. She is just so sweet.
The shot above came about when my client suggested getting the puppy to peer over the side of a box which I thought was a fantastic idea and it worked exactly as we had hoped. Because she was so small my usual newborn props worked brilliantly with her and suited just how baby like she is.
I just love how this sweet little puppy always looks like she is smiling, unlike so many animals that look either perpetually sad or miserable. She looks like a happy and inquisitive little darling you just can't help but smile back at.
These scales are fairly accurate and its reading that she currently weighs just 4 and a half pounds. Such a tiny little thing. 
And course by the end the poor little girl couldn't keep her eyes open. She had worked hard and provided me with so much good material so at some point we just had to let her sleep.
One of the perks of this job is I got to sit back and relax with a good long cuddle with baby Minnie in my lap once we'd finished. She is just so awesome I find myself wanting one, not that my husband will ever let me get one. After our cats I've had a firm 'no more animals' rule imposed. For the most part I'm with him on that. But its times like these that I could be easily persuaded to change my mind.
These last two puppy shoots really have me thinking that this is an important time in their lives to capture. Puppies are puppies for such a short time so why not create some beautiful portraits so the memory will last a lifetime. And as you can probably imagine, some of these would make great wall portraits.

I'll be announcing a portrait promotion shortly so if you'd like to be informed of this please Like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/christinalauderportraits. Or alternatively contact me by email at christina@christinalauderportraits and I'll be able to message you directly. I'm so looking forward to doing more of this work.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Its a Dog's Life

When life gets tough I always look at dogs or my cats and think how lucky they are. I know not all are treated well but those lucky enough to be in a good home, like the ones who come into my studio, have a really great life. They look so happy and its a wonderful thing to see.  I honestly love photographing dogs. They are a joy to work with and its almost impossible to produce a bad portrait of a dog which does of course make my life a little easier. I am someone who really needs to love the work I create. I can't help but love the portraits I've created of all the dogs I've photographed over the years. And this shoot was certainly no exception. I found it a real pleasure using a lighter background this time too. I do often gravitate towards darker looks but seeing as this dog had a light coloured coat I thought I'd produce lighter images. This gave me the chance to use a canvas I painted a couple of years ago but never really used and I absolutely love it

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to

Headshots and Portfolio Shoots: Here's What we Offer

Headshot requests are becoming more frequent so I thought I'd put together a post to share some recent work and explain the packages I offer in greater detail. Headshots are typically a simpler and quicker session so my packages are also a little simpler than what I offer in my full studio sessions. If headshots are what you or your child need its really important that you get good quality headshots that can stand out amongst the crowd. A headshot is a representation of you and often the first impression you are giving out to your audience, whether its casting directors, agents or college officials considering your application. A good headshot is more likely to get you noticed and ultimately get you further along your path. Making your headshots the best they can be should go a long way in helping you progress in your chosen path. I offer 2 different levels of service in order to make it as affordable and appropriate as possible. The first is a simple straightforwa