A Furzedown photographer has swapped Justin Timberlake and The Script for Labradors and terriers after lockdown made it more practical to shoot local pets than live music.

Photographer to the stars Peter Neill's clients included Justin Timberlake, The Script, U2 and Rick Astley until lockdown put a stop to live gigs and he was forced to branch out.

"During the crisis I needed to find work that was local and coronavirus practical" Neill explained.

Born and raised in Ireland, Neill grew up with Labradors and has always had a soft spot for dogs.

"I live near Tooting common and there are so many people nearby with dogs. I didn't want to do family portraits, so I thought why not photograph pets?"

The project has been successful so far. Since launching 'Shoot the Hound' at the end of September, Neill has secured twelve canine clients. There's also a celebrity pet shoot on the horizon – Neill confided 'I'm lining up some musician clients with dogs, though I can't say who they are yet!"

No stranger to career changes, Neill turned from IT to photography during the 2009 financial crash.

Since then he has photographed artists from Will.I.Am to Elbow and featured on the cover of Billboard magazine. He was touring with The Script when lockdown began and live gigs – Neill's main source of income – were shut down.

"I took part in the self-employed assistance scheme" he explained, "but living in London with two kids means I'm needing to adapt, like so many people, to survive."

Known as 'Shoot the Sound' in the music industry, Neill realised "I only had to change one letter to become 'Shoot the Hound.'" He has found that dogs aren't so different to rockstars, saying "there are more similarities than you'd realise! With music you have to spot a moment and anticipate something that is going to happen, and that applies to dogs too."

While he still counts himself as a music photographer, Neill looks forwards to working with mans best friend until live gigs resume.

For examples of Neill's work, or to get in touch, head to Shoot The Hound or Shoot The Sound.