Tiny Dog Random Portrait

I nearly didn’t ask, but I had my magic tool with me… my camera. My camera lets me talk to people, without it I just hide (It’s been that way a very long time, but I’m getting better!)

Turns out he was both, Rof is 4 months old, a mix between a Chihuahua and a Jack Russell Terrier. This dog was never going to stop moving and also had some attitude.

The guy walking him (Chris?, I got his number but forgot the name) said he was walking it for an old friend who was in the hospital. So naturally, I said I’d take a couple of snaps and give them to him so his friend could have a little reminder of his dog while he was recovering from whatever was going on.

Rof didn’t want to stay still… and he didn’t want to come close to me. I only had a 35mm lens, so I really did need him to come closer to me. If I’d tried to get closer to him, he would have just moved away.

After about 4 minutes of laying on the ground and Rof getting close but then running off I realised this was never going to work this way and I had to use his tiny size to my advantage.

A quick lift up onto one of the skip bins that were in this alleyway meant he couldn’t go far, and after a minute, we had a couple of good snaps. He still didn’t stop moving and we had to keep him on a tight leash incase he decided to be Evil Kenivel. Always have a safety line if putting anyone on a taller thing to get a shot.

I’ve used this technique before, the weirdest time was when I had to photograph 3 and a pug (I might be wrong with the number of dogs, but it was many). The owner wanted them all together and looking at the camera, but they weren’t trained at all.
So the kitchen bench was used. They were all totally unsure of what was happening, and then a treat got them to look. Got the shot. Gave myself a high five.

This trick can also work with small humans who like to run… confine the space they can go while you are snapping them. Probably don’t use heights… or a leash… but an area where they can move about safely with good light. Little alleyways, rocky coves and walking tracks are great, if they can only go one way, that is always the best.

I also printed off some photos for Rof’s human, always better than just a digital file on a phone that gets lost.