Best job in the world

I think I have the best job in the world. I spend my days photographing or going through photos of beautiful animals that are loved and are part of a family. Over the seven years I have been photographing pets I have seen some wonderful examples of the human/animal bond and how much each means to the other.

That’s why I find it so hard to understand why there are so many pets that cannot find a permanent home, so when I found an opportunity to help these animals, i jumped on it and I have been very fortunate to be able to photograph some lovely Beagles for Beagle Rescue Victoria (see Denver below)and starting tomorrow I will be doing some regular photography of adoptees for Animal Aid.

The animals up for adoption with these animal rescue organisations come to them in many different ways, each of them has shown they are ready and willing to find their forever homes and so are the perfect pets. Both Beagle Rescue and Animal Aid are very careful to re-home their animals with the appropriate people to ensure it all works well.

If you are looking for a new family member, please visit a rescue organisation, you will not be disappointed.

Meet Denver

Posted on February 28, 2012

My dog will never sit still

At nearly every pet expo or event I go to the most common thing I hear is: ‘Oh, my dog would never sit still for long enough’. There is much truth to this statement a lot of the time, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t get great pet photos.

Yes, many pet photographers like to get some nice, more traditional images of your dog in a sit or drop position, but we also want to get some action into the shots, because this is often where the real story is. If your dog likes to run and chase birds or balls then we want to capture that too. If you have an energetic dog that just loves the local park or beach, then that is probably the best place to have your photo shoot, because that is where their personality will shine and you will get images you love.

If you ask most pet photographers they will probably tell you that the majority of their furry clients don’t sit still for long periods of time, think of a two-year-old child being asked to sit still or in a certain position for even 5 minutes and you know they just won’t be able to, that is the same with most dogs – too much to see and do. A good photographer will be patient and calm and wait for the great photo to come.

Of course if you have some basic commands such as sit, drop and stay these will also help and you will be able to get some gorgeous portraits to go with your action shots.

So don’t miss out on getting some beautiful images, just be patient.

Posted on February 21, 2012

Beagle Rescue Victoria and HeARTs Speak

It’s been a while since my last post here at the Creature Focus blog, my apologies I hope this very special blog might make up for it.

Meet Abby and Macy from Beagle Rescue Victoria.

On the weekend, I had the wonderful job of photographing two beagle sisters called Abby and Macy. These two sisters are inseparable and if one is taken away the other one will cry for her, they just love each other to bits. Even though they are twins and very close, they have quite different personalities one is a smoocher and would do anything for a belly rub and the other is quite shy, but both are very friendly.

Abby and Macy are currently being cared for by foster parents and are available for adoption through Beagle Rescue Victoria – www.beaglerescuevic.org you can also find their profile at Pet Rescue – www.petrescue.com.au.

As well as the great job of photographing rescued Beagles, I have also been accepted as a member to HeARTs Speak. As noted on their website ‘HeARTs Speak was created to harness the power of art to effect social change, to connect artists with shelters and animal relief organizations, and ultimately, to save and better the lives of animals and people.’ This is a great organisation that supports animal welfare and photographers like myself who support animals in need. Please do have a look at www.heartsspeak.org

Posted on February 13, 2012

Photo sessions for RSPCA book

Only mid-January and I have already done 8 pet photography sessions for the RSPCA Victoria fundraising book Pet Tails. I have been having a great time photographing dogs and cats, nothing more unusual at this stage but I am hoping.

It is wonderful to see some many people eager to be involved with this exciting project and to have so many good looking pets to photograph, it is certainly going to be tough choosing the images to go in the book.

Here are a couple of the recent pets I have photographed.

If you would like to have your pet featured in Pet Tails (Victoria only), visit www.pettails.com.au for more information and to register.

Posted on January 18, 2011

Two very cute sisters

Last weekend I had a special photo session with two sisters. Chiko and Koko are Poodle x Maltese one-year-olds, and they are full of life and just gorgeous.

On arriving at the shoot Chiko and Koko’s owner thought I might have been a salesperson as she her partner had organised the shoot as a surprise for her, and the sisters. I spent about an hour and half with the family and we got some lovely indoor and outdoor images (see below).

Photographing two dogs is an extra challenge, so generally I work with whichever dog is willing, and then swap, usually then ending with images of the two together. I find one of the hardest things to do is find tricks that work for both dogs at the same time.

The real trick is to just be patient and be ready for when they give you the look you want.

Until next time enjoy Chiko and Koko.

Posted on August 31, 2010