Mutley's Snaps Pet Photography

13/12/2024

Claire's new chair arrives on Wednesday!

We are both excited for her to get it and for the improvement in quality of life it will give her.

We have an insane £10,052 in GoFundMe.

People have been so generous, we really thought that if we got to £2000 we'd be doing good. We really are blown away by everyone's kindness. It really makes it that bit less painful for us to buy.

In totally it comes to around £26.5K and another £500 on the cushion we bought a few months back. We also got a grant for £2.5k. We paid £12k and a bit for the deposit, the company received the grant money direct, which leaves us with £11k and a bit to pay this weekend.

I'll drop the link in the comments if anyone would still like to...

We will share some pictures and how Claire gets on with it.

Thank you all so much!

10/12/2024

Just because you can never have too many puppy pictures in your life.

08/12/2024

Some Woofventures Q&A:

🟢 Can I bring my partner?

Yes, you can bring your partner! Coming with your partner is the perfect excuse to extend your trip in Scotland and go exploring.

🟢 Will meals be provided and allergies catered for?

All meals are included, except for the Sunday night when you arrive but you can grab a meal in Aviemore before arriving at the house. Our chef was great last year making sure everyone's allergy and dietary needs were catered for, and the food was delicious.

🟢Do I need to be physically fit?

All our location shoots will be a short walk from the car, nothing strenuous but it's dog photography so there will be some behind over to get eye level. Just let us know on your application if you have any health issues and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

We will be offer a longer hike on our mid week rest day for those that want to stretch their legs a little more. However if you would rather spend the day relaxing at the house or head into town.

🟢 What experience do I need?

You should be confident in the use of your camera, we will be on hand to help you get better at things like focusing on running dogs but you should have the basics down.

You don't need any studio experience.

You should be happy and confident working with dogs, we will be helping to make you even more confident here.

We will be looking at the mixture of applications to make sure we have the right balance of students.

🟢 How do I get to the house?

The house is a short drive from Aviemore where you can catch a taxis. Aviemore is accessible by train from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness where the airports are. You can also hire a car if you prefer. It's easy! We have a guide explaining it all for our attendees.

During the retreat transport will be provided.

🟢 What is the room situation?

We have a mixture of private rooms and shared rooms. Each room has it's own private en-suite. Shared rooms are all twins and would be sharing with a person of the same s*x. Muckrach House is absolutely gorgeous, you will just love it!

🟢 How many shoots will there be?

There will be 4 locations - we haven't set the locations yet but there will be lochs, forests, castles... Last year we had paddle boarding dogs which everyone loved! During these shoots everyone will be split up into small groups to work with different dogs, rotating instructors each shoot.

There will also be the chance for some hands on studio shooting in the house with Ruckus.

🟢 Will there be dog models?

Absolutely, we will have a variety of dogs at each shoot. Big dogs, small dogs, families with multiple dogs. You will definitely get your dog fix!

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Any other questions feel free to ask.

07/12/2024

Ok lets try and do this without embarrassing myself or Elke, by fan girling too much!

Elke aka Wieselblitz is joining us as our very special guest instructor for Woofventures in May 2025.

(And as Kristen's replacement going forward 😉 If I push this joke much further I may find that Woofventures 2026 is in Germany and Kristen and Elke have failed to invite me 👀)

I really felt that when we met in Vegas that Elke was a kindred spirit with her dog first approach to photography. She wasn't about to make a dog unhappy for the sake of an photo. Dog photography 101... being able to make a dog relax is when you get their personality.

I'm really honoured that she jumped at the chance to be a part of her first retreat with us.

And of course Elke's main goal while teaching next year will be to help the students bring the personality of the dogs to the forefront of their images. After all that goes to the very heart of what she does.

You might not realise it, as Elke is most well know for her studio work, but she loves nothing better than photograph dogs on location, and she is so excited to spend a week in the Scottish Highlands photographing dogs.

Oh and her English is better than mines, will be slightly embarrassing when she is better understood than me. But hey... Scottish, it's endearing.

Yeah so... Woofventures 2025 - 4th to 11th May - Scottish Cairngorms National Park.

✅ 3 instructors - Me, Kristen Murray and Elke Vogelsang
✅ 1 teenage hormonal golden retriever named Ruckus
✅ The best dog models in the world, it's a fact Joan said so this year
✅ A luxury Scottish Country House with 7 nights accommodation
✅ A private chef to make sure we are all well fed
✅ Studio and location education - hands on with both
✅ 4 location shoots in the Scottish Cairngorms... lochs, castles, mountains and ancient forests
✅Hands on studio time at the house
✅A week of making friendships that will last a life time
✅And lots more...
✅Oh and our hairy neighbours Hamish and Dougal the highland coos

It's going to be special!

Hit me up with any questions.

06/12/2024

Ruckus is now 40 weeks!

He will be joining us at Woofventures next year(heaven help us all), along with our special guest instructor... can you guess who yet?

04/12/2024

We have some pretty big Woofventures news dropping this weekend! I think we are going to have to find us some rescue Spanish Galgo...

Fury was one of our models this year, we always have the best models!

(Image from a private shoot, not the retreat - there was no snow in May).

30/11/2024

Lets hope this also puts an end to us seeing dogs with cropped ears!

