Pet portraits

Not impressed!

A cat lying on their front over their paws.

Photographer

Jamie Smart

Category

Pet portraits – Winner 2024

Description

My cat’s quite elderly and is unimpressed by most things. So, getting him to lie still on a box in a studio set-up was quite difficult, to say the least. After much perseverance, I got an image of him looking straight at me. I’ve recently completed a Diploma in Photography and wanted to put my new knowledge of studio lighting to the test. But I think the trickiest part was the subject!

I love my job... I also love sleep

A young guide dog lying on the floor looking relaxed.

Photographer

Gemma Hollingworth

Category

Pet portraits – Runner-up 2024

Description

The photo shows a young guide dog, Victoria, who we fostered for Guide Dogs for the Blind while she was training. On holiday in Northumberland, we met up with her new owner. Victoria settled under the table in a coffee shop and watched me carefully as I took the picture. I love how relaxed she looks and how there’s just enough of the harness visible to know she’s a guide dog. I decided to make the background much darker in editing so her coat stood out more.

Curious cat

A grey cat looking up at the camera with their face and orange eyes.

Photographer

Phoebe Rathbone

Category

Pet portraits – Commended 2024

Description

This is my neighbour’s cat, Petal. She’s very confident and curious and loves posing for photographs, which I think shows in this photo. She always makes me smile and so when I saw her sitting nearby, I went over to say hi. She looked up at me and I couldn’t resist taking a picture. I hope it makes other people smile as well! The dark concrete makes her white whiskers stand out and all the grey in the photo accentuates her bright orange eyes!

Baby face

An 8 or 9 week old puppy with head down looking at the camera.

Photographer

Olivia Tordillo

Category

Pet portraits – Commended 2024

Description

This photo was taken in the comfort of my own home. Ottylie was around eight or nine weeks old at this point and had the cutest ears and most heart-melting eyes. This image of her in a ‘head down’ pose was a completely candid capture. She’d watched her uncle (our other dog, Huxley) do it beside me and decided to mimic the behaviour, resulting in her puppy forehead wrinkles on show and the softest expression.