Their fur flying and their paws stretching out behind them, these clever photos appear to show pet dogs posing in mid-air.

German photographer Julia Christe captured the mid-leap snaps, which include a range of breeds, among them huskies and Chinese Crested Dogs.

To create the shots, the dogs were dropped onto a mattress by their off-camera owners from a low height, with extra drama created via the use of a wind machine.

A puli flies through the air, captured by photographer Julia Christe, 41, of Tettnang, Germany

An adorable husky shows off its best side (l) and a Spitz dog flies through the air (r)

The project came around after Ms Christe, from Tettnang in Germany, decided she wanted to portray her favourite animal from an new perspective.

Although she never planned to become a pet photographer - despite owning two Spanish water dogs herself - Ms Christe found herself working on commercial animal shoots and so her passion for pet portraits began.

Her latest project, which saw more than 100 canines visit her Berlin studio, is called Freestyle and includes photos of Boxers, Griffon Nivernais, Bearded Collies and Australian Shepherds among many others.

'The dogs were dropped by their owners onto a mattress from as low a height as possible, and the impression of flight was enlarged by wind machines,' explained the 41-year-old.

An Afghan hound pulls its best mid-air pose for the cameras

An adorable bearded collie (l) and a Dachshund flying through the air (r)

Photographer Julia Christe, 41, of Tettnang, Germany with one of her beloved dogs

'Not every dog is born to fly, but some had great talent and became proper shooting stars.Some breeds like greyhounds didn't like it as they were afraid of being lifted, but other dogs such as the spaniel had a lot of fun.

'Some of the dogs had so much fun, we were even able to repeat the jumps. The expression on their faces mostly reflects the surprise of the first flight, and in most cases the first jump provided the best pictures.'

Not everyone likes her work however, with Ms Christe revealing that she has been contacted by animal rights organisations, voicing their fears about the dogs' welfare.

'I have various reactions to my pictures, from fascination and astonishment to fears from animal rights activists,' she added.

Behind the scenes at the photoshoot, this bearded collie prepares to fly

Photographer Julia wanted to capture her favourite animal from an unlikely perspective

This huge Newfoundland dog flies through the air, showing off silky windswept black fur

This tiny Chinese crested dog kicks a leg up for the camera

'But I really love animals, and so everything was safe, I would never take a chance on them getting hurt.

'A great deal of technical effort went into creating the photographs, such as getting the light exactly right and being able to capture the rapid movement of the dogs' coats.

'I feel the photographs show off both the grace and elegance of the dogs, which makes them appear in a slightly different way than usual.'

A beagle strikes its best pose (l) and a Griffon Nivernais (r) looking bemused

An adorable English setter looks rather bored as it flied through the air

This springer spaniel (l) and mixed breed dog don't quite know what's going on (r)