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!

Half Price Dog Photoshoot Offer - Limited to just 10 spaces - July Only.

It's not very often I run any special offers here at Hairy Dog Photography but if we're going to have another hopelessly muddy, wet Winter ( and I'm sure we will! ) then I'd like to make the most of the beautiful sunny weather we're having now.  Not to mention the amazing palette of every shade of green in the visible spectrum in the north east countryside!

So, the deal is, a half price, hour long photo session pretty much anywhere in the north east ( including Durham, Northumberland, Darlington, Newcastle and Sunderland ), a half price montage design and a half price full size, hi-res download of the finished design.  That's just £65 instead of £130!  The finished montage can be printed up to one metre on the long side as often as you like.  I just send you the link and you download it to your computer or memory stick with one easy click.  If you're buying as a gift, just let me know and I'll send you one of our glossy gift voucher cards in a fitted envelope.

Here's the link to buy your deal,right at the top of the page: Half price north east dog portraits

Here's an example of what the finished montage design will look like.  You can choose up to 12 photos but often, less is more.

There are still the usual options to buy further prints / downloads but absolutely no obligation or pressure at all.  Please feel free to call me ( Jamie ) on 07866127732 for a chat, or visit the Hairy Dog Photography website here: Specialist dog portraiture in the north east

Misty day Dog Photography, Portable Studios and Wasted Energy

Jamie Emerson runs Hairy Dog Photography in the North East of England covering Durham, Newcastle, Darlington, Northumberland and beyond.  Bespoke pet photographer, specialising in outdoor, lifestyle portraiture.


Almost every time I step out for a dog walk...

...I'll have a camera of some kind with me.  Sometimes I'll also have high hopes of a decent photograph but usually it's purely force of habit.  Today looked 'interesting' outside - huge rolling fog banks drifting through hollows, causing trees to suddenly loom up before being immediately wreathed in mist again.

So rather than the usual point and shoot, or small DSLR with one small, prime lens, I hefted one of the big cameras into my rucksack along with the monstrous 70-200mm lens.  A weighty combo.  I'm sure that most of us have gone for a walk with a camera, only to return home without the blooming thing leaving its bag.  Well, I do that a lot, so if I have the 'Big Guns' with me, I pretty much force myself to take at least one photo.And yes, it was pretty much a waste of effort - what should have been a set of beautiful, ghostly, ethereal photos was in reality, some photos of greyness with hints of tree...

In light of the lack of visible subject matter, I reverted to my default setting of dog photographer and got one passable shot of Kasper in the woods, where the fog was less thick.  So at least carrying the big camera for a few miles wasn't a complete waste of effort!

In other news, I recently visited Charlie the Spaniel in Byker, Newcastle for an indoor pet portrait photography session.  My portable studio squeezes into surprisingly small spaces and although I do specialise in outdoor, lifestyle portrait work, I'm equally at home in a studio and always relish the chance to get creative with the lighting.  Charlie and his people behaved admirably throughout - you can see his full gallery here on the hairy dog website.

If you'd like to book your dog in for a session, please feel free to pop over to the main Hairy Dog website to learn more or get in touch using the hairy dog contact page.

Coffee table photo books

Beautiful hardcover little black books!

Lots of people are not so good about making up their minds - it's the human condition.  Faced with 40 beautiful photos of a favourite dog, it's not surprising - most of my clients want all of them!

For all these people, may I introduce my Little Black Books.  These are 14 page albums containing 26 photographs from your session.  They're a lovely, dinky size at 7x5".  The pages are top quality photographic paper bonded to a really super-thick substrate.  The quality really is amazing.  So much better than any of the online photobooks available.  Just the perfect solution for those who can't decide which are their favourites.

Here's what they look like...

You may choose to have printing on the front cover

Super-thick pages are UV laminated for a very long life

Photographic paper ensures brilliant, vibrant colours

As always, please do take a minute to look through my dog photography from all over the north east and just call Jamie Emerson on 07866127732 to book your session or to ask any questions.  See you on the dog walk :-)

Dog Walk Photography at Hawthorn Dene

Hairy Dog Photography, specialist pet portraiture in the north east, covering Durham, Newcastle, Darlington, Northumberland and Sunderland.  Please do just get in touch to organise a shoot or buy a gift voucher.

Just around this time of year, with the first few sunny days drying up the winter clag, the wild garlic coming through to carpet our woodlands, and the buds bursting into leaf on the trees, I start to see all the Hairy Dog Photography gift vouchers given as Christmas presents come back to me.

So before they all roll in, I like to get a few practice sessions in with my own hairy dog, Kasper.  Not that all the photography kit has been sitting idle since last Autumn - far from it!  Pet portraits happen all year round - especially sessions with my portable studio kit (which pops up in your living room) and sessions on the beach for hardy dogs and owners!  Weddings also keep me busy all Winter.  But keeping up with a lively dog on his favourite walk and getting pin sharp, beautiful photos is a very different skill to capturing a client's wedding.

