Ok, trouble might be a bit harsh, but Ripley and Indy the Australian Shepherds were certainly a lively pair! I’ve been waiting about a month to publish this blog post as the photos were a surprise twentieth wedding anniversary present for Cassandra’s husband. She banished him out of the house for the afternoon so we wouldn’t get caught! When I arrived she told me a few ideas for things she’d like in the shoot. Her husband has started making wine, so the barrel featured in a few photos…
…Ripley has a reputation for being a bit of a counter surfer. Her worst crime was when she stole a full block of cheese and swallowed it in one gulp, so we tried to recreate the scene. [She didn’t get to eat it all this time though, it’s been saved to use as training treats.]
I also did a few one-on-one shots in the garden. Ripley is one of the most photogenic dogs I’ve ever worked with. She was very generous with her cute head tilts, pouts and smiles!
Not that Indy wasn’t great to work with as well. Even though he’s the younger of the two, he was much better at sitting still! They’re both agility dogs, so getting them to jump on things was easy, although a few times they jumped over them instead and then came running back looking so proud of themselves!
Their owner wanted a shot with her in it, but not really in it, so what better way to show their connection than with Ripley and Indy looking at her lovingly. There were no treats involved, these dogs absolutely adore her. Their eyes follow her everywhere!
When we were done at the house we set off into the bush. It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon and the light was perfect. The plan was to get some of Ripley and Indy together, but there’s a steep edge on one side so they had to be kept on lead.
As we were saying our goodbyes Ripley stood up at the window to make sure she didn’t miss anything!
Happy Anniversary Cassandra! I hope your husband loves his present.
