Getting the perfect Instagram shot can be a challenge at the best of times, but it’s even tougher when you have a moving target. That’s the reality for guidebook author Lottie Gross, who’s spent the last couple of years writing books on dog-friendly holidays – and photographing Arty, her energetic Manchester terrier, for the covers.
“If I’m trying to take a picture, the dog is going to be unpredictable and moving,” says Gross. So most of the time she’s having to wrangle the dog with one hand and take photos with the other, all while trying not to drop her phone. When she does finally manage to line up the shot, her usual phone is often too slow to capture a clear image. And as Arty has a black coat with tan markings, photographing him in low-light conditions adds an extra dimension to the challenge. “Often a phone camera can’t cope with my very dark-coloured dog in a very dark place,” Gross says. “In a cute, cosy, dark pub, I just can’t take any pictures because they’ll look rubbish.”
