Walking in Winchester with my camera, I saw a young lady coming towards me along the street by the market stalls with a puppy.
Then a father and his little daughter walking just in front of me stopped so that the daughter could make friends with the puppy. The little girl somehow became a bit shy and bashful and they soon moved off.
I must admit to being a bit pro-active, thinking that the puppy and owner would make a delightful portrait, and did not hesitate to speak and explain my strangers' project. I found this was Chantelle and her cavapoo puppy, Peanut.
Chantelle asked where to stand and the best place, given market stalls and many people on the pavement, seemed to be with her back to a stall. I took a few shots and confess that it has been difficult to select one: Chantelle and Peanut were absolute naturals but the background, even with a shallow dof, was a bit intrusive; I needed to include both of them in the shot but not to step back into passing pedestrians.
Peanut is 14 weeks old and sounds a model puppy. I was certainly captivated by him and Chantelle said it had taken her an hour to get down town because of people wanting to stop and make a fuss of him.
Chantelle explained that she is originally from Australia and that she and her husband have recently moved to Winchester. He is in the maritime industry and currently studying nautical science at Southampton University, which will qualify him to work on any vessel, anywhere in the world. He plans later to return to further study to attain the rank of captain.
Having accompanied her husband 'on boats' all around Europe, Chantelle hopes to find a job in the near future.
By this time, Peanut was becoming tired and cuddling up to Chantelle so I gave her a card in case she would like some photos and thanked her for the portrait and story.
This is an absolutely super shot. Full of life, full of colour and the background here isn't intrusive at all. What a lovely story of this young lady, so glad she stopped for you.
!!!