Bill aims to strengthen animal welfare by closing legal loopholes around imports of dogs, cats and ferrets

23/11/2024

Glencoe is definitely where the heart is ❤

22/11/2024

Queens.

09/11/2024

Woofventures 2025!!!

Applications are open.

4th May to 11th May 2025 - The Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.

We loved Muckrack House so much we are going back!

Myself and Kristen Murray are your hosts/instructors.

🟢 7 nights accommodation in the luxury Muckrach Country House
🟢 All meals included
🟢 Studio and Location education
🟢 We will have a studio set up in the house for you to learn and practice with
🟢 4 location shoots in the Cairngorms National Park - think ancient forests, lochs, mountains and castles!
🟢 I will also have my off camera flash gear for those that want to play around and learn more about that
🟢 We will do a bit of marketing education
🟢 We will be on hand throughout the week to chat business, photography and most importantly to chat s**t about Kristen
🟢 Hamish and Dougal the hairy coos will also be on hand down the bottom of the garden for your downtime
🟢 We will be having an easier day mid week where you can come adventuring with us in the Cairngorms, relax at home, go visit town for some shopping or even ride the mountain railway to the very top of the Cairngorm mountain!

One of the most valuable things with a retreat like this is the friends that you make! It's a chance to make new life long friends that share the same passions as you do.

Ruckus will be on hand all week as our studio model and house dog. Although he does expect to be handsomely rewarded in treats.

Details ⬇️⬇️⬇️

08/11/2024

Claire is finally set on the Balder chair.

She did look at another chair but she felt that the floor to seat height was going to be in issue, that also rules out every other chair on the market as they are the same height or taller.

The Balder is the lowest floor to seat height on the market. 35cm, all the other chairs with similar features are 45cm plus. While we can adapt the home to accommodate for the height(raise her desk, the sink etc.), we can't adapt the outside world. She often struggles to get under tables in her current chair which is 41cm when we go for coffee and meals. Claire has always had to compromise on things but she has decided this time there will be no compromising!

Only downside with the Balder is the cost, which will be around £26k.

But it offers the most flexibility for her starting at 35cm and raising up to 80cm.

It has multiple functions allowing her to change position and shift her weight during the day. Which should make life more comfortable.

These are custom made for each client in Norway, all the other brands are mass-produced. The company also have extensive experience of working with people with complex needs and can adapt them to a high level to suit the individual.

They will also fit the specialised control that Claire can control with just her finger tips. Which will make a world of difference for her, she is really struggling to control her current chair.

Paying th £12k deposit today. They usually take around 8 weeks but with Christmas and all that, probably be into the new year now.

Exciting!

Thank you again for everyone that has giving to the Go Fund Me. We didn't expect anything like what has been donated and we are incredibly grateful. If you would still like to I'll drop it in the comments.

Oh and obviously she is going for matt black as she is a goth.

03/11/2024

Ruckus has perfected his oh I'm so scared look when approaching people with a dog. He sits down looking rather sheepish... Then without fail the people with the other dog will go ahhhhh and speak to him. At which point he bounces up, mission complete, not in the slightest bit concerned about the other dog but got the attention he wanted.

Can't believe he is 8 months now.

03/11/2024

Ozzy

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween!

30/10/2024

Woofventures 2025 applications are now open!

Joining myself and Kristen Murray in the Scottish Highlands.

4th May to 11th May 2025​

7 nights accommodation in the luxury Muckrach Country House - we loved it so much we just had to go back!

All meals included, again we loved our chef Aggie and had to get her back for another year!

Hands on studio and location education.

We will have our studio set up in the house for you to practice with.

We will be out and about in the Cairngorms National Park to take advantage of the gorgeous scenery for location shoots - think ancient forests, lochs and mountains! Oh crap I almost forgot CASTLES!!! Double oh and our paddling boarding dogs were a big hit last year, you know we got to do that again!

We will have some marketing education as well.

Myself and Kristen will be on hand all week for you to chat with and offer advice away from the organised sessions.

This year Ruckus will be joining as our in house model and resident good boy! Surely it's worth coming just to hang with his gorgeous chops for a week!

It's going to be so much fun!

https://www.woofventuresretreats.com/

28/10/2024

Ruckus practicing his I'm the saddest dog in the world look please feed me... for his week at next years Woofventures Retreat!

Application and full details dropping tonight.

PS, he is not allowed to mooch or get people food, anyone found to be feeding him in the house will be quickly escorted from the building... Claire would murder me if I brought him back and he was begging for food 😅

27/10/2024

Simon ❤

I loved Simon, I think Ruckus would have liked him as a new wee brother, would it be unprofessional to steal him? 😅

I got so many kisses from Simon. Handsome happy cuddle monster.

26/10/2024

The Edit Palooza drops this Tuesday (29th Oct)!

I got to get in early and I've been binging on everyone else's videos! So much good stuff in here. I didn't know half of it!

40 plus top dog photographers sharing their editing secrets!

I show you all about my methods for editing seamless paper in the studio.

There is a mixture of studio editing and location editing in the Palooza! You also get access to everyone's RAW files so you can follow along.

If you would like to get all this goodness then the you know what is down below, you can also help get Claire her new wheelchair by using the you know what below...