Client Session ~ Harley at Fig Tree Pocket, Brisbane

Say hello to Harley! Despite his puppyish good looks, Harley has just turned six years old and is a German Shepherd x Staffy. I can see both those breeds for sure!

Harley’s mum, Katrina, organised the session as a surprise for her husband while he was away working just before Christmas last year. For Christmas he received a few choice shots from the session via email, and an invitation to come and visit for his ordering session. What a great gift idea!

Harley lives in a beautiful part of Brisbane – Fig Tree Pocket. I had never been there before but just loved the country feel of the place, set in a bend of the Brisbane River, west of the city. There was a lovely park down the road from their house that we explored together. Harley had to stay on-lead, as there was quite a lot of birdlife getting around that he would have loved to chase, not to mention river mud to play in! So all the images you see here, with the exception of the running shots, have had the lead edited out afterwards. If you’re a keen photographer and would like to know how to do this in Photoshop, please check out the video tutorials I have created and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

One advantage of all the bird life around was that Harley was super alert! He was also rather interested in the treats I had on offer…

I just love his gorgeous wonky ears, they give him a great expression!

Once we were sure we had all the portrait style images we needed, Harley was let loose to run around madly, chase sticks and of course go and play in the mud by the river.

Can you see why we kept him on lead for the first part of the session? What a mud monster!

This shot was an instant hit with Harley’s mum and dad. It ended up being chosen as the big wall canvas in the collection they ordered – the first action shot any of my clients have chosen for a canvas!

Here’s the canvas all printed up and finished, in 20×30 inches.

Since there was a lot of space around the main subject, I was able to wrap the image around the edges of the frame. I love this effect!

Harley’s parents also ordered a beautiful Deluxe Album, filled with all their favourite images!

The Deluxe Album comes with a custom box, so different images can be chosen for the front and back of the box as well. I think this shot works so well for the front of the box.

Harley’s mum and dad were thrilled with the final products, and the canvas now hangs proudly in their bedroom. They even sent me a pic, with Harley on the bed of course, looking very proud! I love seeing how wall art looks in the home and always welcome updates about the dogs I photograph. If you’ve had a session in the past and would like to catch up, my door, ah, email inbox, is always open!