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As part of the blog circle this week I will be talking about secure dog fields near me in Suffolk and they are a fabulous resource for people with a large variety of dogs.

So firstly what is a secure dog field?

Secure dog fields come in many different shapes and size with varying amounts of equipment in them.

But quite simply they are a secure safe area that you can exercise your dog safe in the knowledge that they cannot run off and that you will not encounter other dogs or animals.

Who would need to use a secure dog field?

Secure dog fields are used by people and their dogs for numerous reasons.

1. For training in a safe environment so that if things don’t go to plan you know your dog will not run into danger for example a road.
2. For reactive dogs that in normal circumstance owners cannot let off the lead through fear they may harm another dog/person. The field gives the dog a chance to run freely and enjoy itself.
3. I as a photographer use them as again there are no interruptions from outside factors when trying to take photos.
4. People use them as a place to meet and let their dogs have some free time together, in the past I have photographed puppy reunions held in secure dog fields so the litter can all meet up in a safe place.
5. Some dog fields have agility and other equipment in so you can introduce your dog to new activities.

The list of uses is really endless as everyone will make use of them in different ways but they are definately a valued resource to have in your area.

Some of the secure dog fields local to me

Murfield Meadow

Murfield Meadow is a secure dog exercise field, available for exclusive use and enabling your canine companions to enjoy off lead freedom and fun! The field measures approximately 2.5 acres and is enclosed by 1.9 metre deer fencing.  We are situated on the outskirts of Hadleigh in a quiet, picturesque environment.

Suffolk Run Free

• 6 acres of meadows, trees, ditches and small wooded copse
• 6ft high fencing • Dog paddling pool • Toy box • Drinkers

The House of Muddy Paws

The House of Muddy Paws secured dog field is a safe and secure environment for you to enjoy with your dogs, friends and family.

The field provides peace of mind for you to train, exercise or just have fun with your four legged friends.

Pup School Suffolk

Want to carry on training yourself? Need to practice your agility? Want somewhere secure you can let your dog off lead to practice your recalls? We offer use of our 1 ½ acre fence training paddock, complete with a full set of competition agility equipment.

Dog Play Centre

We are open 7am till 7pm Monday – Friday, (excluding bank holidays). All other times are by appointment only. The centre is available for hire most weekday evenings and weekends so keep an eye on what’s happening and Facebook pages.

If you live outside of Suffolk you can use this handy website to find a dog field near you

Dog Parks near me

Find your nearest dog exercise park or field that allows your dog to run free in a safe secure environment. 

All around the circle

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the secure dog fields near me, to carrying on reading more about this please go and check out what fellow photographer Tammy has to say.

Tammy Snyder Photography, photographing dogs and the people they love in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding tri-state region.

This weeks blog post is all about rescue dogs of Suffolk. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to visit a rescue centre and offer some free promo shoots as I had planned thanks to covid, however I have decided to feature a friend’s family of rescue dogs.

Meet Reiley, Taz and Jon Snow.

These three are all owned by the lovely Tracey and have flourished in their new home.

Taz is the oldest resident whom Tracey’s rehomed from someone who decided he was useless for the job he had bought him for (pest control) and was going to have him destroyed. Certainly not on Tracey’s watch!

Taz is the most loving little man and adores Tracey, he is a patterdale terrier cross and has actually turned out to be a very able ratter, keeping the vermin on the farm at bay as well as having a cuddle at night.

Next is Reiley, foundly known as Riggle.

He was rescued from Romania and was in a sorry state when he was found, and it was believed he had been hit by a car. His leg was mended by the rescue charity and then Tracey completed all of his rehab and he came on leaps and bounds.

You wouldn’t recognise him from the sad and scared dog that turned up to now!

And then there is Jon Snow! What a big bear of a dog he is. Another rescue that had obviously had a tough time prior to coming to live with Tracey and his docked tail is a small reminder of that. When he turned up he had little to zero trust in people which breaks my heart that others had done this to him. Tracey has worked tirelessly on building his confidence and he is soo much happier about the people he meets and life, BUT don’t enter the office if his mum (Tracey) isn’t there! He is an amazing guard dog!

