Puppy Portraits But Not Just Any Old Puppy Portraits

They say never work with animals or children and although there have been times when I can totally understand this, this was not one of those times. In fact it was the exact opposite. If I could do a shoot like this every day I happily would. This little guy was so sweet and more co-operative than I would ever have imagined a 16 week old puppy could be. I felt like I was working with a professional as he somehow knew exactly what to do, as demonstrated here by his little paw resting gently on the pram as he looked at the camera.

With any shoot I meticulously plan the various settings I wish to complete in a session, generally knowing full well its unlikely we'll get through them all. Well in this case I got through most of them in the first 15 minutes. I always hope I will complete them all as usually I have visions in my head of how amazing they will all look and I never like to be disappointed. Well little Albert did not disappoint in the slightest.

When I met up with Albert's Mummy we discussed the possibilities. Having met him and seen his size and colouring visions of loveliness began to appear in my head. These two shots above were what I knew I wanted to produce. The only thing that could possibly go wrong here were if Albert didn't sit still. We had no idea in this consultation whether or not he'd sit comfortably for us but he so did. We were both shocked. And this got me so excited for all the images I could create.

For this session I wanted to create a few artistic pieces along with some more simple pieces. I wanted variety and I wanted to try out some new prop ideas and a new lighting technique. I'm pleased to announce that all were successful.

I used a pram I'd been frightened to use with new clients because I wasn't sure it would be as nice as my original one. Its still a Silver Cross but doesn't have the rose plate on the side so not as easily identifiable. Its also actually a racing car green which I figured won't be to everyone's taste. Given full reign over this shoot to do as I pleased I figured it was time to give it a try. I'm so glad I did. Not being a huge fan of the green though, I decided to tone it down in my editing software.

I keep looking at all these images and I'm still so surprised at how well Albert performed for us. I couldn't have got better images if I tried. He did everything we needed with minimal input from us. That is until we introduced him to the bean bag and blanket. Then we did experience a bit of a mad half hour. For some reason he got rather excited and I thought he'd enjoy a dig around for a while. But with the money shots in the bag already I took the time to relax and have fun with this gorgeous puppy. I mean who doesn't love getting to play with a puppy.

Within this mad half hour we were able to catch Albert's attention and capture a few great portraits. But I'm very glad we didn't start with the bean bag otherwise it might have been a whole other story.

I wouldn't normally share this many images in a blog but I just can't help myself here as I love them all. I always aim in every shoot to have images I will love but rarely do I finish a shoot where I love this many (I've so many more I've not included here but figured I better stop somewhere).

I am, like many other creative people, always super critical of my work and will usually find something that I find less than perfect. In my portraits this usually comes down to expressions. When dealing with people expression is everything. Its not enough to have all the other elements there. Without great expression a portrait with the best of everything else will still be lacking. In this case though, Albert really only has one expression to give, which thankfully is a great one, so I could concentrate on getting all the other elements just right.

I could have photographed this dog all day. And the cuddles in between setups was surely a bonus. This has me very keen on having puppies into the studio more often. And why not really? Puppies only stay puppies for such a short while, not unlike newborn babies. Dogs are such a big part of the family. They should be photographed too.

So if you would like puppy portraits then please get in touch. To contact us or book a session you can either ring us on 01455 611069, follow this link to our contact us page on our website, or send us a message via our Facebook page here. We look forward to hearing from you.

Comments

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...

Burbage Carnival 2009

For the past few years my husband and I have been attending the Burbage Carnival and remarking to ourselves at how much better it could be. The carnival seemed to be declining in recent years. Earlier this year I met someone (Harvey) who mentioned that he joined the committe. When I asked him why he said he had been remarking that the carnival could do with some improvements. The response he received was rather than complain why don't you join the committee and do something about it. Its hard to argue with that. The following week I found myself, along with my husband, at the Burbage Carnival meeting. And we've been attending (most meetings) ever since. With this being our first year we didn't want to dive in head first. We contributed where we felt we could but it was great to see that what little we were able to offer still made a difference on the day. We're now very much looking forward to seeing just how much of a difference we can make next year. I just hope it ...

Limited Edition Storybook Portrait Sessions

Well in the end I didn't take this promotion as seriously as was required in so much as I didn't allocate any budget for advertising. I relied only on the few posts on Facebook and as such I only did 2 sessions, which to be perfectly honest, was all I could handle this year given that I'd not properly planned for these sessions in an already busy time of year. However, what I did do proved to me that this is something that deserves proper attention and a concerted effort to push this promotion forward. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it, from shopping for props, to the sessions and then the editing. I really love the fun that these sessions provide and the look of the finished images. Spring will see a second go at this special collection with plenty of advertising in the run up to our event. I will get another chance at shopping for additional props and tools to run this limited edition promotion and I can't w...

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm Optima UK who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...

A Most Wonderful Portrait Session with 3 Lovely Ladies

This was a dream session for me. Not only did I have 3 beautiful young ladies, but they also brought with them a fantastic wardrobe and their very own hair stylist too (mum owns her own salon). So all the elements for beautiful portraits were there. And I was thrilled to get this opportunity. Its easy to think of having portraits when you have a new baby or when you get married or have a special family occasion where you get the entire family portrait done. But its less often that people think of having their growing children photographed. After all I suppose, they are photographed at school. I even do some of those school photographs. However, those portraits are made in less than a minute per child and they are assembly line style portraits while they are wearing their school uniform. They are never going to be as special as what can be created with unlimited time and outfit changes in the comfort of a private studio. Its in this environment that I can take the time to...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog