2024: A Review

2024 feels like it went by so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time.

For me, it’s been an emotional year. Primarily, it’s been filled with immense sadness and grief after losing Dexter (I still have a half written blog about him that I keep trying to finish, but the grief gets the better of me each time I try).

It’s also been a year of gratitude, creativity and exploration: trying new things, new techniques and new types of photography.

With the end of the year approaching, it’s a natural time for reflection, so I’ve spent a bit of time looking back through the sessions I’ve shot this year and have picked out a few of the images that I love the most. Read on for my rundown.

A border collie and woman photographed in a studio on a blue background. The border collie is licking the woman's face.

Always my Number 1: Dexter. I shot this in January and Dexter left us in July. I’m so grateful that I took the time to not only photograph him, but to do a self portrait with him too. I’ve never particularly liked having my photograph taken (kind of ironic, huh?), but this is a photograph I will treasure forever. It holds a kind of magic for me – just looking at it transports me back in time to the exact moment we created it: the feel of his fur, the sound of him sniffing at my face, his slobber – it’s all there, and so very real, when I look at this. I guess that’s the power of photography, and it’s even more powerful when you combine it with immense grief.

dog family portrait in a medieval archway.

I really love shooting dog family portraits and I see this family almost every year. This year, we decided to shoot on location instead on in the studio, and I’m so glad we did because I really, really love how this shot turned out. The gothic architecture, red leaves in the foreground and different layers within the image all add to its visual appeal. Sadly, Maisie the beautiful collie in the middle, passed away the week after we shot this, so this photograph is incredibly special. She just looks so happy and vibrant, taking pride of place within her pack.

An orange kitten photographed in the studio on a grey background. The kitten is standing on his back legs.

It was great to work with Burns Pet Nutrition again this year on two of their recent campaigns. I absolutely love this shot of Dex-Starr – I shot this during their cat food campaign. He was such a cheeky little kitten and was so full of energy, enthusiasm and sass. I just love how he looks almost human-like standing on his hind legs.

A samoyed dog photographed in black and white on a rugged coastline of Wales, there are atmospheric clouds in the sky.

A samoyed dog photographed on a rugged coastline of Wales. The dog's body is reflected in a rock pool.

I couldn’t decide between these two images from Loki’s session – I love them both, so they both had to be included in my 2024 run down. Loki is such a statuesque dog to look at, but he’s also a giant goofball and such a softie. I was over the moon with these image as they’re from a location that I’d never shot at before so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But everything was on our side for this session – the clouds were dramatic, the light was perfect and the tide was far enough away, but just close enough to leave enough water in the rock pools for perfect reflections. I entered both of these images into the International Pet Photography Awards and received a Silver with Distinction for both. The reflection image scored in the Top 100 of the over 3,600 entries, so I was really over the moon with that!

a branding photograph for a dog paw balm photographed on the beach with an out of focus dog in the background.

A branding photograph for a dog collar company. An orange collie is wearing a turquoise collar and photographed against green foliage.

Both of these photographs represent the same thing for me – a journey into branding photography for small pet businesses and brands. The top image is of paw balm from Earthly Rebel‘s pet range, and the bottom was for Tuck’s Treasure Trove‘s waterproof collar and lead range. I’ve really loved shooting these brand images – it’s a totally different way of thinking compared to “normal” pet photography sessions and means having to think in a different creative way.

a pomeranian cross husky dog photographed in a studio environment on a blue green background.

I can’t have a run down of images and not include a classic studio image. I love this one of Bowie. I shot this on a wide angle to give that slightly comedic feel. Her intense stare (at some cheese, no doubt) is amazing and I really love how her intensity contrasts with the silliness of the wide angle feel.

A cocker spaniel photographed sitting amongst some green ferns looking intently into the camera.

This beautiful girl is Millie. I love her photograph for two reasons. Firstly because she’s absolutely gorgeous, sitting in a sea of ferns. Her intense engagement with the camera is also beautiful and really draws you in to those soulful eyes. Secondly, this image was my first adventure into teaching. I was asked to be part of the Hair of the Dog Academy‘s teaching line up for 2024’s Edit-Palooza and chose to use this image of Millie to teach how to add drama to an outdoor portrait. I’m looking forward to teaching again in 2025.

A miniature schnauzer dog and her female owner photographed in a studio setting on a pink background.

This has got to be one of my favourite dog and human portraits from this year. I love how proud Daphne looks with her little feet up on Charlotte’s leg. Charlotte is a Facebook and Instagram expert for canine businesses and the founder of Canine Marketing Support. If you run a pet business, I’d highly recommend giving her a follow.

An American shepherd dog photographed in an old shopping arcade in Cardiff.

This is Rogue, photographed in one of Cardiff’s arcades for the Unleashed Education Empower Challenge. The creation of this image took me right out of my comfort zone and into the busy shopping arcades of Cardiff. Shooting in a more urban environment was really different for me as I’m usually more in the wilderness – on the beach, in the woods or up a mountain. But I’ve got to say that I actually really enjoyed the challenge that photographing in an urban setting gave. Rogue is the wonder dog of K9 Kindergarten and he was a star to photograph!

Three collies photographed in the studio with a Christmas theme. Two dogs are tied up in Christmas lights and the third dog is holding the end of the string of lights.

I do so love my Christmas card sessions, so knew I had to include one from this year in the run down! Every year I try to do something a little bit different, and this year, this thought popped up in my head and I knew the perfect dog gang to pull it off. Holly and Ruby (first and third pups) have had many, many sessions with me by now, but it was little Lottie’s first time. She absolutely nailed it!

So that’s it – a very quick run through of the Top 10 photos and sessions that have jumped out at me this year. Thank you to every single one of my clients and their pets for trusting me to capture beautiful memories and make gorgeous artwork for you. It means so much to me.

I’m looking forward to seeing what 2025 has to bring.