Hooray!

Big thanks to Emma Finnie for the design and layout, Mat Price for his writing skills, and Shandel Burns for her amazing proofreading assistance.

It has been so rewarding to work on this project, I am just thrilled to bits with all we achieved together.

Copies of the book can be ordered from the link below, but before doing so drop me an email to see if there are any pre-ordered copies left.

I hope you enjoy flicking through the book, and meeting these lovely rescue animals and their families!

First, I ducked up to the Arctic to get a glimpse of those famed polar bears. This chappy seemed a bit interested in being friends initially. I can be quite boring company though, and before long he was lulled into a harmless sleep.

I then casually circumnavigated the globe, to whiz down to the bottom of the planet and acquaint myself with some penguin friends. I’m not sure what’s going on down in the South Pole, but I ended up with all sorts of funny spots dirtying up my lens.

All that traipsing around the Arctic and Antarctic makes a girl feel chilly, so I headed back to warmer climes for a spot of shark spotting. How brave am I? Normally, I am terrified of sharks, but on this day I managed to rise above my fear.

When I finally returned home, exhausted but pleased with all my adventures, my pet dolphins were so excited to see me, they spontaneously leaped out of the water to celebrate my homecoming. It’s nice to be missed!

* OK, OK, so maybe I went to Seaworld. It’s in Queensland at least, which did require getting on a plane.

My very first shoot for the SHELTER project was a particularly exciting one for me. I’ve kept it under wraps for now because I wanted to make sure that the project was really going to work out before I talked about this session. But now that we are at 2nd draft stage with the book, and just weeks away from publication, I figure that I can be confident that it is going to actually happen!

DCH Adoptions have a close relationship with Mark Lizotte – a musician who the Australians among you may better know as Diesel. Mark and his family have a lovely dog named Rufus, and poor Rufus suffered an accident when he was younger, resulting in losing the use of his back legs. It turned out, though, that there is type of ‘doggie mobility cart’ that has been designed to help paralysed animals remain active. And let me tell you, Rufus rocks his cart.

When approached for inclusion in the book, Mark gave us the thumbs up, and after a bit of back and forth with his agent, we agreed on a time and place. It was about April last year, and Sydney these days can be a pretty soggy place. I prayed and hoped for clear weather, but we were greeted with a drizzle of rain, that quickly turned into a downpour.

Mark’s a good sport though, and I can be stubborn as hell, so we did what we could in spite of the weather. After working through the files, I decided to be cheeky. It can’t hurt to ask for a reshoot, right? Mark was up for it, and so we met again a few weeks later.

We were given a slightly bigger window by the rain gods on that occasion,  and I got the opportunity to see first-hand just how well Rufus copes with his ‘disability’. Mark straps his legs into the wheels, and Rufus is off. Chasing balls, running around, sniffing the grass.

He was an awesome doggie model!

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.

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?

I had gone along to the rehearsals a few weeks previously, and was very excited about seeing the plays performed live, at Newtown Theatre. The show was part of Sydney Fringe Festival, which ran through September. If you missed it, well I’m afraid you missed it. The Fringe is done for another year. But don’t despair, Sydney-siders. We have Sydney Festival to look forward to in January, so start filling up your calendar with all the future fun.

(Wow, that paragraph contained a WHOLE lot of links. It’s a personal best!)

Opening night for the plays was brilliant! They had a full house and the energy was buzzing. I actually went back later in the week with a group of my friends, so that I could sit back and watch the show through only my eyes, rather than through the camera lens. And I even njoyed the show just as much second time round.

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!)

This year has really marked a turning point for me in terms of meeting new people and getting projects off the ground. More often than not, the first step in any direction I have taken has been through the Internet. I first met Maree back in February, when she responded to an email I threw out into the ether, for participants in a new project I was working on. That particular project has been sidelined by SHELTER over these past few months, but I really hope to get back into it in the not too distant future. Maybe another month or two? Or three? (I wish I had the time and energy to work on 2 biggish projects at the same time. Alas, I am but rubbishly human!).

Maree is not only a wonderful model, it turns out that she is a talented playwright. At the end of this month, one of her plays is being showcased as part of Sydney Fringe Festival. Girls Backstage Choices is a group of six short plays featuring all male casts. Just between you and me, it’s little wonder that Maree is involved in this particular project. She does love bossing the blokes around!

Maree has asked me to photograph the opening night, which is taking place on September 27. A couple of weeks ago, I went along to one of their rehearsals to photograph the works-in-progress.

It was really interesting to watch the actors working on their craft, the way they could slip into character with the most meagre of props. A script in hand, an empty room, and an imaginary stage.

I can’t wait to see it translated onto stage.

The play is running from the 27th September to the 1st of October, at Newtown Theatre. More information can be found at the Girls Backstage Choices website, or tickets can be purchased here.

It’s going to be great! Come along in if you’re in Sydney at the end of the month.

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!

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!)