Why I Photograph Dogs the Way I Do
Le Poidevin Lensworks didn’t start as a business idea, it started with my own dogs. Just messing about with a camera, trying to capture something of them — not perfect photos, just moments I don’t want to lose.
The way they look at you. The way they settle. The small, everyday things that somehow end up meaning the most, that’s still the reason I do this, because the time we get with them is limited and when you look at photographs, you don’t want to see just “a dog” — you want to see your dog. Their character, their presence, the things that make them who they are.
Dogs give us something very simple, no agendas, no complications. Just love, loyalty, and companionship. In a world that can feel quite divided at times, they have a way of bringing people together.
I saw that again recently at a local dog show, so many of the dogs there were rescues, and it was genuinely good to see them getting a second chance — settled, loved, and part of someone’s life. It says a lot about people, and a lot about dogs, and I think that deserves to be seen and remembered properly.
Over time, what starts as something personal becomes something more structured. A business, yes — but built around the same idea.
There are a lot of different approaches to dog photography, some are more posed, more directed, more focused on getting a specific shot. That isn’t how I work, the way I photograph dogs comes from wanting those same kinds of moments — the ones that feel real, not staged.
That means giving things time, letting dogs move, settle, and be themselves and being patient enough to notice when something honest happens.Those moments can’t be forced. They have to be allowed, that’s why my sessions are quiet and unhurried.
More like a walk than a photoshoot, it gives dogs the space to relax, and it gives me the space to see them as they are — and hopefully that translates into you seeing your dog in the photographs too. That’s where the photographs come from, not from controlling the scene, but from being present within it.
When it comes to editing, I keep things light.The aim isn’t to change how a dog looks, but to stay true to the moment and to them. Small adjustments to bring the image to life, without losing what made it real in the first place.
It won’t suit everyone, and that’s okay. But for the people who want something honest, calm, and true to their dog — it tends to fit.
That’s what I’m building here. Dog photography, done quietly.