As a business owner, I go to a lot of conferences and seminars and a consistent question is ‘what is your why?’ It’s a question I’ve struggled with constantly, I love my job, buy my ‘why’ was always elusive. Other business owners would give amazing responses and I always felt like a bit of a fraud because my only answer was that I just find joy in photographing dogs, but I couldn’t put into a sentence why this was helping my clients. 

Amy & Holly 🌈

Saying Goodbye

As my business started to develop, the inevitable started happening. Every now and again, clients would contact me to let me know they had to say goodbye to their beloved dog. And it was hard, each time, especially when it was unexpected. Dogs have a wonderful way of connecting with you and making you feel special – so each shoot I left feeling like I had made a friend not only of the dog, but also I came away with a lot of human friends too.

Jasper 🌈

Jasper

And then, it happened to me. Two years ago I lost my own boy, Jasper. I’d initially fostered him and wow, he was a steep learning curve, but underneath his issues, this incredibly happy, smiley, barky dog was so eager to please. And wow did he put me through the ringer, he had months of rehabilitation after something ruptured in his inner ear and he lost a huge amount of blood. Then a couple of years later, he had a stroke which was terrifying to see and one of the only times I’ve felt complete loss of control. After that, he wasn’t the same, he was still a happy chap, but gradually he started to loose control of his bladder, and I’d find him staring into a corner, and he’d seem quite surprised to find himself there. My previous partner made the very difficult decision that it was time to let him go. He was with us both, and all the other dogs at home, and I thought I was going to break. In fact, with hindsight, I think I did a little.

Caroline & Bentley 🌈

He is my why

It was only about a year later, when I was looking at one of the photographs of him, that it really hit home. His final gift to me was realising that I need to go through the pain myself so that I could understand my clients more deeply.  Having photo’s of him at his goofiest, his happiest, even the times when he came out of surgery, meant that I will always have very vivid memories of him.

Pals Maisy, Jasper & Woodley have been reunited. 🌈

Gone, but never forgotten

Our bond with our dogs is indescribable, I still feel like Jasper is just nearby sometimes and I find peace in that. Some people don’t understand it, and that’s okay. I’ve had to make some incredibly hard choices in the last couple of years, and having photographs of my dogs is priceless.  So now, when people ask me what my why is, I can say, without a doubt, Jasper is my why.

Please do take some time to read Amy’s Story too – Holly was an a dog in a million and photographing her was something I will never forget.

For anyone who has lost a dog recently, I promise you wont forget them, but each day, each week, it becomes a little bit easier to bear. 

Kerry x

I know recommendations are really important for small brands, as well as the people buying from them so I’ve decided to do series on the brands I know, like and trust. I have either bought from these small brands, worked with them or both for many many years so I hope this will help you if you are looking for something specific for your dog.

The Ultimate in Whippet Attire

Now I have been working with Debbie at Redhound for Dogs who makes whippet coats & jumpers, photographing for her brand for, oooh, 8 years now so you could be mistaken for thinking I’m biased with this spotlight, but there’s a reason I’ve been working with her for so long; she’s passionate about what she does – clothing whippets both practically and stylishly, she delivers consistently high stands, she’s generous to a fault and an all round good egg.

The face behind the brand.

There will be cheaper alternatives.

The thing I love about this brand is that Debbie and her team are always ahead of the game. I the last few years I’ve seen a massive increase in brands catering not just dog jumpers and coats, but whippet specific ones too, and it’s great to see this industry growing! The differentiator is that Debbie has been doing her thing for 13 years and sewing and designing has been in her blood for many more years that that! So when you buy a coat or a jumper from her you know these things; she has researched tirelessly about what works and what doesn’t, she knows the shape of a whippet like the back of her hand, her skills are finely honed, she sources the best materials and that whatever you buy will last. In every area of my life, I’ve got more and more conscious about not buying things to throw them away 6 months later because they are cheaper, but instead, investing in something which lasts.

Made for Sighthounds

If you have ever tried to find a whippet jumper or coat, or actually if you have any dog with the same build as a sighthound like a Vizsla or a Dalmatian, you know how hard it is to find ‘of the rack’ that fit their shape – with their tucked up waist, deep chest and long backs, pet shop attire ends up gaping in one area or another. That’s why Redhound are so great, Debbie has known and worked with the sighthound shape for over a decade!

