I met Susie & Sam in one of my favourite places to photograph, Kindlestown Wood, right down the road from my home.
We set out just before 11 am when the light is really beautiful up there at this time of the year. The air is so crisp and you hardly ever meet another person, especially mid-week.
Kindlestown has become a secret sanctuary of sorts for me. I often just climb to the top and sit on the rocks, over-looking Greystones with my hairies by my side.
This session was my first shoot of 2018 and a big step in my professional photography career. I trained primarily as a studio photographer so natural light always spooked me because of a lack of control over it. At the end of my first year in business though, I’d made the decision to move from the studio only sessions to offering location work also.
I wanted to grasp commanding natural light and then move into bringing studios lighting outside also. The technical side of photography has never really excited me, as an artist, I just love figuring out where the light will fall and how I can work with it. I love the challenge of working in natural light but it’s added pressure when it’s something you’re getting paid to do.
Anyway, this shoot was the ideal oppawtunity to have some fun with light, as there are some gorgeous spots up there. From the beautiful woodland to the rocks that overlook Greystones. You get great depth in the shadows of the woodland and beautiful skies up by the rocks.
Sam is an Elkhound, which if you’ve never heard of them you most definitely have to Google! They are one of my all-time favorite breeds and remind me very much of an Australian Kelpie. In fact, Sam is just one of those dogs I refer to as a “heart dog”.
There’s just an extra special something about them and they worm their way into anybody’s heart easily. I consider my Ozzie a heart dog and so Sam and I had an instant connection. A gentle soul, Sam followed his dad Eamonn about the place, constantly watching to make sure he was safe.
Susie is a German Shepherd Mix and still only a pup, so she was a little bit more boisterous but still did incredibly well! I always feel that asking a puppy or adolescent dog to sit still is the same as asking a 3-year-old human to do the same!
#followthepack
