I love my job. I’m pretty much head-over-heels in love with it – dog photography is fun, interesting, and I get to be creative & work with all sorts of lovable mutts! What else could be better?

I also love meeting all the different dogs & clients that I get to work with. Each dog is different, and I truly love getting to know their owners, too – I keep in touch with my past clients, and they’re really more friends than “clients”. I think that’s because it’s easy to get along when you love the same thing, and we’re all crazy about our dogs! At the risk of preaching to the choir, it’s safe to say that my clients & I truly consider our pets family. Not “animals”, not “property” – our pets are our children.

That being said, all of my clients are different in their own ways. Some are more – well – adventurous than others! And I recently shared a session with a dog whose mom was one of the bravest people I’ve ever worked with, because she didn’t flinch at any of the “no dogs” signs & warnings at the state park we visited for our session! She’s outdoorsy & active, and wanted hiking photos with her chihuahua/min pin mix Zoey – so that’s exactly what we got! Sure, we had to bend the rules a bit to get them – and we would have left the park immediately & politely had we actually been instructed to do so by a park ranger – but a dog photography session is a special occasion, and it’s thrilling to me when my clients are willing to take a chance to get photos that are not only memorable, but unique as well!

So I’m not going to share with you the name of the California State Park we visited – I don’t want the feds to come after us, haha! – but you might be able to recognize it from these photos. Take a look…

(Side note: how cute is Zoey’s collar?! Her mom went to local dog boutique Muttropolis before our session & picked it up, and I was oohing & aahing over it for our whole session! It was beautifully sparkly without being obnoxiously bling-y, and they make ’em big enough for Bailey, so she might just end up with one too! Here’s a link to the collar on Muttropolis’ website; check it out!)

Zoey had a blast during our session; she was constantly on the move, sniffing out the wildlife & scooting up & down the trail. This was a rare moment of simply taking in the view.

We finished up with a peaceful, beautiful moment underneath a gorgeously cloudy sky.

Zoey & Christina, thank you for the workout! Haha! I can’t wait to see you both again soon – until then, happy trails! :)

The most adorable dog graced my studio for a few studio photos this weekend! I’m very happy to introduce you to Tucker! 

He’s a “labrador mix”, or so his parents were told when they adopted him from a local lab rescue organization. But when this sweet boy walked into the studio, here’s what I decided actually happened: someone took a rottweiler, gave him much longer fur, let him keep his tail, and then shortened his legs. I know, it sounds crazy – but that’s what Tucker looks like! If you know me, you know I have a soft spot for rotties, so I just about squealed in excitement when I saw Tucker for the first time. And he was an absolute dream to work with – calm, obedient, and completely comfortable in the studio. When some dogs arrive for their studio photos, they sometimes don’t like the strobe lighting I have, or they don’t feel comfortable walking around on my backdrop. (Which is why I always have a few backup locations in mind, just in case!) But Tucker amiably wandered out onto the backdrop with a look on his face that seemed to say, “well, let’s get started!” Haha!

For our session, we mostly concentrated on studio photos of the whole family – Tucker with his mom & dad. But if it were me in front of the camera, I know I’d want to see my photos before they’re released on the internet for the world to see – so I haven’t posted any of mom & dad in this sneak peek! Haha, we’ll see if they give me the “okay” to share their photos in another blog post… for now, Tucker can take the spotlight!

We took photos for Christmas cards – yep, it’s that time! – but Tucker wore his blue & white scarf because he didn’t want to neglect Hanukkah, either. What an open-minded dog.

Gary & Adria, thank you so much for letting me meet your handsome boy. I can’t wait to show you the rest of his photos!

And for a change, I’ll let Tucker close out this post with a little signature move. That’s all, folks!

I had the pleasure of running around in the park (boy, did we run around!) with these two labradors the other day! Well, I say labradors, but really, only one of them is a true purebred. Roxy is a chocolate lab, and a lover – such a sweetie! DJ is a labrador mix; his mom thinks he might also have a bit of border collie in him, and even a bit of McNab! I’d never had the pleasure of meeting a McNab dog before, so I was especially thrilled to meet the handsome DJ and observe his temperament. These dogs are both absolutely beautiful, and super-easy to work with thanks to their past obedience training. Plus – the icing on the cake – their mom had a few stellar ideas for getting involved in the photos herself, too! We ended up with TONS of images of these pups, so without further ado, let me introduce you!

 This is DJ, the labrador/McNab mix (or so we think). Don’t you love his chest freckles?!

 Here’s Roxy (and DJ), making sure everything in the park is running smoothly…

 And then, the sun placed itself perfectly for this peaceful moment.  *love*

Thanks, Suzanne, for an absolutely wonderful session! I had a GREAT time with all of you, and can’t wait to show you the rest of the photos from our beautifully sunny afternoon! :)

I’m thrilled to introduce you to a little ball of endless energy named Blueberry! She’s a terrier mix puppy who was recently rescued – by the owner of Dexter’s Deli! So, yeah, as the new store mascot, I think it’s safe to say Blueberry just won the puppy lottery. If you’ve been to either of the Dexter’s shops in Del Mar or Carlsbad, you know about all their high-quality food, locally-made treats and huge selection of toys. In fact, Dexter’s specializes in providing fresh, raw food for cats & dogs, with the largest selection of raw food diets in the San Diego/Carlsbad area. Little Blueberry is not only going to be the healthiest dog on the block, but probably one of the happiest, too – did you know Dexter’s makes birthday cakes for dogs?? How fun is that?! (My Bailey knows from experience: it’s awesome, that’s what.)

For our session, we started in the studio – but this little girl (I think she’s part dog, part firework) wanted nothing to do with an indoor room that had nowhere to run! So we listened to our model, and headed over to nearby Presidio Park. And once we were there, she really let loose! It was so cute watching her sprint around the grass at top speed! Those terrier instincts kept her in constant motion… in fact, we joked that her favorite thing to do was wait until I got all the way from a standing position to laying down on my stomach (to get on her level), and right about to take a picture, when she’d hop up from her temporary perch and start running around again! So, believe me when I say, these photos capture truly the briefest of moments – just because Blueberry had no time to spare waiting around for me! Haha! Take a look at the photos…

I love her happy little face.

This is one of many action photos… she brought her turbo boosters, that’s for sure!

And just when we thought she’d never tire out… she allowed me to capture this moment of peace.

Blueberry, thanks for the workout! :)  And Tori, it was wonderful working with you & your girl… I can’t wait to show you the rest of your photos!