Top 2 Questions I get Asked?

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What types of animals have you photographed and which animal is the hardest to photograph?

I get these two questions on a weekly basis so I thought it was time to write a little blog on it! :)

Let’s start with the two most common animals that I photograph on a daily basis:

1. Dogs are my most common animal I photograph. What’s my favourite type of dog to work with? The answer is all types but I LOVE working with newborns!

Newborn sessions take a long time because I have to move slowly and be extra careful, but they are so worth it.😍

a picture of a white puppy wearing a grey hoodie sleeping while listening to music on his bleu earbuds

2. Cats are my second most common animal I photograph. “Are cats hard to work with?” - is usually the next question I get asked.

Cats are not “hard” to work with, they just need more time to settle in and be comfortable in new spaces. You just can’t compare them to working with a dog or any other animal for that matter, as they are completely different.

Like other types of animals, you just have to work with them and use their inherent behaviours in your favour to be able to achieve the images you want.

Proud cat mom moment, this adorable product model is my Milo 😻. Milo Loves me but hates being in the studio. This image took all day to achieve.😅

a picture of an orange and white cat wearing a knitted sweater sitting looking at the camera covered in pieces of yarn

Moving onto the Not So Common in the studio but Common as Household Pets:

We have our Hamsters,

a picture of a brown hamster with big black eyes looking at the camera

Guinea Pigs,

adorable picture of a long haired orange guinea pig wearing a black bowtie

Rabbits,

a picture of a grey brown rabbit sitting and looking at the camera

and Rats.

a picture of a brown rat cleaning himself by rubbing his hands over his head

The LARGEST In the studio and Out of the studio:

Pigs

a picture of a black and white pig

and Horses

a picture of two horses side by side both looking the opposite way. One horse is white and the other horse is brown

For the most Exotic pets it has to be Bowzer and Zazu….

Bowzer is an Argentine Giant Tegu. This gentle giant was THE biggest lizard I had ever held in my arms coming in at 3 feet long, he was a heavy guy.😱

beth alexander holding an argentine giant tegu
a picture of a black and white argentine giant tegu

Zazu is a Von Der Decken Hornbill, and is actually the same type of bird depicted in the movie, The Lion King. These unique birds are known for their distinctive beaks which have a “horn” shape, and they enjoy chilling on human heads!! LOL 🤣 That’s my head by the way, never a dull moment when you’re a animal photographer!

a picture of Zazu a Von Der Decken Hornbill bird

In our Cold blooded Reptiles Category we have:

Geckos

a picture of a gecko sticking his tongue out

Iguanas

a picture of two iguanas, one sitting on top of the other posing facing the camera

Snakes

a picture of a ball python snake coming out of a porcelain bleu and white noodle bowl with brown chopsticks sticking out on the top side of the bowl

Tortoise

brown and yellow tortoise

and Bearded Dragons

picture of a yellow bearded dragon looking sideways

In the Bird Category we have….

Chickens

picture of a black chicken looking down

Cockatoos

picture of a salmon cockatoo

Geese

picture of geese making the shape of a heart

and Macaws.

picture of a red macaw bird

In the smallest category we have Philodendron, AKA Phil the American Green Tree Frog

picture of an american green tree frog

In the, “It took me a while to be brave enough to touch it” category, 😆 we have the Tarantula.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not afraid of spiders. I love watching my little ninja 🥷🏻 crab spiders camouflage themselves in my flower garden, but it took me a couple minutes to get comfy with a furry spider the size of my hand that’s all!!!😅

Emilia The Tarantula was a gem to work with and her orange ombre hair colour was fabulous!

a picture of an orange and black tarantula

In the Coolest 😎 Category we have the New Caledonian Giant Gecko.

At 36 cm long from snout to tail, the New Caledonian Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) is the largest species of gecko on Earth, and it does all of that with an almost comical stubby tail. 

Did you know that New Caledonian Giant Geckos contain pigment-containing cells called chromatophores in their skin, which can change colour depending on the amount of sunlight they’re exposed to.🤯

I just can’t get enough of that big smiley face and those big clown feet!!!🥰

New Caledonian giant gecko sitting on a hand

And last but not least the HARDEST to Photograph….🥁 has to be the Hedgehog!

Hedgehogs like Lilly here are fast moving balls of quills, that can be hard to handle at times, Ouch! With any animal, with lots of patience and a few tricks up my sleeve, we can make magic happen. 😍

a picture of a hedgehog sitting in a white bowl with a white lily flower

Do I have a Wish List?

That’s a hard question to answer, I want to say ALL the different types of Pets!

I mean what we consider a popular Pet in America is different in other parts of the world. From the fish in France to the beetles in Japan. My wish list is limitless, I want to photograph all the different types of pets.

Do you have a pet that is NOT on my list? We need to chat, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear all about your pet.