A photographer from Kimpton is taking on the challenge of snapping a picture of 1,000 different dogs before the end of the year to raise money for charity.
Simon Wallace is hoping his One Thousand Hounds project will raise £1,000 for animal charity Blue Cross.
Having he originally set himself a target of 100 pictures, he quickly realised he could do more, and has currently captured more than 400 photographs.
The first picture of Simon's One Thousand Hounds project. (Image: Simon Wallace)
"Rather than setting myself a New Year’s resolution, I set myself something bonkers to do, so I decided to photograph 1,000 dogs this year," he told this newspaper.
"It was originally 100, but a few days in I thought I could get it done quite quickly, so I decided to up it.
"Someone then suggested that I should start selling the pictures, which I wasn’t keen on doing, so I decided to set up a JustGiving page to allow people to donate, and money will go to the Blue Cross at the end of the year.
Simon has snapped plenty of smiling dogs. (Image: Simon Wallace)
"It’s pretty much me taking my camera with me every time I take my dog for a walk, and I just stop and ask other dog walkers if I can take a picture of their dog."
Simon has some favourite breeds he likes to photograph too, continuing: "I have a border collie, so whenever I see a collie I will try and get a picture, but that’s my personal preference.
"I like taking pictures of the rescue dogs. I’ve taken a few pictures of dogs that have come from Romania or Turkey, and they’ve got bags of character.
Some dogs didn't look too happy about being photographed. (Image: Simon Wallace)
"The working dogs are great too. It’s hard to pick a particular favourite, but I took one of a corgi that I really love."
The Blue Cross has been helping sick, injured and homeless pets since 1897, and is a cause close to Simon's heart, with a site located in his home village of Kimpton.
"We’ve got a Blue Cross site just down the road from us, so they are very local to us and it’s such a good cause," he said.
"They do such good work with dogs and with all animals that are in need. I really hope we can raise £1,000."
To donate to Simon and the Blue Cross, visit www.justgiving.com/page/onethousandhounds.
Simon has currently snapped more than 400 dogs. (Image: Simon Wallace)
Plenty of action shots have been taken. (Image: Simon Wallace)
You can donate to Simon's Just Giving page. (Image: Simon Wallace)
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