professional dog photographer Archives - Fur and Fables

Behind the scenes of pet product photoshoot

Kerry Jordan — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:32:20 +0000

When I work on a photoshoot or a commercial dog brand or company, the shoot is actually pretty close to the end of the whole process! I thought it would be nice to give you a little insight to one of my recent brand shoots for the fantastic Dicky Bag

A well established relationship

Now I’ve known about Dicky Bag for years – I can’t actually remember but maybe around 8 or so years ago. If you haven’t come across them already then you are in for a treat! Their original product is a neoprene holder for used poo bags. It’s sealed so it doesn’t smell, comes in lots of designs and can clip on to your bag / belt / dog lead so that you don’t have to walk around with a poo bag in your hand, or worse, try and remember to pick that one up that you left for your route back. I love Dicky Bags so much that I actually had a load of branded ones made up which sold out! So you could say I was a fan.

Making Contact

When I was looking at brands to approach to help them with their commercial dog photography, Dicky Bag was high on my list, not only because I already loved their product, but because it solves a solution for not only dog owners, but the environment – no more leaving poo bags at the side of the path, or, as some people seem weirdly fond of, hanging from a tree…

I already had been in contact with Mandy, the owner, so this felt like a natural progression. It’s not always that way though, it can be difficult sometimes when you really want to work with a brand and help them but don’t get a response!

Thankfully, when I dropped a message to Mandy it was perfect timing. She and her partner had literally just been sat down talking about the fact that they needed new marketing images – they actually wondered if I had their house bugged it was so uncanny!

The Plan

Once the date was all agreed we chatted about the kind of images they would need and like; showing the products in use, lifestyle images where the product isn’t too obvious to show the versatility and product shots on their own. As Dicky Bags are based in Cornwall, we decided that it would be lovely to do the shoot there and have a mixture of woodland and beach images. One of the things we had to take into consideration was it would be the height of summer when the shoot was taking place, so we needed to make sure the dogs were comfortable and booked in early times for both the woods and the beach which we had researched and decided on.

Top Dog Models

After the plan was agreed, then came one of the fun parts – dog models! As Cornwall wasn’t one of the places on my dog model database, I did a casting call – Dicky Bag were pretty flexible about the types of dog, not needing anything breed specific, the thing we were more looking for was different sized dogs to compliment the different sizes of their poo bag holders and other products. As always, we had lots and lots of dogs wanting their moment in the limelight, all had to match the criteria of being able to do a sit and wait, be good with other dogs, and no resource guarding. Organising dog models is probably one of the most time consuming jobs, after lots of emailing back and forth with the owners, the final few were chosen – more than I needed actually but a couple really really wanted to take part and I basically couldn’t say no!

I’m very grateful to Cornwall Search Dogs (who are also fans of Dicky Bags) for supplying the dogs for the forest shoot!

Showing the versatility of a Dicky Bag

Choosing the right products

So off I popped on the 430 mile trip from Cumbria to Cornwall! I gave myself time in between arriving and the shoot to recover from what was an 8 hour drive. The day before the shoots I went to Dicky Bag HQ to plan which products would work with location. Dark products wouldn’t work too well with the forest location which was going to be all about showing how a Dicky Bag worked, so we chose products which were brighter and lighter. The beach shoot was much easier to style for. We had decided to do the shoot over 2 mornings for a few reasons, the main ones being that it was Summertime and I was conscious of the fact that it could get warm after a certain time, also there were two locations and LOTS of dogs so it could have ended up being a very long day!

The days of the shoots

Day 1: What happened to summer? Our initial location was going to be a lovely quiet path on the Camel Valley trail, however the weather had other ideas, it seemed like I’d brought the Cumbrian forecast with me! Instead we huddled up in my friends house until there was a break in the rain, and then venturing out to the field behind their house where we could quickly retreat again if needed. It still worked well, part of the job is being flexible as you never know what’s going to happen on a shoot! The Cornwall Search Dogs were absolutely brilliant though (thankfully no whippets in the shoot, there are some things I wouldn’t be able to do, and making a whippet look happy in the rain is one!), as were the humans – they must have worked in much harsher weather so were very stoic about the whole situation!

