This month, we’re going behind the photograph again to explore a photographer’s image and their career. We’re chatting with Hertfordshire-based pet photographer Jo Day about this beautiful seaside image.
Jo captures wonderfully playful shots of dogs for her clients, but today we’re focusing on this shot of her two poodles.
Photographing hyper subjects
Jo shot this beautiful image at West Wittering Beach in West Sussex. She adores this picture because it marked the end to an amazing day at the beach with her dogs:
“The sunset that evening was the most stunning vivid pink and my poodles were enjoying playing in the sand, savouring the last drops of sunlight from a fun day on the beach.”
Dogs are incredibly lively animals, which can be quite challenging when you’re trying to capture great photographs. Jo definitely finds this aspect of her work to be the most challenging, but she knows how to handle this issue:
“As you can imagine, some dogs are particularly fast, so I always have my shutter speed set high and of course, to do this you need the light, so I am always balancing the two.”
Getting used to photographing a fast-moving subject can be tough, but Jo feels she now has the right technique:
“These days, I position myself amongst the action and let it unfold before me. The tricky bit is to try to capture the perfect moment, but I am very likely to get jumped on and muddy in the process!”
A passion for dogs helps, Jo has always loved man’s best friend and believes this is why she wanted to become a dog photographer:
“Since I was a little girl, I have been captivated by them. When I photograph dogs, they always look beautiful no matter the time or how they are feeling. It doesn’t matter if it’s early or late, they never look tired or below par like us humans!”
The joys of dog photography
Jo has developed her own business providing clients with beautiful, lively pet portraits. She uses Loxley Colour to provide them with gorgeous keepsakes. She particularly loves a staple from our extensive Presentation collection:
“My absolute favourite Loxley product is the Glacier Block. It is such a high quality product and, for me, it is like capturing an image in a perfect little glass box to keep forever. It’s really very special and I highly recommend it.”
Jo loves her career, and loves making clients happy when they see their images. Her passion for dogs is clear to see in her work, and she considers it a real bonus to see her clients and their dogs interact so well:
“The most rewarding aspect of my work is witnessing the bond between an owner and their dog. Ultimately, we are just a different species of animal, but to have a friend you love and trust so much that doesn’t even speak to you and who seems to know your next move is very special. Their loyalty is beyond words.”
Jo’s advice for photographers looking to expand into the pet market is to understand as much about your subjects as possible:
“Try not to plan it too much because animals have a way of doing the total opposite of what you had in mind.”