It's all about the animals
Inspired by a love and life of working with animals, growing up watching All creatures great and small by James Herriot and the fantastically funny books of Henry Brewis, every Kitchy & Co image tells a story which will hopefully oneday inspire the next generation.
The making of a Kitchy & Co image.
It usually starts with an image I see in my head, maybe something funny one of our animals has done, a conversation with friend or even a complete stranger.
Sometimes the cutest pictures just happen by happy accident. The right place at the right time.
When you work with animals everyday, they never cease to amaze you what they get up to in their own little lives.
Always curious and often willing to do anything for a tasty treat or the chance to just spend time exploring new things.
Sometimes it can be as easy as setting up some props and just letting them do what they want.
Always entertaining we've had some great fun taking our pictures over the years.
Other times I need the help of friends to hide behind doors and walls, wave treats around or even hatch baby ducklings especially for a photoshoot.
Sometimes they have even gone to great lengths to training their animals beforehand.
Like getting a pig to stand with a chicken on his back or teaching a dog to hold a sheepdog whistle in her mouth.
What a great bunch they are x
And then there are the images that need a lot more creativeness.
When the animals and locations are not in the same place, or all the Sheep won't stand and look in the the right direction at the same time.
That's when a camera remote control or a little Photoshop magic comes in handy.
It's like an artists licence with photography. It would be so much easier if I could draw or paint ( but I can't )
So I have to rely on skills that I have learnt over many years, photography may just be part of it, the natural ability to work with the animals another, but having an eye for a picture to create something that little bit different that captures the imagination is the real key to a Kitchy & Co image.
At the end of the day it's always ' All about the animals '
and I hope they make Ewe Smile.