Day 2: Beach day! The day was fairly gusty but we found a lovely little secluded cove at Daymer Bay which shielded us and it was pretty quiet. Thankfully the temperature wasn’t too high, so we had a brilliant but intense morning with the rest of the dog models. One got stuck behind a tractor on route (if you have never been to Cornwall, the lanes are very narrow so no way of overtaking), but as luck would have it, while we were waiting, Mandy and her eagle eyes spotted a lady on the beach with a Dicky Bag! Never one to miss an opportunity, I ran over and accosted said lady and she very graciously agreed to do some action shots with her gorgeous dog! Never a dull moment, and sometimes the unplanned moments in photography are the ones which create the most memorable images.

After the shoot

Part of my job as a commercial pet photographer is to make sure I understand the needs of my clients – the real people behind the brand. As well making sure that the product is represented well, and I’m fulfilling their brief, some of the things I have to think about is : making sure that the background isn’t too cluttered so that text can be overlayed for marketing, also shooting slightly wider than I would on a private client shoot to make sure they can be cropped for social media and website banner bars.

Then comes the editing and making sure the colours are as true as possible. On private client shoots I can have a bit of creative licence with colours, but on a commercial shoot, particularly with a physical product, I need to make sure the colours are ‘true’. I try to get as much as I can right in camera, but if, for example, I have a black and white dog, I shoot slightly darker to make sure I get the details of the whites – it makes editing so much easier!

And then it’s almost a wrap – I edit the images which can take a few days depending on how many shots we took, back them up, and upload them to a gallery to deliver to the client so they choose their images!

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Why wont my dog look at the camera?

Kerry Jordan — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 12:49:07 +0000

It’s one of the big questions I get asked when I talk about photographing dogs – why wont my dog look at the camera? It might sound silly to say, but your dog has no concept of what you are asking them to do, so just holding something in front of them (ie your phone) might make them a little anxious!

Tips for helping your dog enjoy looking at the camera

If your dog refuses to look at the camera, try using it as a training exercise to build up their confidence. Try scattering treats round your camera so your dog associates it with something positive. Progress to bringing your camera up to your dogs eye level and then treating or giving praise. You could even add a cute command word like ‘Say Cheese’ whenever your dog looks at the camera.

Become a noise machine

The thing which consistently works for me is noises and phrases. Making a noise your dog doesn’t associate with you usually get’s their attention. This can be a high pitched brrrrr, pa pa pa or even an animal noise like a duck or a cats meow. Do you feel a bit silly? Yes. Should you care? No. You are having fun taking brilliant photo’s of your dog! The other thing which works is if your dog has a trigger phrase, for a lot of dogs it’s something like ‘do you want to go for a walk’ or ‘where’s the ball’. If you are super lucky, with either one of these you will get that cute head tilt!

Another thing which has a high success rate….a crisp packet! Yup, if you can crinkle a crisp packet while holding your camera, you might just get their attention. It’s a bit noisier than a regular treat packet which is why I think it works well.

The only time this doesn’t get the desired results is usually with working dogs, or dogs who are really focused on their owners. In that position, getting someone they know to stand behind you and say their name tends to work.

If all else fails….

If all else fails – I’d pull out the super surpriser – a duck or animal caller. These are pretty cheap to pick up and very rarely fail. The noises they make are just not a regular occurrence for most dogs so the genuine surprise usually makes great photos!

If you want more help taking better photographs of your dog, check out my Furdography for Beginners E-book – it helps you understand how to take better photos of your dog and make it enjoyable for you both. You can find out more, or sign up for my free PDF here > Furdography for Beginners

Or if you’d like to book a photoshoot for your dog, I’m based in the Lake District but am frequently also found in Sussex, Oxfordshire and Cornwall so drop me an email!

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TAGS: award winning, bluebells, cumbria, dog, dog blogger, dog Photographer, dog photography, dog photography for beginners, dog photography tips, how to photography my dog, Lake District, outdoor, professional dog photographer

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Brand Spotlight – Collar Club Subscription Box for Dogs

Kerry Jordan — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:01:03 +0000

You want to spoil your dog and a subscription box is a great way of doing it – delivered to your door each month, you don’t have to even think about buying new toys and finding new and interesting treats for your dog!

Is this the best subscription box for dogs?

