Cat Race/Luca Gombos/The Kennel ClubCapturing your canine best friend in all their furry glory takes a rare and precious talent, not to mention a fair portion of your phone data.
And there are some gifted humans who use their camera skills to take dog photography to the next level, snapping pics many would pay good money to see in a gallery.
Dogs make for gorgeous subject matter for a photographer, with their delightfully expressive faces capable of showing wisdom, playfulness, and – of course – boundless devotion.
Angelika Elendt/The Kennel ClubAnd the winning entry of this year’s Dog Photographer of the Year contest proves age is no barrier to beauty.
The well-deserving overall winner was ‘Dreaming Merlin’, snapped by Denise Czichocki of Switzerland. This pic, which also claimed first-place winner within the ‘Oldies’ category, depicts 14-year-old Merlin, a stunning white Podenco who was rescued from a shelter two years ago.
Gifted photographer and dog lover Czichocki told The Kennel Club:
I was lucky to find this beautiful magnolia tree near my home in Switzerland. And still more lucky to get the chance to take photos of wonderful dogs in these magnolia.
Merlin was one of them. He is a 14-year-old Podenco rescued from a shelter who is happy to live his life since two years in a lovely home in Switzerland.
It wasn’t easy to take photos of him because of his absolutely deafness. So I couldn’t work with noises to get his attention… afterwards it wasn’t necessary.
He gave me so many beautiful moments as you can see in this picture. This is Merlin, beautiful, dreamy and kind of wise. A wonderful old dog with so much charisma.
Monica van der Maden/The Kennel ClubConducted each year by The Kennel Club, the Dog Photographer of the Year competition has various categories, from ‘Rescue Dogs and Dog Charities’ to ‘Dogs at Work’.
My personal favourite is the winner of the ‘Dogs at Play’ category, captured by Monica van der Maden from the Netherlands.
Perfectly entitled ‘Dirty Dog’, this hilarious pic shows Australian Shepherd Waylon having the time of his life while splashing about in the mud.
Speaking with The Kennel Club, van der Maden said:
This particular picture is one in my series [called] ‘Dirty Dogs.’ I wanted to make something different instead of beautiful and clean dog portraits,
I searched for a dog that loved to play in the mud. … I also wanted to make people smile when they see this picture.
Denise Czichocki/The Kennel ClubCould this be the most adorable photography competition on the planet?
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.