I can’t tell you what a special place I hold in my heart for repeat clients. To be trusted to photograph & document someone’s family is a huge responsibility, and for that same family to ask me to do it again when they’re at a different stage in their lives? It’s an honor, it really is! But this session was a little bittersweet, because although I loved reconnecting with this family, the dogs I photographed a few years ago (JD & Anna) aren’t here anymore today. They’ve passed on, unfortunately, and they are very sorely missed. So instead, I got to photograph two dogs of the exact same breeds – Jackson & Abby, puppies from the very same breeder – who have some very big shoes (paws?) to fill! :)

All joking aside, let’s be honest, no dog can ever fill the shoes of the dog(s) that came before them. And nor should they; they’re different animals with their own unique personalities. So while I was thrilled to meet Jackson & Abby purely because I had photographed their older siblings (predecessors, shall we say?), I was also excited to get to know them as new, fresh personalities. And they were so much fun to photograph! Don’t get me wrong, I often caught myself comparing them to their elder siblings: Abby, for instance, is a lovebug and just wanted to cuddle, whereas Anna (the elder Anatolian shepherd) was far more stoic and independent. But I’m happy to confirm that both Abby & Jackson are total sweethearts, and a joy to photograph!

After about 10 minutes of excited “getting to know you” time, both dogs settled right down and became the perfect models. We found the prettiest parts of their yard to pose in – spots where they don’t typically hang out as often, but they did a great job regardless. They also showed me their favorite hangout spots like a massive boulder that’s perfect for doggy sunbathing. Both are such good dogs, very loving, and absolutely crazy about their mom! It was adorable to see. Jackson and Abby are also incredibly independent pups; Rhodesian ridgebacks and Anatolian shepherds are strong-willed breeds that tend to do what they want even with all the training in the world. That little quirk was on display a few times during our session, haha – but thankfully they were willing to cooperate and do what we asked of them!

I love visiting their home, since they have a huge amount of property to explore. It provided some fresh perspectives and we were able to get a variety of family portraits as well as individual photos of the dogs. We even got to recreate some photos in the exact same place as we did back in 2018! I hope you enjoy seeing a few photos from our session, as I prep the rest of the images for their parents to see very soon.

This is Abby, the sweet girl I would have loved to take home with me. Look at that face!

And this is Jackson, the handsome boy who simply can’t take a bad picture. He’s a happy, adventurous boy!

And while we have plenty of beautiful photos of both dogs together, with and without their parents, I couldn’t resist sharing this outtake! They loooooved the treats their mom had prepped for them, haha!

Julie & Curt, thank you so much for inviting me to your home a second time! I’m excited to share the rest of our portraits with you very soon!

Tags: anatolian shepherd, backyard, dogs, escondido, escondido dog photographer, escondido pet photography, home, rhodesian ridgeback, san diego dog, San Diego dog photography, San Diego pet photography