My last shoot of 2021 might have just been my favorite–I got to meet this incredibly charming little man, Andre! After Bostons, the French Bulldog might just be my favorite breed and this guy had personality plus!
He was only around 5 months old when we met in early December, but I think he looked so handsome and mature! And I was so stoked to be able to capture some of those fall colors so late in the season. Can’t say enough nice things about the Viltrox lenses I was using, either. While the Z series might be some of the greatest lenses I’ve ever used, these can’t be beat for the price. The autofocus can struggle a bit if I’m using a polarizer, but it gives me some really stellar images 95% of the time.
I have both the 35mm and the 85mm, and while I’ve always shot on the wider side of focal lengths, this 85mm has A HOLD on me. The distance you need can feel a little impersonal, but I think it’s great for dog photography where sometimes things can work in your favor if you’re not right in the dog’s face getting them all riled up.
These Whole Hearted Filets were our high value treat of choice this shoot. Andre honestly didn’t need much coaching, but these are smelly enough to distract any dog from just about anything. I also got to flex my leash removal skills quite a bit since we were shooting at the beautiful Ward Meade Botanical Gardens.
I love a good collar that can tie a whole look together, but I usually have my clients use something similar to this 7 foot black slip lead during a shoot. It’s durable, thin and is a breeze to edit out. Plus, it’s got more than enough length to mostly keep the handler out of the shot. Jessica McGovern has a great leash removal tutorial on Youtube, worth a watch if you’re looking for some good techniques.
I honestly could not have asked for a better shoot to end 2021. With school and the arrival (finally!) of cold weather, I haven’t had my first shoot of 2022 yet. But with over 8000 photos sitting in my catalog and over a dozen shoots from 2021 I still haven’t shared here, I’ve got more than enough personal work to keep me busy for quite awhile!
