Preston photographer Cat Race specialises in characterful pictures of four-legged friend.
Prize-winning Preston photographer Cat Race is this year marking ten years since she fulfilled her dream and launched her own photography business.
Having completed a multi-media course at the University of Central Lancashire, and worked for a summer as a digital artist with an international family portraiture brand, she spent a year with a fashion photographer in Preston. In 2013, she opened her business CatsDog Photography, where she was joined in business shortly afterwards by her partner Michael Higginson.
‘Although photography was a very competitive business, dog photography hadn’t become popular, but I decided it was what I wanted to do. My Chihuahua, Poppy, was my muse – she is always ready to pose for me and spark off ideas.’
From small beginnings, Cat and Michael, both award-winning photographers, have created a vibrant business that is going from strength to strength with clients and fans from across the world. They travel the world to fulfil clients’ requests but also take photographs at locations nearer home.
‘Choosing unique locations is important to us,’ Cat said. ‘Most of our shots are taken outside because it’s a priority to put the dogs at ease and they are more relaxed out of a studio setting. That’s where Michael comes in – he’s a bona fide dog whisperer and speaks the language of dog! He is good at reading the dogs’ reactions and knows to have a break if the dog is getting anxious. We might use treats or special whistles but we know each dog is different and what works for a bouncy Labrador may not work for a shy little Chihuahua.’
Michael added: ‘I’ve been around dogs all my life and worked in kennels through school, college, and university. I probably read dogs better than people.’
The creative couple clearly complement each other and between them have won a variety of awards, including placing in the International Photography awards, British Photography awards and The Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year award. ‘It's also become a huge honour for us to have clients who are prestigious photographers themselves,’ says Cat.
‘Michael handles the dogs and the lights when we are out. We don’t notice it, but people always say we are so in tune with each other. I’m the face of the business but Michael does 50% of the work, planning workshops, writing scripts and a lot of tech stuff.’
Despite the striking images Cat and Michael create, outdoor shoots can be far from glamourous. ‘We work through the seasons, and it might be cold and windy or involve a lot of mud and water. The weather can give the picture a new dynamic. We tend to just roll with the conditions. I even ended up with two black eyes after climbing over a fallen tree to get the result I wanted. We were filming for You Tube but left that bit in for entertainment,’ laughs Cat.
The couple, who have mostly gained popularity and commissions through social media, hold occasional workshops, and now have a growing presence on You Tube where they share their professional experiences as dog photographers in an entertaining way. Michael explains: ‘The idea is to give people an idea of what happens behind the scenes at a shoot and share advice. Cat’s energy really comes across and our aim is to make people smile.’
With a growing demand for photographs of our four-legged friends – it’s one of the fastest growing markets in the UK – Cat and Michael are currently working on projects which add new dimensions to their work through combining their love of dogs and colour.
‘One involves using gel lights which adds a different eye-catching quality to photographs,’ Car added. ‘We are planning to do some studio work so if the weather is miserable, we can do fun things and get bright light inside. The other is called the Scarf Project which involves taking a series of photographs of dogs with colourful scarves. We are hoping to introduce a bit of drama and portray the joy and happiness dogs bring to so many of our lives. We hope to celebrate the launch of the photos and show them in a gallery.’
10 top tips
Cat and Michael’s advice for taking photographs of your dog:
Above all, make sure the dog is relaxed.
Learn to read the body language of dogs so you know when your dog is anxious. If the dog is not happy, have a break. You may not get the shot in that moment, but a break may give you more opportunities in the long run.
Use rewards such as treats or whistles to get the dog’s attention.
Squat so you are eye to eye, but don’t lean into the dog.
Make sure the subject is in full light and not half shadow.
Shoot in the golden hour at either end of the day to give the best soft natural light which will bring out details and textures.
Portable low-level lights can help to even out the light, especially in harsh light.
Use a long lens to cut out distractions.
Be aware of the colour of the dog and background. Aim for contrast.
Using a wide-angle lens can be more challenging but can give an interesting sense of place and setting.
To find out more, go to catsdog.co.uk or find them on Facebook and Instagram, @catsdogphotography.
