Last Chance to Buy Aberdeen Dog Portrait Gift Vouchers at the Old, Low Price!

Don't Miss Out on the Last Chance to Buy Your Gift Voucher at the Old Price!

Based as we are in Aberdeen, no-one is more aware than us Aberdonians of the sky-rocketing household bills we're all about to face.  I mean, we're not quite in the Arctic Circle but sometimes it can feel like it!

Only once before, in the whole 11 year history of Hairy Dog Photography have I raised the price for my basic one hour dog photo session, and that was eight years ago 😃  But with a heavy heart, I'm finally doing what I should have done at least five years ago and am raising prices to meet the fact that in the last eight years, all of my costs have been steadily rising: everything from camera equipment, lenses, printing costs, web-hosting, domain name registrations, insurance, computing equipment etc, etc - I'm sure you get the picture - lots of these costs have literally doubled in the last decade!

In these straitened times, I'm certainly not looking for sympathy - we are, after all, all in the same boat when it comes to electric bills but the good news is I have decided to hold off on the price rise for just over a month, to give people the chance to buy a Hairy Dog Gift Voucher or session for their own dog and family at the old, low price of £70!  From the 1st Nov, the price will rise to £120.  It's way too early to think of Christmas...  But it may be worth thinking about Christmas 🎅   Sorry.

Up until Oct 31st '22 you can still pay the old price, so if you were thinking of treating a friend or relative to a dog photography gift voucher right now is a good time to do it!  Of course, it's also an ideal time to freshen up your own family photography whilst including the hairiest, woofiest member of the family.

Honest-to-goodness, no-holds-barred feedback is the most valuable thing to any business and given that people tend to be lovely and polite (well, Hairy Dog clients are!), it's actually quite hard to come by.  There's no trip advisor for dog photographers, where people can vent spleen from the anonymity of their keyboards!  I always try to make a point of asking clients what, if anything could have been done better, what could I have done to make the experience more fun and so on, and then make sure that info is actually acted upon...  All this knowledge has built up over the years into a streamlined, easy-peasy method of working which ensures that all involved (dogs and humans) have a fantastic time during their session and more importantly, that afterwards, people end up with exactly what they wanted on their walls.

I've never, ever had to resort to sales pitches.  I've never explored the route of turning up at clients' houses with a projector and a case full of samples.  Yuck!  It's just not my thing.  Fortunately for me, the one thing I am very good at is pairing the right products with the right people - you give me a vague idea of what you'd like on the walls of your house and I'll show you beautifully printed pictures in various forms until we hit the perfect thing!  If you're delighted with the two prints included with the session that's absolutely fine too!

Anyway, enough rambling...  Do take a few minutes to have a look round the specialist Aberdeen Dog Photographer website and place your gift voucher order before Hallowe'en.  On the 1st of November, the price will rise to £120, so please don't miss out!

Aberdeenshire Dog Photography, Holidays at Home, Chickens, Ticks and Other Observations...

Another few weeks have passed in a hot, hazy daze.  Our little family were on holiday for a few of those weeks and as always, steps were taken to ensure the hairiest member of the household could join us.  Who needs the South of France anyway?  It's been so gorgeous here I wouldn't have had it any other way.  By "here" I mean Aberdeen - the holidays were enjoyed on Skye and Portsoy.

Not perhaps the best of times for dog photography sessions - the heat has caused a few postponements and quite rightly so.  Evenings are often best at this time of the year anyway, especially with active or elderly animals.

Just before the heat kicked in, I was out in the countryside meeting a couple of very lovely dogs for an evening session but before I even reached the front door, I was captivated by the friendly chickens running round the yard.  Would have been rude not to take a few photos but I can't imagine you'll be seeing a full time chicken photographer website any time soon...

Both these dogs were just lovely to work with - very distinct personalities.  Their owners had brought back some beautiful bandanas from their honeymoon ( see?  Even when we're not with them, we're always thinking about them! ) and I was keen to get them in shot.

At any session, the idea is to get a really good variety of photographs for the owners.  Everything from heartfelt portraiture to full on, nuclear powered, paws off the ground action!

As you can see, the light levels were pretty low and as the session progressed, it grew ever dimmer - no wonderful golden light on this evening.  So out came the strobes / flashguns.  In the photo below, it's hopefully not immediately apparent that extra light has been added - I try to keep it looking natural unless I'm going for off-the-scale drama.  If you have a close look though, you can see where Benson's legs and tail are slightly blurred through movement whilst a blink of diffused flash on a stand to the right has stopped the motion in his head and ears.  And believe me, Benson is a fast fellow so the flash was entirely warranted!

Ticks - what are they for?!!

Finally, at this time of year, dogs spend their whole lives doing their best to become infested with ticks.  Seriously though, it's almost unavoidable if you walk in the Scottish countryside.  And with this infestation come the many, many posts on Facebook, along the lines of, "OMIGOD my dog has a tick, what shall I do??!"

And out come all the auld wives' tales.  Cover them in vaseline, put out a ciggy on them, spray frontline on it, rub widdershins round the tick until it falls off, only twist them clockwise, etc, etc.

