Just before the big holiday weekend, I headed north to meet Lucy & her family for our Escondido pet photography session! I love working in Escondido, to be honest; the landscape can go from lush greenery to desert-like & dusty within just a few feet, which makes for plenty of interesting backdrops that we don’t have to travel very far to find. And then add in the beautiful houses, cute neighborhoods & dog-friendly culture, and the town is pretty much a pet photographer’s dream! I’ve been going to Escondido quite a bit lately, and I’m definitely enjoying it up there!

(And this Escondido pet photography session was especially unique for me, too, because the very last session I had photographed before this was with an apricot-colored standard poodle – and THIS session ALSO featured an apricot-colored standard poodle! How crazy is that?! I hardly ever photograph two of the same breed of dog in one month, let alone in back-to-back sessions! And even then, if it happens in a short period of time, the breed is typically a much more common one, like a labrador or golden retriever. Standard poodles certainly aren’t as common – much less meeting two with the same rare coloring! Hmmm… is the universe trying to tell me something? Should Bailey’s future brother or sister be a standard poodle? haha!)

But despite the physical similarities, Lucy isn’t at all like her fellow poodle Jackie in Solana Beach. Lucy is 9 years old and, unfortunately, has spent far too much time at the vet recently. She’s had more than her fair share of medical issues, and after a misdiagnosis & a few wrong turns, Lucy is now on the right medication & getting stronger every day! During our session, her dad commented that Lucy probably wouldn’t have been able to go on the walk we took & handle all our activity if we had gotten together just two weeks ago. Even so, keep in mind: I always tailor my sessions to the dog(s) I’m working with; with puppies & high-energy breeds we run around most of the time and keep a fast tempo, because that’s who they are! With Lucy, though, and senior dogs, it’s important to go much slower and let the star of the show determine the pace of the session. And since running around isn’t what Lucy needs right now, being still on the mend, we had a quite relaxing session of laying around, taking a slow walk, and then laying around some more! So I’m glad Lucy’s strength had returned for our photo session – even if we didn’t ask for for too much “activity” after all. We started under her parents’ orange trees…

Lucy’s mom told me the most adorable story: when Lucy first saw these trees, years ago, she thought the oranges were tennis balls! So she’d sit beneath them, look up, and wait for a “ball” to fall down to her! How cute is that?!

We were so lucky to get this beautiful natural light during our session; I love how it lights up Lucy’s fur like a big bright halo! And this is one of Lucy’s two feline siblings, here on the right; they made a quick appearance near the end of our session, just for a minute, and only because they felt like it. They’re cats, after all!

Here’s Lucy with her human sisters, Rachael & Lauryn. 3 girls – aren’t they sweet?

Remember how I mentioned finishing our session by laying around? Wasn’t kidding. (Lucy may have even snuck in a nap!)

Okay, I have to confess, I saved the best for last (in my opinion)… I typically don’t publish photos of people in my sneak peeks, just because the star of my sessions are always the pets. (Plus, I typically would want to see a photo of myself before it goes on the internet!) But this photo – well, it just has to be an exception! Look at this GORGEOUS family!!

I hope you all can forgive me for posting your photo without checking with you first – but in my opinion, each one of you looks GREAT!

Teresa, I hope you enjoyed your extra-large sneak peek; I can’t wait to see you & Mike again soon! Rachel & Lauren: it was an absolute pleasure to meet you, thank you for joining us! And Lucy – stay strong, girl.  *hugs*

Tags: escondido, escondido pet photography, San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer, San Diego pet photography