Dog Photography in Lancaster: Nobody Told Me About All the Hills (but it was worth every step!)

April also saw me visit the city of Lancaster, somewhere I had passed through many-a-time on the train but never stopped off at, at least since I was a child. You know the drill by now, I’m on my tour of 12 Northern English cities conducting 5 portrait sessions in each with the aim of making a 2026 calendar showcasing all the fantastic dogs of the North that put their best paw forward in front of my lens. Whew. The needle is also moving ever forward, with me so close to revealing the charity beneficiary of a portion of my calendar sales profits later in the year. In the meantime, please enjoy reading about the seven, yes seven, dogs I photographed in Lancaster. From a low-riding sausage to a bouncy dalmatian, Lancaster had it all. Combine that with a healthy dose of beautiful architecture then I was on to a sure fire winner here. 

Doing my usual Google Maps location scouting got me super excited to be let loose on the city streets with my camera in hand. There’s such a mixture of the old and new, with a lot of variation in the older architecture in Lancaster too, the perfect pairing for some dog portraits I thought. What Google Maps didn’t quite prepare me for (totally my fault) was just how hilly this place was! I was put through my paces trotting from one location to the next, especially up that seemingly never ending schlep up to the Ashton Memorial which I did not once, but twice, in one day. Was it worth it? Absolutely, yes. 

Lancaster on an Overcast Saturday and a Super Sunny Sunday

Lancaster marked a bit of a change in weather for me early on Saturday morning, as well as an overcast afternoon at the Ashton Memorial. Sunday was a return to super sunny form, but luckily my first session of the day was nice and early before the harsh rays. By the time I had walked to my second session the clouds came to save the day. 

I could not have asked for more from Lancaster in terms of variety of dogs. Over the weekend I photographed a dappled dachshund, a Dalmatian, a Ridgeback x Staffie, three Working Cocker Spaniels AND a Doberman. What more could a dog photographer want? 

Here are a few quick phone images of the locations I chose for my Lancaster sessions. There is such a rich history and variety of architecture in this often overlooked city, so I’m thrilled to be able to shine a light on Lancaster through the lens of dog photography. 

The Dogs of Lancaster and Their Portrait Locations

Saturday: Sunrise at the Priory and an Afternoon at the Ashton Memorial

Massive shout out to Moose and his human who went above and beyond to meet me before sunrise for the very first session of the weekend. We were able to capture some truly beautiful images in the pre-dawn blue hour, and once more light came out to play things warmed up a lot. Ending out session down at the Maritime Museum was definitely the right decision - I had originally considered starting at this spot, but after a walk around the night before I made the smarter decision to start our session at the top of the hill and let gravity do its work!

I couldn’t have planned Moose’s better any more perfectly to resonate with his human and the best part was that it was all a complete accident! In my Friday night walkabout prior to shooting early the following morning, I was following the pathways up toward the Castle from the Maritime Museum when I came across a beautiful row of cottages. The stone pathway and extensive greenery outside made it seem like the perfect location to capture some dog portraits. Fast-forward to our session, and when we approached this spot, Moose’s human pointed out the house that had been in her family for generations. I couldn’t believe it!

Little Moose in the spot which means so much to his family!

When I read the review left by his human, I was at a total loss for words as I learned a bit more above the history of his family:

”These two photos were taken on the cobbles in front of Vicarage Terrace - the house my Nanna and Great-Nanna were born and grew up in.
My Great-Great-Aunt Maggie eventually bought the house, and lived there until she passed. The two last photos show her as a young girl with my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather John, and later on with her dog, when she owned the house.
The house holds generations worth of memories for my family, right up to my mum, who spent weekends, christmases etc visiting my aunt until the 80s, making the photos all the more special to us.”

One of the reasons I love this project so much is that I get to learn more about the places I visit in a way that is deeply personal to the people who live there. It’s made an already edifying project all the more meaningful and is truly helping me connect back to my roots in the UK after so long overseas.

