Great to spend an afternoon with Ozzy and family to capture those later stages of puppy power.  Often young dogs haven’t quite mastered the art of running gracefully as their muscularity and growth is still in development.  What they lack in elegance though at this stage they make up for in comedy and cuteness.  We also managed to capture the dog’s first encounter with the sea.  You wonder the questions in the dog’s mind as the sea encroaches upon its toes!

Black coated retriever puppy dog

Black Coated Retriever dog

Ayrshire family portrait photography

dog paddling

running puppy image

Great to catch up with the Bear of London recently whilst photographing in the big capital. This gorgeous dog was named “Bear” and lived 8 floors up with his owners in this London apartment.  The shot below was taken on the balcony followed by a few more images inside before heading out to his garden run.  Still can’t believe the heat on that day – i think we were all in need of refreshments after finishing the session.

On Wednesday 25th August 2010, I shall be embarking on one of my biggest challenges in the world of pet photography. No, it is not the photography of my own Schnauzer dog “Millie,” nor is it entering into a fenced off area with tame lions and tigers ! Yes from 05:33 until 20:32, I will be covering as wide an area as possible on my bicycle armed with my trusty camera, a bag of tricks and a stash of chocolate biscuits for myself. The aim to photograph as many dogs as possible from dawn until dusk. Okay, I may well meet a cat or two in various neighbourhoods, and they will be shot as well. Who knows I may even shoot the dog owners themselves if I find them not “picking up” after their dog!

On a serious note, I have the utmost respect for the Dogs Trust and their dedicated staff having seen closely the tremendous work that they have done over the years with the rehoming and rehabilitation of many dogs. This project has been in my head for many months and only now has been the right time for me to bring it to fruition.

I have no idea how many dogs will be captured throughout this memorable day but rest assured wherever you be hiding pooches, I shall find you! We’ll also be accompanied during part of the day by a well known BBC celebrity in Scottish circles, who will lend a helping hand ! All monies raised will go directly to the Dogs Trust.

Donations can be made in advance of the event by sponsoring me via this web page. Donations may also be made on the day to the Dogs Trust Team that will be supporting me on my travels. Plus ALL monies raised from the direct sales of any professional reprints will also go directly to the Dogs Trust.

For all those donating, there is an opportunity to win a professional dog photography shoot and large framed print by simply guessing the TOTAL number of DOGS that I manage to photograph between the hours as specified above. Whoever is the nearest to the total will win the prize. The prize winner’s shoot will take place either in Ayrshire or in your neck of the woods the next time I am on my travels to that area. Thank you in advance for your support and you’ll no doubt see images from the event in due course!

The event is listed at http://www.justgiving.com/shoot-the-dog

Many thanks in anticipation, Paul Walker

Labradoodles, I keep seeing them everywhere and then had the please of photographing two within a relatively short space of time recently. They are often a challenge, since the dark coated Labradoodles with their curly coats and facial fur often makes the presence of eyes hard to find. The lighting is also critical when photographing such dogs. I say dogs, but am often tempted to say “teddy bears” as their loving nature and boucning walk does amuse me. People often say they make great pets and after photographing Danyr and Dixie recently I have to agree with such statements.

Labradoodle dog image

Dog Photographer

Labradoodle Dogs

A dog named Diesel of course.  I retrived my Schnauzer from the kennels today and couldnt resist taking a picture of the owners dog, Diesel.  He’s an incredible dog with a great temperament!

Saint Bernard Cross

Thanks to all of our customers in 2009 for making this last year extra special.  We have many treats in store for 2010 including the commencement of a brand new book title that is still under development.  I’m sure many of the pet characters from last year and indeed this coming year will feature in this forthcoming book.  Thanks to all of those people that attended our courses in 2009, we hope you all now have as much fun in creating original pet images as we do and we look forward to the courses being held next year both in Ayrshire and Italy.  Best regards,  Paul Walker

New Year message

Finally the snow arrived, just in time for Christmas along with two Hungarian Vizsla’s, “Sam & Ruby” around 9 am this morning. The photo shoot was an early Christmas present and the snow and light that presented themselves were certainly favourable.  These two characters were certainly active and seemed to love playing in the Ayrshire snow.  Thank you to all of our customers throughout the UK, past and present and their pets for making this an extra special year. We have some great plans for 2010 that will be revealed in early January and we really look forward to some of the dogs, cats and horses that are already scheduled to be photographed in 2010.

Hungarian Vizsla's in Ayrshire snow

Beagle dogs

It’s always good to see some Beagles here and there. I can remember a snoring Beagle from Harrogate many years ago that used to amuse me.  There is always extra caution with this breed of dog if photographed off the lead and it would certainly make the photography extremely difficult if the whole session was spent trying to keep up with the Beagles as they locked onto a scent.  Fortunately their owners knew these Beagle dogs well and most of the session was conducted off the lead.  Bruce and Ollie, I hope you get something nice for Christmas!

Imagine my confusion when a dog named with the same surname as me arrived for his photo session.  His name being “Walker”.  A fine figure of a dog, but everytime the owner commanded “Walker” to sit, I felt like being back at school again with my name being called out.  Walker was a rescue dog and real credit to the owners has developed into a great character.  I thoroughly enjoyed shooting him (not literally) and thought I’d share this picture on the blog.

Springer Spaniel image

Today was a sad day for the James family.  There I was editing the family’s group of dogs when the news came through via email that their eldest dog “Mandy” had sadly passed away.  It certainly brought a tear to my eye as I switched between reading the email and editing the set of images that have yet to be seen.  Leslie, our thoughts are with you and the rest of the dogs that have also lost one of their companions. 

spaniel dog