Can dogs smile? Disclaimer: I’m a Certified Canine Body Language Specialist, however I am not a professional dog trainer or behaviourist. This post is intended to be informative, but not comprehensive. Please seek advice from a professional if you need more information or support. Earlier today I saw a thread on Twitter that really struck a nerve. The tweet began “Every now and then I hear discussion about whether dogs smile, at least in the way we humans do.” and proceeded to post a huge number of photos of dogs deemed to be ‘smiling’. The tweet gained a lot of traction, with other us ..read more

2022 CHARITY CALENDAR PROJECT I’m quite embarassed that it’s taken me this long, but halfway through the year I thought it might be nice to share some photos from my most recent Charity Calendar Project! After the success of 2018/19 I was itching to shoot another calendar. Unfortunately COVID had other ideas, and the whole thing was put on hold for two years! But as soon as it was safe to venture back outside, I set about planning the next project. This time, I wanted to create an extra special connection between the calendar and the charity, so decided to photograph dogs that had been rescu ..read more

What is a legacy? We often think about the term ‘legacy’ in a very human way, but I firmly believe that our pets leave a unique legacy all of their own, something that deserves to be remembered and celebrated.  When we remember the pets that we’ve loved over the years, it’s hard to forget the impact they’ve had on our lives – and the lives of those around us. Whether they were with us for a lifetime or even just a short time, pets have a profound way of leaving their mark – not just on our hearts, but on the world around us. I believe that every single pet leaves behind a legacy – it i ..read more

Featured Artist: Characters by Julia Today is Earth Day – a day for promoting environmental awareness and the role we play in protecting our planet from things like pollution and deforestation. From litter picking to tree planting, there’s plenty of things you can do to take part! And today seemed like the perfect day to celebrate an artist that I’ve been following for a while now. Julia Levander Drew is a textiles artist creating beautiful animal scultpures with an important message. Raising awareness of environmental issues and animal rights is at the heart of everything she creates. I wa ..read more

Dogs don’t smile Disclaimer: I’m a Certified Canine Body Language Specialist, however I am not a professional dog trainer or behaviourist. This post is intended to be informative, but not comprehensive. Please seek advice from a professional if you need more information or support. Earlier today I saw a thread on Twitter that really struck a nerve. The tweet began “Every now and then I hear discussion about whether dogs smile, at least in the way we humans do.” and proceeded to post a huge number of photos of dogs deemed to be ‘smiling’. The tweet gained a lot of traction, with other u ..read more

Creativity takes courage To say that we’ve all experienced some change over the past two years is probably the understatement of the century. Our world has been turned upside down and inside out, and then thrown in a blender for good measure. Nobody likes change. It can be hard. It can be scary. It can even be painful. But it can also be good (when it doesn’t involve a global pandemic). Change can be exciting. It can be liberating! I’ve struggled a lot with the idea of change because it’s always felt a bit like ‘failure’ – I mean, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? But I’ve come to appreciate tha ..read more

Sit, stay, smile: Taking photos of your pet As a nation of animal lovers, it’s only natural that our phones, cameras & computers are crammed with photos featuring our four-legged friends. I mean, what else are we supposed to show to our friends and family? But it isn’t always easy getting that perfect shot of our pets – they’re notoriously naughty, wriggly and downright difficult to take pictures of! But don’t despair – I’ve compiled a list of my top tips for getting the most out of your pet photos. Let’s get started… Take your time Not everyone enjoys having a camera shoved in their fa ..read more

THE HEALTH & SAFETY OF DOG PHOTOGRAPHY Health & safety… Three words guaranteed to instantly induce snores and groans from any audience. And yet here I am writing an entire blog post on the stuff! Sure, it’s not glamorous or exciting, but it is an essential part of running a business – especially one that involves working with animals. So before you drift off, hear me out… This dog may look majestic, perched high up on a log, he’s actually less than 2 feet off the ground. A good photographer will use perspective and composition to create the illusion of drama, without ever placing ..read more

LEAD OR NO LEAD? If you’ve ever visited my portfolio, or flicked through a few of my journal entries, you might be left wondering how all of these dogs are so well trained and able to be allowed off-lead! You might even be feeling a bit disheartened, thinking “there’s no way my dog would ever sit still like that for a photo!” Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret… about 80% of the dogs I photograph are actually on a lead during their photo sessions! There are quite a few reasons why a dog can’t or shouldn’t be let off-lead – but it’s not a problem! Not every dog has mastered a so ..read more

UNDERSTANDING YOUR SUBJECT: ‘SPEAKING DOG’ I was recently asked by the Master Photographers Association to write an article for their magazine around the importance of understanding dogs, as a photographer. This is a subject that’s very close to my heart, and something I could waffle on about for hours, so naturally I jumped at the chance! I wanted to share a taster of my article in this blog post – I will say now that this is aimed at photographers, but there’s probably some valuable info in here for dog owners too, so please have a read – I’d love to know what you think! Remember that ..read more