Oldies 1st Place Winner, Kevin Smith, UK

Title of image: 'Fireside Lizzie'

Dog: Lizzie, Cross Breed

"The portrait of 12 year old Lizzie was commissioned by her owners.
Lizzie is a rescue dog; she is devoted to her owners and has a loving and gentle character. To help portray this I posed her on a chair in front of the cosy fireplace. I used flash lighting which I balanced with the ambient light in the owner's living room in order create a warm homely atmosphere. Dogs are very expressive, it’s all about the eyes and I coaxed her trusting gaze into the camera lens with a few quiet, reassuring words.”

Website / http://www.dogphotog.co.uk

Technical specification
Nikon D3 Aperture: 5.6 ISO Speed: 200 Focal length: 70mm Exposure program: Manual Exposure time:1/30 S Flash: studio flash

2015cameracategory winnerDog photographerDog photographer of the yearDog photographyDogsfirst placeOldiesphotographywinner1st Placecross breedLizzieportraitfireplacefiresideNikon

Oldies 2nd Place Winner, Adriana Bernal, Colombia

Title of image: Maldy

Dog: Maldy, Irish Setter

“I have always loved animals, especially dogs, cats and horses. Animals became my muse when I was looking for a new start in life and as an artist. A real passion for photographing animals soon took hold of me and I decided to take my skills to a more professional level by studying a pet photography course. The best piece of advice my teacher gave me was to visit animal shelters to practice and improve my photographic and animal management techniques on a multitude of animals with a huge range of temperaments. It was of course to help amazing dogs and cats find a home by publishing my photographs social media. After a year of hard work, I felt I was ready to offer my pet photography services professionally. I have finally found my vocation and now I’m trying to make it into my business.”

Website / http://www.fotopets.co
Instagram / adrianabernal

Technical specification
Nikon D610, Aperture: 4, 5ISO Speed: 1600 Focal length: 50 m Exposure program: Manual Exposure time: 1/125 Flash: No

20152nd Placecameracategory winnerchairDog photographerDog photographer of the yearDog photographyDogsgundogOldiesphotographywinnerIrish SetterportraitColombiaNikon

Oldies 3rd Place Winner, Jonathan Yearsley, UK

Title of image: “The Elderly Statesmen”

Dogs: Dylan & Murphy, Labrador Retrievers

“This image is of 11 year old Chocolate Labrador brothers - Dylan and Murphy. Taken as part of a studio and outdoor portrait session with their one year old Labrador pack brother, Henry, we just had to take advantage of the fabulous colours and textures of the heathers available to me out in the Welsh countryside. I selected this image as it seemed so statesmen like and just seemed to reflect their more mature spirit and the perfect 'Oldies entry'. Taken using location lighting equipment, the flash technique enabled me to really show the heather and the moody August sky we had that afternoon, whilst still retaining the features of their dark coats.”

Website / http://www.jonathanyearsley.co.uk
Instagram / jyearsley

Technical specification
Nikon D800 Lens: Nikon 24-70 @ 70mm Aperture: F14 ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/250 Exposure Programme: Manual Flash: Elinchrom Quadra shot through a 19" beauty dish

2015cameracategory winnerchocolateDog photographerDog photographer of the yearDog photographyDogslabradorsoldiesphotographytwo dogswinnerLabrador Retrieversolder dogselderly statesmenWelsh countrysideheathersWalesUK3rd PlaceNikon