I'm not about to start handing out advice on which tick-repellent works best but I can say for sure that all the above methods are a load of old toot and covering a tick with anything to "suffocate" it, rubbing at it to annoy it or burning it are all good ways to ensure the insect vomits directly into the host's bloodstream with the attendant risk of disease.
Kasper gets loads - below are a few phone snaps...  Sorry...  My method is to carefully part the fur without disturbing the tick - if it gets a fright, it'll bury in deeper - you can see it happening.  Then just grab it as close to the dog's skin as possible with tick teezers, normal tweezers or any other removal tool and wheech it oot smartly before it knows what's going on.  Simple and effective.  I've also used my thumbnail and index finger when tweezers haven't been available.

Yuck.  Anyway, happy Summer dog walking and do just get in touch if you'd like some beautiful, happy, sunny photos of your dogs :-)

Aberdeen dog photographer
07866127732
jamie@hdp.co.uk

How To Prepare For a Dog Photography Session with Hairy Dog.

Dog photography in and around Aberdeen is always going to be a bit hit or miss, given that despite it being Summer, we are still seeing a fair bit of haar and the odd rain shower.  I recently added an FAQ section to my website ( Hairy Dog Photography FAQs ) and am struggling a wee bit to remember all the questions I've been asked over the years.  Most potential issues can be preempted by a few sensible measures; take the dog(s) for a swift walk before the session, especially if they're a bit rambunctious, bring treats and toys but only if that's what the dog's used to, choose a dry walk if they've just been groomed, etc, etc.

With that in mind, please contact me though the Hairy Dog Photography Abedeen website if you can think of anything I should be adding to the list.  As always, I'm striving to make the whole experience enjoyable and stress free for both dogs and humans :-)

Upstaged again...  I can't guarantee every photo will be a keeper!

One of the many joys of photographing dogs is that if it's dingin' doon with rain or hailstones, we can just reschedule.  After years of wedding photography, it took me several more years of photographing dogs to get used to the idea that it's OK to do this!  With weddings, obviously, there's less wiggle room (i.e., none) - you just have to get on and make the most of whatever's being thrown at you...

For outdoor sessions though, the one thing I do need is light.  Ideally, soft morning or evening light - golden hour if possible, or even glorious midday sunshine.  Sunset shoots can work very well, especially with older or less zoomy dogs.  I do use flash here and there, either for dramatic impact, to overcome very bright sunshine or if it's just plain dull.  It's also very useful in woods to stop the dappled light from creating patterns on the subject as it filters through the leaves - it just evens the light out nicely.

The question asked more often than any other is, "My dog won't really sit still - how will you take his photo?"  A quick look through the Hairy Dog gallery or Hairy Dog Facebook page should put your mind at rest.  So far, I've never met a dog which can't be photographed (touch wood!).  And that includes greyhounds, whippets, mad spaniels and puppies with absolutely zero training.  It's amazing what a bit of patience, combined with a few squeaky toys and my ability to make all manner of weird noises can do!  Also, as the photos show, I do tend to specialise in a bit of action photography, as well as heartfelt portraiture.

Patience you must have, my young Padawan...

Bring the whole family on your Hairy Dog Photography session!

He was just at the blooming groomers yesterday!!!   #@@#@!!****

Bulldog not chewing a wasp at a Hairy Dog Photography Session...

So if you're consideing a family photo session this Summer, or if it's just that you'd love some photos of the hairiest family member, do get in touch! There are a few special offers running right now - please like the Hairy Dog Facebook Page to get first look at current dog photography offers.

Aberdeen Dog Photography Housewarming Offer

A New Chapter for Hairy Dog Photography...
... and a Very Special Dog Photography Offer in Aberdeen...

After many (many!) months of waiting, we have finally sold our house near Durham and are now living back in Aberdeen, after a 15 year absence!.  We haven't moved in to the new house quite yet - everything seems to happen with all the haste of a glacier moving through syrup...  However, I'm now up and running in Grampian, offering the same services as before - tip-top dog and family photography ready to be turned into stunning art for your walls.  Bad jokes are all part of the service too.  The Hairy Dog website has had a bit of an Autumnal spruce up and I think I've removed all references to NE England...

As a sort of housewarming gift, it seemed a good idea to run a short special offer, so I've slashed the session fee to just £40 instead of the usual £70.  This still includes an hour long session on location, two 9x6" prints and an online gallery to view your images.  As always, each and every photo is worked on individually and you can expect about 30 photographs to choose from.  If you'd like to know more about dog photography in Aberdeenshire, please click through to the Hairy Dog booking page.  You can read some of the most common questions about a dog photo session too.  The offer lasts until the 1st of December, so don't wait too long!  You can buy your session now but you don't have to use it straight away - any time before the end of April 2018 is fine.

Also, don't forget that dog photography gift vouchers are available - starting at £70 they're a great gift for those friends who are constantly covered in dog hair and mud :-)

Hope to meet some of you soon!

Jamie.