Ziggy and Ruben
Just before Christmas, I was commissioned to photograph a couple of beautiful Russian Blue brothers – Ziggy and Ruben. They live in a gorgeous corner of Sydney, in a house filled with amazing natural light.
It was a really fun session. They are very patient boys, and we moved from room to room, trying lots of different backgrounds and approaches. I think they actually enjoyed having their pictures taken. But really – why wouldn’t they? They are good looking boys, and I have my charming ways!
We even got them surfing. OK, the board is sitting on the floor inside the house, but let’s not get bogged down in superficial details.
SHELTER update
The intention to blog about every shoot in the project was an ambitious one. I have to put my hand up. In spite of all my best intentions, my focus simply has had to be on shooting and editing and staying on top of delivery for my clients. I won’t lie, it’s been stressful, but images like the one above of little Ruby, give me a giggle and help to keep it in perspective.
Because the real truth, is that this project has been so much fun. Who wouldn’t want to go out every weekend and meet a whole plethora of funny, excitable, lazy, ball-obsessed, ball-indifferent, camera-loving, camera-shy furry little beings? And keep witnessing the unique bond and love between these animals and their human families.
I have just about finished my quota of 40 shoots (only 1 left!), and am ready to move into the next phase. Putting the book together. I am very excited about this, as it’s going to be such a great feeling to see the whole project start coming together into a coherent whole.
I would like to think that the hard work is all behind me, but I suspect that this next phase is going to be harder. Less time-consuming, perhaps, but an agony of editing decisions to get it as right as I can for everyone involved.
Levi knows what I’m talking about! Is there a Staffy out there that doesn’t have a hint of existential angst in their beautiful eyes?
SHELTER : Milly and Goggles
It’s been a while between updates, but that’s not because I haven’t been out there meeting lots of DCH Adoptions success stories!
I went to visit Milly and Goggles quite a few weeks ago now, and they were so much fun to photograph.
Goggles (can you guess how she got her name?) is a Kelpie x Cattle Dog. That little equations equals LOADS of energy. We spent some time indulging Goggles’ favourite past-time. Throwing and catching the ball. Oh..and leaping in an unbelievable manner.
Being a staffy, Milly is a little more sedate. She is such a gorgeous lady!
In a rare moment of calm, we managed to get the 2 of them sitting together. Sisters and best friends, and totally beloved by their family. (I couldn’t tempt them to look at me, they only had eyes for their human family!)
SHELTER : Martha
Martha. Now, isn’t that a brilliant name for a cat?
I had a great time photographing Martha. She loved the camera! Most dogs and cats get quite camera shy, or at least camera indifferent – especially after the first few minutes. And of course this is fair enough, I really don’t blame them. We all know what it’s like to have a big camera pointing in your direction and making demands on you that you would rather avoid.
Martha, however, loved it. She came up to me, sat still when asked, rolled around on the floor for fun, looked into the camera (mostly). Basically, following directions like a supermodel.
Her main motivation was treats. That’s right. Treats. Check her out, hunting the bag of treats just out of shot.
More images can be found on Martha’s gallery as well as on Facebook.
Martha’s story is particularly sweet, but you’ll have to wait for the book to find out the details!
SHELTER : Shelly
Meet the gorgeous Shelly. She is just the sweetest, sweetest thing – a girl who is very cuddly and full of love. She’s experienced great hardship in her life, but is now – in her older years – living with 2 wonderful people who just adore her!
And oh my goodness – look at those incredible ears!
Shelly’s pictures can be found on Facebook, as well as her website gallery. Another DCH story with a happy ever after!
(Don’t forget to click on the images to see them bigger!)
SHELTER : Buddy the Border Collie
Buddy is a gorgeous Border Collie, who is really very fond of chasing his ball. He’s not so great at bringing it back, but hey…that’s all part of the game! As you can see, he was momentarily nonplussed when I moved his ball to take these portraits. But he’s a sweetie. He forgave me, and treated me to a lovely, happy grin into the camera.
I realised the other day that it’s been a while since I’ve explained what is behind this SHELTER project that I’m working on. Some of you are recently arriving here, and may be wondering what all the dog portraiture is all about!
I’ve partnered up with DCH Animal Adoptions, and we are creating a photo book of rescue success stories. All the dogs and cats who will feature in the book have been saved, fostered and then rehomed through the extended DCH network in Sydney. It’s a book of the happy-ever-afters!
At the moment, DCH works as a network of foster carers and volunteers who rescue abandoned animals, care for them temporarily in their own homes, and then eventually help them find their forever homes. The ladies who run DCH have been working on a long-term fundraising project to be able to build a physical shelter, which will allow them to rescue more animals from the pounds. All profits from these shoots, and any future book sales, will go directly towards financing the build of this shelter.
