One thing that makes me smile every single time is making possible what many pet parents deem impossible whether that’s photographing a black dog whose dark fur I’m told makes it difficult to capture details or nailing the focus on action shots when those hilarious zoomies show up. A recent example of this came following an inquiry from Jodi and her husband Matt for their 125-pound Mastiff mix, Atticus, who Jodi told me is leash reactive to dogs.
When we connected for Jodi’s pre-session phone consultation, I soon discovered that Atticus shares many similarities with my Hunter.
“Atticus loves meeting new people on his terms. He is anxious and reactive, so he will need to approach new people, instead of the other way around,” explains Jodi, adding, “He really is a big mush once you get to know him. He is a Velcro dog that is always by our side.”
Jodi cautioned me that Atticus gets excited very quickly to loud voices and can jump, but I soon found that he was a perfect gentleman during his session. That, and he is extremely food motivated. Yummy treats worked wonders as an attention-getter for this big guy while my lanyard of what-in-the-world?! sounds captured some adorable head tilts.
Because of his leash reactivity, Jodi requested a location where we’d be less inclined to encounter other dogs. We agreed that Brady’s Run Park near Beaver Falls on a weekday evening would be the best option. While we did have to dodge two or three dogs here and there, Atticus was completely unphased, taking his modeling career quite seriously, at one point giving a killer over-the-shoulder glance back at us that left everyone cracking up. Isn’t he a total heartthrob?
In addition to individual portraits of Atticus, I made sure to capture plenty of him with his parents, one of which they selected for a gorgeous artisan wood. The above image of him relaxing by the water will be presented as a beautiful 5×7 gift print.
Jodi and Matt, thank you so much for trusting me with Atticus! He is a sweet and special boy who I can see clearly means the world to the two of you. It was an honor to create these images for you.
If you would like to book a Bark & Gold Photography session for your pet, click here or give me a call at 724-913-BARK (2275). For more information on Bark & Gold Photography sessions, visit “The Experience” in the menu and be sure to share your email on my homepage to join the VIP list.
This post is a part of a photography blog circle featuring photographers specializing in a variety of niches. To see what the next photographer is sharing for our weekly theme, “Makes You Smile,” check out Gretchen Ciccone with GCiccone Photography, capturing special moments. Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here.
Wonderful photos! He seems like a sweet boy with lots of personality 😊
He is! I’m so glad he showed his parents how well he could do. So many worry when their dogs are dog reactive and you wouldn’t even have known it with him!
What a handsome fella. I love that she called him a “Velcro” dog!!!! I LOL at the one of him in the stump, he’s a model for sure!!!!!
As someone who has a Velcro dog of her own, I totally get it!
And that stump shot: he initially did that all on his own, but moved right before I was able to get the shot. We did a few practices to get him comfortable getting just his front paws back up again and he did it!