"I have only one hand on my camera, as I’ve got a treat, a toy, or a squeaker in the other"

I’m currently in the fortunate position that I can arrange my job all around the things I love the most. There is no routine working day as every day, I more or less choose what I work on. That said, there’s lots of paperwork and editing that needs to be done and takes up a lot of my time. But, as I don’t do that many private sessions a year, I mostly work on commissions, projects and my licensing archive. It sounds fun and it is fun, but I’m also a bit of a workaholic. That’s why it’s even more important to be able to say no once in a while. 

I wake up and walk my dog. That’s a very slow and not-too-long walk, as she’s 16 now and still telling us what to do. Afterwards, I answer emails and work on the commissions and my list of tasks I have deadlines for. When I’m finished with that, I might take images but, quite frankly, as a photographer you spend more time doing other stuff than actually taking images.

As I’m mostly known for my studio portraits of dogs, that’s also what I do the most. But I also take images of cats. For this, I travel to their location. Furthermore, I make sure that I do my own projects – these mostly consist of outdoor photography, which is what made me fall in love with photography to begin with. I learned to love studio photography too, but being out in nature, and trying to seize the endless opportunities for images it offers,
is still one of my favorite things. 

I do have a model database of dogs I can hire for commissions, but also for my personal projects. They are mostly my type of dog: rescued, mixed, Spanish or Portuguese, ex-hunting dogs, or whatever dog showed model qualities. And with model qualities, I mean enthusiasm, patience, looks or whatever might be recommendable for the task. It’s a top priority that my models, as well as their owners, have fun. They love to return not only for commissions but also for my private projects, which is lovely.

As I said, it’s super-important that the model has fun. A dog or cat couldn’t care less about being photographed. They need a different motivation. That’s mostly treats, toys and praise. That said, cats couldn’t care less about praise. But lots of cats also love treats or try to catch or hunt something. 

Nearly every dog would do anything for treats. My photo sessions are not an obedience class at dog school. I tell my models how great they are, I cheer them on and…. they get stuffed with yummy treats. For cats, I have feathers and little pieces of cloth on a string to try to awaken their hunting instincts.

Of course, it’s also convenient to have an obedient dog for portraits outdoors. There’s no use trying to take portraits when your dog is already chasing squirrels two streets further down the road. For dogs that can’t be off-leash, I have a fenced-in garden. Also, timid dogs might be better photographed outdoors, in a secure and quiet space, than in the studio. 

Even when you’re letting a dog pose for a portrait, you can still find those little moments where the dog is looking elsewhere or sniffing a blade of grass or the wind. Try to see scenes like this to get something a little different from a standard shot. 

Integrating action is always a good way to get more personal images full of character, even if you just let the pet jump a bit or catch something for a treat.

Having an assistant who can pose the dog, but also make sure they are engaged with the session, can be a benefit. I don’t have a personal assistant, but outdoors, when I’m further away from my model, I will ask the owners to entertain the dog, to make sure I get the poses and expressions I’m looking for. 

When I started out in photography, with a one-picture-a-day project, I wanted to try studio photography, too. Before that, I thought studio photography was boring. I wanted to be out in nature with my dogs. But as I took images every day in winter, studio photography was an alternative to the dark and grey winter days.

I tried to find something more interesting to me – and that was provoking funny expressions. I love adding humor to my photography and that’s what I’m now known for. But to be honest, I love to capture all kinds of emotions, whether it’s the expressions of my models or the style of the images.

I absolutely adore a nostalgic, melancholic, dark, even sometimes moody, atmosphere in images. When I shoot entirely for myself, the photos might look completely different from my colorful studio images. I love to have everything composed and set in-camera by using the Film Simulations of my Fujifilm camera. I might underexpose and add grain and contrast in-camera to get a moody look.

Photography is such an endless playground of creativity. When I finished the one-picture-a-day project, I started another project where I set myself tasks or topics. Every week, I tried to shoot images for the topic of the week. This is called, for example, '52 weeks of dog photography', where you shoot for a year to improve your skills. The topics included black-and-white, lines and textures, shooting through something, etc. The opportunities are endless. 