So, it’s all for a good cause, and I get my weekly fix of lovely dogs and cats. Win-win I say!
More images from Buddy’s session can be found on Facebook and on his website gallery
SHELTER : The dog park gang – meet Fergie, Sox and Sam
This shoot with Fergie, Sam and Sox took place one gorgeous afternoon, down at their local dog park. The 3 boys are good friends, and spend many of their play-dates together.
In spite of all the distractions – each other, the rest of the dogs in park – the boys we’re all so well behaved and patient with me and my camera.
This gorgeous man is Fergie, a beautiful Collie Rough.
This sweet fellow is Sox, a Great Dane crossed with Wolfhound.
And this fun guy is Sam. Sam is a Labrador crossed with Husky.
Sox, like many large dogs, is a complete softy who seems completely unaware of how big he is.
Fergie is the king of the park. He is so sweet, yet independent, and clearly loves hanging out with his friends.
Sam’s the youngest of the 3, and is a bundle of excitement and energy.
And here they all are together. I’m not ashamed to admit it was tough to get all 3 together for a photo, but with teamwork on behalf of all the mum’s (outside the shot), we managed it for a second or two!
It was great fun to meet you all! As always, your pictures can be found on Facebook, and on your website gallery.
Oh, and a little hint to those of you reading this post. Click on the pictures to open a bigger version. They look much better enlarged!
SHELTER : Emma
Little Emma is a gorgeous fluffball Pomeranian. When I arrived at her house, she came running up to me and covered my face with doggie kisses. all the while her tiny fluff-tail wiggling and waggling in all directions.
I have to say, she was a very good model. I think she quite enjoyed the attention!
Clearly, her favourite times are when she’s having a big cuddle with her mum. What a cutie!
More photos from Emma’s session can be found on Facebook, and on her website gallery.
SHELTER : Barney
I loved meeting Barney so much. He is truly one of a kind, this gentle older man.
Barney has spent a large proportion of his life living on the streets. Looking after himself and finding his own way. And however it happened, and however he managed to survive, he is the gentlest soul I’ve come across so far. A true little zen master wrapped up in a doggie fur coat.
These days Barney’s life is more settled, and he is happy simply pottering between his bed, his garden and the local park. And thankfully, this independent little man no longer has to wander the streets by himself.
More images from Barney’s session can be found at his online gallery, and on Facebook.
SHELTER : Little-Bit
Hasn’t he got the cutest name? Little-Bit.
The ‘Little’ in Little-Bit, is not a reflection of his stature. He’s not a little dog, but I did see first-hand the way he curls up on his dad’s lap for a cuddle, all tucked in as if he really is a teeny-tiny lap dog. Sure, his paws were hanging off the end of the sofa, but Little-Bit just gave out a tiny grunt of contentment and tucked himself up a little more neatly.
In a way, his name sums up many of the stars of our SHELTER book. The pets that are a little-bit of one breed mixed in a with a little-bit of another. It’s a fun game to try to identify the traits they have inherited from their mixed parentage, but of course none of that really matters to their adoptive families.
It’s all about love and happy endings, and amongst all the upset and sadness of so many animals being abandoned and neglected, this book is going to be a celebration and a reminder of the happy-ever-afters.
That’s Little-Bit on the left, with his adoptive sister Hermione and the lovely family with who he shares his life.
More photos can be found on Little-Bit’s gallery, as well as on Facebook.
SHELTER : Lulabelle is quite the beauty
Lulabelle is – if I recall correctly – only coming up to the age of 2. A kitty-cat full of high-jinx and energy.
She was so much fun to photograph. Playing with string and running around. Also quite challenging, as it was hard to get a shot of her not moving. In spite of the slight camera shake, I do love this picture of her daintily licking her paw. I’m developing a bit of photo-love for images with some movement in them, and for now…the one at the top is doing it for me.
Isn’t she just the cutest thing?
If you are a cat lover, DCH are always looking for foster carers and forever homes for the many cats they have in care. Pop over to their website, and see if you future feline companion is waiting to be united with you!
As always with my SHELTER models, Lulabelle has her own personal gallery over at my website. And she can also be found frolicking on Facebook.
SHELTER : Zak is black & Sam is tan
As I’m moving along with this SHELTER project, I’m starting to realise that there are two stories unfolding with my subjects. One is the story of how all these lovely animals – either rejected, neglected or cast away – found their way to a forever home, and the deserving unconditional love that they have found. Those are the stories that will appear in the final book – as told by the people who love these animals and share their lives with them.
The other story – the one that I’m discovering during the shoots – is the distinct and variable personalities of the animals I find in front of my camera. In the limited time of a photo session, I pick up a little about the unique personalities of the animals involved. It may not be a perfectly true reflection of how they really are – after all the environment of photographing (even a pet), creates an atmosphere that is a little outside the bounds of a ‘normal’ day. But I do hope that I manage to get something of the essence of who they are.
