How I Became a Dog and People Portrait Photographer
I’ve always been interested in all aspects of art and design – but photography touched me in a deeper way. I went to every photography exhibition I heard about, collected beautiful photography books and pored over them, but never entertained the idea of actually learning photography.
My long and successful producing career required I be more logistical than creative. However, I always watched with keen interest each director’s process unfold, observing the cinematographer transform a set, or create a mood with light…it was magical. I was fascinated to learn how to use light for illusion.
When I stopped travelling for my work, I had time for a best friend. So I adopted a dog, since I’d actually be home to take care of it. A wonderful terrier cross I named Phoebe entered my life, and that’s when serious photography began for me.
A year before, I had purchased a Fuji X-T10 with the cheap plastic kit lens, only because I saw a tourist carrying it and thought it looked inconspicuous and so retro! I started taking photos but avoided attempting manual settings…soon the camera ended up collecting dust.
Partnered with Phoebe, I imagined taking long walks through the city, and becoming a bit of a street photographer. Not so fast, as it turned out, Phoebe was “leash reactive” meaning I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I had adopted a little “Cujo” so that sent me down the dog training/dog behaviour rabbit hole - my list of hobbies was finally expanding.
Phoeb
HOW IT ALL BEGAN WITH DOG PORTRAITS
The online course led me to invest in a couple of cheap speed lights, because one of the assignments was to photograph your pet indoors using a flash. As I got a little more comfortable using the camera, I read about another amazing Fuji camera which then became a Christmas present to myself.
With my dog as the only other beating heart in my home, like it or not, she quickly became my main subject to learn how to light. That’s how my dog portraiture began - Phoebe is the most patient model and none of this would have happened without her. Soon, friends asked me to photograph their dogs, then two friends showed two friends and so on… my portraits gained a following.
The coming together of training my dog and this interest I still had in photography led me to dust off my camera. I took an online photography course to learn manual camera settings and delve into retouching. It was daunting, fun and rewarding. I never imagined a temperamental dog would lead to Photoshop!
THEN CAME PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE
A few months later I was curious about what photographing people would be like so I asked my nephew to sit for me. That session changed everything - I was hooked. I took a few night school classes, invested in some strobe lights, and asked every family member and friend to sit for me. It’s been the steepest learning curve in such a short amount of time, and I’ve never enjoyed anything as much.
