Studio Dog Portraits on Location

Studio Dog Portraits on Location in Johanneburg

Meet Rosie, Angus & Tank. Three little Dachshunds.

I was commissioned to photograph this this trio of friends recently.  Their mom told me that Tank gets very nervous if he travels, so we needed to do the shoot at home using my portable studio set up. The dogs were a little suspicious as I got the backdrop and lights ready, but the swift arrival of a selection of treats soon put an end to that worry.

Tiny Rosie was first up for her portrait session.  This little lady is 9 years old and her mom was keen to get some cute portraits of her to out up on the wall.  Rosie was quite shy so it took some coaxing to get her to sit still and look at the camera, but by the power of snack items, we got there.

Next up was Tank, also a senior boy who wasn't quite sure about the task at hand.

He was far happier when his sister was sitting next to him, safety in numbers, although that meant sharing the treats which he wasn't too happy about. He did however get his own back by photobombing Rosie's portrait.

Younger brother Angus showed them both how it was supposed to be done. He sat like a champ for his portraits, in exchange for a constant supply of snacks of course.

Angus is a standard sized wired haired dachshund, so he towered over Rosie and Tank who are mini versions.  

To finish the shoot off, we attempted some team photos. 

The dogs were far more focused on the snacks than me. Perhaps next time, I'll do a Lady Gaga and cover myself in steak before the shoot to ensure full eye contact at all times, LOL.

What's so great about Great Danes?

Excitement was the order of the day for this dog portrait shoot featuring not one, not two, but six Great Danes.  Most of the doggies are rescues, one is blind, another is deaf, so this was quite a challenging shoot to undertake.  I rely on using treats and squeaky noises to get head tilts and gorgeous portraits, so I had to draw on some ninja skills here.

As it's impossible to transport six Great Danes without a ten ton truck, I went to their home for the shoot, taking with me a portable back drop, a reflector and a little bit of luck.

This is Titan, he's a Great Dane mix and a rather handsome chap.

This is Jack Sparrow who really is as funny in personality as he looks.

The combination of treats and dog noises worked like a charm here, especially on Licorice.

Velcro the deaf girl required a dextrous and deft combination of treat manoeuvring and quick reflexes from me to get her to face the camera for a front on shot. She is called Velcro because she has to be with her Moms AAAALLLLLLLL the time.

Whilst the Danes did their best to steal the show, Pebbles the Pug with her super cute poses really gave them a run for their money. She managed to hog most of the group shots we took once the individual portraits were done in the most adorable way.

Magic did a super job of supervising the treats, oops, I meant shoot.

Lemon just wanted to be loved.

As one big group shot was going to be nigh on impossible, we broke the group shots down into pairs and watched as the Great Danes squashed the vintage couch.

Pebbles and Velcro in total denial about where they're sitting, I think they thought if they didn't make eye contact, they'd be invisible. We can see you and you look fabulous, even though you're on the couch.

Whilst this is a dog website, I do occasionally have the honour of cats letting me photograph them. I think you get the gist of how these two felt about being papped.

So what's so great about Great Danes? They have goofy personalities, no idea how big they are and they look very pretty on vintage furniture.