Mr T’s cat Raven simply loves Halloween and he makes no bones about it - the night belongs to the black cat !

He himself is a spirited cat,  and a best friend of mine, and as  this is the season for Trick or Treat,  I wanted to give him a special Halloween treat  this year. So, I decided to turn my paws to making a Halloween YouTube clip.   Some of my very lovable  little animal friends posed for the photographs which show their bewitching charm.  We all had a lot of fun doing it and I think they look adorably enchanting as they pop out of pumpkins and wear their Halloween costumes. [Raven]

Have a look for yourself, if you dare, CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW, and tell me if you like it. With only a few more sleeps until the trick or treats come knocking at my door, I must rush to the store so I can fill my cauldron with sweets for the little ghosts and goblins, wizards and witches that will appear, hidden behind masks and cloaks, on All Hallows  night.

Trick or Treat?   DEFINITELY  treat I bark !!
Happy Halloween

Woof

Ah yes, the wizard photo.  Well, that little dog is called Jasper and he is quite a magic piece in himself.  For although he has the body of a miniature Schnauzer, he has the mind of a German Shepherd, and the attitude of a Doberman.  He is a fearless wizard of a dog who is always ready to take on the most challenging of foes -like me for instance, when I want him to wear something he doesn’t like.  He is fussy about how he looks and will shake items of clothing off if he feels they are not showing him at his best.

Generally though, Jasper is a loveable and easy dog to photograph because he adores being the centre of attention.  He simply laps up all the cuddles (and the tasty lunch he gets) when he is in the studio.  As he also is a bit more grown up than some of those adorable young puppies that come to visit us, he is relaxed and will sit back and take it all in, rather than squiggling and rolling about like the full of energy puppies.
In between photos, Jasper enjoys sniffing out things and playing pranks on me, like putting spiders on my back while I am working hard at trying to decide which Halloween costume he is to wear for his Rachael Hale photo shoot.  He even gets others to photograph it !    All of this, as you can see, is done behind my back :)

Sometimes I think he should have been called Harry Potter!

Of course, the fact that Jasper is a big reader helped in capturing the wizard image as he was quite content taking a spell to paw over his book. ( I won’t mention the fact that he also thinks he looks very intelligent with his glasses on ! )

Good photos take time, patience and a quick trigger finger on the camera because when there is an animal in the house…… magic happens !

Most people think a dog day afternoon is sleeping, eating and the odd bark or two at a passerby, but that is SO last century.

Hi, I am Sam, a true blue working dog that has been going to the Studio with my boss. Mr T, since I was a pup. You may have seen some of my earlier work?  I was the leading Rachael Hale photography model for quite a few years. These days, I consider myself an old paw in the business so there’s not much I don’t know about cameras, lighting, action shots, pets and other large animals who visit our studio.  Yes, I know you may see them as the world’s most lovable animals, but believe me, they can also be the world’s most mischievous animals.


They patter and scuttle into the studio smelling of bottled lavender and jasmine.  They are all freshly groomed with shiny knot free hair, pet pedicures done and tails fluffed.  Some even have ribbons in their hair !! They race about the studio poking their noses in to EVERYTHING.   It keeps me busy just rounding them up and nudging them into place to get on with the business of photography.  It is a hard day’s work trying to wear them out so they will sit still, or sleep through  their animal photography shoots

As more of a top dog in management now, I think turning my paw to writing this blog is going to be far simpler.  But before I get started, I want to hear from you. If you have a favorite Rachael Hale animal photo which you would like the background scoop on, then let me know!  I have all the behind the scenes stories and photography tips.

 

Woof