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Clover, the Charming & Cheeky Dachshund

June 1st, 2023

Meet Clover, a 100% pure dachshund! (It’s true, even if the pictures might lead you to think otherwise – the DNA results are in!) This session was special to me because it was the last of Clover’s “Puppy Plan” sessions (what’s a Puppy Plan? click here), and I had the honor of capturing Clover as she enters that beautiful transition between being a puppy and becoming a fully-grown dog. She’s a year old now, and I’m so glad that her mom wanted to document Clover’s life in such a sweet, personal way. :)

     

Working with Clover was fun because she is such a character. She’s very vocal and makes everyone aware of her presence with different sounds and tones (she might have been a singer in her previous life?). Photographing her is a joy, especially because she lets her personality shine. She’s silly, down-to-earth, and definitely outspoken (she’ll bark at everything — consistency is key, haha!). She’s also a sweet compliment to her sister, Daisy, who just recently finished her Puppy Plan with me as well. Both girls are similar but also different in many ways, and it’s heartwarming that their mom will be able to look back on each little milestone for her pups.

     


We ended up in San Dieguito Park for this session, and it was the perfect backdrop for Clover. Even though we had already done one of Daisy’s photo sessions in the same location, Clover’s session was completely different! Clover gave us completely unique poses and moments compared to her sister. It was wonderful seeing how each dog is different, even when they’re playing in the exact same location. Aren’t all dogs the most wonderful, independent souls? That’s definitely why I love working with dogs, even if I go to the same locations more than once – I get to navigate so many personalities and fall in love with each dog’s unique quirks. :)

     

So today I’d love to share a few photos from Clover’s most recent photo session – and maybe an extra puppy photo or two if you keep scrolling…

     
dachshund dog
     
puppy running
     
dachshund puppy
     

And just for fun… I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since we created these photos!

     
cute dachshund puppy
     
dachshund puppy photo
     
dog licking owner
     

Rose, I can’t wait to share the rest of our images with you! I’ll see you soon!

Photos with Swayze, the Mixed-Breed Senior Dog

May 15th, 2023
     

True to her namesake (yes, she is a girl), Swayze is a bundle of sweet, spunky energy! All that personality fits in a petite little package, and if it weren’t for the white fur on her face, you’d never guess that she’s a senior pup. Her mom, Nicky, asked me to photograph Swayze after having spent the last year or so in & out of veterinarians’ offices, battling various medical issues including cancer. So it was a bit bittersweet, but this session was also thoroughly FUN thanks to Swayze’s unstoppable spirit!

     


Nicky and I go way back: she’s one of the amazing people who run Shelter to Soldier, a wonderful nonprofit that rescues shelter dogs and pairs them with prior-military personnel who need service dogs. The trainers at Shelter to Solider need to be firm with their dogs in training, and their dogs turn out to be model service dogs, ridiculously good at their jobs. Since I’ve worked with StS for several projects, I wasn’t sure if I should expect the same kind of focused, intense energy I’ve seen with most service dogs in Swayze too – she’s not a service dog, but given who her mom is, I was curious what I’d find.

Well…Swayze was focused (on playing) and was intense (in her attitude). But that’s where the similarities end!

     


Not only is Swayze completely different than a service dog (even her service dog siblings!), I couldn’t help but laugh at her playfulness and attitude. She has clear opinions on when her toy should be thrown for her to fetch (NOW, and as often as possible.) Nothing about her personality reflects the fact that she’s of advanced age and has had far too many medical issues. Swayze literally bounced as she ran along the beach in her happiness, and we all loved watching her play. What a fun photo session! (Plus, it was a nice change of pace to be working with Nicky while at the same time photographing a non-service dog for once!) The truth is, it doesn’t matter whether dogs are extremely well-behaved or independently-minded in a photo session. The trick is to let dogs just be their happy, wonderful selves, and the rest is magic.

     

We were able to visit the military side of Coronado Dog Beach, which is more private and less crowded than the main beach. It was perfect for Swayze to just be… Swayze. :)

     
senior dog on beach
     
senior dog
     
silhouette dog on beach
     

Nicky, I’ll see you soon – I can’t wait to share the rest of our images with you!

