While I regularly have a treat balanced on a camera lens in front of Phoebe and Frank, I’m a big advocate for getting professional photos taken of your dogs. You may remember that I previously enlisted Katie and Adventure Pawtraits to capture some lovely memories for us a couple of years ago now, but more recently, I took The Scamps to a photo shoot with a twist – and the results are unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Rudi Darlington, also known as Shoot My Dog, has been popping up inside Staffordshire and Cheshire pet businesses with his treat-tossing photo shoot sessions over the course of the last few months, so I booked Phoebe and Frank onto one at Darwin’s Pet Supplies and the results are incredible. We paid a £20 deposit to secure our 45 minute time slot, with a further £45 to be paid on the day, which would get us all of the edited digital images, as well as a mounted print.
We do get a little bit nervous taking Phoebe and Frank to new places and to new experiences, but it’s a really great confidence-building exercise for all involved. When we arrived at Darwin’s, we were greeted warmly by all before heading into the side room where the groomers is, which was separated from the rest of the shop by a babygate and a closed door, so it was all really nice and secure, so we could let the guys off their leads.
Phoebe is a real ‘people’ dog, and will go do anyone for a fuss and a tummy rub, so we started off the session with her as she was showing a bit more willing than Frank. We started off by having her lead on so it was easier to keep her on the backdrop until she learned the aim of the game (which didn’t take long at all), sit pretty, catch the treats, repeat. Before long, her lead was off and my dad and I stood back and let Rudi work his magic with his selection of bite-sized rewards.
The set-up was simple enough – a smooth, blue backdrop, a DSLR and a flash – but it’s all in the timing, and Rudi had this skill nailed. As he threw the treats in the air at just the right angle, he’d click his shutter at the exact moment the dogs looked their absolute goofiest, mouths open wide, jowls flapping, eyes crossed in concentration. It really is an art.
After about 15 minutes when Phoebe was showing signs of wanting a little break, we tried the same technique with Frank – but ran into a slight problem. Frank is an instinctively anxious boy and is wary of strangers, and I suppose I can’t complain about it, but he was refusing to take any treats from Rudi. This would mean that should he throw them in the air, Frank may not have even attempted to catch them. So, Rudi helped us try a few different tactics, from me and Phoebe leaving the room, to warm hotdogs from a flask, which were slightly more tempting, but still a no. We did find he was more interested in the Arden Grange liver paste, which typically only comes out in cases that require some real bribery, like nail clips and bath time, so smothered it on some of the regular treats and finally got him to warm up to Rudi with these.
After a bit of trust building, Frank had a go in front of the camera, and while it took him a little bit of time to really get into it, with lots of praise he was soon getting really into it and, dare I say, enjoying himself. Throughout the session, Rudi would show us the odd snap on the back of his camera and they were fantastic – and that’s before any editing, either. Phoebe had another little go herself at the end of the session and before we knew it, it was time to hop back in the car, head home and wait a week or so for the results.
Sure enough a week later an email landed in my inbox filled with the photos from the day, and there were around 50 in total which I thought was brilliant for the price we’d paid for the shoot. Scrolling through each one, not only had Rudi managed to capture a split second of action, but their personalities too, with Frank’s being more goofy than Phoebe’s more laid back poses, with a combination of excitement and determination on their faces. Beautifully lit, Rudi had edited the backdrop on some of the images to be black or even red to give us a wider variety of shots, each one being insanely crisp with every crumb and slobber droplet perfectly in focus. As we swiped through each photo, we couldn’t help but howl at some of the snaps – they were absolutely hilarious
We all really enjoyed the experience, humans and dogs, that is – even if it took Frank a little while to warm up. Not only is it amazing to have the photos and a really special way to immortalise them in a really playful and fun way, but it’s such a good way to expose them to something new and build their confidence, too.
There are countless ways to capture the joy and personality of your furry friend but nothing compares to this. No matter if your dog is young, old, athletic or a little bit lazy, the results of this shoot will be just as priceless no matter what, and this is absolutely your sign to book on a session. To find out about a session near you, contact Rudi here.
