Pet Dog Photography at Home East Grinstead West Sussex | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
My pet dog and animal photography takes place on location (I work mostly in West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire). That means in and around my clients’ homes and favourite places. In fact it’s normal to start at the home as these photographs are so personal. We would then normally move on to a favourite walk or outing. That can be a woodland, a beach, or simply a stroll around town. Sometimes circumstances are such that a walk isn’t on the cards and we need to create a range of photographs within a small area. That was the case with this gorgeous Cavalier King Charles spaniel. I had so much fun taking pictures of her in the family home and beautiful gardens near East Grinstead.
It’s important to capture the character of our subject. This means allowing the pet to do what he or she would normally be doing, and we can introduce some of the activities they might also enjoy. This can involve toys, chasing a ball, running around and playing, simply lying in a favourite spot and dosing.
Like most pet photo shoots we spent much of the time laughing. For some reason pets seem to play up to the camera. They know they’re the centre of attention and they’ll make the most of it. This playful and affectionate little dog turned out to be a real poser and I couldn’t help but love her.
today’s tip
Think about the purpose of your shoot. What will the end result be? If you know your client wants an album or just wall pieces then that can help you to plan the scenes you’ll photograph
The purpose of this session was to create a keepsake album around 9 inches square. The photographs were presented in simple white window mounts. A fine art portrait was created as a cameo for the front cover