Because Debbie has a genuine love for making sure sighthounds are cosy and wearing appropriate attire, in her range you will find something for every season, every weather occurrence and whatever you look for, it will be stylish as well as practical. So whether it’s rain, snow, wind, dark nights, a bit of spring drizzle – your hound will be covered!

Have you already discovered Redhound for Dogs? Let me know in the comments!

You can follow Debbie on: Instagram | Facebook | Website 

A Magical Hike in Coniston

If you have ever been to the Lake District, you know that you can never rely on the weather – it can be very different at the bottom of the fell to the top!

I recently stayed in Coniston with my good friends Rachel & Patch (Rachel helps pet businesses get their own PR so if you are a pet brand, check her out!! Patch is chief supervising officer). We hiked up Holmes Fell on a unseasonably warm day – the chance of rain being small (which means it’ll likely still happen at some point!). Holmes Fell is a lovely but steep little hike, and not as touristy as some of the other fells so we didn’t see very many people at all!

Magic in Nature

Now I’m not afraid to admit, I still have a childlike curiosity about nature, from mushroom spotting to insect hunting – so when we were greeted by the most incredible rainbow display, I was beside myself! They were closer than I had ever seen them, and we saw the full arc, although because I had lugged my camera with my 70-200 lens on, I couldn’t get the full arc in most of the shots, but my Samsung phone picked up some great ones.

The Love of Nature

I know the science behind how rainbows happen, to me, that doesn’t make it any less magical – seeing this amazing display of colours in the sky, especially with the backdrop of the fells, was a pretty special moment.

I think that’s why I’m drawn to nature when I come to photographing dogs. Both of them are a constant surprise and bring me so much joy!

The only real purpose of this blog post was to showcase this magical moment, so I hope you have enjoyed it!! I have a feeling that a lot of you feel the same about being outdoors that I do. 

And if you ever fancy a hiking photoshoot with your dogs in the Lake District, you know where I am.

Kerry x

Taken on a Samsung phone

Lake District & Cumbria Dog Photographer

Yesterday we went on our first beach walk since lockdown, and on the way out of the car park, on the road leading out of the beach, I noticed a little dog close to the edge of the pavement coming out of a side road – it took a few seconds to see the owner as he was several meters behind and the dog was on a retractable lead.

Why I don’t think you should own a retractable lead.

I have pretty strong feelings about retractable leads – I don’t think any dog owner should have one, and here’s why:

When we first adopted Boo, her recall was non existent so I thought a retractable lead would be a good idea so she could roam around a little. I was on a walk with a friend when Boo took off and because she was able to build up speed because of the length of the lead, the handle snapped out of my hand and went with her. Thankfully, a few seconds later she was stopped by the fact that the handle got caught round a fallen tree branch. What terrifies me though is if that would have happened further out into the woods where I wouldn’t have been able to see her – she would have been stuck and unable to get back to me.

Dented pride.

Did I learn my lesson? Oh no! When Shadow had an small injury and needed to be walked on lead, I decided to dig out the retractable lead again. The same thing happened as I bent down to pick up poop, Shadow spotted a dog he wanted to say hello to and because my attention was on cleaning up after him, he got to the end of the lead before I knew it, and because he built up speed, pulled me right off my feet, knocking the wind out of me and denting my knees and my pride.

Suffice to say, we now have long bungy leads (by Ruffwear) if one of the dogs ever needs to be on lead as it gives a little spring rather than a hard stop, and when we were training Boo, we used a long training line instead.

As well as my personal experience – I have had to swerve from dogs running into the middle of the road when the owners couldn’t stop the lead quick enough, seen people get tangled off and pulled over and a multitude of other accidents. I’ve also heard horrific things about burns on hands when the ‘brake’ fails on the handle, not to mention that if the dog is on a collar rather than a harness and they are able to build up speed only to be stopped suddenly as it reaches the end of the line. 

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on this? Have you only had positive experiences with retractable leads? Or have you had a similar experience to me? Do you have other options you are think are better?

