Family Dogs / Surrey Family and Pet Photographer
Family Dogs
I love taking family photographs and I also love photographing dogs. That is why I recently started a personal project called Family Dogs, with an aim to document the relationship families have with their pet dogs. To kick start the series, I photographed a gorgeous cocker spaniel Lexi with her human family. We arranged our dog and family photo shoot near Leith Hill as the family lived close by and one of their favourite things to do in spare time was to go on long country walks.
Family portraits with pets
It was a warm summer day in late summer, with sunshine coming through the clouds but with rain looming in the distance. We started our walk at the bottom of the hill, walking up the gentle slopes, sun coming through the trees. This first part of the session provided some great opportunities for group shots, the colours of the dead leaves on the ground matching Lexi’s coat. It was lovely to work with the earhy colour palette. A part of the route up towards Leith Hill has some impressive tree roots which form an amazing pattern on the ground. I knew I wanted to include these in the photographs, so I positioned Lexi for a few dog portraits. I particurlarly like black and white versions of these photographs, the textures and patterns really come through. Once we were on top of the hill, I looked around for nice spots for some more family shots. The heather was in bloom and I wanted to include it in the photos. Often when photographing families with dogs, there is quite a bit of arranging going on. Either the dog doesn’t want to sit still, the kids want to run around or both things happen making it nearly impossible to take a group shot! On this occasion, by some miracle, the family set down and just as they did so (while also looking at the camera), Lexi came from behind and poked her head through a little hole in the middle. This is one of the rare unposed, unplanned photos which just happened and turned out amazing! It is one of my favouirtes from this family and pet photo session, probably because it was so spontaneous!
Dog Portraits
Finally, a dog photo session with an energetic dog like Lexi wouldn’t be complete without a few action shots. I got Lexi to run along the paths amongst the heather and she did so with such speed that my auto focus struggled to keep up. I love taking a variety of different shots which capture memories of our pets in different situations - while frantically running around, chasing a ball, playing with another dog or a family member, or having a quiet moment. Different moments take us back and awaken memories we thought we lost.
Family Photography with Dogs
If you live in Surrey and are interested in participating in my Family Dogs photography project, please get in touch - I would love to hear from you and photograph your family and your dog(s)!
Dog Photography Gift Vouchers
If you are looking for a different kind of gift for someone’s birthday, anniversary or Christmas present, then a photography gift voucher may be the answer. I offer 1h and 2h dog photography gift vouchers. You can add extra credit to the gift certificate, which can go towards digital files or prints, or leave it up to the receipient to choose what they’d like at the end of the photoshoot. Get in touch if you have any questions!
London and Surrey Family Photographer / Richmond Park Family Photoshoot
I really enjoy catching up with return clients and finding out what they’ve been up to. It was lovely to hear from Berry, who’s Cockapoo Joey I photographed a few years ago. He was a young dog then, and was very energetic so taking portraits was a big challenge! Below is a photo from that photo session; a moment of stillness before more energetic running around!
Since our last meeting, there has been a new addition to the family, and there was a big family get together to celebrate the occasion! As London and Surrey family photographer, I work at different locations across the capital and Surrey, but it was a special treat to go back to Richmond park for this photoshoot. The biggest challange this time was to get everyone comfortable and happy in front of the camera; to arrange a large group of people and take a shot while everyone was looking! I found an old tree branch which looked like the perfect spot for a big family photo. The curves of the branch provided lovely lines for an interesting compositing, and contained enough perching spots for everyone to sit (not so comfortably!), or stand around. After a few attempts, the children and Joy looked directly at me, and by some miracle I was able to capture the big group shot! The rest of the shoot was done in the lovely tall grasses in the park, and around beautiful Isabella plantation. Here are a few photos from the shoot - images will automatically change, but do use the previous and next controls if you need to.
If you are organising a family get together, or are celebrating a special event, please get in touch, I would love to hear from you!
Ruskin Park Family Photoshoot / Richmond upon Thames Family Photographer
It is wonderful taking photographs for return clients as I get to see their family grow and expand. I photographed Emma and her family on a few occasions before, and this time we arranged the photo session to mark her younger daughter's first birthday. We met in beautiful Ruskin park in Denmark Hill to take some location shots. I passed by the park many times and always wanted to visit but never had an opportunity. The park was named afrter John Ruskin, who was a prominant art critic in the Victorian era and lived in the area. I also discovered that it was used as a location for Pink Floyd's first photoshoot, shot by photographer Colin Prime. The park, with its many distinct sections, provided the perfect backdrop for family photographs. It was a beautiful but very cold November morning when we met, still a few leaves left on some of the branches. I took several family portraits around the bandstand, and then moved around the park to find suitable backdrops for children portraits and action shots (and to keep warm!). After about an hour in the cold, we headed back for a cup of tea and some play time at home. There I captured the girls having some quiet reading time with their dad, playing games and enjoying each other's company. Here is a selection of some of the photos from the day. Hope you enjoy them!
If you would like to book a family photo session, please visit my website for more information, or contact me to arrange a date and time.
Hampton Hill family photography, Greater London
Fiona has been a long term client of mine so I was really excited when she asked me to take some photos during her sister's visit from Hong Kong.
I love doing family photography in Hampton - lots of lovely parks for outdoor photography and for kids to play in. The boys enjoyed running around the playground and it was great fun to photograph them all three playing and interacting.
If you would like to arrange a family photography session with me, please contact me or drop me a line at mina.milanovic@hotmail.com
