Chantelle received one of my little gifts (Personalised Fridge Magnet) and a thank you gift voucher. I phoned her a few weeks after I had sent out the gift and she immediately made me feel relaxed with her beautiful warm nature.
We arranged to have chat again a few weeks later to discuss ideas for a photo session with her Heart Dog, Cooper, who is 11. She really wanted to get some beautiful photos of them together as she never gets the chance to take photos with him.
About Chantelle’s and Coopers Outdoor Photography Session
Cooper is an absolute charmer and gives the softest kisses. I have never met a staffy or lab that takes his treats so gently. <3
Cooper is however a little nervous of new sounds. Before I begin photographing, I like to click my camera around the dog without ‘pointing it’ at them to see if they feel comfortable with it. Once the big lenses come out it can be scary if your dog has never seen a camera!
We quickly realised that Cooper was nervous of the shutter noise. We tried a few treat rewards to help him through his nerves but in the end the best option was to switch the shutter noise to silent. With some cuddles from mum, he was all set to be my next model star!
My goal for the day was really to capture some gorgeous photos of them together. The bond between Chantelle and Cooper was evident from the moment I met them.
Older dogs may Surprise you!
We then moved to an area where there are fallen logs and pathways to capture a few ‘Lexie Photos’, (Chantelle has followed my girl Lexie on social media since she was puppy and loves the artistic photos of Lexie on logs)
To our surprise, Cooper bounded up onto the big fallen tree, did turns on the spot, was happy to sit and we even managed to encourage a down. He was amazing and I captured some lovely moments on the log.
We had a lovely afternoon together and my heart was warmed when we parted with a hug. I’m a hugger and of course Chantelle turned out to be a hugger too.
If you’re lucky like me and get to meet Cooper, he loves his scritches on the side just under his ears. 😉
After the Session
I was quite trigger happy during this session and filled my first card! That meant there was a lot of photos I needed to curate before finely editing my very favourites.
I’ve decided that I am going to include my ‘signature’ butterfly photo in every session. There is just something magical about butterflies and couple with the innocence of dogs I truly believe they are the perfect combination for something magic.
I am excited to enter this photo into upcoming photo competitions. Wish me luck!
The photo of the butterfly was captured at the Bribie Butterfly House. I highly recommend going if you love butterflies. 🙂
The Reveal
What a wonderful evening Chantelle and I had as I shared the beautiful photos captured of her precious boy Cooper. I nearly welled up in tears as I handed the tissues across to Chantelle. My heart melts to know I have been able to capture something so meaningful and special. Moments that will be treasured now and forever.
Artwork Collection
I asked Chantelle if she would mind me recording her reaction when she came to collect her photos. She said of course but that she was likely to ugly cry!
I thought her tears were perfect. <3 No ugly crying at all.
We ended up have such a lovely couple of hours together drinking coffee, chatting and of course Buddy and Lexie were lapping up all of Chantelle’s attention.
I have found that I am making such deeper connections along this journey than I ever anticipated and I can’t imagine changing career paths. It feels like this is just where I was meant to be right now. <3
Would you like to capture some extra special photos of your dog?
Reach out and we can design the perfect session just for you.
