Tag: Dog

Up for an Award

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I am very pleased to say that for the third year running I have reached the Final of the fiercely contested Guild of Photographers Image of the Year Competition.

The Guild is a highly respected UK based association for photographers which has members from overseas as well. Each year it runs an on-line monthly photographic competition, judged by internationally respected judges with awards given to the best entries.

During 2017, the competition has attracted around 1200 entries per month from the most talented of photographers.

It has just been announced that from all the entries across the year, the Guild’s Judges have selected JUST 12 images in various genres to go forward to the annual Image of the Year Final. Those selected really are the best of the best, and  I have been selected as a finalist in the Pet Genre.

Guild Director Lesley Thirsk said “One of the Guild’s aims is to drive standards and creativity amongst photographers. Our monthly competition certainly does that, for the standard of the entries we see each month is quite staggering. To have an image recognised by the Guild in the monthly competition is difficult enough, so to have an image selected as being one of the best in a category for the end of year Final is without doubt an incredible achievement, and shows just how talented photographer, name is”
I love photography and put a lot of effort into developing my skills. One way I do that is to enter the Guild’s competition. It drives forward photography standards month after month and so it helps me push myself. The standards are really high and to have one of my images shortlisted in the overall final again is a real honour.

The final outcome will be announced at a lavish Awards night in a magnificent Jacobean mansion in Cheshire on 3rd February 2018.

To find out more about the Guild of Photographers and their competition visit their website (www.photoguild.co.uk), and to find out more about me visit my website at www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk.

Still Here!

Wow hadn’t realised how long it was since I last blogged. The School holidays came, the agility season started, Weddings, Newborns, dogs, horses, holidays, training camps it has just been busy, busy.

I will endeavour to get back into blogging and share some lovely images.

Here are a few from the summer.

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Thank you for reading my post…. please feel free to drop by my website www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

A Tribute…

May 2016 Fronts

It is always a pleasure to find one of my images in the Dogs Today Magazine and I am lucky to have been featured in many editions, last year and this year in the best dog photographs in the world section. I love the magazine and the article on the dog on the front cover was lovely.

If an image is featured of a clients dog then I provide a complimentary print of the image that is used. I contact the client as soon as I know so they can go grab themselves a copy of the magazine.

The image in this May’s magazine is of the lovely Nula…and her buddy taken on one of last years Bluebell shoots. We had a lovely play around the woods that day. The light was tricky as it was a bright day and so lots of dappled light which looks lovely but is tricky to work with from a photographic point of view.. we did manage to find some shady spots too.

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It is with great sadness that I have to say when I contacted Nula’s owner to tell her that she was featured in the magazine, I found out that Nula  had to go doggy heaven a few weeks before, due to illness. My heart goes out to her family as I know only too well the hole that is left in your heart by the loss of your dog.  I feel honoured that I was able to photograph her last year and that her owner has images that are displayed at home and will remind them of her.

Here are some other images taken on the day… RIP Nula…..and I hope her buddy is not missing her too much.

A few of my favourite image from the shoot. It is the intent look at her owner that makes this image for me.

 

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A little bit of fun is always good if the dogs are getting fed up of posing.

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This is Nula’s buddy, I have a real soft spot for Lurchers, having owned several myself. I would have been more than happy to have taken this lad home with me.

 

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The good thing about Badbury Clump is that you have a variety of backdrops to use.

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Beautiful girlie, so soft and gentle. I usually ask owners to remove collars but with Lurchers it looks better if they keep the collar on.

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One of my favourite images from the shoot.  Gives a real feel of them being at ease with each other.

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Thank you for reading my post. http://www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

 

Dogs Today

Feeling chuffed to have another of my images featured in Dogs Today Magazine March edition. This time a lovely brown and white,  Springer Spaniel that I shot at his home. We were lucky that at the back of the garden there was a corn field so we went out there for a little play.

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The image top right is on of many lovely head shots of this handsome boy. We also got some great action shots and some of him relaxing in the garden.

March 2016

We started off getting to know each other in the garden. Just chilling and getting used to the camera.

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However, lovely as the garden was I was drawn to the corn field that sat behind the house and so we went to investigate.

This is one of my favourite shots from the shoot.

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Some dogs are more relaxed at home which was the case for this particular shoot. It was a bright sunny morning which is always a challenge. I would always prefer a bright but over cast day as the light is much easier to work with for both humans and animals.

 

We has a lot of fun in the corn.

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One of the last shots before we finished. A happy but tired boy.

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Please take a look at my website for more images. www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

Thank you for reading my post.

 

Gold Award

Really excited to have achieved a Gold Award this month in the Societies Monthly International Competition. Such a happy little dog and we had great fun in the studio getting her to stay in the basket and also get the head tilt.

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She came with a couple of her collie friends and the image I entered into the Monochrome category got a Highly Commended.

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Thank you for reading my post http://www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

Dashing Dash

Was it only four months ago that I shared some images of my lovely new Mini American Shepherd – Dash… how did he grow so quickly… cruel how we are cheated so quickly from all that gorgeous puppy awesomeness!

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As puppies go he has been a star. Only a little whimper for the first few night and very quickly house trained. He has become best buddies with my other Shepherd, Buzz and even Maya my collie likes him a little. Buzz is still trying to gain her affections but doesn’t realise that trying to plant kisses on her every morning will not win her over!

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Dash is not backwards at coming forward, he enjoyed his two puppy socialisation classes where we realised that bouncy puppies are not something that he is keen on and he can have a little temper when confronted by bounciness! Can’t say I would be too happy if a stranger came running up to me and started jumping all over me.

We have gone through the weird ear phase but they have now settled down but he has had a few different looks.

