Big personalities Possum and Ducky photographed at our studio [Pet photographer Northern Beaches, Sydney]

Here is an insight into our studio portrait shoot of lovely dogs Possum and Ducky at our photography studio on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
14 yr old Possum is a Pedigree Jack Russell who is easy going and very people oriented. 13yr old Ducky is an extremely glamorous, sometimes hyperactive Chihuahua who like Possum, loves to be with Steph who is their incredibly cool owner. As you might imagine there is a mutual adoration between owner and pets. Steph travels overseas constantly for work so her time with Possum and Ducky is very precious.
Steph said Possum, who battles with arthritis in her right shoulder will generally go with the flow at a relaxed pace and has a loving relationship with her bed. Steph often finds Possum laying at her feet hoping for a tummy rub!
Ducky adores Possum and tends to follow suit with whatever Possum is doing. ‘Poss’ is the boss, however she will investigate any interesting activity Ducky is doing.
Steph found Ducky, or actually, Ducky found Steph! Ducky was running around loose on the streets of Melbourne and Steph’s then boyfriend almost hit Ducky with the car and Steph literally rescued her from the streets and they have been together ever since. For Ducky it was love at first sight and for Steph and Possum it took a couple of weeks longer.
Ducky suffers from epilepsy and has an enlarged heart. She really needs to take things easy so as not to lose her breath. You would never know what Ducky must endure just by just looking. She was constantly moving around our studio like a confident little princess. As you can see, Ducky’s coat is always immaculate and looks like she has come straight from a pet parlour.
Steph was referred to us by Manly Vet who has cared for Ducky and Possum for many years. The dogs happily visit the clinic, sometimes just to say hi and to ‘soak up’ the love and admiration they get, which comes from their longstanding VIP status.
At our portrait session you may have enjoyed being an observer and seeing the dynamics and personalities of the super friendly trio. The main mission for our portrait shoot was to create a fine art portrait for Steph to hang in her home that captures both Possum and Ducky together in a beautiful portrait that would reflect their personalities. This became our exciting 90-minute challenge.
We let the doggies explore our studio and take time to get used to their new environment. It was easy to put Possum on the sofa, which was the easy part! Because Possum can’t move too much with her arthritic shoulder she was happy to chill as long as Steph was sitting there too. Where it became tricky for us was that as soon as Steph put Possum next to her on the sofa, Possum would head right back up onto her lap, rather than just hang out on the sofa so that we could then entice Ducky to follow suit.
Ducky found our studio to be very interesting and preferred to explore. We would put her up on the sofa next to Possum but she would jump straight off again. These are the challenges my assistant Montana and I love to work through until we find solutions and can gain their trust!!! When we did get it all happening the overwhelming joy and fulfillment was tremendous. It probably sounds a bit ‘flowery’ but as a photographer it is completely fabulous to express your creativity whilst also accomplishing what you have set out to achieve for your client.
Here’s a comment from Steph: “The day was fantastic, the professionalism was unsurpassed, as you can see by the results – I am so happy, the portraits are just what I wanted. Anyone looking for a wonderful photo of their pet or child would be wasting their money to go anywhere else.”