Portraits of Another Gorgeous French Bulldog

I can't say enough how much I adore photographing this breed of dog. They just seem so photogenic to me, with so much character and such a lovely temperament. I think I could photograph these sweet things everyday.

This one was a little frightened being on the wooden boxes. We weren't sure really why. It wasn't too tall that she couldn't jump down if she wished but for some reason we struggled to get her to settle. She just remained glued to the spot, which I suppose helped us in a way. In my attempt to get her to settle we tried a variety of boxes to see if she felt more stable on different ones and I think we finally got there. There is something about having the dogs sitting or standing on these wooden boxes that really appeals to me. And the ones in the boxes I think are just so sweet.

The beanbag was a little easier. She certainly looked more comfortable but keeping her there was a little more difficult. When she wanted down she just left. But for the most part she was very easy to work with and I got some lovely portraits here too.

When working with dogs you have to try different things to get their attention, to close their mouth, or to tilt their head. Its not always what you expect, like squeaky toys or treats, that do the trick. Nor did high pitched voices work on this occasion, which is usually a clear winner. At one point it was a low, deep voice spoken by dad that got her attention. When it comes to getting the shot, you do what you have to do.

As is usual for me, I like to try something I've not yet done before. I try to do this for most shoots. It will usually be the last thing I do, just in case we don't get time for it. I do this so I don't miss anything the clients have specifically requested. This idea came to me while planning the shoot. In this case, the client had mentioned that their girl often gets mistaken for being a boy and they thought it would be nice to get a portrait that shows she is definitely a girl. So that is what I did. And I'm glad I did because its actually my clients favourite setup. I'm torn between the two that follow as to which is my favourite so I've included them both, one of which was chosen by the client. Can you guess which one?

In the end we got everything we needed and more. I could have carried on for ages as she was that fun to photograph. But when she made her way back to one of the blankets we had used earlier and settled I gathered she was trying to tell us something and figured we were definitely done. It was all good fun. And French bulldogs are definitely one of my favourite subjects to work with.

If you have a dog you adore why not get some portraits of them? Its quite an enjoyable experience and in the end you have some beautiful images to cherish forever.

Please get in touch if you'd like to hear more. Links to contact details are all below.

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Website

Comments

Anonymous said…

Beautiful photos..just beautiful x

14 January 2018 at 17:56

Portraits Even a Teenager Boy Loves

Finally I've had the opportunity to photograph a young man in my studio again. And funnily enough this was the second time that week which is absolutely superb. In both cases these young men were just as enthusiastic to be involved as I was, which is something I don't often get when I'm working with very young children, my usual subjects. With young children I find my energy in their cuteness. But with young adults I get energy from their excitement over how the portraits are working out. I get such a buzz from the experience and that can keep me going for hours, often editing the photos straight after the shoot for hours more. Shoots for teenagers is something I've been wanting to focus on for some time. Its not something that I often get asked for though unfortunately. It tends to be parents of very young children who want to capture moments that are slipping through their fingers at lightening speed. Maybe its teenage moodiness that means these moments don...

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...

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...

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

My Work Experience by Zak Millard

My name is Zak Millard and I am 15 years old. For my two weeks work experience I chose to incorporate a passion of mine, photography. Christina is a very competent photographer and a easy person to get on with, she is also patient which was good for me because I often forgot something or had to ask twice about an instruction. My two weeks with Christina have been very helpful. Though I am a aspiring photographer there is much I have learnt, including: Different lights and there uses. Different light set ups. Key photoshop skills. Exposure compensation. AV/TV settings. Composition. How to keep children's interest! One of the most useful things Christina has taught me is that of photo editing. Photography isn't all about taking the pictures though obviously this is important. The little tweaks made here and there make a lot of difference and in all honesty before Christina showed me these tweaks I would never have made them myself, so thank you Christina for opening ...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog