Where it all began - our very first dog photoshoot in Nottinghamshire…
Willow’s first photoshoot amongst the bluebells
So let me take you back to where Woods & Willow all began. Meet Willow, our lovable 7 year old sable and white Rough Collie and also the name behind our brand - we couldn’t not name the business after her, she was our muse after all!
It was springtime and the bluebells were in bloom in our Sherwood Forest woodland, so we really wanted some images of Willow amongst them that we could frame and display in our home.
As a professional photographer and designer, I thought I could take some quick shots, edit the images and have them printed. I’d never taken professional shots of dogs before, but I was ready for the challenge - they don’t tend to stay where you put them like the food and products I usually shoot, but I thought hey, why not give it a go and see what happens.
What we didn’t realise was how much we would get out of the experience - all three of us - myself, Willow and my husband Tim (who was at the very important lead end with a pocket full of treats), had a wonderful couple of hours out in the woods. Finding the perfect spots to shoot, Tim training Willow to stay in place for the shots and me lying on the floor in my waterproofs, with heaven only knows what crawling around with me.
Willow is clever but not the most patient dog and she can definitely be sidetracked by a birds, pesky squirrels and basically anything that rustles in the bushes, however she was quick to learn that waiting for a few seconds for me to click the shutter, meant a treat was on its way, and she had a great few hours, wagging her tail the whole time and loving all the attention being on her!
We got back to my studio and, after a few more good-girl-treats, Willow slept happily for the rest of the day, knowing she’d absolutely nailed her part! We downloaded the images and were stunned to see how beautifully Willow stood out in the natural woodland setting, almost like a little nymph captured in the wild, and found it hard to pick our favourite images.
Once picked the images were edited and finalised. We then had our heart set on museum quality fine-art giclée prints - something that would sit proudly on our walls and would stand the test of time. We wanted a little more than just a framed print sitting behind glass, so we went to the very best craftsmen in their field, and were amazed at the range of beautiful print styles and frames they had to offer.
The printed frames arrived and were breathtakingly beautiful - in fact I’ll admit it, I cried when I saw the large panoramic image we ordered - I couldn’t believe this was an image of OUR dog, in OUR woods! We couldn’t wait to hang the frames and show all our friends and family.
What we didn’t realise is that everyone else would love our framed prints too, almost as much as we did. So much so that we started to get dog photography requests from every dog parent that saw them - even a few of our friends in The United States! They were so eager to have the something similar for themselves of their beloved pup.
It didn’t take long to decide to turn our new-found passion into a business. There was clearly a need for it within our own circle of dog-loving friends, family and neighbours, and it was something we found deeply rewarding at the same time. What’s more personal and unique than a beautiful piece of art of your dog that will last a lifetime in your home and heart? Their little lives are not nearly as long as we would like, so to create something physical you can cherish of them forever, for us almost felt like a calling and something we couldn’t ignore.
And so, Woods & Willow was born!