Hairy Dog Blog!

Well, here it is - the very first blog post from Hairy Dog Photography.  The idea behind Hairy Dog is that everyone in the North East can, and should have access to professionally shot dog / lifestyle portraiture (I'm still trying to think of a slightly more elegant term to describe what is, essentially, a beautiful, modern set of photos, of you, your dog and your family).  It doesn't have to involve anyone but your dog of course.  If you'd rather not be in the limelight, that's just fine - your dog can take centre-stage!

The idea came back to me during a recent walk with my own dog, Kasper the hairy lurcher.  I was, as always, taking photos of him doing what he does best (digging, chasing, burrowing and generally making a mess of himself).  I always use the same kit as I do for weddings - top end camera and lenses - flashguns for a bit of dramatic lighting sometimes.  As I was uploading the images onto the computer for a spot of editing and processing, it struck me that perhaps other people might like professional pictures of their dog 'in the field' as it were.  Even better - the owners and maybe the whole family could be included, interacting and hopefully just having a lot of fun!  This put me in mind of the first time I had this idea, years earlier.  I'll dig out the negatives, get them scanned and blog them next week.

I stuck up a note on facebook asking if anyone would like a free, no obligation shoot, and limited it to the first five responses, and included some samples of Kasper's photos.  Within an hour, my inbox was stuffed.  So I extended it to the first 20 to get in touch and again, was overwhelmed.

So it seems there is a demand for quality pictures of the hairiest family member!  The format will now be the same for anyone and everyone.  A free shoot and a free small print.  No obligation to buy anything thereafter and absolutely no chance of a hard sell - it's just not something I do!

I remain, first and foremost a documentary wedding and portrait photographer in the North East , but this will almost be like going back to photography as a hobby for me.  Who knows, perhaps the film cameras will make an appearance too!