They are a random bunch but together they form a beautiful pack and are extremely loyal to Tracey

So in summary the next time you are thinking of getting a new dog, check out your local rescue and see if you can make a dog as happy as these three. Being rescued really was life changing for these guys.

All around the circle

I am part of amazing group of pet photographers that participate in a blog circle every week so next please go and check out

Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, photographing rescued and adopted pets in the Endless Mountains of Northeastern PA.

When you get to the bottom of her blog you will see a link to the next awesome blog and so on until you find yourself back here.

Enjoy!

This week is photographers choice in our blog circle so I have decided to tell you about my last shoot. Last week I had the pleasure of catching up with my friends at Family Dog Services in Kent, UK.

Meet Claire, Rose, Indy, Dude and John! The FDS family.

I met the lovely Claire through the Ladies working dog group, an online international forum for ladies and their working dogs no matter the job. Over the last couple of years I have photographed a few of Claire and John’s training days with their clients. They are amazing dog training instructors and work with people to get the best out of their dogs.

Find out more about Claire and John here – www.familydogservices.co.uk

Or check out their Facebook page.

Claire had asked that I took some snaps to update their website and some “family” shots as Claire’s business partner is also her husband and the dogs are their kids.

Now usually I would tell you that the casual shots where everyone is chilling is the easiest shot to capture but not with these guys….. there was always one dog pulling a face or running away but we got there…… some of the outtakes below

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Claire also asked for John to have some photo’s with his boy Dude! There is soo much love between these two!

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Not to be left out Claire wanted some snaps with her girls Indy and Rose.

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We then finished with some business shots, again the silliness crept in, but I love it because in between the serious training these guys do they are such fun to be around.

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Thanks for a fab day as always guys! Hope you like the photos.

As I mentioned, I am part of a blog circle and next on the circle this week is….

Touched By a Dog Photography creates visually artistic photos of pets within the greater Spokane, WA region.

When photographing pets there are many different points to consider such as lighting, background, poses and what the customer wants but often people forget about the use of different colours to enhance and supplement the photograph.

Lets start with the basics….

When we talk about colour we have primary colours – these are the colours you learnt about in primary school Red/Blue/Yellow

Next we have the secondary colours – these are what we get when we mix the primary colours – Purple/Green/Orange

And finally the tertiary colours – these are the colours in between made up of mixes of the first two groups.

Now we know about the different types of colours, we can consider colour schemes. Again there are 3 main types of colour scheme – monochrome/analogous/complementary.

When planning your photography thought should be given on the look you are trying to achieve, will you use surrounding colours that are complimentary to your subject or similar in tone. They both give different effects as demonstrated below.

The first photograph is young Nuka on a rich and dark brown mottled black background, this dark brown picks up on the browns on the trunk and mirrors the depth of her eyes. The darker background also gives good contrast to her lighter colour.

For the below photograph I made use of a Analogous colour scheme as above using colours that are close to each other on the colour wheel. This give a nice soft feel to the capture.

The below image of the lovely Jelly on the beach shows how the use of complimentary colours (colours opposite each other on the colour wheel) can in this case the blue of the sky and the orange in her cheek patches can compliment each other and add to the vibrancy of the capture.

The last colour scheme that I occasionally use especially with black or black and white dogs in monochromal as demonstrated below with the lovely Beanie looking regal in his chair. Despite there being no different colours in the image, he has good contrast with his surroundings and really pops.

In summary, it is more than likely that when photographing pets that you will use an analogous colour scheme using colours similar to that of the dog, with the next most common being monochromal…..but next time you are planning a shoot see if you can find a back ground that compliments the subjects colour….you’ll be surprised by the result.

I am completing weekly blogs as part of a blog circle made up of amazing pet photographers so please go and check out the next photographer in the circle…

Traveling dog photographer Kim Hollis of BARKography on location at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon.

