Did someone say snacks? Meet Coco, Cookie and Casper three little dogs with three big personalities. I went to their home in Johannesburg to photograph them and with the help of my faithful friend Biltong, managed to shoot some gorgeous portraits.
From experience (first hand on a daily basis with my tiny tot Hazel) I've found that the smaller the dog, the bigger the personality. It's like if you weigh less than 5 kgs, you automatically think you're at least 40 kgs and the size of a small pony. I think only dogs can get away with having that huge and inflated a sense of self and still be likeable. This trio was very likeable indeed and we had lots of fun posing them around the garden and house during the shoot.
We scheduled the shoot on the same day as a grooming session, so fresh from their trip to Le Pawtique, three little dogs were manoeuvred around the premises so I could capture their individual personalities as well as some shots of the three of them together. I often get a quizzical look from dog parents when I suggest team photos, granted it took a few gos to get the hounds to sit together, but eventually we managed it. Thereafter we had to fight to get them to NOT be in the photos all together.
I brought my black backdrop along for some more formal portraits, especially easy to set up with tiny dogs, and captured this set of photographs. Dogs are often more comfortable in their own space, so for clients who'd like a more formal look to their images as well as shots in the garden, this is a super option.
Once we'd worked the garden vibe, we trotted into the house to shoot some natural images of the dogs chilling on the couch. They didn't disappoint. I think they were just waiting for the cue. Cookie made herself comfortable on the couch first next to her Dad.
Followed by Casper.
Coco was quite wary of all the activity and took the longest (and the most Biltong) to warm up. I pretended to ignore her, then she got onto the couch too.
Three little dogs ended the shoot altogether, on the couch, in preparation for an afternoon nap.
For more information about commissioning a dog portrait shoot of your own, please get in touch with me here. You can view more of my dog portrait photography work on the blog here.
