websites

these are some webistes that i looked at and thought they were really good


http://www.rachel-rose-photography.co.uk/photography-gallery/animal-portraits/animal-portraits01



http://www.pawspetphotography.co.uk/galleries/ . . . . . . .
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Biography of Paul Walker

Scotland's Pet Photographer

Ayrshire based Paul Walker's passion for photographing pets goes back to his early childhood in Yorkshire. All the family pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and his pet duck were frequently the target of those young watchful eyes and his trusty camera.  The pets' enthusiasm for smiling didn't always match that of the young photographer yet in his mission to capture the perfect pet photograph many learning curves and bridges were crossed in an effort to gain a greater understanding of pet behaviour.  He still remembers his first dog, a Yorkshire Terrier named Penny and her reaction when the ice cream van's siren could be heard entering his local street.  The two of them regularly raced to the ice cream van with Penny knowing she didn't have to pay for her mini cone and that chocolate flake.

Although Paul continued with his other studies, many years later, spurred on and inspired by photographers such as John Drysdale and Elliott Erwitt he was determined to produce something different than the typical photography so often seen either involving studio sets or white/black backgrounds.  The press regularly feature his work and following many early awards, in 2008, he gained the attention of the Ilex Press and was commissioned to write the title "Pet Photography Now".  A year later in 2009, he became the only photographer in the UK to ever receive a Fellowship Distinction in "Environmental Pet Portraiture" from the Master Photographers Association and notably in the same year gained the accolade of Scottish Master Photographer of the Year from the MPA.    Indeed since turning professional, his pet photography skills have regularly been rewarded from various photography institutions.  In 2011 he was awarded the Scottish Master Pet Photographer of the Year for the fourth year in succession and gained the attention of Scottish Television and various BBC radio programmes including "Barking at the Moon" to talk about crazy pet antics and the pursuit of a perfect pet picture.

He also probably delivers one of the most different pet photography training workshops around with limited workshops being held each year both within the UK and Internationally.

Paws Experience

A Mindset Approach

The growth and success of Paws Pet Photography over recent years is largely thanks to our existing customers that have gone through a Paws Photography session with photographer, Paul Walker. So often dogs, cats, horses and other animals are often just either recorded in a studio or in an environment in which they have simply been positioned.  This is becoming an all too familiar scene and the result is hardly a reflection of who they are or what they did or what they like to do.  I'd like pet owners in future years to remember what crazy antics their cats and dogs did, how they moved and interacted with their owners and the environment around them. The pet's body language and eyes so often tell the real story.  It is for that reason that Paul will direct both handlers and their pets during any session in a manner that will unlock those little nuances that we all love about our pets and thereby give you a true reflective image of any characters present. A range of pet photography techniques will be explored that best suit both obedience level and particular traits of the pet.

Paul is often commissioned to work with animal rescue organisations and rescue pets during sponsorship campaigns so is also well versed in perceived "difficult" or "troublesome" pets.

Often families or pet owners may also wish to have their photograph taken with their pets, including the greatest challenge of all, "children and animals".  It may also give you peace of mind that Paul also has "Enhanced Disclosure" too from Disclosure Scotland.

nature ppictures ;D

Capturing the water drops or morning dew is not an easy task. You need to have complete knowledge of photography methods to capture these little things. In this post I am going to showcase some really awesome morning dew photographs to inspire the new photographers to capture more beautiful morning dew photographs. Enjoy!

morning dew

morning dew in pink

Morning dew 2

Sleeping in morning dew… II

Dew Drops in the early morning

Dew-02

Morning Dew

Morning Glory :.

morning dew

morning dew…

Fresh Morning Dew

Morning Party

Morning Dew

morning has broken :

Morning dew

Morning Dew

Morning Dew II

Good Morning

link to hunting photographer

http://www.nicomorgan.com/-/galleries/game-shooting/-/medias/01958c58-19ec-11e1-8002-5d08e1b20951-a-gun-at-their-peg-during-a-game-shoot

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http://www.louisapurvisphoto.co.uk/pages/gallery/hunting-and-equine.php

hunting

Pieter Hugo, The Dog’s Master Nigeria, 2005

THE DOG’S MASTER

These photographs came about after a friend emailed me an image taken on a cellphone through a car window in Lagos, Nigeria, which depicted a group of men walking down the street with a hyena in chains. A few days later I saw the image reproduced in a South African newspaper with the caption ‘The Streets of Lagos’. Nigerian newspapers reported that these men were bank robbers, bodyguards, drug dealers, debt collectors. Myths surrounded them. The image captivated me.

