Interviews

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INTERVIEWS

Are you interested in discovering the latest facts and information about well known or famous people and how they either work or share their lives with dogs and other pets? Why not browse through our up-to-date collection of some of the most interesting people we have had the pleasure of being able to interview.
Dr Barbara Fougere, Veterinarian, Author, Lecturer......... Kate Mornement, Animal Behaviourist
	Interview with Charlotte Reeves, Pet Photographer: May 2010 Telling your dog's story..... Pet photographer, Charlotte Reeves shares her amazingly stunning photos of dogs with the world via her website which brings joy to every visitor to her site. Her passion and love of animals is evident in every photo Charlotte produces. Charlotte is also an extraordinary story teller. As we read through the pages of Charlotte's website we just couldn't wait to read more and see the next photo. We asked Charlotte if she would agree to an interview about her amazing career and website. Charlotte has kindly put aside some time in her busy schedule to answer a few questions.
Above Luna as a puppy with Kaya.
Q - Your passion for photography and love of animals is very evident in your work. Can you tell us a bit about how you made a career of combining the two?
I have always been interested in photography and studied to Diploma level after leaving high school. I eventually ended up pursuing a career in web and graphic design, but continued taking photos for my own enjoyment. In early 2007 my partner and I brought our first puppy home, a fawn Great Dane we named Kaya. To document the first year of Kaya's life I decided to start a blog and post images and stories about her life, told from her perspective. The blog proved to be quite popular and I really enjoyed taking photos of Kaya and her doggy friends, so considered the idea of getting back into photography as a profession and specialising in dogs. I started out doing free shoots for my friends' dogs and built up a portfolio of work. Three years later, I'm now running a successful dog photography business! I love animals of all species and enjoy meeting, interacting and spending time with them. I also love photography and the opportunities it presents to capture a moment in time and aspects of a dog’s personality that often might be forgotten after they are gone. Combining those two loves is a dream come true for me and I am always thankful that I am able to do it every day.
Q - You obviously have a great love of Great Danes. What in your view makes these dogs special?
Anyone who has owned a Great Dane will know just how special they are. For those who haven't, they really are quite amazing dogs. Their sheer size makes them a talking point anywhere you go, but best of all, they seem to have no real comprehension of how big they actually are. Great Danes are friendly, lazy, very silly at times, smart at others and you can tell when they look at you they are constantly trying to understand you and be understood.
Q - Please share with us the story of Kaya, your Great Dane?
Kaya, my first Great Dane, is now running free on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. At the tender age of two, she was diagnosed with a fast moving form of cancer that allowed us just a week with her before we had to let her go. Anyone who followed her blog will tell you she was a very special girl - beautiful, inquisitive, vain, and very, very clever. She could analyse a situation immediately and knew exactly what was going on, always confident but never dominant. She was friendly to dogs and people alike and I also swear she had a sense of humour! A natural model, she always knew her best side for the camera and was eternally patient with me using her as a test subject for my photographic experimentations. She was my best friend and muse, and I miss her dearly. Losing Kaya has served to highlight the importance of having beautiful lasting images to remember your dog by. Though sometimes hard to view, I'm so thankful that I have so many images and videos of my gorgeous girl as they always serve to jolt my memory about aspects of her personality or experiences we had. To support Cancer research and awareness, I created a 2010 calendar for Kaya. You can read more about how we lost her here. And the first in a two part memorial post here.
Q - Please tell us a bit about Luna?
Luna came along 9 months after Kaya and it was immediately obvious she was very different in personality. Serious and introverted where Kaya was carefree and friendly, they immediately became best friends, balancing each other perfectly. Kaya always used to let Luna think she was the boss, I think for her own amusement, but really it was Luna who was the follower, quietly adoring her older sister and always looking to her. Luna did have her cheeky moments however! Now that Luna is on her own, her personality has emerged further. She's still a bit distant with people she doesn't know, but once you're counted as her 'friend', she's always happy to see you and loves to be around you. She likes nothing more than a visit to the beach with her friends and treats it as a pack that must be kept together at all times, checking up on everyone at regular intervals and often rounding people up who stray behind! At nearly three years old now, Luna has a very silly side and at times and acts like a big puppy. She loves her toys and is always up for a game of slow motion chase, which involves you walking around after her pretending to try and get her toy while she prances along thinking she's very clever. The photo blog that started off as just Kaya then progressed to 'The Adventures of Kaya and Luna', is now carried on by just Luna, documenting her adventures as told from her point of view. Luna is so popular she also has her own Facebook page. She actually has more friends than I do! Blog - The Adventures of Miss Luna and Luna's Facebook Page - Luna the Great Dane
Q - What is your funniest story of a photo session involving a dog/dogs?
I had a client recently who had just brought home a Weimeraner puppy. I LOVE Weim puppies and thought there might be a good chance of me falling in love with him and wanting to steal him away! No chance of that though. I made the mistake of wearing a long flowing skirt which he had a serious fascination with and spent almost the whole time trying to attack it. He spent the rest of the time attacking me, the camera, the surrounding plants, people’s legs as they walked by interspersed with racing around madly through the garden beds and sniffing the deck for leftover scraps. I was so surprised to go home and download the images to find that despite a huge percentage of blurry shots, I actually had some decent images of the little terror as well! You can view Tully's session here.
This cute puppy, is Tully
Q - What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Working with dog collar and lead brand, EzyDog. I had a fantastic shoot with a great doggy model and his gorgeous Mum, focused on displaying the products in the best light possible. The session was a dream and everyone loved the resulting images which are being used in promotional brochures and catalogues. I look forward to working with this company further. You can view some images from the session here.

Above, two of Charlotte's clients Molly on the left and Pippi on the right
Thank you Charlotte for taking the time to reply to our interview. We love your photos, enjoyed browsing your website and blogs. Good luck for continued success. Carol and Monika.....

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