Kerry x

Professional dog photographer covering Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire.
kerry@furandfables.com

Beautiful Bluebells

During lockdown, I had a really big burst of inspiration – I rediscovered the stunning bluebell woods within walking distance of our home. I went there as often as I could to document the lifecycle, which is really short, and get some shots of my hounds posing. It made me realise that it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that drive to photograph just for myself. I absolutely love my job – I think maybe when I’m photographing for clients that fulfils my creative need to a certain extent, but it means I forget to go out and photograph just for the fun of it! You can see my project here: https://www.furandfables.com/the-bluebell-diaries/

For this post though, I wanted to put together a little gallery of my favourite action shots, both from my project and from client shoots too, because who doesn’t love to see dogs having fun in such a stunning location. I hope you enjoy! (You can click on the images to view them bigger)

Do you have a favourite? I’d love to hear which one it is in the comments.

Kerry x

Sometimes, having to reschedule a shoot can be the best thing that can happen, just like this London Whippet shoot.

Meet gorgeous Ezra

It’s not often that I have to reschedule shoots, it’s usually weather related, so its even more rare to have to reschedule twice! Ezra’s humans were super relaxed about it though, wanting to make sure we got the best images from the shoot.

A Perfect Day

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect November day! Lovely golden light, and the gardens at Chiswick House offered such an amazing array of colours so late in the year! It was also fairly empty, we didn’t see very many people at all! This location is walking distance for Ezra and his humans, so it is a very special place for them.

Ezra is very much attached to his humans, and not really fussed about anyone else, so I felt very privileged that he was happy for me to give him a good neck scratch.

On Lead but that’s okay!

You may not realise it, but most of these images were actually taken with Ezra on lead. As long as the lead is positioned in a certain way, then it’s quite easy to edit out afterwards.  But enough of that, look at his ears, aren’t they just amazing! He so reminded me of my own hound, Scout, when his ears did this.

Here’s what Ezra’s humans had to say about the shoot (I felt super comfortable chatting with them both, so I was quite surprised when I got this!)

“We’ve had the most amazing shoot with Kerry, with truly magical photos of our whippet boy – Ezra to keep. We’ve been following Kerry’s work for years and we knew if we ever have a photo shoot it must be with her, but as we’re both shy and a bit socially awkward – the idea made us nervous. When we finally decided to do it I was anxiously waiting for the big day, but Kerry made everything so easy. We hit it off right away, she was so nice, brilliant with our dog and she made us feel relaxed and safe. She chose beautiful locations and set ups and turned Ezra into a supermodel – she clearly has a way with dogs!

Overall it was a fantastic and uplifting experience and we’re truly grateful for the wonderful pictures we now have on our walls capturing the sweet personality of Ezra.”

Meet Bernie, the St Bernard! Bernie’s human mum bought a gift voucher for her partner and wanted to do a bluebell shoot, however it wasn’t meant to be. Bernie had some complications and we had to bring the shoot forward, and I was so nervous about how he would be on the shoot.

I needn’t have worried! Bernie had a pace maker fitted and was like a new dog! He gets tired quite easily, but that’s to be expected for a dog his age, look at this happy face.

The shoot took place in the garden of the family home as Bernie couldn’t walk too far, and the temperamental British weather was kind to us with some beautiful early morning golden light and frosty ground. He was joined by Luna the Cavapoo who is nervous of dogs, but adores Bernie, the gentle giant that he is.

My job can be difficult at times, I get to work with dogs who are in the prime of their lives who are cruelly taken away from us too soon, to older dogs who may not have much longer, so when I get to do a shoot for a dog who has turned such an huge corner it’s a really amazing feeling.

There’s one thing for sure though, Bernie absolutely adores his human – the bond was so visible to see. The above shot makes me giggle – Bernie has had this bib (pretty necessary for a big dog who produces a lot of drool!) since he was a puppy when it was far too big for him – he obviously grew into it!

Here’s what Bernie’s humans had to say about the experience:

“Kerry was amazing to work with, very professional but also fun and caring!

From various emails and phone calls before the shoot to helping throughout the process she was great!

We have one dog who is very nervous and one was is very old and was very unwell, she helped to put them both at ease on the day and moved mountains to make sure our shoot was done earlier than originally planned. Her website is very easy to use and very professional given she runs it alone! Everyone commented on our photos and how beautiful they were! We will defiantly be rebooking her in the future!”

If you’d like to book a shoot, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com – I can’t wait to hear from you! Kerry x

Professional Dog Photographer right on the Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire borders.

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/