I love working with brilliant dog brands, and I’m lucky enough to be able to be quite choosy on who I work with. So when I was asked by Nash me to do their launch photography and sent me the details of their dog drying coats, I was sold! Responsible packaging, using natural bamboo & twin layered they sounded fantastic. There was one thing though, it was a week before Christmas and they were hoping to launch in the new year, could I do it they asked? Well I was certainly going to give it a try!

After chatting with them to find out how the look and feel of the shoot should portray their product (luxury, practical, stylish, active) I enlisted the help of my water loving top dog models Eko, Boris and Twiggy the spaniels, and Laula the Nova Scotia Duck Toller.

Because the courier managed to not deliver on time (of course, just before Christmas, did anything get delivered on time!?) we went ahead with the lifestyle section of the shoot anyway, which of course, for a dog drying coat, involved lots of wet dogs! I think this is the first time I’ve been thankful for the grey miserable weather we have been having.

When the coats arrived I was so impressed with the feel of them, and I’m happy to report, that the dog models humans were massively impressed with their drying quality!

Boris the Spaniel’s mum couldn’t believe how quickly his ears dried (as well as everything else obviously) in just a short car journey, she said they usually take hours! Laula’s mum is a convert too – considering they are a new brand, to have such amazing feedback is so great to see.

As well as doing a few shoots in the car, we decided the other place a dog drying coat would come in handy was probably at the pub! Any excuse 🙈😉

The Nash brand also now includes drying mitts and covers for dog beds/car boots too so you can have a full selection. I also know they have been very kind to my dog models so they really are a lovely brand. It’s been a pleasure working with you Nash!

You can find Nash at www.nashdog.co | Instagram | Facebook 

If you have a dog brand who could benefit from a professional photoshoot to not only help you stand out from your competitors, but also help you stand out to your clients, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com and I can send you my price list. You can also check out what I can offer you here: https://www.furandfables.com/shoot-overview/brands/

It’s taken me a while to put this post up, over a year in fact. Mainly because I wasn’t quite ready, which seems ridiculous as this didn’t happen to me, but what did happen to me was that I broke a little bit, and even now, sat here writing this, I can feel that tingling in the nose which means I could tear up at any moment. So I’ll hand you over to Amy, who wrote this post, and you will understand my emotional response. –

Professional photography, and why a mobile camera is never enough.

By Amy Wilton
August 2019.

So I have been thinking about writing this for a long while. We are so fortunate that in this day and age we have so many ways and devices that can capture moments. From top of the range DSLRs, simple compact cameras, tablets, and mobile phones. The list goes on!

We’re so lucky to be able to capture snapshots of life so readily. My phone is absolutely full of photos! However I also do photography myself, so whenever I can, I always ensure I take good quality photographs of my beautiful hounds (and family, when they’ll cooperate) on my camera. I used to be better at ensuring I made time to take photos for me, but the last year or so life has got in the way in one way or another.

That said, I did have thousands (and I mean thousands) of photos of my beautiful dogs. Especially of my special oldie dog Holly. We rescued Holly when she was 7 years old; she’d spent all those as the victim of unscrupulous breeding. She’d been pushed from pillar to post, each one breeding another litter from her. By the time we had her, she was a poorly skinny scrap of a dog. Her teeth were rotten and you could see most bones in her frail little body, and yet, she was the sweetest little thing with a heart of gold.

So there began her rehabilitation, and our bond. Immediately, I was the one out of the whole of my family she bonded to. Anywhere I’d go, Holly would follow. Another room, the bathroom, my sweet shadow would follow. A few months in, she then started to be able to detect when my blood glucose levels were going out of range (I am a type 1 diabetic) and would warn me before I got symptoms.  Her story was then shared and she won the Daily Mirror’s Animal Hero Awards for ‘Caring Animal of the Year’ in 2015, and then appeared on ITVs ‘The Secret Life of Dogs’ in February 2017.

I always made sure I took many photos of this special girl on my camera, but equally I wanted photos of Holly and I together. Sometimes handing your camera over to someone else, no matter how hard you both try, just does not quite work. Not quite the angle, the focusing being a little off, despite the amount of times you try to explain ‘Put the square in the view finder on the eye…back button focusing.” Etc.

So you then resort to phone photographs, which are great. They’re instant, easy to set up and you can just hand it to someone to point and shoot. You can share them straight to social media, even better. However, if you do photography, you’ll know the quality in the photo just never quite compares.

So I knew at some point I wanted to commission a professional photographer to take photos of Holly and I. Someone I could put complete trust in, and I knew would take the photos that I was truly after. Along came Kerry. I had long admired Kerry’s work and after winning a family photoshoot a few years ago, and her becoming a friend. I just knew I wanted her to take some of Holly and myself together. To help capture and put into a photo, that bond that we had.