As you know, I love to shine a spotlight on brands I know who are brilliant at what they do, it’s my way of helping support small businesses (as well as buying when I can!) Today I’d like to introduce you to Collar Club Subscription Box who I have been a customer of for many years and have subsequently done photography for too! But why did I choose Collar Club?

Putting the planet first

When I first started getting Collar Club boxes, there weren’t very many brands doing the same thing, and I hadn’t been inspired to get one. The reason this one is different, and why it appealed to me was the environmentally friendly aspect – the Mission Statement says it all really!

“We take ethical sourcing and sustainability very seriously, and try to ensure that the actions of ourselves and our suppliers have people, pets and the planet in their best interests.”

Need a little more convincing?

If you needed any more reasons, here are a few more – it’s not an extensive list, there are heaps more reasons, but these ones are important to me:

Jo, who owns the brand, has a background in sustainability and ethical workplaces so she researches both her treat and toy suppliers to make sure that both of those boxes are ticked.

Each month there’s a different theme for the treats and toys – I’m not sure if the boys see the difference, but it makes it a joy for me to open!

Jo tries to include small artesian brands as well as some of the more well known ones, but all have sustainability at their heart.

All the dog treats are 100% natural

Any dog toys in the boxes are assured to be non toxic and free from harmful chemical

The boxes can be tailored – so my boys prefer soft toys to hard toys, and you can also get different products if your dog has allergies

But very importantly – the absolute joy that Shadow and Bertie show on delivery day makes me very very happy!

I think the thing which shines through about Collar Club is the real attention to detail, and the variety, which means that it’s kept interesting for both hound and human!

Jo has very kindly set me up with a 30% off discount code on your first box – this isn’t an affiliate, I don’t get paid, it’s just a fantastic service! Just enter FURANDFABLES at the checkout and wait impatiently for your first box! Head over to www.colllarclub.co.uk now!

If you are a dog brand and you’d really want to elevate your images and reach your ideal clients with commercial pet photography, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com – I’d love to hear from you!

Kerry x

(ps I’m always looking for dog models for brand shoots, so if your dog can, at a very minimum, do an excellent sit/stand & wait, is well socialised and good with other dogs, has solid recall and doesn’t resource guard, feel free to pop me an email at kerry@furandfables.com – I’m based in the Lake District but I travel all round the UK for client shoots!)

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TAGS: commercial dog photographer, commercial pet photographer, Dog subscription box, Dog treat box, Lake District Dog Photographer, lake district dog photography, professional dog photographer, Subscription box for dogs

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National Dog Photography Day

Kerry Jordan — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:00:18 +0000

26th July – Celebrating the love of photographing our dogs

Back in 2018 I created a national awareness day “National Dog Photography Day” and I had no idea how much it would take off! We all love taking photo’s of our dogs don’t we? This day not only celebrates that, but it’s a chance to legitimately flood the internet with dog photos and revel in our national obsession with dogs.

#NationalDogPhotographyDay

There are so many photo’s shared on National Dog Photography Day that it makes sense to try and make yours stand out! Westminster Abbey, The Queen, Toyota and Andrew Lloyd Webber sharing their images – if you want to get your photo noticed, I have a few tips for you.

Make sure the actual image of your dog is clear – no cluttered backgrounds which can be distracting, the simpler the better!
Have you got any photographs of your dog next to a distinguishing landmark like the London Eye or Angel of the North. Or anything that’s a bit more local to you, you can then tag your local newspapers to see if they will feature it.
Do you have any cute props like a stuffed camera toy, or an actual camera which you can pose your dog next to, anything to make your image a little different from all the rest (maybe you can set it up so your dog looks like it’s taking the photo!)
Use graphics on your image, overlay the #nationaldogphotographyday hashtag to make it stand out (still use the hashtag in the post too though so it can be found when people search it).
Tag local relevant businesses to see if they will share – if you get your dog groomed, tag your local groomers or vets!
For businesses, make sure that you mention your product or service too, you never know when your tweet will go viral. Tag brands who you love and/or who you have collaborated with before. (Make sure they are relevant though, and don’t spam them!).
Make it FUN! Have a funny caption that people can relate to, or a funny story or quote.
Do a behind the scenes shot and then the finished product too.
Does your dog do a cool trick? Try and get a shot of the doing that! Who doesn’t love to see a photo of a dog doing a high five?
Reshare other posts from the hashtag, they may be kind enough to share yours back!