I have decided to join in with the Pet Photography 52 weeks project where there is a different theme every week, this week is Red/Love. (perfect I can post photos of what I “love” most……my dog “Red” ) In the week where love is at the forefront of many peoples minds I thought I would focus on the unconditional love that we receive from our pets everyday. I for one would have been well and truly lost without the love of my dogs throughout this pandemic and numerous lockdowns. Whether its coming home after a long day to a super waggy tail and cuddles or just when they sense you are down and bring you something goofy that makes you smile, they truly are my mini guardian angels. Red is not only the theme for this week but is also the name of my best boy. He is a two year old cocker spaniel whom I am sure those that follow my social media pages are well and truly bored of seeing throughout lockdown as he, his sister Nuka and housemates Jelly and Beanie have been my only real subjects. I have chosen a couple of photos to illustrate this blog post, one of the gorgeous Red posing as he does best and one of Red with something red which is a universal symbol of love. I enjoy adding colours like red to a photo as they can really make a photo “pop”.

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This is a blog circle. If you click the link at the bottom of each post you’ll go around the circle and read about our topic this week which is Red/Love. Next up is Angela Schneider of Big White Dog Photography, seeing the love between you and your dog in Spokane, WA

21/01/2021

Doing photography shoots with pets/animals is never dull and that’s why I enjoy it so much.

As much as it would make my life easier sometimes, unfortunately animals aren’t robots, even the best behaved ones, meaning you never know exactly what they are going to do. I often have the shot I want to capture in my head and it doesn’t always go to plan. This is why it is so important that pets and their owners are put at ease so you can capture the true them even if its not what you had in mind.

Often when I don’t get the shot I set out to get, it’s because the character I had in mind for the particular pet isn’t it’s true character. This is why I always ask the owner, “If you could have one photo of your pet which summed up their character, what would it be?” It gives me and idea of not only expectations but what the pet is like i.e: cheeky, lazy, happy, grumpy….the list goes on.

Sometimes I will get as far as having my dream shot lined up and a leaf will blow in the wrong direction and bang my subject is gone chasing it! No problem, that shot was obviously not meant to be and often the photos that went wrong are the ones that capture true character.

So if your pet is not doing exactly what we’ve asked, please don’t fret! Remember it’s your photoshoot and the most important thing is to enjoy it with your pet so I can get natural shots and something that “captures the character” of your friend.

Some snaps when its not gone to plan…..some of these are fail with a capital F, but that’s why there is a delete button …hehe – enjoy

Exciting news……

15/01/2021

I have exciting news….

I know we are all in lockdown and quite frankly its pants isn’t it! I am really missing meeting people and their lovely pets.

However, I have been lucky enough to secure a business space in Felixstowe (my home town) to turn into a studio. It will eventually be next door to my sister in law’s new dog grooming business so people will be able to have their pooches pampered and then papped!

At the moment it is still a work in progress but here’s a sneak peak of Nuka on my new chaise longue.

She is far from the perfect model as kept running off to investigate the new playroom and I had no assistance due to lockdown, however you get the general idea. There will also be a posh chair to pose on, fluffy rugs and a choice of several back drops!

I look forward to having it all completed so I can show you in a virtual walk around…..eeeek…..

Until then, stay safe everyone and give your pets a hug from me 🙂

HAVING A PHOTOSHOOT WITH JM PHOTOGRAPHY

24/08/2020

Firstly, let me just say this second blog is well overdue as I’ve been super busy and whenever I came to write it I struggled on a topic.

So this weeks topic is just about some things to know about having a shoot with me.

1. I don’t own a studio so all shoots are out on location, that said once government guidelines allow I can come to your home to take photos if your pet is more comfortable there or logistics make it difficult.

2. I like to spend some time at the beginning of the shoot meeting you and your pet to try and put them at ease around me and my equipment. I also like to get an idea of what sort of images you’d like from the shoot.

3. I cannot tell you exactly how many shots I will get in an hours session as that depends immensely on the model, but I will aim to get at least 20 + images that you can choose from.

4. I do offer digitals as a package, but I do not guarantee the quality of printing if used for this. This is why I also offer prints 😊

5. I will often make strange noises to get your pet’s attention during the shoot so please don’t think I’ve become deranged mid shoot. This is also why I like to briefly get to know your pet first as the noises may scare some pets and have the opposite to the desired effect.

6. My main priority during a shoot is making sure you and your pet are at ease and comfortable. If I ask you or your pet to do something you dont think works for them just tell me, there are always different options.

