Gone to the dogs

Top dog photographer Elke Vogelsang talks tips, tricks and techniques. 

- Geoff Harris

What makes a keen amateur take the plunge and turn professional? Each person has their own story, but it’s often a major life event that provides the impetus and the ‘it’s now or never’ spur. For German dog photographer Elke Vogelsang, the decision came after her husband became ill.

‘My dog photography began with a 365 project on 1 January 2010,’ Elke explains. ‘I began it as a diary for my husband, who was suffering from a brain haemorrhage. When he collapsed unconscious in the shower that Christmas, it was the dogs that raised the alarm, so we were able to find him in time. He spent two weeks in a coma and three months with no short-term memory. The project was also a way for me to try to keep up a bit of normality. Fortunately, my husband recovered fully after a few months, but the project lasted much longer.’

Through the project, Elke put her favourite images online. ‘This improved my photography and eye for detail enormously,’ she says. ‘My dogs were my favourite subjects. Until then, I had worked as a freelance translator. But more and more people asked me if I could photograph their dog, too. Stressful times make you think about what you want in life, and that’s when I decided to register a business as a photographer and try to spend more time doing what I love.’

Nosing around

While it was a big move, in this case fortune favoured the brave. ‘Since 2014, I’ve been able to live solely on my photography work,’ says Elke. ‘Frankly, I put much more time into my photography business than I ever put in my translation career, but it’s also much more fun.’