Most of all, make sure you use the #NationalDogPhotographyDay tag!

If you’d like to get a copy of my free PDF of top tips, just click here!

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Dogs in Bluebells

Kerry Jordan — Wed, 10 May 2023 14:07:45 +0000

Beautiful Bluebells…or the lack of them….

It’s been a fairly hectic month – I’ve had two trips down south for shoots, and had friends visiting too which is always amazing.

I’m not going to lie, I was super worried about the Sussex bluebell shoots – I went through my archive as I’ve been photographing in the same spot for four years, to check the dates of when I did my previous shoots to set the date for this year.

But when I arrived, my heart sank.

Remember I’m nearly 400 miles away from that spot now, so I couldn’t do a reccie, I just had to trust my previous shoots. But it seemed like the heavy rain had really effected the timings, and what usually was a massive carpet of bluebells was pretty patchy.

But part of being an on location photographer, is adapting…and thankfully (wipes brow), there was enough to work with to still get some gorgeous shots.

After my last shoot on Sunday, I popped over to my old local bluebell woods to where I scattered the ashes of my boy Jasper, to sit and reflect, and remember. His tag was still there which was pretty amazing.

Lake District Bluebell Shoots

I’m super excited to have found possibly THE place for my Lake District Dogs in Bluebells photoshoot. It’s a bit busier than I’d like so unless I find somewhere else, I’ll be shooting out of the peak walking times, but that just means beautiful light! The reason it’s so perfect is that there are countless different spots which look and feel different from each other so it will give a real variety.

Check out some of my personal favourites – which one is yours??

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Lake District Hiking with Whippets

Kerry Jordan — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 13:35:55 +0000

A simple guide to hiking with Whippets in the Lake District. [Disclaimer – there is actually only one Lake in the Lake District (Bassenthwaite), the rest are classed as Tarns or Waters – good pub quiz knowledge!]

Do you need any special kit if you plan some fell walking with your whippet?

I would highly recommend investing in a good harness, preferably with a handle. If your whippet hasn’t had to navigate things like stiles or a little bit of rock scrambling, this will make both of your lives much easier.

As well as the harness, a bungy lead which you can connect round your waist so that you can keep your hands free for any small scrambles but also, if you are out for a while, you don’t want to have to hand hold your dog lead the entire time.

My go to brand for both of these are Ruffwear, I’ve been using them for about 8 years and both the quality and longevity give me faith and peace of mind that my whippets will be safe on a fell walk. I’ve recently changed Bertie’s to a Flagline as he prefers this, but you can read about why I think Ruffwear are brilliant on my blog The Best Harnesses for Whippets.

I’d take water and a collapsible bowl – I’ve found whippets can be fussy when drinking ‘outdoor’ water and although there are usually plenty of streams to choose from, mine very rarely drink from them unless they are really desperate!

One thing to remember about the Cumbrian weather is that it can change in an instant! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you are setting off on a mild spring morning that it will be like that if you head up a fell. You could experience all seasons during your walk so particularly with whippets, take something that covers most basis – my go to is the Redhound for Dogs Chester as it’s not too warm, shower proof & packs away easily.

For humans, a good pair of broken in hiking shoes, and lightweight waterproof in spring/summer and layers the rest of the year.

If your whippet isn’t used to wearing a harness, it might be worthwhile doing some short trips and get them comfortable being lifted with the handle.

Are there good paths/tracks? You advise for planning a route

This really depends on what you want to do. Catbells is considered one of the ‘easiest’ fells but it’s not because it isn’t steep going, it’s a good 40-50 minute up hill hike but easy in the respect that there’s only a couple of very small scrambles which most people with a good level of fitness can do.

If you don’t fancy that, a lot of the Waters you are able to walk round quite easily and can take 3+ hours depending on which one you do. Bear in mind that some don’t have a ‘path’ so to speak but more of a track. One of the more popular Waters is Buttermere which is a lovely fairly flat stroll.

If it’s your first hike, research some of the more well known fells as the paths will be more obvious.

How long would you be out

However long you want to be! There what feels like an infinite network of routes which link all the Waters. With some good planning (something I lack), you do an all day loop if you wanted, or a short there and back stroll.