7. I know I keep harping on about meeting you and your pets at the beginning but it is important as I also get a bit of a vibe about what makes them ….well them! I pride myself on “Capturing character” so its important to know what makes your pet unique 😊

8. I will upload your images watermarked to my Facebook page and website for you to view, however if you would rather they were not public this can also be arranged via a link to an online private folder.

9. I cover Suffolk and surrounding counties, however will charge mileage outside of Suffolk.

10. Finally, it’s yours and your pet’s shoot, I’m just there to take photos. So take the time to have some fun, the best photos are the ones that happen organically and aren’t posed, although I will do some of these too so get those cheesy grins and distant stares honed.

I look forward to meeting you and your animal friends.

Jemma

P.S – Don’t forget that all shoots are free for the rest of the year so take advantage now and get booked in.

*There is no obligation to buy images/photos once you’ve had a shoot*

Well I thought I would start my first blog post with a bit of an intro into my dogs.

I have grown up with dogs since birth. We were a Labrador family and always had one or two and mum and dad still do to this day. Once I moved out however my passion for cocker spaniels grew after working in a boarding kennels with a lady who had several and bred them. I decided I WOULD have a cocker! However my landlord at the time had other ideas and told me I could only have a terrier sized dog……hmmm ….well that was the cocker wish out the window as I could not guarantee the adult size….only guess and that wasn’t good enough for him. My flat mate at the time had a dog already and she was a Jack Russell crossed with a Cocker Spaniel, around the size of a Jack Russel with bigger ears.

This got me thinking that maybe I could get the same cross but hairy like a spaniel, almost like a bonsai cocker! Mission on!

Soon I found a litter of 13 jack russell x cocker pups for sale not a million miles away which were the result of an accidental mating of the man’s KC registered bitch with the yards number one ratter! I went to see the litter with a friend who consequently ended up buying a puppy too. We had all the bitches out and I picked the biggest most spaniel looking one there was…..chubby and spotty seemed like good methods to pick a puppy on…….oh my I had a lot to learn! Anyway soon came the day that I went to collect my little lardy spotty fluff ball…..she was gorgeous….despite having an undershot jaw which the breeder pointed out to me and said I could pick a different perfect one, which I was highly offended atand declared to him that she was perfect but if he could knock £50 off the price she’d be even better!

(What! I had student debts)

Puppy came home and was named Jellybean! She was a very quick learner and soon became my shadow at home and at work on the farm. As time went on Jelly matured into an adult who was extremely lazy unless it involved a rat or rabbit and extremely stubborn, but I loved her never the less! She was the complete polar opposite to her sister who was full of beans and such a crazy little beast……and still is 9 years later…..I’m lucky if Jelly gets up to say hello throughout the day….. haha….lesson learnt – don’t pick the fat puppy that sleeps a lot and couldn’t give a fig if you were there or not……DON’T PICK PUPPIES BASED ON FLUFF AND SPOTS! Haha. Like I say I have learnt a lot and love Jelly despite her Lady of the manor personality.

I never stopped wanting a real spaniel that I could train to work so in 2018 I decided it was time Princess Jelly had a little sibling. The search was on…..and soon I was dragging my long suffering housemate off to Derby to see a little red working cocker boy with a cracking pedigree. Whether I got him was never in doubt…..it was a cocker puppy! Come on! The 5 week wait to pick him up was painful!! I read just about every book I could about training a working spaniel, puppy proofed the house and garden and daily told Jelly she would have to be nice to the puppy! I even had a gundog trainer ready and lined up who, at the time, probably thought I was crazy asking him about training when all I had was a deposit on a 4 week old pup. Now he and his wife know me well and probably still think the same! The day finally arrived and after a stopover for the night in Derby we picked up my beautiful ginger ninja – ‘Red’ or Teals Bracken to give him his official name.

He slotted into home life so easily and was toilet trained pretty much within the week and again a very quick learner. He is definitely the comedian of the house, constantly being the doofus and making me chuckle, but has also taken a lot of my patience at times whilst training. He is now nearly 2 and is a very good lad the majority of the time and will hopefully be working this season in the beating line.

So there you are, now you know a little more about my lockdown subjects……

Stay safe until next time….