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Latest blog posts from specialist dog portrait photographer in Johannesburg South Africa.

Studio Dog Portraits on Location

Studio Dog Portraits on Location in Johanneburg

Studio dog portraits shot on location in Johannesburg.

Meet Rosie, Angus & Tank. Three little Dachshunds.

I was commissioned to photograph this this trio of friends recently.  Their mom told me that Tank gets very nervous if he travels, so we needed to do the shoot at home using my portable studio set up. The dogs were a little suspicious as I got the backdrop and lights ready, but the swift arrival of a selection of treats soon put an end to that worry.

studio dog portraits on location johannesburg

Tiny Rosie was first up for her portrait session.  This little lady is 9 years old and her mom was keen to get some cute portraits of her to out up on the wall.  Rosie was quite shy so it took some coaxing to get her to sit still and look at the camera, but by the power of snack items, we got there.

studio dog portraits on location johannesburg

Next up was Tank, also a senior boy who wasn't quite sure about the task at hand.

studio dog portraits on location johannesburg

He was far happier when his sister was sitting next to him, safety in numbers, although that meant sharing the treats which he wasn't too happy about. He did however get his own back by photobombing Rosie's portrait.

studio dog portraits on location
studio dog portraits on location

Younger brother Angus showed them both how it was supposed to be done. He sat like a champ for his portraits, in exchange for a constant supply of snacks of course.

studio dog portraits on location johannesburg

Angus is a standard sized wired haired dachshund, so he towered over Rosie and Tank who are mini versions.  

studio dog portraits on location johannesburg

To finish the shoot off, we attempted some team photos. 

studio dog portraits on location

The dogs were far more focused on the snacks than me. Perhaps next time, I'll do a Lady Gaga and cover myself in steak before the shoot to ensure full eye contact at all times, LOL.

 

Beware of the Brown Dog Myth

 

'Little Brown Jobs', hereafter referred to as 'LBJs'.  A phrase I often hear bandied about when people make references to brown mutts that find themselves in shelters waiting for homes.  Whilst at first glance it may seem that all brown dogs look the same, I'd like to challenge you to observe more closely this selection of brown mutts and see if you still agree.

All of these gorgeous and incredibly unique LBJs were photographed by yours truly either for 'Mutts the Book', or the spin off Sandton SPCA 2018 'Mutts Matter' calendar. Both projects are fundraisers for two charities I support, who frequently find themselves unwittingly in possession of brown dogs and know all about the subsequent struggle to home them because of their perceived lack of individuality.

Excuse the high horsery, but I am on a mission to do everything I can to breakdown and change misconceptions that often abound about shelter mutts.

Getting people to change their attitudes about adopting shelters dogs (it probably won't be good with my kids, I don't know what's happened to it before so I'd rather not take a chance, it's not a pedigree, it might suddenly turn on me or my kids, its bound to have behavioural problems, blah, blah, blah) is an agenda I'm keen to push. Granted one has to proceed with eyes open when adopting and some of the above preconceptions might occasionally be true, but, most often shelter dogs integrate brilliantly into their new homes. Buy my book and you'll find out all about how great mutts are.

My passion for mutts stems from my own experience visiting shelters.  On the occasion that a pure breed dog finds itself homeless and unwanted, invariably they are snapped up in a heart beat. I can only assume that this is because of the connotations associated with the particular dog breed and how lovely it looks. It makes me very sad that there seem to be lots of homes available when a Bulldog ends up at Sandton SPCA, but those homes evaporate when it's a mutt that needs to be adopted. Sob stories and heartbreaking tales of abuse up the odds of a mutt getting adopted, but how about an LBJ being chosen because he or she is a cool looking dog with a quirky personality?

I'm always thrilled when someone who's had a pedigree dog and then adopts from a shelter tells me that their mutt is the best dog they've ever had and that they'll never go to a breeder for a dog again.  Happiness. I'd like more converts please.

Don't get me wrong, I love all dogs and I understand that some folks have a real penchant for a particular dog breed, if that's you please google to find a rescue organisation for your particular breed of choice and adopt your next dog rather than buying from a breeder. If however, like me, your requirements for a dog are to keep you company, be your friend and share your life and you care not about their outward design, please check out the mutts at your local shelter. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Mutts the Book is available to buy here - www.emmaobrien.photography along with a selection of other doggy goodies. Sales proceeds from the book are being split 50/50 between CLAW (Community Led Animal Welfare) and Sandton SPCA

In case you were wondering, I have 4 mutts ranging in size from 5kgs to 33kgs and they are full of fun, personality and incredibly smart.

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Mutts the exhibition. I'm planning to put together a photography exhibition in the next couple of months, so if you have an LBJ from a rescue centre, please send me an email with their photo and adoption story for a chance to have them included.

Dachshund Dog Art Shoot

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So this happened.

Meet Phoebe, Chelsea and Harvey, three little dogs with BIG personalities. They came through to the studio with their parents and grandparents (Harvey belongs to granny and grandpa) for a portrait shoot which was rather chaotic, but lots and lots of fun.

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If you've ever wondered how I actually manage to get portraits of multiple dogs sitting still, the answer is with patience, perseverance and snacks.

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Smaller dogs are usually much easier to coerce into sitting still than big dogs and with all the extra pairs of hands made this shoot quite easy really.......

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Harvey (above) wasn't overly impressed with the whole portrait shoot thing, the girls however got totally into the modelling vibe. To be fair to Harvey, his Dad was telling him that he smelt like a little girl after his bath the day before, so that probably put him off his stride a bit.

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All eyes on the snacks.

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Cheese, viennas and............

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Biltong.

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Happiness is an arm full of Dachshunds.

I'm so excited to see what the portraits from this shoot look like hanging up at Fran & Brad's house.  They ordered 12 20cmx20cm framed portraits which are going to look amazing.