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Archive: ‘pet photography’



Sophie & Luke, Golden Retrievers from Carlsbad

Tuesday, August 14th, 2018

When I got a call from Sophie & Luke’s dad, one of the first things he told me was that they’ve been meaning to book a photo session with their golden retrievers for a long time. And that’s the case for a lot of my clients – they’ve been looking forward to their photo session for years and years! But life tends to escape us, things get busy, and the important things get pushed to the back burner because they aren’t urgent. Photo sessions are almost never truly “urgent”, but they are incredibly important (I know, I’m biased) – so I was thrilled to hear about Sophie & Luke and start planning our long-awaited photo session together! I knew we had to plan something truly special, since these pups have been patiently waiting for their close-up for so long… :)

These adorable golden retrievers are 10 & 12 years old. Sophie is the senior girl with a delicate personality, a gorgeous white face and and wispy fur… trust me when I say she’s absolutely precious. She reserves her energy these days, and sometimes needs help getting around, but somehow her calm spirit has a regal quality to it. Unimpressed by balls and toys, the way to Sophie’s heart is through treats – whereas Luke is in love with his tennis ball and will happily run around all day chasing it! He may be 10 but he’s still a puppy at heart, that’s for sure. His thick red fur made me want to give him alllllll the snuggles! He’s a total sweetheart and was beyond fun to work with.

Our session started at the park, and finished at the beach… but an unexpected high tide quickly pushed us back up on the dry sand, instead of allowing us to play in the surf as we anticipated. So I was super proud of Luke & Sophie for enduring a few big waves before we threw in the towel – although I think overall they may have preferred the park, haha! I’m loving our images and can’t wait to share more in the future, but for now, this “sneak peek” will have to suffice!

 

This is Luke, and if you don’t immediately fall in love upon meeting him I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

golden retriever at park

 

This gorgeous girl is Sophie, basking in the sun’s glow. There’s something truly magical about the last couple hours of the day, and I think Sophie’s relaxed nature helped me capture that ephemeral mood perfectly.

golden retriever in sun

 

Could they be more gorgeous?! I just love these happy siblings.

golden retrievers

 

Remember how I said the high tide changed our plans? I’m actually glad it did – because we were able to create images like this!

silhouette of golden retrievers

 

Joe & Paul, thank you so much for introducing me to your beautiful dogs. I can’t wait to show you the rest of our photos soon! :)

 

Baxter the Goldendoodle! (Photos in San Diego, CA)

Monday, July 30th, 2018

I’m pretty sure Baxter the goldendoodle and his mom deserve an award or two… because although our session was a lot of fun, we had to jump through so many hoops (literal and figurative jumping!) to make it happen! So let’s walk through their awards (actual trophies forthcoming)…

First and foremost, they deserve a Really Fun to Work With award – because Erin and Baxter are a blast! We had a great time laughing and talking, mostly at Baxter’s antics, and I feel like I gained 2 new friends… although Baxter has rarely met a dog or person that he doesn’t get along with, so I’m probably just the newest person in a long line of his friends!

Let’s see – they also deserve the Most Patient Clients award, since the weather prevented the second half of our session from happening 2 3 I don’t know how many times! But trust me, it got to the point of truly absurd. I think Mother Nature was holding a grudge against us for some mysterious reason, because last I checked “June gloom” was supposed to end in June, not continue through July/early August! And yet here we are. Part of me can hardly believe we actually, finally finished our session – thank goodness Bax has a flexible schedule. ;)

They also earned the American Ninja Warrior Clients award – because our beach location was a little extreme! We jumped from a rock down to a hidden cove – and it was all very exciting until Baxter vetoed the big jump. Apparently that was a hallmark of his younger days (he’s 10 now, after all) but he didn’t want to try it this time. So eventually we headed to Ocean Beach for some safe, flat fun. And now I think I may add a clause in my agreement requiring future clients to disclose whether the locations they have in mind require rock climbing expertise… because that’s something I definitely don’t have, haha!!

Haha – this session was memorable in a bunch of very good ways. And I’m loving our photos! So enough talk – here’s Baxter!

 

I can’t resist his happy goldendoodle face! What a sweetheart!

studio goldendoodle photo

 

One of his favorite hobbies is stealing his mom’s shoes, so we recreated his antics in the studio! (He was more than happy to oblige.)

goldendoodle studio picture

 

After long last, we found ourselves at the beach. And Baxter wasted no time getting soaking wet!

goldendoodle water photo

 

A quick pause to make sure mom’s coming before he walks back to the car – because although Baxter is a social butterfly, he truly only has eyes for his mom.

goldendoodle at beach trail

 

 

Erin, thank you for your unending patience with Mother Nature. I’m looking forward to getting together again soon! :)

 