Build up your whippets stamina (and yours!) before you visit.

Are there places to stop/rest get refreshments on your favourite fell walks

Generally there aren’t any on the actual walks but a few of my favourite routes are:

Parking at the left side of Loweswater and walking to the amazing Kirkstyle Inn – this is a bit of a hidden gem nestled in between Loweswater and Crummock Water. Super dog friendly with a beer garden with the most majestic of views!

If you fancy attempting Cat Bells then The Lingholm Kitchen is very close and has the most amazing gardens and a fabulous café.

If you fancy something all day but not too challenging then you can park at the west of Crummock Water and take a hike to the Lakes largest waterfall, Scale Force, then pop into The Buttermere Court where I’ve always been made to feel super welcome before doing a loop of Buttermere, and then stopping in again on the way back! You can actually go round the other side of Crummock on the way back but it requires a little bit of road walking along the incredibly beautiful Honister Pass but it’s well used by walkers and has gorgeous views.

There are also some lovely walks direct from Keswick, which I have to say is probably one of the most dog friendly towns I have come across in the Lake District so far, you’d be hard pressed to find somewhere that isn’t dog friendly! You can check out my ongoing blog Dog Friendly Lake District for more!

Tips for grabbing a great selfie when you reach the top

Self timer & treats are your friend! You will more than likely to find stacked stone ‘cairns’ which are used as way points on a hike, I usually prop my phone or camera up against one of these and set a self timer. It can get windy so you may need another stone to pop in front, but they you can add your contribution to the pile!

Do some selfie practice shots before you visit so you feel comfortable knowing where your settings are before you do a hike.

Be aware of the Woolly Magicians

One thing I really didn’t consider, or know about much, was sheep. Lots and lots of sheep. Everywhere. When you least expect them. I’ve walked one way, have seen no sheep – and on the way back, they have magically appeared from nowhere (or so it seems). I’ve had a couple of close calls where there’s been nothing in eyesight, but Shadow has air scented and gone off, so now, unless I really know the area, or I’m at the highest point and can have a 360 view, I keep mine on lead. During the warmer months it’s even harder to spot them as they nestle down in the ferns and long undergrowth. It’s just not worth the risk as dogs can be shot for harassing livestock.

Please don’t let this put you off, the hikes absolutely incredible regardless, and there are plenty of places to let your whippets off lead if they need a run around first.

Woolly magicians pop up when you least expect them.

One last thing

This may sound strange, but get your whippet used to different surfaces and also clambering or jumping up before you visit. There’s a lot of scree in the Lake District, which is stones/slate which line some of the fells – it moves around quite a lot when you walk on it, which can be quite disconcerting for a whippet – Bertie flat out refused to walk on some of our first scree hikes. If you have a pebbly beach nearby, or even somewhere with a lot of gravel, it might be worth just walking with them over it. There might be instances where you need to scramble up rock – getting your whippet used to jumping up eg logs or benches will help them with their confidence so you don’t have to try and lift them on everything.

Most of all – ENJOY! The Lake District is vast, dramatic, ever changing and I know you will absolutely love it. If you have any questions, please just drop me an email and if I don’t know the answer, I’m sure I’ll know someone who will!

Questions supplied by Redhound for Dogs – is there anything else you would like to see included on this blog post? Pop them in the comments and I’d love to know if you found this post useful.

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TAGS: award winning, cumbria, dog Photographer, dog photography in the lake district, Lake District, natural, photographer, photography, professional dog photographer

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kerry@furandfables.com
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How I found my ‘Why’

Kerry Jordan — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 18:01:47 +0000

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

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Magic in Nature

Kerry Jordan — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 17:34:56 +0000

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

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Changing Perspective as a Lake District Dog Photographer

Kerry Jordan — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 13:23:32 +0000

REDFININING MY STYLE

A fair few people have said to me that they instantly know an image has been taken by me, which honestly blows my mind, especially with so many more dog photographers out there now.

So I found myself feeling a bit creatively lost when I moved to Cumbria, which will probably sound surprising because the landscapes here are incredible! The reason being is that I got to know my locations so well in Surrey and Sussex that I intrinsically knew where the best light would be at certain times of day, when the best time of year was for bluebells or ferns and where to find the best autumn leaves. I got used to the ‘closeness’ of the landscapes, there were very few wide open vista’s where I shot.

Which is why, I recently realised, I was struggling a little. I’ve always loved shooting landscape photography, but when it comes to photographing dogs, I’ve tended to always shoot tighter in.

Changing the perspective

This may not seem like a huge shift when it comes to changing location, but actually, because I have trained to work like this for so long, that it’s almost become instinctive. And it’s possibly why I have, as people have told me, a signature style.

I’ve found lots of places to shoot in Cumbria now where I can shoot in my usual way, but it would be a crying shame not to also include the beautiful fells if you are having a shoot in this magical place!

So I hope you enjoy this slight change of style, and come along with me on a new journey of learning what works best for photographing gorgeous dogs in the Lake District.

If you are thinking of visiting the Lake District on holiday and would like a photoshoot for your dog, or even if you want to chat about the best places to eat and walk, feel free to drop me an email at kerry@furandfables.com.

Kerry
Lake District Dog Photographer
07810 541 685

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TAGS: award winning, cumbria, dog Photographer, dog photography, Keswick, Lake District, landscape photography, penrith, professional, professional dog photographer, windemere

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A Year In Review

Kerry Jordan — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 17:30:27 +0000

It seems quite serendipitous that I’m sitting down to write this today, as a year to the date I made a decision that drastically changed the course of my life and as a dog photographer, the last 2 years have been difficult enough anyway! This last year has made me question a lot, given me times when I wasn’t sure if I could cope, but I have also came with some incredible memories.

So lets start at the beginning!

January 2021

A year ago I decided to leave my husband, we had been together nearly 22 years. It came as a shock to a lot of people, but I think I’d known for a while and it was incredibly tough, but also the right thing to do. It’ll come as no surprise that due to intermittent lockdowns and this, I didn’t really get out to photograph much as usual. In January, I did however have the pleasure of meeting someone who I had followed on Instagram without realising he lived just a few minutes down the road! That ‘person’ was Jasper (and his lovely human of course).

February 2021

Looking through the limited photo’s from the first couple of months, it’s funny to see that the only shots I took were of Jasper, and then Jasper’s new sibling Sunday! All the days were merging into one at this point, I’d had vague ideas of getting away for a while to either France or South Africa but of course travel was out of the question!

March 2021

I was finally able to get out and start shooting again and had the it was so much fun shooting for two brands, Reg & Bob who create hard wearing but beautifully colourful collars for dogs who love to get mucky! The other one was my good friend the Slumbering Hound who makes a heap of gorgeous things for dogs and who I’ve worked with for a few years now.

The pandemic made me realise just how fragile my dog photography business could be, so in March I launched a separate business for pet brands – mostly helping with content creation and social media engagement but I have also been doing website updates and proof reading. A couple of decades as a PA in the city has come in use for this! The website is www.kerryjordan.co.uk if you want to check it out.

The year had already been pretty tough, I had moved out of my home, had moved in with one friend, and then my circumstances changed again so moved in with a second. I’m always going to be supremely grateful for the kindness I was shown in this period.

And then, the one thing you dread as a dog owner happened, and I had to say goodbye to my dear sweet Jasper. (As I’m writing this, that bloody Adele song ‘go easy on me’ is playing and not helping with the tears.) Jasper was 16 and had gone from a scared, barky, nervous dog to a happy little wiggle monster who was adored by everyone who met him. I had the honour of him being in my life for 10 years, but it didn’t seem long enough. I miss him, and I don’t think that will change, but sometimes I think he’s still around, I just can’t see him.

April 2021

April was a busy one and it’s the start of one of my favourite times, bluebell season! So lots of fabulous client shoots as well as brand shoots for my friend Debbie at Redhound for Dogs Whippet Attire, K9 Connectables interactive toys & The Lounging Hound and their beautiful beds.

May 2021

Well, May, what I can I say? Well, I think I said most things in the post Solo Van Tour but very briefly, as I wasn’t able to travel abroad, so I did something that was scary, but also amazing, and hired a van for a month to travel round the UK. I learned how to drive a massive van, I learned how to live in a tiny space, I had tantrums, I explored, and I found out a lot about myself and had the.best.time. I knew that it was unlikely that I’d get this kind of opportunity again for a while, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

June 2021

With more of the restrictions lifted, I was super excited to go and see my dear friend Debbie at Redhound for another little shoot. I also had some beautiful new headshots done by Joanna Cleeve which I adore; to me they show a new person emerging, someone who is gaining confidence, who is yet to go through more hardships but knows her internal strength will carry her through (sounds a bit woo woo, but that’s how I feel when I look at them now!).