Lurch, the confident black rescue cat

June 21st, 2022

I don’t get to photograph cats every day, so Lurch’s photo session was a real treat! He’s the sweetest little rescue cat (kitten, really – he’s less than a year old!) who lives with his mom and dad in Carmel Valley, San Diego. Lurch’s dad actually reached out to me back in February to gift his girlfriend with a classic photo session for Valentine’s Day (way to go, dad!) and we had a wonderful time photographing Lurch at his house and the studio. I think it’s great when my cat clients can maximize the value of the Classic Photo Session since it offers the ability to visit up to two different locations. We were able to create a great variety of images!

We began at his house, where I got to see all of his favorite spots, which was very cute. He hung out on the couch a little bit, and was more than happy to show me his toys and his cat condo! His parents had actually installed some fun hanging shelves for him to lounge on… you can tell he’s a very well-taken-care-of cat, and spoiled justtt a bit in the best possible way. :) He has plenty to do and is loving life so far! When I arrived at his home there was no doubt that Lurch is a curious cat. He clearly wanted to know who I was and why I was there, and eventually – somehow – I earned his approval (more or less, ha!). It’s always fun to work with a cat who is confident and outgoing versus one that’s always trying to hide under the bed!

We then headed over to my studio in Rancho Bernardo, where he did an amazing job! Admittedly, he was nervous at first. The studio is a brand new place and that can be intimidating for any animal, but especially for cats who like to take it slow and explore. So that’s exactly what we did. We gave him time & space to explore and get comfortable, since I knew that would give us the best portraits possible. He made his way over to the backdrop and we played with some props that I think made for some truly unique images. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter cat to work with than Lurch. :)

     
     

Those vibrant yellow eyes, with that shiny black fur? Lurch, just wait until you learn about Halloween.

     

As you can see, he shone in the studio. I’m so glad we visited both locations!

     

Stacy & Jack, I’m excited to finally share our images with you very soon! Thank you for introducing me to your sweet boy!

     

Elvis, Henrietta, and Oats – a lovely pet photography session in Del Mar, CA

May 6th, 2022

I always enjoy doing photo sessions with multiple pets, but something special happens when I get to work with multiple species of pets at one session! (It keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure!) From a photographer’s perspective, it’s fun to go back and forth between a cat’s mentality and a dog’s mentality. They are very different from each other, but I like a challenge! :) Elvis, Henrietta, and Oats were simply lovely to work with at our recent photo session in Del Mar.

We started out by photographing the cats at home. Their mom informed me ahead of time that Henrietta is a total ham for the camera, and I enjoyed seeing that side of her personality – but like all cats, she made me “work for it” a bit too! She is 3 years old and certainly has a mind of her own: there were times during our session when she was willing to be photographed, and times when she declined. She was a great reminder that sometimes it’s necessary to take it slow and go with the flow… and all my cat parents can understand that. ;)

Her brother, Oats, was somewhat of a literal “scaredy cat” – and I was warned about that too! At the beginning of our session he was nowhere to be found. I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to photograph him at all – but after working with Henrietta for about 20 minutes he cautiously decided to join us. To my delight, he actually picked a very photogenic location to sit and pose for the camera for about 3 minutes… and then he was gone again. Ha! I would have loved to spend more time with Oats because he’s gorgeous, but he was not in the mood (nor is he ever really in the mood) to have his photo taken or be near strangers. And that’s okay – it certainly didn’t make sense to force it or stress him out to ask for anything more.

After photographing the cats I finally got to work with Elvis! He is the dog of the family, a handsome shepherd-boxer mutt adopted from Helen Woodward Animal Center. And while he’s a little slow to warm up to new people, he is absolutely crazy about his parents! He’s his mother’s bodyguard (especially from scary intruders like the hot tub maintenance man) and simply adores her. And it was clear to see that Elvis really respects his dad, who has done a great job training him. I loved seeing how they’ve bonded through training – and I was impressed at how his dad even takes him to fun locations (like the dog beach) to train, so he can get accustomed to overcoming distractions while listening to commands. That’s SUCH a great way to train a dog! Kudos to his dad! (And Elvis knows that whenever he needs some snuggles he can come right back to his mom!)