The shoot was booked in for the Sunday and had been for a while. I then got a hospital app through for the Wednesday prior to have my troublesome wisdom teeth removed, and I thought, “Yeah I’ll be fine!” Actually, I was released the same day then readmitted to hospital on the on Thursday with a huge infection.

I managed to leave hospital late on the Saturday, but of course didn’t tell Kerry, or reschedule. I still looked like a hamster with very puffy cheeks but I thought, time is not on our side. If I rearrange, I don’t know when the opportunity to do this will be. Driving over, we had road closures that made us over half an hour late, so arrived rather frazzled. But we still went ahead, despite everything.

I am SO glad we did. Just over a month later, my poor girl had to be let go at age 15 ½ years. Those photos became invaluable. So many memories and emotions tied to them. My heart broke in two; this sweet little girl who had been there for me throughout my teen and adult years was gone.

It meant choosing photos was hard. Really hard. I couldn’t actually choose until nearly a year later. The photos were so beautiful; but it was so painful to look at that them when it was so raw. But when the time came Kerry was there, understanding and supportive. I am over the moon with my photos.

So all I can say to anyone thinking of doing a photoshoot is don’t hesitate, book one. Phone photos just don’t compare. You never know when you’re going to lose a loved one. Once they’re gone, they are the things you truly cherish.

October 2019

 So I finished the above post, not long ago and had been meaning to send it to Kerry. But I hadn’t, for one reason or another. Again, life gets in the way. So, as I hadn’t, it wouldn’t be right to send it without adding the following. It has the made the above even more poignant, and tinged with ever more sadness. But some things need to said. 

 A week or so ago, I messaged Kerry in floods of tears. My Grandad was right at the end of his life. He was young really as far as Grandad ages go, at only 72. But the chemo that was supposed to help knock the cancer back had done the opposite and caused his kidneys and liver to fail in less than 2 days. I knew when I saw him in hospital; it would be for the last time.

 I had to go back home, and through tears I started going through photos of the happier memories, and the way I wanted to remember my Grandad. Not the very poorly, weaker version of him I had seen the previous day. When photos are important to you, you seek solace in times similar to those. So that is what I did.

 Then I came across some of the first photos Kerry had taken for my family. I won one of Kerry’s competitions back in 2014 for a family photoshoot. So we packed up the family, including my Grandad as he was visiting with the hounds, and had this shoot on the beach with Kerry. To this day they are still my favourite of all five of us (plus the hounds!) together. The ones especially of my brother, my Dad and my Grandad are truly special.

 So I guess this is a thank you to Kerry. Three loved ones she’s taken photos of for me have now been cruelly taken away from me. But I have some beautiful photos to remember them by. Thank you doesn’t really quite cut it does it?

 So if you’re reading this and are thinking “Maybe I should book that photoshoot…” please don’t delay and remember time is precious. The memories captured are priceless.

I’ve been photographing dogs for about 6 years now, and I’ve lost count of how many clients have contacted me to say their dog has passed, not all old either, some in the prime of their life. Every single time, it breaks a little part of me. Firstly because I bond with the dogs I photograph, but secondly it reminds me that my own dogs wont be around forever. If you’d like to know more, or want to book a shoot, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com and lets create memories. 

Kerry x

I recently visited London to do a shoot at the Egerton House Hotel where they do doggy afternoon tea (more on that soon!), and it got me thinking about how some places say that they are dog friendly, but in actual fact, it’s more like ‘dogs allowed’. So I decided to test how dog friendly some of my local places were, as recommended by Haslemere locals, I hope dog owners find this useful!

The Lions Den, Weyhill

The Lions Den, Haslemere

Style: Bistro / Cafe
Space: Cosy but plenty of floor space
Time visited: Friday at lunchtime – busy but had tables.
Waterbowl / biscuits: Yes to both – as you walked in the front door although all the bowls were empty.
Did they acknowledge my dog: No, but they were super busy.
Garden: No garden, little seating area outside which looks over Lion Green.
Pros: They didn’t bat an eyelid when I asked if Shadow could go up on the comfy seat with a rug.
Cons: Probably not the place to go with a dog that isn’t good with noise – it’s a family friendly place so at lunchtime on a school holiday Friday, it got quite noisy. 
Would I go back with my dog?: Yes, if I had just one or two with me. 
Is it obviously dog friendly?: Yes, says dogs welcome on the windows. 
Local Walks: A stones throw away from Hindhead Common which links with Devil’s Punchbowl. 