A few weeks ago, sick of the local muddy footpaths and woods, Kasper and I escaped up to Hadrian's Wall and were rewarded with a crispy, hazy day with beautiful views in every direction.  The photo below shows the dog on a stile, with the stunning but low key view in the background.  I have it on my wall in a frame now - the dog needn't always be the centre of attention in a Hairy Dog photograph!

Environmental portraiture with beautiful landscape and dog.

Today's walk also involved the car but we kept it local and headed off to one of our favourite walks at Hawthorn Dene.  It was (mercifully) quite dry underfoot, and as always, it was a joy to see the greenery beginning to break through, although some long dead Autumn leaves were still hanging around...

It's always worth the effort on the rare days we see a spot of Spring sunshine and it beats trudging round Herrington Country Park, or the local mud-pits which once were fields!

Spring dog walk photography in the north east

A few dead leaves, backlit, during a pet portrait session near Sunderland

The last of the snowdrops at Hawthorn Dene, against a colourful backdrop

Action photography of a dog running through some woods in the north east

Dramatic pet portraits by Hairy Dog Photography.

Why wait until your dog is old and tired before booking your shoot, or buying a very good friend a Hairy Dog gift voucher?  Better to catch your pet in the prime of his life, at his most sparkling and engaging!  Do feel free to call or email with any questions - 07866127732 or 01915845442.  Email - jamie@hairydogphotography.co.uk

Hairy Dog in the Woods!

Kasper the Hairy Dog Goes Wild in the North East

And there are photographs to prove it...

Jamie Emerson

Hairy Dog Photography - specialist dog and pet photographer in the north east

Langley Street, 

New Herrington

DH4 4LN

07866127732

01915845442

Kasper and I had a fantastic, muddy, slippy woodland walk today.  It's been at least a week since I took any photographs of the poor dog, or even sat him down for a portrait session.  This neglect had to end, so we sallied forth into the north east countryside for a pet portrait session (formerly known as a 'walk').

This is what Hairy Dog Photography does best - I love nothing better than to be out with a dog or two capturing your pets' characters in an environment where they are free to just be themselves.  Some dogs thrive on bounding back and forth, others are happy to lope along and sniff everything.  It doesn't matter - a pet session with Hairy Dog will always give you a beautiful set of photographs to look back on, hang on the wall or just to stick on Facebook!

The countryside round Durham really is rather lovely, and despite the weeks of rain, the paths alongside the River Wear were mostly not too sodden.  I had packed my 50mm lens for use with the Nikon D300s camera, partly for ease of carrying and partly as I am just in love with my 50mm, f1.4 lens.  It's one of the cheapest 'pro' lenses available, weighs very little and gives absolutely stunning results.  Most of the photoshoots I carry out for dog portrait clients involve my 70-200mm VR, f2.8 lens.  It's just the ticket for fast, erratically moving doggies but even at its widest aperture, it doesn't give bokeh like the 50mm f1.4!

Close up portrait of white dog near Durham

That blurry background is what I'm talking about when I say 'bokeh'

The next five photos all use a spot of flash.  The flashgun is set away from the camera and set off using a wireless trigger, controlled by the camera.  It makes it very easy to create a little dramatic light, and is obviously very helpful to a pet photographer in a dark, rainy wood!

Kasper the dog enjoys a pet portrait shoot in the north east countryside

Action shots of dogs are Hairy Dog Photography's speciality

Lurcher sitting by a stile near Durham, north east England.

Action photograph of a dog leaping a style by Hairy Dog Photography

And to finish, just a lovely natural light shot of Kasper walking through the daisies in a patch of sunlight.

Do feel free to get in touch to book a doggy lifestyle portraiture session.  They start at just £40 and I can also provide gift vouchers - what dog owner wouldn't like a gift like that?!

Want to see a whole lot more photos of dogs being doggy?  Have a look here; specialist dog portraits, durham

Dog Photography at the beach, Tynemouth!

Hairy Dog Photography at the beach, Tynemouth.  Jamie Emerson specialises in action dog photography and pet portraiture throughout the North East.  

Outdoor doggy photoshoots are always a bit hit or miss - the freezing, horizontal sleet we've endured over the last few days did not bode well for Thursday's photoshoot with five dogs on Tynemouth Beach!  Amazingly though, the day dawned crisp, fresh and sunny and I dug out my sunglasses and warmest fleece.

With really bright, low winter sunshine, there's very little to be gained from using speedlights - they just cannot compete with the sun (especially when the subjects are fast-moving and unpredictable!).  So out came the 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens.  It's a monster and weighs a ton - so much so that I've almost stopped using it at weddings and had been considering getting rid of it and buying a lightweight 85mm f1.8 prime, but after yesterday, I think I'll hang onto it a little longer.

Anyway, this isn't a lens review - bring on the dogs!!

Black Lab Cocker X running full speed on beach

That's Arthur above, going full tilt to fetch his ball - like so many dogs, he has a full blown obsession with balls!  If I recall correctly, Arthur and the other black dog Millie are both Black Labrador-Cocker Spaniel crosses.

