Dog photos with Olly & Laura

Midway through my pet portrait shoot with Laura and her dog Olly, a member of staff called over to us. He was riding past on a golf buggy and pulled over a little way ahead of us, waiting for us to draw near.

— to be continued —

Update: On the morning of 12 October, Olly passed away unexpectedly. His loss has devastated Laura, and the many others who knew and loved him.

Laura, I’m so, so sorry for your heartache, and I can’t begin to imagine what you’re going through right now. There can’t have been a happier or luckier dog in the world, to have you as owner and best friend.

Thank you for trusting me to capture these images for you, which are all so much more precious now. I know it’s going to be hard to look at them in the near future, but I hope over time they are a reminder of your many happy memories with Olly.

He was an absolute treasure, and it was so easy to see why you loved him so much. He loved you so much, too. I’m so glad I got to meet you both and spend a wonderful day in the sun playing with and getting to know Olly, and capturing your one-in-a-million bond. Thinking of you.

— continued from intro —

“I just had to say ‘Hello’ to your Cavalier spaniel,” he told us, beaming, “I’ve got one as well, and yours is just as beautiful.”

He and Laura exchanged size, health and diet notes on their dogs, and he showed us a picture of his pet; almost black with dark brown eyebrows, in contrast to Olly’s bright white with light brown patches.

After a few minutes’ conversation, he reluctantly pulled away to return to work, but not before offering to take with him the dog poo bag Laura had been carrying.

“It’s the least I can do,” he told us, smiling again at Olly before driving on.

This encounter was typical of a walk with Olly. Passers by can’t help but comment on how handsome he is, and how young he looks.

But his puppy-ish demeanour is deceiving. Olly is actually eight years’ old, and has inherited his small stature from his parents. In addition, his coat is still soft and fluffy and his personality still full and cheeky. The only giveaway of his age are a few white hairs which have recently appeared in his eyebrows.

He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and is every bit as regal as the name implies. Laura has had him since he was a puppy, and even saw his litter being born.

“I really do believe that dogs pick you, not the other way around,” Laura tells me, “Olly was Billy-no-mates in the litter, and didn’t snuggle up with the others. My heart ached for him and I knew he was the one.”

Despite his apparent vigour, Olly has a heart murmur that’s managed and controlled by medication.

“Since I learned about his condition, I’ve been thinking more and more about getting some professional dog photos done with him,” Laura said, “It’s totally out of my comfort zone, but I’m aware that fate could intervene at any point. I would regret it forever if I didn’t have some really special photos with him.”

Laura got in contact with me after seeing the photos I created for friends and clients of her thriving mobile beauty business, including Krista’s couple shoot, Annie’s newborn and sibling shoot and Lauren’s family photoshoot.

Laura wanted an Autumnal woodland setting as it’s her favourite time of year, and to show off Olly’s beautiful colouring. We had a Plan A date and a Plan B date in the diary in case of bad weather, but happily we lucked out with full sun in an otherwise wet and miserable week.

“To me, Olly is so much more than just a pet. He’s my best friend. I get his undivided attention, and he never argues or backtracks. When I come home he’s sat there waiting for me, full of joy and unconditionally loving.”

I can see just how much Olly adores Laura. For one of our shots, we distract Olly with a little treat so Laura can walk ahead of him. As soon as Olly gulps down the tidbit, he immediately looks for Laura, then pelts over to be back by her side.

Indeed, although everyone we meet instantly falls in love with Olly, his heart is already taken: he’s only got eyes for Laura. And all that love and loyalty is repaid in full. Never mind being man’s best friend. This handsome hound is this wonderful woman’s best friend 🙂

After our shoot, Laura said:

“There are not enough words to describe how incredible Sarah is as a person & especially photographer. I recently had a shoot done with Sarah on location at Stowe Gardens with my cavalier king Charles, Olly. I met with Sarah for a pre-shoot to discuss expectations, ideas & an overall outlook which I think is fab so I had an idea for what to expect for the day, was given a welcome pack which explains so much & found this really helpful. The day itself was amazing and everything I wanted for an autumn photoshoot. The way Sarah works is great, she made me feel super comfortable, worked so well with Olly & trying so many options for the best shot! The photos from my shoot are STUNNING, Sarah captured my vision which shows to me what an amazing photographer she truly is. I would recommend Sarah Plater Photography 100%, photo’s are memories forever and Sarah will give you that.”

Laura, Dog Photography Client from Bicester, Oxfordshire

If you’re interested in dog photography in Bicester or Oxfordshire, please get in contact. You can email me via [email protected] or submit the form below:

Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional portrait and dog photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).