But the biggest thing was returning to a place which stole my heart, the Lake District, to look at properties! I found one that needed a lot of renovating, but was a good location in west Cumbria, close to the Lakes and the coast, and put in an offer. Little did I know just what I had let myself in for! 😂

July 2021

I don’t think I realised just how many brand shoots I had in 2021! I did my second shoot for the fantastic Nash Dog who make bamboo drying coats, which I’m reliably informed, even dry spaniel ears! As well as wading into a lake to get some cracking action shots for a client shoot and yet another visit to my friend and rock, Debbie.

On the 26th of July I celebrated another year of the day I created – National Dog Photography Day, which I started as a way to celebrate our love of photographing dogs back in 2018. This year it trended #2 on Twitter despite stiff competition from the Olympics! It’s talked about in national and worldwide press, and celebrities join in too so it’s pretty incredible to me to watch the day unfold.

August 2021

With the offer on the house being accepted, August was a bit of a whirlwind sorting out the logistics of moving over 350 miles away, as well as getting in some of my favourite walks and trying to see as many friends as I could. I managed to get some shoots in though thankfully as it was another of my favourite times to shoot, heather season!

September 2021

September saw me packing up a massive van and driving half way across the country on my birthday, what a way to celebrate! I moved into a house which needed completely stripping, was filthy and had some fairly big issues to deal with. But it was mine. September was also about taking a bit of time to breathe. The emotions of the year had been intense and sometimes overwhelming so I took time to walk in nature, and wonder where the heck I was going to start on the house. I hardly took my camera out in September, but just appreciated the moment….also, it rained a lot!

October 2021

This month there was a mini shoot for the lovely ladies at Country & Twee, a foraging day and a walk with someone who I can call a friend even though until October, we had only met briefly, the fabulous Rachel Spencer and Patch! Rachel (who helps pet businesses with PR) and I met at a conference, became business accountability buddies and the rest is history. I love the fact that I’m still meeting amazing people in my 40’s!

I travelled back to Sussex for a couple of shoots and caught up with friends which was fantastic but I felt drained for days afterwards! I think the toll of the year was starting to get to me a little.

November 2021

My trip down south was at the end of October, so at the start November I popped in to see Debbie again and photographed some of her gorgeous new products in beautiful light. The rest of November was buckling down doing things on the house and exploring.

It was also the month that my divorce was finalised, a very strange feeling.

December 2021

December saw a mini “Petrepeneur” Christmas party with the lovely Rachel which consisted of much hilarity as we turned up to a ‘pod’ with no bedding, cutlery or plates! We hadn’t thought to check! So after a quick stop at B&M, we drank too much champagne from £1 mugs while we ate our microwave meals and sandwiches with a £3 cuttlery set. It was an absolutely brilliant night!

It also saw me back in Surrey for shoots and catching up with friends, revelling in the practically balmy southern weather – the hounds were even coatless at one point! Unfortunately, it also saw me having to self isolate over Christmas, a pretty sorry affair and I saw the old year out with one of my best friends over Zoom.

There are things I wish hadn’t happened last year, and situations I would have liked to avoid, but mostly I tried to do what I thought was best knowing I don’t want to look back with regret. The positives are, I have still managed to make some incredible memories, I unexpectedly met someone who I really rather like, I’ve learned a lot about forgiveness and not holding on to negativity, and that you can’t always do what’s right for everyone.

I’m starting 2022 happy, healthy, healing and motivated. I’ve got some pawesome plans for the business which I can’t wait to share with you. If you have got this far, congratulations, and THANK YOU!

I sincerely hope that you are starting 2022 happy and healthy too!

Kerry x

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TAGS: award winning, cumbria, divorce, dog, dog blogger, dog Photographer, dog photographer surrey, dog photography, fine art photoshoot, Lake District, photoshoot, portrait, professional, professional dog photographer

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A Year In Review

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

April 2021

May 2021

June 2021

July 2021

August 2021

September 2021