During these projects, I learned what I like most and what I would love to pursue more. Shooting in black and white is something I absolutely adore. It might not resonate with many people in pet photography, as lots of people think that a black-and-white picture of a dog means that the dog is dead. I don’t see it like that. I love the textures and the mood. 

You are a Fujifilm shooter – what particularly attracts you to this brand?

I got myself a little compact camera, Fujifilm X20. At that time, I still had my Canon equipment, a Canon 5D Mark III. It was a great camera but with the fancy lenses it was just too heavy to carry around with me – remember, I took photos every day. I was able to place the X20 in my jacket pocket. 

Of course, it didn’t offer me the same features that the Canon was able to, but I tried out different approaches, which was the start of me becoming known for my dog portraits that were a little different from the standard. It was the start of my project of big dog noses licking, snapping for and chewing treats or yawning in close-ups.

Step by step, I replaced my Canon equipment with the professional Fujifilm equipment, which was lighter and more compact. I always have only one hand on my camera, as I’ve got a treat, a toy or a squeaker in the other. Therefore, I want my equipment to be as compact as possible. And you get me with a nostalgic design. The picture quality is fabulous. And the buttons for ISO and shutter speed are also super-handy.

My own dogs were rescued from death row or from the streets. These little mutts have given us so much that I can’t express my gratitude in words. The two girls saved my husband’s life when he collapsed with a brain hemorrhage. If it hadn’t been for them barking, howling and running to the bathroom door to alert me, I wouldn’t have found him in time. 

My dogs have brought me through several dark times. They are, or were, my source of laughter and my mental and physical health coaches. That’s why I would like to give back a little bit. Where my dogs come from, thousands of others get discarded yearly. I couldn’t have asked for better family members. Therefore, I try to advocate for shelter animals. I found these formerly unwanted gems and they changed our lives for the better. All three of them were very different in character. My Noodles was the perfect dog for beginners. She loved every human being and every dog. Sure, rescued dogs can also come with a package of challenges. You have to make sure to find a reputable organization and you have to get information and be prepared. And not every dog fits everybody. But you can find the perfect dog for you in a shelter. I’m absolutely sure.

My very first images of other dogs than my own were of the dogs here in my local shelter in Germany, which was a fantastic way to improve my skills. It’s a win-win situation. I get to hang out with dogs, learn and practice, do what I love and help a little along the way. I also went to Morocco and Spain in the past to photograph the work of a dog rescue there.

This year I went to Spain to photograph discarded hunting dogs, in a shelter near Córdoba called Galgos del Sur. 

Every year, tens of thousands of hunting dogs are discarded in Spain. The lucky ones find shelter at private organizations like this one. They were handed in by hunters, found as strays on the street or confiscated. Spain now has a new, stricter animal protection law. Sadly, it explicitly exempts hunting dogs, livestock and research animals. The dogs often arrive in a poor mental and physical state but the people at Galgos del Sur treat the dogs and find homes for them. This is mostly outside of Spain, as the popularity of the galgos and another hunting dog breed, the podenco, as family dogs has not yet fully reached their mother country.

The cooperation with Adobe is, for sure, a highlight for me. I have worked with Adobe products for decades now. I started with Photoshop when I was still working as an employee as a translator, and later on in a marketing department in the 90s. I tried out other software over the years but always came back to Adobe. And yes, also with the subscription model, as it ensures that I can benefit from the newest versions and features right away.

When Adobe asked if I could, for a change, hop in front of the camera, to tell our story, I did so, even though I certainly prefer to stay behind the camera. They have a wonderful team here in Germany, as well as in the UK. I felt super-comfortable. It brought a lot of attention, which is, of course, wonderful. And I learned to love doing Photoshop tutorials. There’s currently one in the making, in cooperation with other pet photographers.

Next to meeting my gorgeous models, I’m grateful that I’ve got wonderful, supportive people from all around the world on my social media accounts. The internet can be a vile place sometimes but I receive kind messages and am fortunate to have such a safe space for dog fans, Dogs unite. Well, cats too, of course, but they wouldn’t admit that.