When Kelly booked Duke in for a photo session I immediately knew how I was going to photograph him. A black Labrador with a lovely shiny coat and a handsome strong face needed to look regal. He needed to be shot on a black background and lit in a way that that would accentuate these features. How could I not make him look majestic when his name reminds me of the famous 60’s song, The Duke of Earl – which by the way I could not get out of my head while I was editing his images.

Photos of Duke the Black Labrador

Kelly is in Melbourne studying to be a Vet (she is in her final year). She is originally from New South Wales so Duke is her companion and friend and helps her through the tough times as she strives to reach her dreams.

I asked Kelly to share a little bit more about her relationship with Duke. Some of the things he has done are quite funny but after having seen his nature first hand I am not surprised.

How old was Duke when you got him?
Duke was around 14 weeks when I got him. He was a reject from a black labrador breeding litter in Tamworth (Northern NSW) – I got him from a vet nurse.

How did you come up with his name?
Before we got him Duke’s dad and I had a big talk about names …. We couldn’t agree on anything until we came up with Duke. I liked it because it reminded me of the British history novels I read and his dad liked it because it was one of the more masculine / tough names I would agree to.

Any specific circumstances on how/why you got him?
I have always had dogs and having moved out of home and been in rentals I was dying for the chance to get a dog of my own rather than having to drive to my parents house (2hrs from where I was living) every weekend to get my dog fix. After looking around various rescue sites and breeders I came across a slightly older puppy (most are sold at 8 weeks) but he had the exact same face as the dog I grew up with (Kasey – a female labrador x boxer) and he had the same birthday as me…. I decided that was absolutely my dog and drove the 4hrs North of Sydney to collect him.

What is his character like?
He is very affectionate. He will always position himself to maximize surface area of body contact with a person. He calls out to me in a funny Chewbacca noise when I get home or when I ask him a question.
Occasionally he can be cheeky (eg stealing food, swallowing socks / refusing to leave the dog park of an evening / sitting on my lap when I am working on the computer).
He can also be playful and puts on an ‘angry face’ and does a funny ‘strut’ / prance.
He is also a very helpful / loyal dog – he will follow me around doing cleaning around the house / sit up next to me when I’m working late at night.
He is smart – he follows commands and learns well – he’ll look for a ball in the direction I point to or he’ll pick up words I use to him often.

Funniest thing he has ever done?
When my car got broken into last year the CSI people came to finger print everything. One policeman opened the backdoor of my car to start the investigation and Duke jumped into the backseat and contaminated the crime scene – he just sat looking at the cop while wagging his tail thinking he was going out somewhere.

When does he make you smile/laugh?
Smile – every time I look at him [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#e7e1dd” class=”” size=”16″]”when he farts and then turns around to look behind him to see what happened!”[/pullquote] Laugh – when he is playing a game at the park with his friends and suddenly takes off in a crazy sprint or when he farts and then turns around to look behind him to see what happened!

When does he make you angry or tests your patience?
When he eats things he shouldn’t – a rope toy had to be surgically removed from his gut.

Favorite thing you like doing with him?
Going to the dog park or watching him retrieving balls from the pool at my parents house. Or just cuddling with him on the couch after a long day.

Do you have a black labrador or any black dog for that matter? Do you find it hard to take decent images of them because they are black they come up as a black blob with no detail in their face or coat?

It is a common problem and that’s where the service of a professional photographer can help get you the images you need. Images of your furry loved one that you will enjoy and treasure for a lifetime.

Call the studio on 9570 6191 or email us to discuss a photography session for your pooch.