After photographing Elvis at his house for a bit, we headed about 5 minutes away to San Dieguito Park. It’s one of my favorite parks in town, and the light couldn’t have been any more perfect, filtering through the trees that afternoon. Elvis had plenty of room to run for action photos, and of course we mixed in some family portraits as well. It was a lot of fun to watch Elvis simply be happy, hanging out with his two favorite people in the world! So… how about a “sneak peek” of our images?

     

Henrietta has a few favorite places to relax in her house, and she gave me a tour of most of them. (I hear the best ones are by the window, to watch for birds.)

cat in del mar ca
     

Oats, I only wish we could have spent more time together. What a handsome boy!

fluffy cat from del mar
     

Elvis enjoyed playing fetch with his dad during our session – and he can really move!

del mar dog action photo
     

A happy dog in a beautiful park, in perfect light… these are the photo sessions I LOVE!

happy dog in del mar, ca
     

Rebecca & Tom, thank you so much for introducing me to your sweet animals! I can’t wait to share the rest of our images with you soon. (And thank you for introducing us, Kathy!)

     

Farley the Bernese Mountain Dog

March 8th, 2022

Farley is the tale of the photo session that almost never was. We were actually scheduled to meet a year ago, but just about any issue under the sun that could possibly postpone a photo session (medical issues, scheduling conflicts, inclement weather) happened. So with a saga like that leading up to the day of our photo session, I was practically pinching myself that I finally got to photograph this handsome boy! (He actually visited my studio a year ago to say “hello”, and although I remembered him I’m not sure he remembered me at the photo session… but that’s okay because we were quickly able to get acquainted again!)

Farley is the sweetest 4-year-old Bernese mountain dog. Strangers stop him & his family on the street to take his picture, so I consider myself a very lucky photographer to have him all to myself for an hour and a half straight, haha! He did a phenomenal job and I couldn’t get over his handsome smile. His obedience is wonderful, and I found it very sweet how attentive he was to his parents. At one point his dad went back over to their car to get something, and all Farley wanted to do was watch him as he walked away. He even went to stand right by his mom (as if to not lose her too?!) while waiting for dad to return from that veryyyy long, 15-second walk to the car and back. :) It was so cute the way he kept such rapt focus on his parents. They even told me that once they are in a new place for a while, he eventually decides that that spot is his new home… and then he will bark at other people for entering into his family’s new territory! It was easy to see how much he’s dedicated to his mom and dad, and vice versa. It made capturing their connection as a family practically effortless!

We started our photo session at San Dieguito County Park, and it was beautiful as always. One of the many reasons why it’s a favorite location of mine is because this park was relatively crowded that day – and yet we were able to find a huge area all to ourselves. Even if it’s “packed” we can make it work! Farley was able to have some space to run around and have fun. He also found lots to eat, including grass, dirt, snacks from other people’s picnics, more grass, and treats that we brought. I would say that he enjoyed himself…!

After our time at the park, we headed to the beach. Farley is not used to beaches with waves, since he usually goes to Fiesta Island, which is a beach inside of a bay. So he would get a little nervous and then a little brave and then a little nervous again as the waves came. But he got comfortable eventually – which I know for a fact since he almost laid down in the waves at one point! He’s definitely a water dog, so I think it’s safe to say that we had a successful photo session – and a ton of fun!

     

What a handsome smile. Farley is basically a supermodel.

bernese mountain dog
     

Action photos? Say no more, Farley is always ready to run.

bernese mountain dog running
     

We lucked out with gorgeous, soft colors in the sky at the beach. It was simply a beautiful day!

bernese mountain dog sitting at the beach
     

Stefan & Leanne, thank you so much for introducing me to Farley – and letting me photograph him a year later! 😉 I’m excited to share the rest of our images with you very soon!

     
 

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