I’m often given the age-old advice, “never work with children or animals”. The advice, however, has come too late, haha and I kind of really enjoy the challenge. And working with children AND animals whilst photographing Bailey and his hooman siblings was not without a challenge. Capturing images that people will love, means everyone has to look good in the photo. Children and pets will often peak at different times, making it an interesting exercise in timing and patience.
Bailey is an older dog, and as such, he finds it hard and uncomfortable to stay in one position for too long. It also means he can be less responsive to the stimuli I use to get his attention. He is quite deaf, his vision isn’t perfect and he preferred hanging out with his mum. But he did love food. You can see it in the barking photo below. He is demanding a treat. His love of food didn’t end up being helpful for the photos with his hooman siblings, however, as he lost all sense of their personal space, and lovingly walked on top of them to lick the treat out of their hands.
Also, Baileys youngest sibling has a disability which meant she was less reactive to the stimulation that the other children and Bailey enjoyed. So getting her attention, while she was happy, and managing to get everyone else at their best gave me a workout. Sometimes, the situation can seem hopeless, but I know if I don’t give up, gold is around the corner. To manage such a cray cray scenario, and still come away with the goods, I keep a note on what everyone is responding to, positively and negatively. Eventually, once I’ve got a sense of everyone’s avatar, I will incorporate it all, and voila! Magic!!!
Sound easy? It’s not.
But it is very satisfying ;o)
Firstly, what is your favourite thing about Bailey?
Bailey has the best nature. He fits in, no matter how our family has evolved.
We know every fur baby is unique, & in your totally unbiased opinion, you have the best pet ever!
What makes yours so special?
He has been an amazingly patient dog while the kids were young, we never had to worry.
Tell us something about Bailey that will make us laugh?
Bailey evidently has Rhodesian Ridgeback in his genetic makeup as he has the telltale ridge. However, his colouring and short stumpy legs are more associated with corgis. So we giggle at the thought of Bailey being half ridgeback and half corgi 🙂
Why is having beautiful imagery of Bailey important to you?
Bailey is getting on and he is such a huge part of our family. We will obviously never forget him, but it is nice to have some images to capture his energy and importance to us.
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