As a Dog Portrait Photographer I am finding myself getting up earlier and earlier for our outdoor dog photography sessions. With the sun already high in the sky by 9am, and temperatures in the high 20s, I’m having to head out at 8am or in some cases even earlier to try and find some shade and neutral light, especially when, once again, my subject is a black dog. In this case, gorgeous Miniature Poodle Saki. He’s such a fun and jolly dog, and we had a great time on our walk. My mother used to have a black standard poodle and it brought back many happy memories watching a smaller but just as fun and lively version of our much loved pet running around.
But it ain’t half hot, mum, when you’re running through the Tooting Bec Woods and across Tooting Bec Common searching for squirrels. Not that I’m complaining about the lovely weather now that it’s finally here. But the light is a major consideration for any professional dog portrait photographer, as is the colour and texture of the dog’s coat.
Even at 8 am, the sun was so bright already that it was almost impossible to photograph Saki out in the grass as the contrast between his curly black coat and the dried sunlit yellow/greeny grass was just too strong. Instead, we went for the woods and our favourite railway arch for a bit of cover.