That afternoon, I made the long walk up the Ashton Memorial to meet with Ralphie the Dalmatian, still a pup at just over 6-months old, and Maggie the Rhodesian Ridgeback x Staffie, a beautiful looking dog with such a soulful face. Ralphie took to being photographed like a duck to water, responding with his puppyish curiosity to my repertoire of weird and wonderful noises. He looked right at home on the steps of the iconic memorial, and I decided to lean into his playful nature to capture some images full of movement. 

I very rarely shoot in the afternoons as I tend to avoid harsh light and lots of people, but luckily this afternoon was quite overcast and the location wasn’t particularly busy. This was incredibly lucky given that the Ashton Memorial is a very popular spot for weddings, so I imagine in the middle of the summer it is challenging to get spots on these steps to photograph well!

Sunday: The Castle, Cobbles and Town Hall Square

Never one to take the easy road in anything I do, Sunday morning started with photographing not 1, not 2 but 3 working cocker spaniels outside Lancaster Castle. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Frankie are you okay, hun? You’ve only got half an hour.” My answer? “No I’ve never been okay, that’s why it’s going to be fiiiine.” 

Narrator: It was more than fine. In fact, it was so much fun. Margot, Wilma and Walter totally nailed their 30 minutes in the spotlight and not a single tear was shed. 

Photographing these three wiggly bundles of joy genuinely was so much fun, I had such a laugh with their humans (for all the right reasons!) and the dogs just suited the colours of the surroundings so perfectly. I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve done so many mini sessions I’m quite surprised at how productive they can be, and - more importantly - still lots of fun for the people and dogs that come along. I never want any human or animal to feel rushed or stressed, and I feel these mini sessions strike the perfect balance for everybody. 

After my session with the three working cockers, it was time for my final session of the weekend. I walked through town from the Castle area to Lancaster Town Hall, a Grade II listed building standing strong in beautiful Dalton Square.

This is one of Lancaster’s most striking public spaces, a peaceful, open square surrounded by grand Victorian architecture. At its centre stands an impressive statue of Queen Victoria, surrounded by sculptural figures representing peace, education, industry, and agriculture.

The square has a calm elegance, and with the light filtering through the trees and the soft sandstone tones of the buildings, it’s a very majestic setting for dog portraits. Therefore, there was no setting more appropriate than this for a Doberman named King. 

What a lot of people don’t realise about Dobermans is just how playful and puppyish they can be. King was no exception. He pretty much bounded up to me, bursting with energy. Despite this, he took to the task at hand exceptionally well. Very treat motivated and super tuned in to his human, he was quick to learn and held stances that emphasised his distinctive physique. 

We used the steps of the Town Hall at the beginning of the session - such a huge building even made a Doberman look absolutely tiny. Beautiful portrait spots were in abundance in Dalton Square, so we were absolutely spoiled for choice. 

King rounded off a super successful weekend of dog photography in Lancaster, one which totally opened my eyes to the seemingly endless location options in this Northern English city. It’s somewhere I will absolutely have to go back, as during my weekend there my creative juices kept flowing.

Featuring Lancaster’s Dogs in the 2026 Photography by Frankie Calendar

All the dogs photographed in Durham will be featured in the 2026 Photography by Frankie charity calendar. The images their owners chose as a thank-you gift might not be the same ones that make it into the final calendar, but every dog will have a place in the month celebrating Lancaster’s Angels of the North, and I cannot wait to put together the pages for this city. 

All of the dogs photographed so far (please note this is NOT a calendar page mock-up). Could your dog fill space number 5 for Durham?

I’m so stoked to announce that final details are being put in place for my charity collaboration and benefactor for a portion of the 2026 calendar sales. More on this will be announced in the next few weeks, but for now I’m feeling a huge sense of both relief and excitement!

What’s Next for Angels of the North

My May sessions for Chester and Leeds have all been completed, and I’m in my final weekend of applications for Bradford and Preston sessions which will take place in June. I can’t believe that next month I will also start my final round of recruitment for the calendar sessions… just 2 destinations remain to find dogs for in the entire project! Can you guess where they are? To date I have photographed dogs in:

Carlisle / Newcastle / Liverpool / York / Durham / Lancaster / Chester / Leeds 

Still to photograph:

Bradford / Preston / ? / ?