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He has been a joy to train and once we get over the initial excitement that training involves food, and food is something that Dash is very keen on and is very vocal about letting me know this at feed time!

We have already started our agility training. Lots of fun games at the moment and just working with poles on the ground and learning our left from right and he has a fantastic wait which will be a great help once we start competing.

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Apart from his agility he loves to snooze, more so now that the weather has turned wet and nasty. Getting up in the morning is hard, we would rather snuggle into Maya’s bed than go out for a walk and getting our feet wet is not something we like to do and will avoid going out to do what little pups need to do until physically taken!  He will then tiptoe around and walk like John Wayne!

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So we continue our journey together learning new things every day, having lots of kisses and cuddles and he has grown into quite a Dashing young fella.

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Thank you for reading my post.  www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

 

 

Digital Photographer Magazine

It’s always exciting when you get an image published and this month I had an image published in the  Digital Photographer Magazine with one of my Pet Portraits. IMG_20150909_0002The image is of Dash and Buzz, both are Mini American Shepherd Dogs, bred by Basileas Miniature American Shepherds. More information on the breed can be found on the Breed Website. http://www.mascgb.co.uk. The Miniature American Shepherd is a small size herding dog that originated in the United States.

These two gorgeous guys I am proud to say are mine. Buzz in a year old now and Dash is now 18 weeks which is a about two months since the image was taken. They both have the most wonderful temperaments, are very keen to learn and like to be kept busy. They have become best buddies and play all day and snuggle up together at rest time.

digital photographer_0001The image was taken in my studio.. and I have to admit a great amount of effort went in to getting the two of them to stay there, get the right expressions and take the image on my own. Usually I would have an owner in helping me. You can see more of my pet portraits on my website. http://www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

Thank you for reading my post.

1st Birthday

Today Buzz turned one… where that year has gone I don’t know.

Such a small dog but he has so much character and is such a happy boy. digital photographer_0076

After loosing my beloved Flynn last August I pondered whether to get another dog but having always had two or three dogs it seemed strange just having the one and Maya seemed a bit lonely. I stumbled across this breed via an agility friend who has one of his half sisters. I had seen picture so her and just thought she was a nice small collie. I had never heard of the Mini American Shepherd before.. I got the breeders details and it led me to another breeder Fran of http://www.basileas-minis.com

I fell in love with him the minute I saw him on the breeders website, but thought that all the pups would have gone. I was lucky, she had just been let down and Buzz was available so I arranged to visit… one glance from his little foxy face and there was no going back for me and he has given me so much enjoyment in the past year and I can’t thank Fran enough for letting me have him.

We are working hard on our agility and we are hoping to start competing in the spring 2016…

digital photographer_0078It’s hard being the puppy in the house with the big bad wolf….. please play with me…………

ZX7A4170Early morning walks in the Autumn.

ZX7A4986First Christmas

ZX7A0370Not the baby any more… I got a playmate!!!!

ZX7A0045AChilling out……

Thank you for reading my post.  www.meltaylorphotography.co.uk

My New Pup….

“What another”, many have said, as Buzz is only just turning 11 months. I made the mistake of going to the breeders http://www.basileas-minis.com to photograph the two litters she had there and just fell in love with this one. Sadly for my husband who thinks one dog would be one too many… the person who he was taken by pulled out…. Lucky me!!!!!  How could I resist this little fella.   (4 Weeks Old)

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He is another Mini American Shepherd dog, the same breed as Buzz but different parents and he has now been at home with us for a week and a half and has settle in so well as did Buzz. He will probably be a little bigger than Buzz but smaller than Maya. His name is DASH..  Summer dogs_0168

I took several trips over to see this little fella and the rest of the pups. My next visit was at 5 weeks old, they do grow so quickly!

Summer dogs_0095It was also nice to be able to get some images of the pups outside as well. Makes me laugh how short his legs are in these images.

Summer dogs_0091Next visit was for a sneaky cuddle and of course some more pictures. All the pups had grown so much and at this point are 7 Weeks old and full of fun. Here is a picture of all the litter.

Summer dogs_0210I collected him just after 8 Weeks and he soon got settled and to know the boys and his new playmate Buzz..

MMOS July Critique_0016 MMOS July Critique_0019MMOS July Critique_0018He has been a star, very clean around the house, had not chewed anything… YET… asks to go out… in fact he yells!  He has formed a strong friendship with Buzz and they have great fun chasing each other and tugging. It’s so lovely to watch. Nothing seems to worry him, he has been to the shops, to school, and coped well with the massive thunderstorm we had.

He has not yet completely won over Maya my Boarder Collie but she is much more tolerant of him than she ever was of Buzz. You can see from this image she is not impressed to be put with the boys!

MMOS July Critique_0020He is now 9 Weeks old…. and we are looking foward to our adventures together….

MMOS July Critique_0021Thank you for reading my blog. http://www.metaylorphotography.co.uk

Highly Commended Images

The Societies, run a mothly image competition which photographers from all over the world enter trying to get the highest Gold Award. These images are then put forward for consideration for Photogapher of the Year, where the winners are announced at the European Photographic Convention held in London in January.

You are permitted to enter one image per category each month.

January 2015 entries have been judged and I gained Highly Commended for two images. These images will be re-reviewed at the end of the year but further judges an may be upgraded to Gold.

The first image was in the Pet Portrait Category.

 

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The second image was in the Wedding Photojournalistic category. This is the first time I have entered this category so was pleased with the result.

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To celebrate success in these competitions I have decided that for  my 2015 entries I will provide my clients with a Complimentary Mounted Print at 8″x6″ or 9″x6″ for any images that gain a Highly Commended and a 12″x8″ or 10″x 8″ mounted print for those that get awarded Gold.  A small thank you for allowing me to use the image.