Focused. Athletic. Lemur. Three words I would use to describe Atlas, the Belgian Malinois.
Altas and his family traveled across the state of Michigan to meet me for a morning photoshoot in Grand Haven. I had met Altas as a pup nearly two years ago when I had the pleasure of photographing Equine Portraits of his owners saddlebred horse. I was a little skeptical when I got out of my car and saw a Malinois beelining towards me. They are an incredibly intense breed that requires an educated owner with a lifestyle dedicated to training and working the dogs. You either manage a frazzled monster, or have a highly intelligent, loyal partner who will go to the ends of the earth to please and protect you.
Altas was the latter, and if I had a lifestyle that could fulfill his needs, I would LOVE to own a dog like Atlas!
I was thrilled when a photoshoot focused on Atlas was scheduled, and even more excited to see how his owners had advanced his training, allowing us the freedom to have Atlas off leash nearly 100% of the session, including the locations along the bustling streets of Washington Ave!
We began our session along the fishing docks, a quieter location with room for Atlas to shake off the long car ride and the chance for me to get a feel for his personality, energy level, and training. He immediately posed in a stand stay, an unwavering focused on his owner, and I knew as I laid behind my camera on the ground, that this dog was going to allow me the freedom to create some wonderful images!
Atlas happily posed for portraits and displayed his great athleticism in action shots along the docks, downtown, and ending at the beach. But there were a few times where in his determination to please his owners, he would get visibly confused. His mouth would relax open, his lips pulling into an easy smile, and his eyebrows would peak upward toward his ears, almost asking, “Is this what you want?” His stoic and brave expressions, upon his owners words, would become similar to that of a lemur’s. We laughed every time the “lemur expression” would appear, releasing Atlas to play with his toy, patting him on the withers, and praising him for being such a good and silly dog.
Photographing dogs is always a balance of give and take, making sure that while we ask them to do something for a photo, we are rewarding them with an equally valued treats, toys, or freedom to explore and play. Not only do I strive to capture creative portraits and action shots, but also images that instill the dogs individual personality and heartwarming relationship they have with their owners.
Enjoy a handful of favorites from our urban and beach photoshoot with Atlas!
