Leading Lines: Rhea Nellen – Dog Photography Awards Portrait Category Winner
Rhea Nellen recently captured the Portrait category win in the 2024 Dog Photography Awards with her striking image, « Ready to Take Off! » This captivating piece stood out to judges for its elegant use of leading lines and a refreshingly original composition, drawing viewers directly into the dog’s poised and powerful stance. Through her lens, Nellen creates a moment of anticipation and energy, perfectly embodying the spirit and personality of her subject.
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HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY?
Telling a story with a picture and capturing emotions and feelings in an image was always fascinating for me. As a kid I had an analog camera and I remember taking (very blurry) pictures of my hamster with it. Soon we had our first digital camera with a floppy disk and me and my brothers took so many pictures with it on our holidays. Photography was always a part of my life and to a big part because of my mum who loved photography as well.
I started taking photography seriously when I was 21. It started out as TFP Shootings with friends and family but became more professional. 2011 my miniature Australian shepherd Kya came into my life and so I started taking pictures of her. Animals became my most frequent clients and so I decided in 2021 to combine my love for animals and photography and focus only on pet photography. I love to make lasting memories for the pet mums and dads and having pictures to cherish our loved fur friends is invaluable to me.
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YOUR WORK « Ready for take off! » EARNED YOU THE TITLE OF DOG PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. CAN YOU SHARE THE STORY BEHIND CREATING THIS IMAGE?
I discovered last year that I loved the concept of taking pictures of dogs in cities. Because I do a lot of photo-hikes with dogs it was clear to me, that I wanted to do photo-walks in cities. I saw this location on google maps and I loved the golden wall and had so many ideas for it. But I needed to see the location first before I decided to include it in my photo walk. Because my dog is rather anxious in cities, I asked the owner of Kooki if they wanted to come. We tried different poses in front of the wall, but Kooki wanted to play. So, his owner threw his frisbee into the air and Kooki caught it every time. In a way it was Kooki’s idea to do this pose and he was so right!
The editing process was a rather fast one. The gold of the wall was a bit faded because of the weather so I enhanced this a bit. After removing the frisbee, adding “dodge and burn” and the usual little enhancement with the fur and eyes, the picture was finished.
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THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, WHAT POSED THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU?
I didn’t have any real challenges for this picture. It just all fell into place. The location, the model, the pose and the editing came together almost effortlessly. But of course, this isn’t always the case. I usually build an idea in my head and transferring it into reality isn’t always that easy. I learned that sometimes letting go and letting the animals do their own thing during photoshoots leads to the most genuine and touching pictures.
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WHAT DOES WINNING THE AWARD MEAN TO YOU?
It is such an honor to receive this award. Being recognized for my work and my passion means the world to me. I tend to be very self-critical which in a way pushes me, but it can also be very tiring and very hard on my self-confidence. The recognition of my hard work that comes with this award, validates my constant improvement of my technique, editing skills and my self-esteem.
I am very grateful, so thank you so much!
I am very grateful, so thank you so much!
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LASTLY, CAN YOU GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
I do want to do more photo-hikes in the beautiful Swiss mountains and I’m also planning on doing a 3-day photo adventure in South Tyrol.
I am also increasing my studio photography offers in my photo studio in the animal physiotherapy practice which I am running with a friend of mine. That is something I want to do more as well.
I would also love to do photo walks in other European cities. So maybe that will be another project for the future.
More about Rhea Nellen: https://rhea-nellen-photography.ch/