Photos of Gus, the La Jolla Rescue Dog

Wednesday, July 18th, 2018

Rescue dogs don’t usually have many advantages in life (besides being cute, obviously). They often come to shelters and their adoptive parents with issues ranging everywhere from nutrition to socialization to internal health… and it’s up to the rescue organization and the dog’s future family to overcome those issues and eventually help that dog lead a healthy, happy life. That’s a tall order – it was definitely a challenge for Gus, whose previous caretakers tried to crop his ears in such a shoddy way that they botched it and caused nerve damage. I mean… if I were Gus, I’m not sure if I’d ever trust humans again – but Gus is a truly remarkable dog. He not only learned to trust again, he learned to love – and now he’s an incredibly sweet part of the family, living in La Jolla along with his parents! Now he serves as a vigilant guard dog, a constant companion, and he even moonlights as a cuddle buddy for his 3-year-old niece. I absolutely love his story, because many dogs aren’t as lucky as Gus – but his parents/rescuers helped him overcome his past and start enjoying the fabulous life of a La Jolla rescue dog. (Which, let’s be honest, is not a phrase you hear every day! “La Jolla rescue dog”? Well I think it’s a great title to bestow on any pup, and Gus can be the new ambassador – he already keeps a close eye on his neighborhood from his upstairs porch, haha!)

 

This is Gus! Such a good boy! (I took this photo during a brief moment in which there were no other dogs walking by… otherwise he certainly wouldn’t be looking at the camera, haha!)

la jolla dog picture

 

Gus at home. Don’t let those big eyes fool you; he takes his role as guard dog quite seriously. If you visit, you WILL be barked at!

la jolla dog at home

 

He loooooves his parents. And they love him.

la jolla mutt with parents

 

Ashley & Tom, thank you for a lovely afternoon! I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon! :)

 

Aspen and April on the Beach (Photos in Del Mar, CA)

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

Working with repeat clients is one of my greatest joys… so I was thrilled to reconnect with Aspen and his family, for a beach photo session to celebrate April’s high school graduation!

Yes, you read that right – I took Aspen’s photos as well as senior portraits for April’s graduation. Since I’m not a “people” photographer, it’s safe to say I wouldn’t do that for just anyone! But April & Aspen & I go way back, so I was honored to help her celebrate this exciting time in her life. (Plus, did you know? My camera works on people too! I think it’s so funny when people ask “can I be in the photos with my dog?” because the answer is a wholehearted YES! I loooove creating portraits that feature the connection my clients and their pets have. It’s priceless!)

So we visited the beach in Del Mar (after having to reschedule at the last minute, thanks a lot “June gloom”) and the blue skies were definitely worth the wait! Plus, we got to update the portraits from our session over 2 years ago, and focus on the truly special connection between April & Aspen.

 

I don’t know about you, but I find everything in this photo absolutely gorgeous.

girl and dog on the beach

 

Aspen is such a happy boy! Although I think his ideal trip to the beach would have involved a bit more off-leash time to play with all the other dogs…

fun beach pet photo

 

I can’t wait to see the places these two will go.

beach photo of a girl and dog

 

April, Shelli & Tim, it was SO great to see you again! I hope you’re having a great time in San Francisco (maybe even visiting Alcatraz?) and I’m looking forward to getting together again once you’re back in town! :)

 

In-Home and Balboa Park Photo Session with Ben & Ranger

Friday, July 6th, 2018

When I first met these dogs, they were their parents’ only children… okay, besides their feline sister Dottie. But by the time our session rolled around, they had adapted quickly to their new role as big brothers – to their new human siblings, baby boys! And since I got to meet the adorable little twins during our photo session, which took place at their home and Balboa Park, I’ve been thinking about all the ways Ben & Ranger are similar as brothers… but also incredibly different!

 

This is Ranger, a lab mix with one of the most joyful, irresistible smiles I’ve ever seen! His ears seem to prop themselves up on stilts whenever he’s paying attention to you, and he’s a playful, curious boy. Not to mention I adored photographing him – he’s so much fun to work with!

home photo session example

 

And this handsome, pensive face belongs to Ben (short for “Big Ben”), a retired racing greyhound from Mexico. He’s a gorgeous, lithe, graceful dog – but all that went out the window about 2 minutes into our session, when he skittered around on the hardwood floor at home in feverish excitement to jump up on the couch and pose for a few treats! Haha! If Ranger didn’t already have me laughing, Ben made sure to fill in the gaps, so there wasn’t a dull moment during our session. (Plus, I loved the challenge of making weird-enough sounds to ensure those greyhound ears are on full display!)

home pet photo session

 

Like I mentioned, we split our photo session between the dogs’ home and Balboa Park, so before long we were off to the visit the flowers, architecture and splendor of San Diego’s most famous park. Both dogs did surprisingly well amongst the crowds, and of course we took time to stop and smell the flowers. :)

balboa park dog photography

 

“Ranger” and “thoughtful” are two words that don’t usually go together, haha… but doesn’t he look like he’s pondering the mysteries of the universe? (Or maybe just how he’ll get his next treat?) Despite the soft, peaceful feel of this photo, knowing Ranger’s personality, it makes me smile. :)

balboa park photo example

 

Jeff & Meaghan, you two are total champions for joining me on a photo session with two dogs and two new babies! But no one could have handled it better, and I’m absolutely honored to know your beautiful family. Looking forward to seeing you both again soon! :)

 

 

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