Dog Photography of Widget in Oxfordshire

Louise’s friend, Claire, kindly bought her a gift voucher for a dog portrait session in Bicester. We arranged a date to head down to Bure Park one evening, where the three of us went for a walk (more of a run in Widget’s case!), stopping in different spots as we went along.

Widget is a cross between a Springer Spaniel and a Whippet and was nearly two years old at the time of the shoot. She had plenty of speed and energy, and would dart into the undergrowth in front of us, before reappearing 50 metres further along a few seconds later.

Widget is a sighthound, which means she hunts by sight and speed, rather than by scent or endurance. Like other sighthounds, she is wired to detect motion and pursue agile prey, and boasts keen vision (potentially contributing to her sensitivity to light), long legs, a large heart, a lean and wiry body, and incredibly efficient lungs.

She also loves interacting with other dogs, especially when being chased. She takes great pleasure in zipping just out of reach, using her speed to her advantage – much to the frustration of her pursuer!

Widget has a really unique heart-shaped marking on one side, which you can see in the portrait of her above and also in the featured image of this post. I photographed her from multiple angles to make sure I captured her special attributes like this one.

Widget clearly adores her owner, Louise, and regularly checks back to ensure she is in sight. Therefore, when Widget ran ahead, the best way to bring her back was to hide. Widget would then go into search mode until she found us, with her tail wagging happily as soon as she spotted Louise.

Afterwards, Louise said:

“I received a birthday gift voucher to attend one of Sarah’s studio dog sessions but Widget had other ideas! Despite Sarah’s best efforts, Widget was nervous of the camera flash. Sarah kindly offered to meet us in Widget’s local park to catch her at her best. Sarah was very patient and we had lots of fun trying to capture shots of Widget, who doesn’t sit still for long! Sarah presented the photos professionally and I was pleased with the range to choose from. I can’t wait for them to arrive!”

If you’re interested in dog photography for your four-legged best friend, please get in contact by emailing [email protected] or submitting the form below:

Sarah Plater is a dog portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography