And because I’m house bound, I’m photographing my dogs for once!
Oscillating between gratitude for the down time and abject panic about said same downtime has been my reality for the past week. Like small business owners worldwide, my 2020 plan has been tipped upside down and shaken roughly and the task of working through the chaos has begun.
I’m a natural worrier, managing my tendency towards anxiety has been a work in progress for the past few years and this abrupt halt to photoshoots, client meetings and ultimately income has been jarring. But, I have made a decision to focus on moving forwards rather than sitting in a corner rocking. Panic and worry don’t help, they make a bad situation ten times worse and ultimately delay progress in the long run.
So the first thing I did to take my mind off things was photograph my dogs. I haven’t made the time to shoot portraits of each of my six dogs for at least four years. In which time, they’ve changed, they’ve aged and I’ve missed these details. I also realised that it wasn’t just the time factor that made me procrastinate on O’Brien dog photography, they are appallingly behaved and frankly their photoshoots came with a two drink minimum.
Nikon South Africa very kindly lent me a Z6 Mirrorless camera to use for the portrait shoot (I’ll share a camera review online) so I also got to try out new kit and test my change adaptation abilities (the Z6 is very different to my D850 DSLR). As it turns out, I’m a bit old school, however I have the Z6 for the whole of lockdown, so I’m determined to get my head around the new technology. The one thing I will say, is that it produces amazingly crisp and sharp images which is very impressive.
It’s time for doggy introductions. I have a rather motley crew of beasts, four of which are rescues, ranging in size from a handbag dweller to couch overtakers, the house is pretty much theirs, we just pay the rent for them.
This is Dora. I adopted her from CLAW (Community Led Animal Welfare) in March 2011. She had a bad leg (you can see it in the photo) and as a result was immaculately behaved and calm, then her leg got better and she turned into a demon. She’s Rottweiler size, likes to lean on anyone and everyone, thinks she owns the joint and especially thinks I’m hers. She’s also smart, sweet and incredibly loving, one just has to regulate her affection before it turns into jealousy and starts a fight worse than a supermarket toilet roll aisle.
This is Jane, I got her as a puppy a month after I moved to SA. She’s incredibly beautiful, but not very clever; our resident supermodel. She’s ten now, but like Twiggy, is still very much a pro in front of the camera. Jane lives for snacks and her Barbour dog bed. She sleeps in our room and waits by the door from 5pm onwards until it’s time to recline for the night in her ultra comfy luxury bed. She then sleeps in until around 10am.
Juno the Bulldog came as part of the boyfriend package. She’s only got one eye, a bit like a pirate (as a result of a botched cherry eye op) and spends most of her time snoring and passing gas. She snores so loudly that we have to turn the TV up full blast, even then we still miss half a movie, it’s impossible to compete with the noise she makes. Juno doesn’t care for walks, she literally stops at the gate and won’t move. She prefers to be driven.
Hazel came from Ark as an eight week old puppy and was the sweetest little creature for 48 hours, then things changed. It was like having a piranha in the house. She chewed everything with her razor sharp teeth including five laptop cables, my iMac cable (on the desk), books, pens and bag handles. I learnt never to underestimate the power of a tiny set of teeth. Nowadays she’s far calmer and chews less, but because she’s tiny, she has a big attitude. Napoleon syndrome isn’t just reserved for small men, it also applies to small dogs. She’ll commandeer any bag that she can and ferociously guard it; once she got into a friend’s shopping bag (my friend had literally just arrived for a lunch) and claimed it as her own. She also pulls the same stunts with dog food bags. We bought her an igloo bed (I know, totally enabling the behaviour) which she loves, guards and also stashes things in. I once found her chewing a plastic lunchbox in there…
The Twins are a pair of foster fails, also from CLAW. I volunteered to bottle feed them after their mother died and got rather attached. Alfred (my partner) still isn’t sure how or why I love them so much when all I did was complain about the lack of sleep and the phenomenal mess they made for the first two years of their lives, but they wormed their way into my heart (and his, although he’ll never admit it).
This is Edward, also known as ‘Little Bitch’ because he’s a great big baby. He’s now three and a half and still wees like a girl (aside from on plastic covered parcels), insists on lying on our laps, sucks on a fleecy blanket when he’s sleepy and sits on dining room chairs like a person. We have to set aside a chair for him when we eat, otherwise he simply forces his way up onto one of our laps, guests are especially vulnerable to this, because he’s like a lap seeking ninja. Edward weighs 28 kgs. I suppose I should be embarrassed about his behaviour, but I’m not.
Victoria is slightly better behaved than her brother. She’s better at following instructions and slightly more cooperative when we go to dog school. I’m not quite sure why she’s gone so grey (she has a very stress free life) but she has been mistaken for a granny dog several times. Victoria is most often found lying with her head under the oven (don’t ask) or on her back with her legs in the air.
Ironically, on a scale of one to terrible, Victoria is pretty appalling to photograph. She can’t sit still for love nor money and simply follows the snacks. Edward was amazingly excellent and Hazel is officially fired from modelling duties, all she did was prance around and squeak, it’s a miracle I didn’t just get a white blur for her portrait.
The number one concern I have from people wanting to book their dogs in for a shoot is ‘I’ve not idea how you’ll get my dog to sit still’, trust me, if I can photograph my own dogs without having a nervous breakdown, yours will be a breeze.
How to start sane during lockdown
I digressed somewhat from the blog post title (dogs are generally a huge distraction for me) so here’s what I suggest to stay sane during the uncertainty of coronavirus lockdown:
Enjoy the time off. Unless you are a teacher, it’s likely that you’ve not had this amount of time at home since school. It feels a bit summer holidays circa 1994 for me, weird yes but I’m getting to do a whole heap of things I’ve not had time for.
Be present with your family. The first few days of being with my fam was odd. We’re usually together for four hours a day at the most. For the past two evenings we’ve played Scrabble and chatted and laughed. It’s wonderful.
Limit your social media scrolling and also limit your stat checks. Read a book, video call a friend and chat whilst you both enjoy a glass of wine (airport rules are the same as lockdown rules, it’s ok to drink at 9am if you want to). I’ve had the time to chat to people I wouldn’t ordinarily make time to speak to and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the conversations. It says a lot about my previously busy life and where I put my priorities, I know. Obsessively reading the news only heightens anxiety levels and creates a disconnect with the other people in your life. Leave it alone, there’s nothing you can do to change it.
Stay indoors, follow the rules laid out and coronavirus will leave us all alone sooner rather than later. If you’re in need of something to do, try an online course, there are plenty available. If you’re a photography fan, I’m offering online lessons which you can find out more about here.
If you can see the downtime as a gift rather than a hinderance, you’ll be able to make the most of it. Rest, build your business, play with your kids, play with your dogs, paint your house, blog, make music, cook, connect with old friends. I’m going to be getting my creative photography vibe on, make sure you connect with me on Facebook to share in the fun.
Most of all, stay safe.
Contact me here for more information about doggy portrait shoots and make the most of a R2000 saving on my regular shoot rate by clicking here.