As always, the studio has been a hive of activity over the past few weeks. Apologies for taking so long to upload our recent client pics! There are more to come in another post soon too.
Behind the scenes I’ve been working with our draftsman on the new design of the studio renovation, and arranging the contractors so that we can get started ASAP! So excited to be creating a bigger and better space for my clients to visit! It’s going to be beautiful when it’s done and I can’t wait for you all to see it!
We’ve had a rush of ‘dog duos” in lately, meaning two pooches from the same family coming in for photos together. Shoots with two dogs are lots of fun and there’s always great pooch energy flying around! Plus it’s always the best feeling to nail the shot of both dogs in the one pic!
Some of the fantastic four legged friends we photographed are: Charli and Monty, Bender and Bogan, Millie and Max, Benny and Bart, Ash and Mohini, Pooh and Ruby, and Molly and Tasha. Plus a trifecta in Fluke and his cat brothers George and Porridge. And not forgetting individual visitors Stan, Bella and Cindy.
Charli was a beautiful boxer gal, yet at just 14 months old she is a seasoned member of the All Breeds Dog Club and each weekend she struts her stuff in the show ring. Her brother Monty the Montenegro, a 9 year old griffon bruxellios was a total charmer, filled with awesome attitude! Such a smooth operator with the “ladiiiiies”, stealing the hearts of everyone he meets.
Bender and Bogan came to the studio with their mum’s, who happened to be sisters. Bender did some ball acrobatics for me, whilst Bogan had a downright fab time jumping on and off the couch! Bender’s gold coat looked amazing on our black backdrop, whist Bogan had such rich, orange coloured eyes!
Millie and Max, a standard poodle and bichon frise respectively, were elegant and graceful during their shoot! Millie had red painted nails and at one point wore some pearls. Gentleman Max settled for a bow tie. Such grace!
Benny and Bart are two much loved rescue dogs who both shone in front of the camera. Their laughing shot of them together can’t but make you smile and has many people asking what the joke was, haha! What happens in the studio, stays in the studio… 
Ash and Mohini, also much loved rescue dogs, were a delight to work with. I was told that Ash is wary of strangers and always growls, but we hit it off right away and were friends from the get-go. Could have been the liver treats? Nah, I’m sure it’s my natural dog charm, haha ! Mohini had a beautiful white cross across her chest,which jumped out in her pics. She rocked out the head tilt in shot after shot!
I first met Pooh and Ruby at this year’s Million Paws Walk, and like Bender and Bogan, their mum’s are also sisters! They had their photos taken in the Houndstooth Studio pet photo booth and came back for more! Pooh the collie was soooo pretty, with lovely lines and perfectly groomed fur. Ruby the leonberger was a gentle giant, and both dogs helped me capture some assigned shots for the Nov/Dec issue of Dogs Life Magazine! Several clients have since told me that after seeing pics of Ruby they now want a leonberger! Can’t blame them! They are a magnificent breed. Deriving their name from Leonberg in Germany, according to legend the leonberger was bred as a symbolic dog, to mimic the lion in the town crest. They are related to St Bernard’s and Pyrenean Mountain dogs and have a beautiful nature. Ruby weighs in at 45 kilos (sorry Rubes!) and even has her own Facebook page!
Molly and Tasha, a lovely rottie and border collie pair, were well mannered during their shoot – usually they aren’t fussed with each other, but they put their differences aside for their ‘together’ shot. I was devastated to hear that young Molly has a heart condition. She is such a lively and beautiful gal and I really wonder sometimes why our beloved pets have to have to face such trials and tribulations. It’s just not fair. Thinking of you Mol!
Fluke , the 12 year old golden cocker spaniel with the best up-do hair ever, came to the studio with cats George (aged 16) and Porridge (aged 14). All three spent several months in quarantine earlier this year, after moving to Australia from South Africa. They had wonderful ‘plus ten in age” energy, and weren’t fussed by the goings-on in the studio. George and Porridge were almost too chilled as they just wanted to sleep and not be woken up constantly to have their photo taken. Fluke was a delight to work with and took some adorable shots.
The magnificent greyhound known as Stan visited us again – his first shoot with us was for a commercial client from Queensland back in May. This time ’round, we were able to do some pics of him infront of the black backdrop and I could be more creative. He was beautiful as always, and is one of my fave dogs!
Bella came to the studio at just 12 weeks old. A tiny maltese shih tzu cross puppy, she was cute beyond words. I made the mistake of jumping my hand towards her and saying “Hand spider”…which of course was then the only thing she wanted to chew on and bite! I couldn’t stop laughing, trying to take a photo with one hand whilst she constantly attacked the ‘hand spider’.
And last but not least, we met graceful 14 year old greyhound Cindy. An ex-racer, Cindy was one of the original 50 dogs re-homed by Greyhounds As Pets around 9 years ago. She was gentle old gal, who is battling on valiantly in her twilight years. Her mum told me every photo she has of Cindy shows her looking “terrified”. So I was very happy to capture pics of her smiling and looking like the regal greyhound she is.
Here are some of our fave pics from the photo sessions.
Monty and Charli
Bender and Bogan
Millie and Max
Benny and Bart
Ash and Mohini
Pooh and Ruby
Molly and Tasha
Fluke, George and Porridge
Stan
Bella
Cindy
