This week's blog features Nana, a hound dog previously used for breeding who is now with the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue.  She is a very sweet hound dog who spent a couple of hours modeling for us in downtown Tampa along the Riverwalk.  Of course, she was paid (chicken jerkey and other dog treats), chance to smell, investigate and walk - no dog should work and not get some rewards.  Course, she got a lot of attention too.

Each time we photograph a new rescue dog (or any animal), we don't know them before starting our photography session.  The animal might be seeing a camera for the first time - they might be scared, timid or hey, sometimes they are a total surprise and just know how to work the camera.  However, most often that's not the case.

As we photograph more and more rescue dogs, we have learned skills that allow us to photograph dogs that have zero training.  Some have not been pets before and some have been outside with little human attention.  They might be great on a leash, they might be scared or pull.  We don’t expect that any rescue will know how to sit, some do, but many do not.  They don’t speak our language and probably don’t know any specific words. That’s ok. 

Every dog is different, every dog needs patience, every dog will get great photographs, but they will be different based on the dog - my partners and I have lots of patience to get some great photographs – all pet owners need patience while we work with the dog and get those great photographs.  Yes, we do private pet photography sessions too!

This week's featured dog, Nana.  Nana has a little boo boo on my forehead, but it will heal just give her a little time.

Nana is standing in the grassy area next to the Children's Museum on Ashley Street in downtown Tampa.  The whole urban experience is all new to her as she came from a rural area.

They have a lot of high buildings here!  It's a beautiful day, clear skies and in the upper 40's (it's a bit cold for all of us here in Florida).

Here's the river walk - the University of Tampa is just across the river - built by Henry Plant in 1931.  Seems like most people take time to get a photograph with the minarets.

Along the river on the river walk (University of Tampa is across the river).

The 'beer can' building - it's a round building near the river in downtown Tampa.  Everyone knows this building by it's nickname.

That's all we did - everyone got hungry and we went over to a local pizza place and had lunch before I (Nana) went back to my temporary home at Urban Tailz in South Tampa.  That's where Nana is staying until she finds a foster home or a furever home.  We found out a lot of things about this girl on our journey through part of the river walk in downtown Tampa.  She is sweet and gentle.  Never barked or had any issues with cars, people, noises, dogs, or anything else we came across during our stroll.  Gentle enough that we could pick her up and put her into the various places we wanted to photograph her. She apparently didn't have much 'car' experience - we picked her up to put her in the car - but she was great during her ride in the car.  If you're interested in Nana, please contact Maxx and Me Pet Rescue at maxxandme.org

That's our look at some different options in lighting - For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Jo Lyons Photography, the down-to-earth dog-loving photographer for cherished dogs of the Great Lakes NSW and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).