I’ve been eyeing the clean lines and industrial vibes of this new office park for a while now, wondering how I could utilize the space to make a striking portrait of a dog. This was the week to make it happen! The star of the photo session? Hawkeye, an Australian Koolie with a personality as captivating as his appearance.
Before delving into the details of the session, let's shine a light on Hawkeye’s breed - the Australian Koolie. Koolies are a herding breed, and are known for their agility, keen intelligence, and unwavering loyalty. They typically have a medium-sized, muscular build with a smooth or slightly rough coat that comes in a range of colors. One of the most distinctive features of the Koolie is their expressive, almond-shaped eyes, which may come in various colors, including blue, brown, or a combination of both – which the gorgeous Hawkeye sports! (The dual eye-color is called heterochromia.) With their boundless energy and strong work ethic, Koolies thrive in active households where they are given plenty of mental and physical stimulation. Hawkeye’s mom says, “Hawkeye loves playing frisbee and is a very good catch (which makes up for my mediocre throwing skills). He also loves balls, especially squeaky balls, and will punch a ball or squeaky toy with his nose to make it squeak.”
As mentioned previously, I chose this location for its simplicity, wanting to incorporate the concrete as much as possible while still making Hawkeye the hero of the photo. To achieve this, we positioned Hawkeye on a loading dock ramp against a backdrop of a plain concrete retaining wall. The strong diagonal of the ramp guides the eyes straight to Hawkeye’s mesmerizing gaze. His choice to place one paw so it breached the curb, dividing the foreground and background was the icing on the cake for me! Well, that, and the fact that he has a “tweed” patch on his bum on the same side as his brown eye. 🥰
“Concrete Koolie”:
I almost always want to get up close with my subjects, so I had to force myself to back off a bit in order to capture more negative space. 😅 The behind the scenes (BTS) look of how I created it:
Throughout the session, Hawkeye's enthusiasm remained unwavering, fueled by the presence of a squeaky ball, a toy that never failed to capture his attention. His playful demeanor and cooperative nature made the process seamless, resulting in photographs that are minimalistic but also show off the intense stare of a herding dog. From Hawkeye’s mom, “During the session Hawkeye had a great time climbing on things and playing with the squeaky ball in between shots. 😊 It was funny to see how curious he was with the photography equipment. Hawkeye is a handsome dog (I know I'm biased!) and I really enjoy seeing him pose! Hawkeye frequently hops on rocks, logs, etc when hiking for pictures, so he is well versed in posing. Having a solid sit-stay, even when squeaking toys for attention, made the session easy!”
Beyond the minimalist shots, the session also yielded charming "headshots" that showcased Hawkeye's impressive ears and rim-lit shots that highlighted his fuzzy silhouette, we even went “wild” and utilized a nearby red-tiled wall for some COLOR. Additional (unedited) images from the session:
Ginger Wick Photography is an award winning dog photographer specializing in creating beautiful custom artwork of dogs & their people. Based in Parker, CO serving the Denver area.
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