Top dog: York's Andrea Denniss wins first prize in national pet photography competition

THERE'S something movingly poignant in Andrea Denniss's black and white photo of Monty.

His shaggy coat and dark eyes suggest a dog long past its flourish of youth.

In fact, when this photo was taken, Monty was nearing the end of his life because of a serious illness.

His owners had booked Andrea to do a photoshoot with him before it was too late. "We went to his favourite location and took him on a walk," says Andrea. "I wanted to capture him enjoying himself and full of life. This image hangs on his owners wall now and is a wonderful reminder of him."

The image is especially dear to Andrea too. It earned her the title Pet Photographer Of The Year in the prestigious Master Photographers Association (MPA) Awards.

Andrea, who runs Pink Lily Photography in New Earswick, takes all kinds of commissions, including weddings and family portraits, as well as pet shoots. One of her specialisms is "boudoir" photography, where she captures women in tasteful underwear poses.

She particularly loves working with animals.

"Pet photography is one of the many arms of my business. A few years ago, somebody asked me to do a shoot and I decided to have a go. I have two dogs and was a horsey girl, so it seemed a natural progression.

"Also, pets are part of the family, certainly dogs. When I do a family shoot people don't know whether to bring their dog, but I always say to bring them along, we will have a great time."

Andrea particularly likes to capture the special relationship between an owner and their pet. Often, she will encourage the owner to dress up, which makes the photograph even more memorable.

"I took a photograph of a girl and her horse at Beningbrough hall, she had just had her prom, so was wearing her dress. It looks so special," says Andrea.

That photo is one of several shown here from her "pet portfolio".

PET PHOTO GALLERY

Here are some of Andrea's favourite pictures of pets that she has taken over the years, with an explanation of how she created the photographic magic.

The winning image of Monty came from a shoot that his family booked to capture him just before his illness caught up with him. We went to his favourite location and took him on a walk. I wanted to capture him enjoying himself and full of life. This image hangs on his owners wall now and is a wonderful reminder of him.

I spotted this phone box on my way to a shoot and knew I had to include it in a shot. Having been a pony-mad young girl I loved the idea of a young girl leaving home taking her suitcase and her pony.

I love capturing dogs doing what we see them doing everyday when we take them for a walk. The "flying" dog is a must on all my shoots. Cleo was just wonderful for this being so full of beans.

There is something very special about owner dog or horse relationships and I love to create images that show this bond. This was shot on a wonderfully snowy day. Including more of the location tells a story of where we were.

This was one of my favourite shoots taken very early in the morning which created the most amazing shadows due to the incredible light. I love to get my clients to dress up when having their shoots as it creates something extra special.

This little man didn't stop running from the moment we let him on to the beach. We had chosen the beach as it was somewhere he and his family loved to be.

I had always wanted to photograph Huskies and if it snowed it would be perfect. I was so excited when the snow fell and I could create a perfect image for her owners.

Prices for a shoot start at £125, but are on offer at £95 until Christmas. Find out more at pinklilyphotography.co.uk