Alongside my client work, I also create photography projects to explore my personal interests & passions

I upload the images I make to my social media platforms (click on the links below to follow these and keep updated with what I’m working on!) but here I will explain in more detail what the projects are about and why I decided to create them

Crufts 2020

Between the 5th-8th March 2020, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Crufts for the first time as an accredited press photographer representing my university. It was an experience I will never forget and I am sure I will now go back as a visitor to the best dog show in the world for years to come.

Highlights for me included seeing the Cavaliers in the Breed Rings on the Toy & Utility day and the incredible display of talent in the heelwork to music competitions (which was full of Disney-inspired routines so naturally I loved every second!).

I was also fascinated by the West Midlands Police Dogs displaying their work, which was already fantastic but at the end of their show, they brought out social media star LadBaby to be set upon by the dogs which was very unexpected!

The images I created whilst at Crufts will go towards one of my Masters degree assessments in May 2020 and allow me to develop other elements of my professional practice as a photographer.

The Southern Golden Retriever Display Team in one of the smaller activity rings

*Britain’s Got Talent* stars Lucy Heath and Trip Hazard performing a *Beauty and the Beast* inspired heelwork to music routine

More fantastic heelwork to music routines

The West Midlands Police Dogs showing off their skills

My 2020 Pet Photography Calendar

This project is incredibly special to me as it is effectively what led me to create Hayley J Pawtraits. I made this series as part of my final submission for my undergraduate degree so I had the opportunity to exhibit the images in a gallery which was an invaluable experience that really cemented my decision to pursue a career in photography.

In this project, there are 13 images altogether – 12 for each month in the calendar and 1 for the front cover. I did a limited print run of these calendars in the latter half of 2019 as another element of my submission and sold them on my Etsy shop. The success of this and the fun I had creating it means I’m seriously considering making another calendar in the future!

My inspiration behind the design of my images came from a research paper I wrote on how we anthropomorphise (attribute human characteristics or behaviour to) our pets. I wanted to really exaggerate this concept for a comedic effect, so I put a selection of pets into contexts depicting what we celebrate or acknowledge during each month of a typical year in the UK. The brightly-coloured backdrops were complimentary to the set designs wherever possible, and this is where my passion for using them in pet photography began.

Images

1. Louis the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel models for the front cover in a New Year’s Eve party theme, complete with 2020 foil balloons, a sparkly party hat and his best bandana

2. Tyra the Labrador is hitting the gym in a January diet themed shoot, ready for her workout in her neon sweatbands!

3. Bleu the French Bulldog and Elvis the French Bulldog x Pug are the emodiment of puppy love in a Valentine’s Day shoot

4. As we leap forward to spring, here is the beautiful Springer Spaniel herself, Tilly, in a floral shoot for March

5. For April, we have the real Easter Bunny – Timmy the Miniature Lop!

6. Arguably the most adventurous shoot in this calendar, marking Star Wars Day in May are the canine equivalent of Han Solo and Chewbacca, otherwise known as Eddy and Oscar the Beagles

7. Sunshine and the Summer Solstice in June is modelled by the gloriously golden Cocker Spaniel, Kira

8. Graduation season is upon is when it comes to July, so the wise little Tortilla the Horsfield Tortoise models this month

9. What better than a desert reptile to model August, a month of barbecues and picnics in the summer sun, so here Bubbles the Bearded Dragon models with her choice of snack – mealworms!

10. September is the month when students all over the country head back to school for another academic year, as modelled by Louis the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

11. Bobby the Cockapoo has dressed up as a bat for trick or treating in this Halloween themed shoot for October

12. Bonfire Night on the 5th November is full of glittering fireworks, sparklers, cosy fires and warm knitwear, a time of year modelled by Sparky the Miniature Schnauzer

13. Finally, an adorable kitty Christmas present in the form of Courtney the Maine Coon x Domestic Longhair