Through a journalist friend I eventually tracked down a Nigerian reporter, Adetokunbo Abiola, who said that he knew the ‘Gadawan Kura’ as they are known in Hausa (a rough translation: ‘hyena handlers/guides’).

A few weeks later I was on a plane to Lagos. Abiola met me at the airport and together we took a bus to Benin City where the ‘hyena men’ had agreed to meet us. However, when we got there they had already departed for Abuja.

In Abuja we found them living on the periphery of the city in a shantytown – a group of men, a little girl, three hyenas, four monkeys and a few rock pythons. It turned out that they were a group of itinerant minstrels, performers who used the animals to entertain crowds and sell traditional medicines. The animal handlers were all related to each other and were practising a tradition passed down from generation to generation. I spent eight days travelling with them.

The spectacle caused by this group walking down busy market streets was overwhelming. I tried photographing this but failed, perhaps because I wasn’t interested in their performances. I realised that what I found fascinating was the hybridisation of the urban and the wild, and the paradoxical relationship that the handlers have with their animals – sometimes doting and affectionate, sometimes brutal and cruel. I started looking for situations where these contrasting elements became apparent. I decided to concentrate on portraits. I would go for a walk with one of the performers, often just in the city streets, and, if opportunity presented itself, take a photograph. We travelled around from city to city, often chartering public mini-buses.

I agreed to travel with the animal wranglers to Kanu in the northern part of the country. One of them set out to negotiate a fare with a taxi driver; everyone else, including myself and the hyenas, monkeys and rock pythons, hid in the bushes. When their companion signalled that he had agreed on a fare, the motley troupe of humans and animals leapt out from behind the bushes and jumped into the vehicle. The taxi driver was completely horrified. I sat upfront with a monkey and the driver. He drove like an absolute maniac. At one stage the monkey was terrified by his driving. It grabbed hold of my leg and stared into my eyes. I could see its fear.

Two years later I decided to go back to Nigeria. The project felt unresolved and I was ready to engage with the group again. I look back at the notebooks I had kept while with them. The words ‘dominance’, ‘codependence’ and ‘submission’ kept appearing. These pictures depict much more than an exotic group of travelling performers in West Africa. The motifs that linger are the fraught relationships we have with ourselves, with animals and with nature.

The second trip was very different. By this stage there was a stronger personal relationship between myself and the group. We had remained in contact and they were keen to be photographed again. The images from this journey are less formal and more intimate.

The first series of pictures had caused varying reactions from people – inquisitiveness, disbelief and repulsion. People were fascinated by them, just as I had been by that first cellphone photograph. A director of a large security company in the USA contacted me, asking how to get in touch with the ‘hyena group’. He saw marketing potential: surely these men must use some type of herb to protect themselves against hyenas, baboons, dogs and snakes? He thought that security guards, soldiers and his own pocket could benefit from this medicine.

Many animal-rights groups also contacted me, wanting to intervene (however, the keepers have permits from the Nigerian government). When I asked Nigerians, “How do you feel about the way they treat animals”, the question confused people. Their responses always involved issues of economic survival. Seldom did anyone express strong concern for the well-being of the creatures. Europeans invariably only ask about the welfare of the animals but this question misses the point. Instead, perhaps, we could ask why these performers need to catch wild animals to make a living. Or why they are economically marginalised. Or why Nigeria, the world’s sixth largest exporter of oil, is in such a state of disarray.

Text by Pieter Hugo

animal pictures. :D