I Paid Tribute To Dogs By Making Them Stars Of The Day (37 Pics)

When I started my canine photography activity, my second client was a very special Australian Shepherd dog who came from Belgium. His owner contacted me and explained the following: "I would like to do an outdoor session with my dog but I wonder if it is feasible for the following reasons: My dog is deaf from birth. She doesn't like male humans, let alone bearded ones (which I do have). She only lets herself be approached by one other woman who is the only one who can walk her apart from me and so I wonder if this session is possible despite these constraints".

Being someone who likes challenges I decided to do this session although it is only my second client and my experience with dogs was nascent. I explained to this woman that anyway it was up to me to adapt to her animal and not the other way around and that I would go at the pace of the. I was still discovering this universe but it pushed me to find solutions to meet this important demand for my client.

I tried to communicate at a distance solely through looks and gestures, aiming to reassure the dog. I allowed her to live her own life while doing my best to convey my benevolence toward her, and this respectful approach yielded positive results.

At the end of the 2-hour session, she agreed to come and get treats in my hands. Then gradually, I offered her a treat at the level of my neck. On several occasions, she came to get and quickly understood that I would not try to touch or caress her, because of her trust, she allowed me several times to offer kisses on the head during these acts of food reward. I then saw stars in the eyes of her owner who told me verbatim: "You managed to do in 2 hours what no one has managed in 10 years".

It's been 2 years and yet I remember it as if it were yesterday, I speak fluently about this experience so rich in emotions and I regularly have contacts through the net. At that moment, I felt tenfold the certainty of being made for this job.

In a way, you have to know that initially, I have always been much more attracted to cats than dogs. Then during the pandemic crisis, a group on Facebook was created to allow photographers to share their work to find social links from a distance. I saw the photographic work of a young French woman who specialized in dog photography.

We are then 2 years before the beginning of my activity which was not at all planned, but looking at her photos I was seduced by the emotion that her photos released. It was more the artistic approach than the subject itself that caught my eye as a photographer. At the time I even said: "If one day I try dog photography, this is the kind of work I want to transcribe in terms of emotion".

One and a half years later, I had my Australian shepherd, I took pictures with her with this idea of emotion while keeping my style, because you have to know that basic I do artistic photography of microfauna and microflora, I exhibit for 7 years everywhere in France and sometimes in Belgium. The photos of my dog have aroused a real interest for a lot of people on the net and From the was born my activity.

Each dog is unique and even if some breeds are commonly present, the life course of each animal makes him a being with his personality. The challenge is permanent and that's what I like because each dog will act as he pleases and even those I receive several times will not always have the same attitude, they can like us be in a good or bad day, fit or tired...

That's why I try to read as much as possible through the attitudes of my subject to adapt to the session. A dog will begin to yawn or close his eyes a little, will express a certain weariness and I do not hesitate to take a break to punctuate the session or even to stop the session so as not to make this moment painful for the animal.

I would tell to other aspiring dog photographers: "Make this kind of photo out of passion and interest or fashion". The advice I could give them would be to always work in kindness, to be able to understand the dog even without dialogue and to take the time to observe him and capture his personality in order to bring out his potential without distorting his identity. I always tell my clients: "I am not here to provide you with beautiful photos, but to provide you with beautiful photos that reflect your companion as you know him on a daily basis but also that this session is also the memory of a good time spent with him and with me" It is essential for me!