Dog photography in Los Angeles
Life doesn’t always go according to plan, something I think we’re all realising as we navigate our way through a global pandemic and ‘life as we always knew it’ changes on a daily basis. Personally, I’m learning to accept and embrace things as they are, rather than as I’d like them to be, a challenge that’s easier said than done. This portrait shoot with Polly and Teddy Pom Pom in Los Angeles back in March was the beginning of that journey.
Polly is my business coach. We’ve been working together since 2015 and for as long as I’ve known her, she’s been talking about getting a dog and we’ve been talking about the photoshoot we’d do when said dog manifested in her life. Cue Teddy Pom Pom who she adopted last year and the serendipitous arrangement of a trip to Los Angeles for a live coaching event (with Polly) and our long awaited doggy photoshoot.
The weight of my expectation was heavy on this shoot. I meticulously planned out a Pinterest board of locations, sent Polly a list of outfit requirements and I carefully considered how I was going to manage the Californian sunshine during our shoot in Downtown LA. Would there be enough shade? Would it be too hot to shoot at the Walt Disney Concert Hall? Would Teddy be ok with all his fluff in the heat? As it turns out, I needn’t have worried, because sometimes it rains in La La Land and it choose to do so on the day of our long awaited shoot.
Ordinarily, I’d simply reschedule a shoot if the weather didn’t play ball, but that wasn’t any sort of option. Not only were we shooting on the same day as my flight home, but the COVID-19 crisis was gathering pace and where I might have otherwise been able to extend my trip, I was under pressure to get home.
So we both decided to make the best of it, embrace the rain and have a jolly good time. It turns out that Teddy knew exactly how to have a good time too. Whilst shooting close to the Ace Hotel we were invited to a party by an actor, then, whilst we were waiting to cross the road, Teddy made friends with another small pooch sporting a yellow macintosh and matching shoes (they don’t call it La La Land for nothing) and people stared through the window at him when we stopped to defrost Polly with a vegan hot chocolate in Wild Living Foods.
Despite the fact that temperatures didn’t climb above 14 degrees centigrade, the rain did give us some intermittent breaks and with some in-between shot re-styling of Teddy’s frizz (his hairbrush came with) we got some fabulous shots.
I will always choose a city shoot over any other sort of outdoor shoot and Los Angeles did not disappoint. I LOVE exploring new cities and being able to incorporate the architecture and unique locations into a portrait shoot. Whenever I have a client who’s brave enough, I’ll get out and shoot in Johannesburg CBD. London is another of my favourite spots to shoot and my list of ‘dog portrait shoot’ cities is ever expanding – Paris is next on the list.
All things considered, pulling this shoot off was quite the miracle. Not only did I have to fly 26 hours to get to LA from South Africa, Polly also had an epic trip flying from Ibiza to LA with Teddy. I knew the Coronavirus saga was gathering pace as I left South Africa on 6th March 2020 and had I had any idea what the state of affairs would be as I traveled back home ten days later, I might well have cancelled my trip; I literally got back to SA the day before the borders were closed.
This was the last portrait shoot I did before lockdown began. As soon as I arrived back from LA on 16th March 2020 I had to self quarantine, so as I write this it’s been ten weeks since I took these pictures. I have no idea when I’ll be able to start working with clients again and this has been the longest pause I’ve ever had in my 16 year career as a professional photographer. Rather than feeling bleak, I’ve chosen to accept this time for exactly what it is, a pause.
If you’d like to be one of the first to join me for a shoot once lockdown is over, please visit my online store to take advantage of portrait shoot vouchers available at a very special rate for a limited time only. I’ll be making plenty of space available for pre-purchased shoots – I cannot wait to hit the play button again!