We’d booked Scout and Nelle’s session for daybreak but when I arrived, it was still quite dark! Not being used to the sunrise/sunset times in Melbourne, I’d taken a guess and been just a bit too much on the safe side. Scout and Nelle’s Mum and Dad were good sports though about the early start, so we all packed into the car and headed to their local park. When we arrived, the whole place, which was actually a series of sports fields, was covered in a thick blanket of fog. It was also quite chilly, not at all what I was used to back on the Gold Coast!
It didn’t slow the dogs down in the slightest though. As soon as we were out of the car and on the ovals, they were racing around madly after their beloved tennis balls. The light was a bit dim to get sharp action shots, but this gives you a pretty good picture of the ‘fog dogs’.
With active dogs such as these, it’s always a good idea to let them run off a bit of energy before the serious modelling business begins, so we spent a good half hour playing ball! The sun finally made an appearance and started clearing away the fog, though it hung around for quite some time in pockets. The light was worth waiting for, just beautiful.
Scout is the older of the pair at two years of age. He seems to take the lead in most situations with younger Nelle (10 months) happy to follow.
The morning light didn’t let us down with beautiful golden rays coming through the trees. I’m totally in love with this shot!
And I love this candid of Nelle at the park. Black dogs can sometimes be tricky to get shots of that look good in black and white, but her eyes in this one just make it.
Eventually lots of other dogs started arriving at the park and with Scout being such a social boy and needing to say meet and greet most of them, we decided to pack up and head home for some more relaxed photos. Doesn’t Scout look handsome in this shot in a patch of sunlight?
I thought we might have done too good of a job wearing them out, but with some tasty treats on hand, they soon perked up.
Scout’s happy face was tending to feature in most of the shots.
So we gave him a rest from the camera for a while and concentrated on the beautiful Nelle for a while. I just loved her on their red bed!
Such a sweet and gentle girl.
Photo sessions can be pretty tiring for the pups – it’s a combination of physical and mental stimulation that tends to make them crash out for the rest of the day, so my clients tell me! Here’s my final shot of Scout, well on his way to having a well-earned rest.













Really enjoyed those photos!
Charolotte! These are lovely! I LOVE the shots of the two of them together in the house. Esp. the one of Scout behind Nelle! Awesome!!!
lovely, charlotte! i love those last few w/ the red cushion/black dog.
Stunning photos. Gorgeous expressions well captured on those lab faces.
Hi Charlotte, I’ve finally had a chance to look at the photos after my hospital stay (baby boy came a about a week after the session). The photos are just stunning. I am so happy we were able to do this before our lives became even more chaotic. Thanks so much for spending the time with us and our dogs.
beautiful!!! labs are one of my favorite breeds and you just captured their playful, yet soulful, nature perfectly.
You have inspired me to go out and buy a better camera ,have digital Cannon IXUS 600 need to get serious.
Awesome shots ,creativity as well as fabulous pics capturing special moments.How long have you been an animal photographer?
really enjoyed Kim’s boy BUDDY and checked out the others