November 2024........International awards again!!
OMG!!!! Another very proud moment in the life of Sharron Alexandra Photography. I don't like to blow my own trumpet but I have a whole brass band going right now!!! The 2024 international Pet Photographer of the year has now finalised and with 5 entries put forward this year from myself..........blown away for the second year....Massive thank you to all my fabulous furries, Diva, Jetty, Maya & Bandit.....5 bronze awards to add to last year's bronze. Next year I am aiming for silver............Let the planning begin!!
February 2024........I kid you not!!
I kid you not, unicorns are real!!!! For all you doubters out there....sorry, not sorry.
This photoshoot has always been something I have wanted to do and after months of planning and weeks of preparation my dreams really did come true..... Evan & Fern really did have the surprise of their lives to find a real unicorn hidden in the wonderful woodland walk at Russell's Garden Centre in Baginton, Coventry.
Lady the beautiful unicorn was as expected, a very gentle soul and amazing with the children. She was covered in glitter, flowers in her main and tail and a real horn.....also sparkling!!! Moving forward we will be meeting again and hopefully many children will get to experience the magic and whimsical world of the unicorn.....
January 2024........Privileged is an understatement!!
There are many times I am privileged to do a shoot and this is way up on the list. I ran a model call for anything unusual and one of the responses I got was for a stunningly grey grindle saluki. This is Mouse. His mum has given me permission to share his back story to highlight how amazing a rescue dog can be. She has also sent me his rescue images which I have added to this blog and do apologise if this upsets anyone........
Mouse was found on a rubbish tip at 5 weeks old with two of his sisters!! He was rescued and had to endure medical treatment and surgery to remove plastic from his stomach!! He was in such poor condition, appointments were made and he sat at the doorway to rainbow bridge 3 times!!! Each time those beautiful eyes saved him and the his fight continued, sadly his sisters never made it. Mouse was eventually strong enough and was adopted by the most wonderful lady and four years later I got to meet them both. I am sure you will agree what a stunningly beautiful boy he has become. He is still very nervous and insecure so it did take him a while to settle in the studio but given time he got his bearings (and many sweeties!) and his shoot took flight. I also have to add.......oh boy can he sing so beautifully, he likes singing when the right music is on!!
Thank you Tracey for bringing him to me for these memories but more so for allowing me to share his story.
September 2023 - Beyond exciting......
Well, for once I decided to have a little dabble with the "International Pet Photographer of the Year" competition. In all honesty I never really expected anything from it and from entering way back in June it seems so long ago. The finalists were announced followed by the scores and feedback. This morning I woke to an email that I had achieved a Bronze Award out of 2800 entries!!!!
Beyond exciting is an understatement. This is the most prestigious pet photography competition in the world!!!
Thank you to my little supermodel 'Hector'. He really does know how to pose in front of a camera and he made this shoot a dream to do. Now his results have paid off in such a massive way for me......I think a big box of bonio's is on its way........
March 2023 - Puppies, puppies everywhere......
Well, what can I say!! The good old saying "Never work with animals or children". I recently had the pleasure of trying to photograph 9 cockapoo puppies in the studio for their breeder.
"Easy" I said, "not a problem" I said. How wrong was I?
Colour coded collars was a big help, in fact that was the easy bit. The breeder wanted an individual picture of each puppy and a group picture. In advance I did gain the help of a very good friend.
Stage one: A nice secure chair, a fluffy throw, all set up and ready to go. In our attempt to photograph the first we discovered these nine week old bundles of fluff can fly!!!!! They will not sit on a chair, they wriggle, they bite, everything is a game and they have jolly good fun in the chase (them after you, or you after them!!!!They are not fussy)
Stage two: Put very good friend in the chair, cover her with a blanket and she can hold the little flying balls of fluff.......winner, this method works!!
Stage three: once puppy is photographed, pop it onto the floor to investigate the surroundings, move on to the next one. This however, wasn't that simple!! After a few puppies had been done I am then trying to photograph the remainder with the first lot using me as a human climbing frame, hanging off my sleeves, climbing up my back, trying to eat my camera strap.....you name it, they wanted it....(as seen above)
Now with the back story, i can honestly say that was the most fraught, hard work and sweatiest shoot I have ever done. I loved every second of every minute and will do it again tomorrow and the next day......there is nothing like a litter of puppies to make you feel that all is well with the world.
May 2023 - Golden Oldies............
I would like to introduce you to Toddy. Toddy's mum was one of the many dog owners to contact me for the Golden Oldies Model Call.
I take great pleasure in photographing older dogs, they may not be as nimble and as spritely as they once were but they can still shine as brightly. Whenever I have had to say that final goodbye to any of my animals I always look back and wish I had more pictures (even though I have a lot!!!) Something that in years will make me smile and remember them so clearly.
When Toddy's mum contacted me she highlighted that Toddy had been given a terminal diagnosis from the vet and his prognosis was not good. With a little urgency and within 4 days, Toddy came in for his shoot.
Since his diagnosis in March his mum has worked on Toddy's Bucket List. He has been on holiday, played on the beach, had a BBQ with toasted marshmallows and his photoshoot to name a few things.
You could clearly see how much this boy is loved. He posed his heart out at his shoot, had endless sweeties and kisses and willingly gave me many kisses in return. He was an absolute treasure and I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet him and his wonderful family.
Sadly two days after his shoot Toddy headed over rainbow bridge with a spring in his step and a wag of his tail. My heart goes out to his family who gave him the world when he needed it.
I would like to thank his family from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be a tiny little part of his life.
"Sleep easy Toddy, you are only a whisper away"