The Holly Bush, Frensham

The Holly Bush, Frensham

Style: Cosy Pub / Bar
Space: Cosy inside, good space outside, both patio area and grassed area. 
Time visited: Friday at 7.30pm. Busy but tables outside available.
Waterbowl / biscuits: Waterbowl’s available. 
Did they acknowledge my dog: A friend of the owner was obviously a whippet fan, so they got lots of fuss! 
Garden: Lovely grassed seating area on two levels, with the upper level having a street food truck where you could order cocktails. 
Pros: Shadow managed to jump up on the benches, right in front of one of the owners, and she really didn’t mind. 
Cons: As it was family friendly, there were lots of children running quite close to where the dogs were laying. Our dogs didn’t mind (we took 6 in total), however for an anxious dog, may be best to go when it’s quieter. 
Would I go back with my dog? Absolutely! 
Is it obviously dog friendly?: Yes! Their instagram account has a plethora of dog visitors. 
Local walks: Just minutes away from Frensham Little Ponds. 
Car parking: Couldn’t see any for the pub, road parking available. 

The Links Tavern, Liphook

The Links Tavern, Liphook

Style: Smart Pub
Space: Fairly big with separate dining and bar area with more informal seating. 
Time visited: Saturday at 5.30pm, was quiet at this time but looked like it was getting busy as I left. 
Waterbowl / biscuits: Yes to both – they actually had a dog pic & mix bar with donations going towards a charity, and a ‘dog keg’ outside. 
Did they acknowledge my dog: Yes
Garden: Lovely grassed seating area
Pros: Were fine with the dogs being on the sofa/chair with a rug down. 
Cons: It’s next to a main road so it could get a bit noisy if you sit outside – although the grassed seating area is round the back.  
Would I go back with my dog? Yes, I’d be happy to take all of them. 
Is it obviously dog friendly?: Did I mention the dog keg outside? 
Local Walks: A lovely walk through heathland next to the Deers Hut pub, and Iron Hill both within 5 minutes drive. 
Car parking: Plenty of parking next to the pub.

The Dog & Pheasant, Brook

Style: Country Pub
Space: Cosy inside, good space outside
Time visited: Wednesday at 5.15pm, quiet. 
Waterbowl / biscuits: Dog bowl. I saw what seemed to be a regular offered biscuits, Boo didn’t get offered though.  
Did they acknowledge my dog: No
Garden: Nice raised patio with countryside views & also grassy nooks & children’s enclosed play area. 
Pros: The outside seating areas are lovely.  
Cons: Limited parking outside the pub, even when it was quiet. 
Would I go back with my dog? I have been before without the dogs and it’s a great local pub with good food but I’d probably not with the hounds, unless we sat in the garden. 
Is it obviously dog friendly?: Not really.  
Local Walks: National Trust site Witley Common is very close. 
Car parking: Limited parking outside the pub, even when it was quiet. There’s road parking across the main road. 

The Dog & Pheasant Pub, Brook

   The Britannia, Guildford Riverside

Obviously a little further out, but worth the trip!

Style: Modern Pub
Space: Fairly big with, good floor space
Time visited: Sunday at 1.45pm, it was busy outside (warm day). 
Waterbowl / biscuits: Yes to both. 
Did they acknowledge my dog: Yes, they were made to feel welcome. 
Garden: No garden however there was a patio at the front & shaded area at the back. 
Pros: Amazingly, they had a stack not only dog towels, but dog beds!
Cons: Limited parking when busy.   
Would I go back with my dog? Yes, I’d be happy to take all of them. 
Is it obviously dog friendly?: Absolutely! Apart from the dog beds, there’s a big ‘dog friendly’ sign outside. They also do ‘dog of the day’ on Instagram. 
Local Walks: Canal/river walk only a couple of minutes away, really lovely stroll.
Car parking: There’s paid parking at the front of the pub, but as it’s Guildford, it was busy – there is also additional parking just to the side. 

The Britannia, Guildford

5 non techy camera phone tips for taking a better photograph of your dog

Teaching your hounds the wait command can really help improve your images.

1. Okay, I’m cheating slightly as this one doesn’t even involve a camera! By teaching your dog a basic wait command, it means you can take a few steps away from your dog and frame the image without having to rush. It’s a super simple process if you don’t already know it – all you need to do is ask your dog to wait while you are standing still, wait a few seconds and reward, build up the seconds, then eventually take a step back and repeat. Before long, you should be able to take a few steps back, and if you progress, even walk away.

2. Watch your background. How many times have you taken a lovely portrait of your dog only to find he has a tree for a hat? This is such a simple one but can make a huge difference. Before you press to take the photograph, check: is there anything accidentally growing out of your dogs head – a lamppost, a bin, a bush, a doorframe?   Can you move around slightly to make sure that the background is clear. Same with horizon lines (where the earth meets the sky), is it cutting through your dogs head

3. Get down to your dogs level – if that means lying down, give it a try, as long as you are able to get back up again, I have to admit, I’m finding this harder. A crouch down will do the job as well. This way you get the image from a dogs eye view. Maybe take a photo from your normal level and then as low as you can so that you can see the difference.