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 :-)

Durham Dog Walks in the Sunshine!

Today's sunny Springtime walk with lots of photographs...

Here at Hairy Dog Photography, Kasper the dog and I are always overjoyed when the first signs of Spring start to show on our local walks around Durham.  The wild garlic coming through, blue skies and proper sunshine (!), the first splashes of green.  Grand!

We had Finlay the baby with us today too - he seemed to enjoy it as much as Kasper and I.  The notion struck me to take my least used lens today - a 14mm Samyang fisheye (stupidly wide angled lens).  It's a lot of fun but sees very little use as it's a bit, well, silly really.  It's good for the odd shot at a wedding and has even made the occasional appearance at a Hairy Dog photoshoot but for the most part, it's sadly neglected.

Really enjoyed using it today - it's obviously very limiting and pretty soft until it's stopped down to f8 or thereabouts but it is always interesting!  The manual focus is a challenge too, especially with a fast moving dog...

If you'd like a photo session with your dog, or know someone who might, please don't hesitate to get in touch through the Hairy Dog site.  Pet photography gift vouchers are available too and are always a lovely present.  If you just want to know what it's all about, take a look through the galleries and the "About" page.

I think you'll find this is a public footpath...

First port of call - Mallygill Woods ( Jamie Emerson, Hairy Dog Photography ).

This is what the 14mm Samyang lens looks like at f2.8.  Not so good for bridal portraits :-D

Moorhouse Woods dog walk, Durham, by Jamie Emerson

I love what the Samyang lens does to the edges of the frame at f2.8.

Just checking he's still there...

If you do want to book a dog portrait session, please feel free to call me (Jamie Emerson) on 07866127732, or just drop me an email on jamie@hairydogphotography.co.uk

You can also visit my main Dog Photography Website and have a look round the galleries.

See you on the dog walk!

Autumnal dog walking in North East England

The nights are drawing in...

And I love it!  This is absolutely my favourite season, especially on a day like today, with bright, crispy sunshine making the trees glow orangey-green against a bright blue sky.  It makes me want to get out and about with the dog.  More so than the green shoots of Spring, more than snowy Winter days.  The result is that Kasper, the original Hairy Dog, has been getting more time outside than usual.

Labrador against an autumnal backdrop

As a specialist dog photographer, weather like this is nothing but good news.  The light is nowhere near as harsh as it is in the height of the Summer - it's perfectly suited to creating beautiful outdoors dog portraiture.  The heat for the last few months has also made dog photography somewhat harder - dogs are too clever to go full pelt when it's that hot!

Snowy dog photoshoots are a lot of fun, but nothing beats a crispy Autumn shoot

Around this time of year I usually start advertising dog photography gift vouchers, and this year is no exception.  In fact, I'm pushing them hard this year, helped by a £75 coupon for advertising through Google Adwords (thanks Google!).  These vouchers really do seem to be hugely appreciated by the recipients - they are usually people who dote on their pets and who, like me, have a great love of the outdoors.  The whole concept of having a photoshoot whilst on a favourite dog walk appeals to most of my clients and the resulting photos are simply a reflection of the owner and dog's lifestyle.

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of vouchers coming in and a resurgence of visitor numbers through the website - I put this down to the change in the weather - perhaps owners who have been swithering about having a doggy photoshoot feel that the time is ripe as the leaves turn, the temperature drops and the light fades into a golden glow.

In other news, it now looks like Hairy Dog is becoming the 'go-to' photographer for local dog shows.  I'd actively avoided these shows for a long time due to worries that such shoots would dilute the high quality brand that is Hairy Dog.  Well, I needn't have worried - the last show proved that I can still pull out top quality photographs in a high-pressure situation, with queues of dogs waiting their turn.  Here are the most recent photos - dog show photography north east.  I'm back there ( The Dog House, Cold Hesseldon ) for a German Shepherd show later this month.  Can't wait!

Dog show photography in the north east by Hairy Dog Photography

As always, if you're interested in seeing high quality, creative photographs of dogs, please do 'like' the Hairy Dog Facebook page or call Jamie on 07866127732 to set up your own photoshoot, thanks!

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