Last weekend I had photography student, Veronica Lelek, in our Bentleigh studio helping me out with a dog photo shoot in another Pet Portraits Melbourne session. Veronica is studying photo imaging at Holmesglen TAFE and as part of her assessment she needs to work with a mentor in the photography industry. Having been through the process of finding a mentor myself when I was studying, I know how difficult it can be for students to get a foot in the door. Most photographers get many similar requests from students and budding assistants on a weekly basis. The photographers are normally very busy and just haven’t got the time or resources to say yes to everyone.

Veronica’s interests are in fashion photography and portraiture so she has had some experience working with studio lighting and knows various lighting set ups. However this was the first time she had worked with a dog. An added twist was that the dog we photographed was her own, Kayah, a beautiful black long coat Belgian Shepherd.

Pet Portraits Melbourne

I suggested that we photograph Kayah because it would provide the perfect opportunity for me to show Veronica how to light a black dog in the studio on a black background. Veronica mentioned that most of the photos of Kayah come out very dark.  So she was a little concerned with how the images may turn out. I suggested she have a look at another photo session I did with a black Labrador, Duke, on a black backdrop, to see how effective the technique can be. See Duke’s pet portraits session here.

Both Veronica and I took turns to photograph Kayah and as you can see, the final images look amazing and really highlight Kayah’s personality, which is critical in every Pet Portraits of Melbourne session we do.  Hopefully Veronica got a few tips from the session, especially about when to utilize hard light to light a subject and how important patience is when photographing animals even when that animal belongs to you. 🙂

I am sure you will join with me in wishing Veronica good luck with her studies and future career in the photography industry. Hopefully we will be seeing her around the studio over the coming months.

As always I love to get an insight into the relationships my canine subjects share with their human families, by asking their owners a few questions. Visitors to the blog also love reading the responses as it adds an extra dimension to the images.

Here is what Veronica had to say about Kayah:

How old was she when you got her?

We brought Kayah home when she was only four months old.

How did you come up with her name?

I wanted to give her a different name – one that I had rarely heard before. We had a list of names, and there was a debate over Kayah or Zara, but she looked like more of a Kayah to me.

Any specific circumstances on how/why you got her?

Our beautiful fourteen year old Belgian Shepherd cross Collie had sadly passed away, and we wanted another dog of the same breed because of their beautiful personalities. After contacting a few breeders, we were offered the only pup available for the next 6 or so months. So we drove to see her and fell in love. We had no idea we would be bringing another pup home so early.

What is her character like?

Kayah is extremely affectionate and adores people. Whenever we take her for walks or to a park, she follows people around instead of playing with the other dogs. She is very smart, although at times can be very stubborn too.  She is also quite playful and loves a good run around.

Funniest thing she has ever done?

Every time she gets a bone for dessert, she jumps around it as if it’s another dog to play with. It is hilarious that instead of eating it, she gets excited and runs around.

When does she make you smile/laugh?

Kayah makes me smile all the time. She is just so affectionate and understanding. She can literally hug you, wrapping her head around your neck, above your shoulder – it’s extremely adorable. I think anytime she comes for cuddles, it can bring my mood up instantly and put a smile on my face.

When does she make you angry?

We rarely get angry at her, she’s quite obedient and knows when to or when not to do something. However, when she barks continuously to other dogs in the neighbourhood, it can get a little distracting.

Favourite thing you like doing with her?

We take her to the farmers market every Sunday so that she can run around for a quite a while with all her friends. It’s great because you can see how happy she is to be around everyone, and how beautiful she looks when she runs as fast as she can.

Hope you enjoyed this post. If you would like to have your dog photographed by us as part of a pet portraits Melbourne session then please contact me to discuss. It’s fun and at the end of it you will have beautiful images of your furry friend to treasure forever.

Warren