Laurel was lucky enough to win the raffle at the 2011 Million Paws Walk at Miami which included a mini session with me. She came up to my stall on the day and was so excited she’d won. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the session ever since.

We originally booked the session in for before Christmas, but due to the weather we had to reschedule so many times I lost count. Patient clients are the best! Eventually though we had a beautiful afternoon to work with and I am so happy with how the light looks in the photos. I can’t stress enough how much of a difference beautiful light makes to the final look of your images.

Some of you might be familiar with this well known dog beach on the Gold Coast – called “the Spit” – it’s popular with locals and probably the least touristy beach on the coast. The ramp up to the kiosk at the start of the jetty is where we started our session.

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about our session beforehand, because what I remember about Geoff was him racing around madly on the the beach with Luna. I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be hard to get him to stay still for more than two seconds! My fears were totally unfounded though, as well as having an active social beachy life, Geoffrey is also very well trained!

I am in love with this shot of Geoffrey with the kiosk in the background.

Geoff goes to obedience classes regularly and his mum Laurel actually volunteers at the Animal Welfare League, teaching kids how to interact with and train dogs. The result is of course, Laurel having a very well behaved boy.

The path behind the dunes heading up the very end of the Spit is one of my favourite places to shoot. I love the colours and the late afternoon sunshine makes the scene come to life.

The dunes are awash with little yellow flowers at this time of year and although Geoff is a big tough man-dog, I couldn’t resist posing him in front of them.

Further down the beach, the last of the afternoon light was just starting to drop behind the dunes. The view down the coastline includes the towers and buildings of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach and beyond, leaving you in no doubt that you’re on the Gold Coast!

Every time we had Geoff “stay” in a particular spot, when we’d finished Laurel would release him and he’d come racing along the dunes towards us, jumping big gaps between the dunes in some very impressive leaps and bounds.

Another aspect I love about shooting at the Spit are the dune trees – their long spindly bare branches make for an interesting background.

I couldn’t resist this shot of Geoffrey, silhouetted against the sky as the sun was setting.

Although he was rather tired (his second trip to the beach that day), Geoffrey was good enough to give me a lovely head tilt to finish off the session. I love this boy! Thanks for a great session Geoff and Laurel, I will have to bring Luna down for a trip to the Spit sometime soon.

After some rather humorous out-takes involving a pair of very unhappy-looking kitties (think bared teeth, body contortions and ears laid right back), we put that idea aside and eventually worked up it, starting with some shots of each individual cat.

Sahara is a two year old Bengal and is a real stunner. I love those leopard spots which are legacy of her wild cat heritage – Bengals are actually hybrids between Asian Leopard Cats and domestic cats, though a few generations removed from a direct cross.

She is alert and playful, always keeping an eye on what’s going on and very inquisitive about everything.

Julius is a four year old Ragdoll and is much more laid back, typical of the breed, very cruisy and cuddly. Except when be is being held and we’re trying to get photos of him, of course!

What a gorgeous fluff ball he is.

Out in the garden it was easy to see Sahara’s wild heritage. She has these amazing wildcat-like stalking and trotting gaits, not like your regular domestic kitty.

Heidi and David’s yard was a great spot for some casual portraits, with the late afternoon sun filtering through the trees. We initially had them lying here with Sahara, but unfortunately Sahara didn’t wish to co-operate and after much wiggling and protesting, regained her freedom and ran off. These shots are the aftermath of this, there was lots of laughing and it just goes to show what a great relaxed fun loving couple these two are!

Julius was a little more co-operative and we managed to get a few shots with him before he had had enough. This is my favourite of these guys.

Sahara was off busy hunting and patrolling her territory, I think she’d spotted a bird here. We managed to stalk her and grab her for one last attempt.

When working with animals, patience is the number one attribute to have. Luckily it paid off towards the end of the session and we managed to capture a number of images with Sahara, this being my favourite.

Despite the fact our feline models were somewhat less than willing at times, I had a fantastic time with these guys and there was much laughter and chats. Thanks for a great afternoon Heidi and David!

