Dog Blog
Whining biting chewing running pooping jumping and sleeping. All this in the first week! With her second birthday coming up, I thought I would write about the trials tribulations and fun we had when our life changed forever.
My husband Rick and I had always wanted a dog but life got in the way. That changed when we bought our first house together and settled into our jobs.
We looked into getting a puppy, as both of us wanted a dog we could train from scratch. We finally settled on a cute cross-breed and took her home on the 19th of February 2016. Here are a couple of photos from that first day.
She is VERY intelligent as she learnt sit, stay, roll-over, down, hold and leave within the first month! This made for great opportunities to take lots of photos!
(No dogs were harmed in the holding of this rose - all thorns were taken off beforehand!)
The first few weeks were pretty tough! We were constantly on the ball, watching out for that inevitable squat followed by a puddle of wee! She chewed everything in sight. It’s true when they say puppies have razor-sharp teeth. A few of my tops didn’t survive!
Having to act like we’d just won the lottery whenever she went to the toilet outside made for some funny moments. The neighbours must have thought we were mad!
Nights were the worst. She whined without fail throughout the night and we had to take her out (in the cold) wait until she wee’d then put her back in her crate. I have to say that the first few weeks were trying to say the least!
Having access to a range of cameras and lenses is always a benefit with any new event and when you have a new puppy, photos are essential! I got some good shots which made fantastic presents throughout the year!
Read More: Creating
Handy hint 1 - Think about perspective when shooting any animal. When you get down to their level the viewpoint changes and creates a more dynamic image. If the eyes are in focus, it doesn't matter too much if the rest is blurry, so always try to focus on the eyes.
There are many articles about the difficulties of photographing a black dog, but one thing that I didn’t account for are the outstanding silhouettes you can capture. Here are a couple I have achieved while out and about.
Handy hint 2 - Use an animals colour to your advantage. If you do own a black animal and haven't mastered that difficult exposure problem, use gorgeous backgrounds in your area to create some artistic photos! (Sunsets, brick walls, old barn doors, or the sky to name a few! Expose for the background and let your dog do the rest - they naturally deliver wonderful poses.
Gradually she stopped whining at night, peeing inside and the terrible puppy months were less stressful. Sleep became part of our lives again! In the process we lost a couple of remote controls, a coaster, £100 pair of running shoes, both heels from some work shoes, 2 wooden spoons, and many cardboard boxes.
However if you are prepared to put the effort in to train and socialize your dog it will be worth it. You will have a wonderful companion that will be full of mischief, fun, and love.
(That's not my arm by the way, it's Ricks!)
Handy hint 3 - ALWAYS take photos. Moments are gone in the blink of an eye so all we have are the memories in our head and the photos we take.
Cameras and lenses used – Please click on each image to find out which camera took the shot.
Sony RX100MKii
Canon 6D + 24-70mm f2.8
Canon EOS M5 + 15-45mm f3.5 – 6.3
Canon 80D + 135mm f2Read Next: Instant Photography Guide - All You Need To Know
Discover More: How To Create Video That Stands Out
- 3rd November 2017