Zak (is black) and Sam (is tan) are brothers. They weren’t born to the same litter, but they did end up in the same family when they were young little puppies. Yet, despite having grown up together and being a similar age they still show distinct personalities.
And isn’t that the appeal and loveliness of the cats and dogs we share our lives with? Discovering, and falling in love with, their unique personalities. They don’t have any self-consciousness or angsty hang-ups. They simply are who they are. I think that’s part of the reason we humans fall so totally and completely in love with them.
More images from Zak and Sam’s shoot can be found on their website gallery, as well as on Facebook.
SHELTER : Samson
Samson is a beautiful boy, isn’t he? He is a Ragdoll cat and those beautiful blue eyes are the hallmark of his breed. In spite of (or maybe because of!) his supermodel good-looks, he was pretty unimpressed by all the camera attention that came his way a few weeks ago.
Who can blame him though, there you are…having a lovely afternoon at home, and along comes some strange girl with an even stranger looking black box that she keeps sticking in your face.
We took it easy and gave him lots of time. He tried hiding behind a pot plant for a bit, but I stalked him there (albeit slowly and carefully!)
The lure of food was pretty enticing, although his brother got in first.
But eventually he ended up on his mum’s knee, where he chilled out and relaxed.
The story of how Samson and Lorraine found each other will be in our SHELTER book for DCH.
More pictures of Samson’s session can be found on Facebook, and he has his own personal gallery on my website. Because, Samson, you are a supermodel, and supermodels find themselves plastered all over the internet!
SHELTER : Teeny-tiny Tea
Tea (pronounced Taya) is just about the cutest little thing I’ve ever met. She’s still a puppy really – about 8 months old – and when I went to visit her a couple of weeks ago, she was a wriggling, jiggling bundle of excitement and energy.
My first reaction was “Wow! How am I going to get her to sit still long enough to take her picture?”
Tea’s a clever little girl, though, and has learned already how to sit and stay (with the help of some delicious treats!). I totally fell in love with her. Don’t be fooled by her size, this dog has an enormous personality.
When it was time to leave, I wanted to pick her up and put her in my pocket (she’d almost fit!).
More photos from Tea’s session can be found on her Facebook gallery, and her website gallery.
Visit DCH Adoptions for more information on helping abandoned animals find their forever homes.
SHELTER : Jonesy and Darla
It’s been a bit quiet round here, hasn’t it? I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet, I promise. I’ve been busy, busy, busy on the photo shoots for SHELTER.
So far, I’ve completed 6 sessions in the last 3 weeks. Inevitably, post production and editing is falling behind the logistics of just getting the photos taken. It’s great fun though, even if I do wake up in the middle of the night thinking about a new idea that I’d like to try out next time!
The process to date has seen me travel from inner city suburbs, to the very outskirts of metropolitan Sydney. I keep forgetting how you don’t have to drive very far in Sydney to reach those suburbs that edge onto bushland landscapes that you simply don’t see in any other country. Amongst all the other positives around this project, getting a chance to explore even further in Sydney than I would ever do on my own, is in itself plenty of fun.
I’ve got some plans for the creation of this little book that our little team is working on. We want word to get out about what we’re up to, and hopefully generate some interest in the final product. All profits from sales of the book are going directly back to DCH, and so the more of those sales we bring in, the greater the profit margin. Simple maths!
For now, I’m in a whirlwind of shooting. I’ve got to get it all done in as short a time frame as possible. At the rate I’m going, I can’t possible keep up with all the editing along the same timescale. As I get each session edited, however, I’m going to post some of the images here on this blog. And I would love to receive feedback or comments on the images – which one’s work, which don’t. This book isn’t meant to just be a showcase of my work, it’s a collection of stories that belong to all the people who are going to be in the book. I will work my hardest and do my very best to create the best images I possibly can, and for such a collaborative project, (working to a deadline!) outside perspectives can really help to focus and refine the idea and vision.
My first shoot was with 2 massive dogs, who happen to also be massive softies. You know, the way that big dogs tend to be.
Jonesy is the German Shepherd up there, trying to act all nonchalant and cool. Yup, Jonesy just takes it all in his stride.
Beautiful Darla is an irresistable mix of bull mastiff and staffy, who I’m sure thinks she’s just teeny-tiny, even as she runs around on her long, gangly legs. Just between you and me, she reminded me a bit of my Gertie-Girl, and I tell you…my heart just melted into a puddle.
To check out more images from the shoot, you can follow the progress on Facebook, where I’ll be uploading galleries as I get them all edited. Help us spread the word, and keep me focused on that Christmas deadline.
39 sessions to go!