I just thought I’d include some praise that Heidi sent through. I love it when clients send me this kind of thing, it does help to know I am on the right track!

“We couldn’t have asked for anyone more professional, lovely and talented to take our photos. Not to mention having a really fun time at the photo shoot. Charlotte has such a natural and amazing style to her photographs that definitely make them stand out. If you are looking or thinking about having some beautiful photographs taken of you and your pets that you will cherish forever, you should definitely get in touch with Charlotte Reeves Photography, you will be so happy with the results.” – Heidi

You can read more praise from my lovely clients on my website.

If you’d love some beautiful, creative and candid photos of your favourite furry friend then let’s book you in for a session while I’m visiting. These will be special Travel Sessions which include all final high resolution photos on disk! The custom printed DVD of images is presented in a gorgeous boxed black buckram presentation folio with your favourite image included on the inside. The session will also have the usual inclusions, such as:

• Photographers time and talent
• On-location photo session for 1-2 subjects
• Shooting time 30 minutes – 2 hours
• Includes 1-2 locations i.e. home, local park, beach and dunes, urban or city, foreshore etc
• The best 30 images (more for extra subjects) are carefully selected and edited to perfection
• A mixture of colour and black & white images

I have the following spots remaining:

• Afternoon session, Thursday July 15th (starting around 3pm)
• Afternoon session, Friday July 16th (starting around 3pm)

If this sounds like just what you’ve been waiting for, get in quick as the opportunity to have your precious pal photographed by an award-winning specialist pet photographer doesn’t happen every day!

Gift certificates are available and remember that although I specialise in dogs, I also love photographing cats, horses and other furry friends. I also really delight in capturing the bond between you and your pet if you wish to be involved in the session as well.

The price for the session will be $595 which really is amazing value. If you’re keen to book a session or even just to find out more, drop me a line at pix@charlottereeves.com.au or call me on 0402 322 973.

Here’s a few favourites from my most recent sessions to get you thinking!

They seem to have everything sorted and know their place in the world, spending their days relaxing and enjoying what life has to offer.

Still obviously enjoying her time with her devoted family and little bro Russell, she cruises around checking stuff out and is always up for a cuddle!

I just loved her beautiful thick coat, discovered while giving her many pats and scratches throughout the session. Cattle dogs have a rain-resistant outer coat with harsh long guard hairs, then a short dense undercoat. They really are a hardy dog – bred to withstand harsh and varied weather conditions of this country as well as the rigours of working cattle in the scrub.

Though she’s a bit slower these days, she still gets around fine on those sturdy Cattle Dog legs.

Always accompanied by a wide doggy grin!

Holly has a wonderful acreage property to roam around on and enjoys little trips down to the paddock where there are lots of things to sniff and take in. Here she is by the pool, checking out the goings on in the paddock further down.

I love how alert she looks in this one!

Although Holly was meant to the be main subject on the day, I just couldn’t ignore her ‘little brother’, Russell who was insistent that he should also be recieving treats and getting lots of attention.

Another Australian Cattle Dog, Russell is no spring chicken either at 10 years old. What a gorgeous smiley matching pair they make!

We concentrated on Holly for a bit longer before letting Russell have his moment in the limelight. Our session was quite slow paced but I do tend to ask a lot of my doggy models in terms of attention, so I’d say she slept well for the rest of the day! Here she is getting a head start on the resting, looking regal and totally the boss of ‘her’ backyard.

Just like his big sis, Russell is a lovely happy cuddly boy.

He was very attentive to treats and made my job so easy.

Just one more of the two of them. What a lucky family to have two beautiful dogs like these!

I just love the colour and texture of the deck which brings out her melting chocolate brown eyes.

She had the full range of expressions too, from the super cute puppy dog look…

To the happy-go-lucky, “I’ll do anything for a treat!” look…

Her colouring and markings means she looks just as good in black and white!

After hanging out in the backyard for a while, it was time to venture into the park for some chasing ball games, plus a quick bit of modelling on the park bench, complete with well-timed gust of wind to send those furry ears flying. Anyone would think we set up a fan!

