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!

Which Season for Dog Photography?

 A Dog For All Seasons

Let me start by saying I'm so grateful just now for the dog photography.  Hairy Dog has allowed a small amount of income to keep trickling in at a time when others have been less fortunate.  Socially distanced outdoor sessions, peppered with the scent of hand sanitiser have become the norm for me and my clients but just being outdoors, meeting people and dogs has helped keep me relatively sane, so thank you if you've had a session recently!

Over the last month, there has been a flurry of last year's Christmas gift vouchers coming in and it's been brilliant!  Late Autumn has become my favourite time of the year to have dog photography sessions.  The dogs are at their best in the cooler temperatures and the countryside in and around Aberdeen / Aberdeenshire is at its very best.  The colours have been especially good this year and I've been shown lots of interesting new walks - one 

of the many perks of meeting dogs in their favourite places.

Needless to say, dog photo sessions at this time of year do have their pitfalls: the one thing I need is light.  Especially when it comes to very quick dogs and especially if the session is likely to be in woodlands or forests.  Light rain / snow / misty conditions can all add impact and atmosphere but a grey, leaden sky doesn't help anyone!  It has meant a good few postponements.  I've recently invested in a large pile of new cameras and lenses which do allow a bit more latitude when it comes to low light but there are limits! 

 

Anyway, all this musing was brought on by speaking to a fellow dog photographer online about the best time of year to shoot.  To be honest, I'd always thought Spring was ideal - the odd light shower, everything coming back to life, reasonable temperatures etc, etc.  But looking back through my catalogue from the last nine years (nine years!!) there's a spread right throughout the year, every year, usually with a bit of a slow down around December and January.  It made me realise that there's always a backdrop worth including, be it lush green foliage in the Summer, frost and snow in the Winter, the obvious Autumnal colours or the budding shoots and floral colour of Spring.

But really, Autumn still nails it for me.  The dogs aren't overheating or freezing, I'm not overheating or freezing and other than having to keep an eye on the weather, it just ticks all the boxes.

It's also about this time of year that new orders start coming in for gift vouchers.  I've put together a whole range this time around, just to offer a bit of choice.  Some of the options might be more suited to a family or group of friends clubbing together, to buy a special gift whilst others offer a more basic level of session (but still include the very best dog photos available in Aberdeen IMHO :-)  ).  You can see the new offerings here - Christmas gift ideas for dog owners

Look forward to meeting you and your dogs - also, don't forget you can book any of the packages as a treat to yourself and your family too.  And I'm always delighted when the family get involved and want to be in a few photos too - my background was originally people photography and I like to keep my hand in!