Ex show Whippet running on Tynemouth Beach.

 Names are definitely not my strong point and trying to remember the names of two humans and five dogs seems to be beyond me!  Anyway, this handsome fella is an ex show dog - his markings really are amazing and he's such a total softy.  I want a whippet!

The smaller dog in the photo above is a hunting Whippet apparently.  He's also most definitely the boss dog - his lovely owners tell me that he can eat any of the other dogs' food with impunity!

The Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR lens is just a thing of joy and beauty for this kind of work!  Pin sharp photos, time after time, even with five dogs hooning around on a beach!

Black Labrador in the sea at Tynemouth by Hairy Dog Photography

Me and my shadow!  Whippet and Black Labrador on Tynemouth Beach by Jamie Emerson

I really, really like the shot above - it was a total chance shot but the Whippet seems to have a lumpy shadow all the way round him!

The speed of this chap was mindblowing.  He also just can't stop without something to crash into - usually his owner!

Smiling Whippet dog on the beach

That is one happy dog right there ^^^  If that's not a smile, I don't know what is!

And back home for a few studio type shots - as always, the portable studio fits into pretty much any size of space with very little fuss.  This might have been the last outing for the white backdrop though - it's had every type of dog biscuit imaginable slobbered all over it...

All the dogs were happy to have a snooze after their beach exertions!

Sleepy puppy in black and white

What a great day, and if I dare say it, what a great set of photographs! You can see the whole gallery of this shoot on the Hairy Dog Website.  If you would like a doggy photoshoot, do pop over to my website specialist dog photographer, north east and use the contact page to get in touch.  Gift vouchers are also available for your dog-obsessed friends :-)

Upcoming work for Hairy Dog Photography in the North East

Commercial dog photography in Newcastle and the North East, plus exciting tie-in with new Grooming Parlour!  

Just a couple of exciting bits of news to share this morning.  Commercial and advertising work is something I've done a little bit of in the past, so I was delighted to get a call from Jo at Newcastle based professional movers and storage experts, Quicksilver.

Jo's beagle Rio is very much an office dog and the plan is to get a good range of photographs of Rio climbing around Quicksilver's new, branded boxes, then plaster the huge images all over their new vans and social media pages.  Can't wait!  Even after all these years, it's still a huge thrill to see ones' work in the public domain!

The other very good bit of news is that Hairy Dog Photography is in talks with a local new-start dog grooming business.  The studio will be based right round the corner from me in Philadelphia, and Linda the owner has big plans!  She has also spent a long time learning her craft.  Between us, we will be offering some incredible photography / grooming deals to celebrate the launch of the new enterprise, so do watch this space for further details.

So you may rest assured that your pooch won't end up looking like poor Kasper after his one and only trip to a chop-shop...

When dog grooming goes wrong!

Thanks for looking in!

Husky dog photoshoot in Middlesbrough by Hairy Dog Photography

Today found me in Middlesbrough taking photographs of Bruce the Husky.  Dog portrait sessions quite often end up with other family members involved and today was no exception.  They all said it; "Kids and animals son, just say no!".  But I didn't heed the advice and shooting dogs and children is just huge amounts of chaotic fun!  You can see Bruce's full gallery, along with other dog photo sessions HERE, in the Hairy Dog Photo gallery.

Photo of a husky with Christmas novelty toy.

First up is a Christmassy type of portrait - I have to admit that I pulled Santa's foot off whilst playing with Bruce.  Sorry Santa.  And sorry Joanne for ruining Bruce's new toy (not that he seemed to care very much).

Husky profile, Middlesbrough

What a very handsome chap he is!  I'm so used to seeing the larger Alaskan Malamutes when out walking my dog Kasper, that I was surprised to see how slender and svelte Bruce the Husky is.

Husky dog about to howl, North East

I was really, really hoping I'd hear a full on Husky howling session but the photo above is about as close as he came.  I even encouraged him by doing a spot of howling myself when I thought his owner was distracted by the kids, but to no avail...

Photo of a Husky dog standing, by Hairy Dog Photography

Bruce's owner had requested an all white background.  The portable studio takes about 15 minutes to set up, even in a room full of dogs and kids!  2012 might see me buying a new white backdrop though - the current one has had every type of half-chewed dog biscuit imaginable dropped onto it this year!

Lolcat Husky dog photoshoot by Jamie Emerson

The lolcat shot ^^^ :-)  "Do not want!".

Dog photo, unusual angle, NE dog portraits

Dude.  Buy some Colgate!

Husky looking like a wolf against a white backdrop

Not so far from Canis Lupus, but Bruce was a perfect gent throughout - he's incredibly good natured and endured the photoshoot with nary a complaint.  The Good Boy Chocco drops probably helped there.

If you, your dog, your family or all of three would like a Hairy Dog Photography photoshoot, why not get in touch to arrange a shoot?  There's still plenty of time to get prints made for Christmas if you're quick!  Or if you're stuck for a dog-owning friend's present, then how about a dog photography gift voucher?