Then it was back to the deck for a bit more modelling in the late afternoon light.

Before heading inside to check out the light there. Luckily there were some nice big windows, so Pippi got to pose on the couch.

The white tiled floor under a big skylight also made for some gorgeous light we just couldn’t pass up. I think Pippi was really getting the hang of the modelling part at this stage, and pulled out some cracker expressions for the camera.

With all the hard work over, it was time for some fun! In true spaniel style, Pippi just loves the water and couldn’t wait to get wet.

Diving into the pool enthusiastically after her ball, making for some really fun splashing shots!

What a girl! I just loved Pippi.

“My next horse and the most important horse I will ever own is Aly.  I still own Aly and he is my life.  Aly is an unraced thoroughbred and was a very well educated rising 5 yr old when I first brought him. He is now almost 20 yrs old and has had a magnificent life with me.  I see Aly as my partner in this endeavor to retrain horses.  He helps me by spending time with these young, usually highly strung and worked up babies who have come from a very stressful and intense lifestyle to that of complete calmness and love.  Aly is wise and loyal.  He constantly helps me with my riding. He is well educated and forces me to ride correctly or he will simply not co-operate!”

Lorelle and Aly have built up an amazing connection over the 15 years they have been together, something that’s immediately obvious when you meet them.

He follows her around, no halter or leadrope, comes when he’s called (sometimes) and generally acts more like a dog than a horse!

Aly looks pretty amazing for a 20 year old horse, don’t you think?

Aly also has a funny side, he’s a real character! We hung out with him for a couple of hours and I got to witness one of his interesting little habits… he’s a licker!

Gotta love the little drool trail coming off his bottom lip here, classic!

Finishing off with my favourite shot of the session.

Horses are right up there with dogs to photograph for me, so if you have a gorgeous horse you want some relaxed, casual non-posed shots of, please get in contact, I’d love to meet you both!

Molly the Staffy is a gorgeous, well behaved little girl who is lucky enough to have a totally devoted owner who obviously loves her to bits.

She gets regular early morning walks to her favourite park where she can run and sniff and cruise around spreading that famous Staffy smile and cheer everywhere she goes. And what an amazing tongue!

And very cute ears.

After we’d finished our walk through the park, we headed back to Molly’s house and chilled out in her backyard. The patio was nice and cool, a good place to stretch out on a hot morning.

It wasn’t long though, and her energy was back again, ready for a game of tug!

I somehow convinced her that modelling was a career path she should seriously consider.

This is probably my favourite shot of the session.

With this one running a close second. I’m so stoked that Molly’s dad is getting this one as a nice big gallery wrap canvas,  I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

They have a big deck and a fantastic garden to while away the hours.

Baileys is a 10 year old Staffy with a such a laid back and cruisy attitude.

Her best mate Billy the 7 year old Fox Terrier is a serious boy but very attentive and was constantly trying to steal food out of my treat pouch, very sneaky!

But very cute as well, posing here on the garden path for me.

The little beach and jetty was a great spot for photos.

Couldn’t resist a shot of the two of them, when they paused for a second to check out a boat.

Gotta love those wise old staffy eyes.

I had a great afternoon chilling with this gorgeous pair and we managed to wrap up the session just as the rain came and it bucketed down! Thanks for a lovely afternoon guys.

Dallas the black Labrador is just one and a half, and already she and her Mum have a visible bond.

Wherever her Mum was, Dallas was sure to be found – well except when she was off meeting and greeting other dogs like your typical friendly Labrador!

Sometimes shooting into the light can be as rewarding as shooting with it, and the following couple of shots are no exception, probably my favourites from the session.

You just can’t beat the crisp clean feel of early morning light at the beach though.

I was warned that Dallas was ‘just a bit obsesssed’ with tennis balls, and she soon found one to bring to us, demanding a game.

Who could resist this look?

As you can probably tell by the sand all over her nose, Dallas was justly rewarded for her patient modelling with lots of ball throwing.

What a beautiful, happy girl. We had such a fun morning, thanks guys!