Hello all! One of the coolest dog’s in Vancouver is here to give us some tips and tricks about photography, Instagram and content creation! Enjoy!!
Who is the person behind the whiskey girl account?
Hi! My name is Adele and I take the photos and am the one planning most of our outings and adventures! I’m Whiskey’s caterer, driver, massage therapist, trust fund, and photographer.
Tell us about the whiskey girl
Whiskey is an almost 5-year-old Vizsla bred in Quebec. I had wanted a puppy for years, and because rentals are so restrictive I had to wait to purchase a condo before being able to have one. My boyfriend (now husband) and I researched lots of breeds and found a Vizsla would be the best dog. We wanted a medium-sized, short-haired, super cuddly and extremely energetic dog that stayed close to their person on trails and was not overly friendly to strangers. I love hiking and wanted a dog that was happy with long distances and so we did our research, met up with other Vizsla owners, asked all the questions and found a lovely breeder in Quebec. When we brought Whiskey home, she was smaller than my cat! She had such a confident nature about her, so happy, sweet, and very thoughtful (the last part isn’t typical of the breed). She’s changed our lives completely and is usually central to most things our little family does.

How did you grow the whiskey girl Instagram to a booming 100k followers?
I honestly don’t know. I started Instagram because all I was posting on Facebook was Whiskey photos, so I figured a platform where people had to “opt-in” would make me feel a bit less guilty for bombarding all my friends with puppy photos. The account was always for myself, and for the amazing and inspiring community that helped push my photography skills. It gave me another fun thing to do with Whiskey out on our solo hikes and in addition, photography is such a great training tool with dogs. Overtime Whiskey would understand how to pose, understand where I wanted her to go, and then would get jealous if I took photos of other dogs! Other than using hashtags and trying to respond to all the messages people send my way, I don’t really do much in terms of trying to grow the account. A lot of times I post photos I know won’t get many “likes”, but I don’ care because I just want to post what I love and is meaningful to me. I do it because I love it and because Whiskey loves it! There is such a social media obsession with the number of followers and becoming insta-famous but outside of being able to share my photos with others, I don’t really care much for it.
Has she got any brand deals?
Sometimes we work with brands for sponsored posts, but a lot of times we promote brands and products we like, unpaid. I try never to work with brands I wouldn’t use or don’t love. We are lucky enough that Whiskey doesn’t ever need to purchase another jacket, collar, or backpack ever again. But then at the same time, we are still using a tent that’s 8 years old and I’m never sure if my car can make it up a forest road. On the other side of things, because of this whole Instagram thing, we’ve discovered a lot of amazing brands that we wouldn’t have otherwise!
For how long have you been in photography?
Since High school. I started with the first Canon Rebel (digital) and had a film camera I would develop myself. I did my own enlargements (both colour and black and white) during University and then moved into working in television and film. I’ve been working in the film industry for most of my life and photography has always been something I love. Since I was a child I’ve always been drawing, painting, sewing, sculpting, so I just see photography as another way of expressing myself.

Do you have a specific preset that you use?
I make my own presets! I’m constantly adding and creating more. I use Adobe Lightroom and really enjoy the post-processing part of photography. It’s really rewarding to take a boring photo and create something magical.
What are your top 3 photography tips?
Love what you do, and work on what you love (don’t follow trends, stay true to yourself)
Take a ton of photos, edit those photos, and actively work to get better each time (just practice, volume counts)
Don’t worry about the “right” camera, or “best” lens, just work with what you’ve got (photography doesn’t depend on a fancy camera)
What are your top 3 tips for those Doggy mom’s who wants to promote their dog’s account on Instagram?
Take lots of photos with the intention
If your dog doesn’t feel like modelling one day, drop the camera and do it another day (listen to your dog!)
Treats with basic obedience can go really far, especially if you can be inventive. For instance, ask your dog to stay, throw a treat up in the air, asking them to “leave it” and you can direct your dog’s eye line.

What are your Instagram Goals?
Just to meet nice people! I never knew, wanted, or expected to grow so big. It’s a lot of work responding to so many people! But the best thing that’s come out of this all is the people I’ve met up with or chatted to online. Dog people are the best people!
What are your favourite Dog’s accounts to follow?
@freyaeverafter_ @harlowandsage @iggyjoey @graywoof @briannamadia @henrythecoloradodog I could go on for ages.
Hope you enjoy our Instagram Live! If not, you have 23 hours left to watch it!
XO,
Athenas, Adele and Whiskey
Photos by http://www.redbarkphotography.com