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Carlsbad Photo Session with two Smooth Fox Terriers & a Mini Schnauzer!

June 8th, 2015

Hello from Carlsbad! I recently drove up north to see Stiller, Violet, and Charlotte! These adorable pups live in a gorgeous house with their wonderful parents, and I absolutely loved exploring their backyard & neighborhood together! These dogs are so funny – they all have such distinct personalities! Let me introduce you!

 

This is Violet, the smooth fox terrier! She’s completely food-motivated, and I would even describe her as treat-obsessed! Haha, whenever we opened the treat bag, she came running over (if she wasn’t already sitting nicely at our feet). And I have to say, I was glad – because dogs that are so treat-motivated make themselves super-easy to work with! So she was more than willing to pose for the camera and shine that gorgeous smile at me all afternoon long. :)

smooth fox terrier

 

 

This is Stiller, also a smooth fox terrier! I have to admit, since this is such a rare breed, I’d actually never worked with a smooth fox terrier before meeting Stiller & Violet… but now I can’t wait to meet another one! Stiller was so easygoing and fun to work with. As much as Violet loves treats, he can’t get enough of his ball! We went to the neighborhood park to play fetch, and although he slowed down & got tired after a while, I think he would play for hours if he could! So eventually he was resting in the grass, ready with a head-tilt whenever I said “do you wanna go for a walk?” Haha – too cute!

smooth fox terrier picture

 

 

And this little princess is Charlotte! She’s relaxing back home, after we finished our walk & playtime at the park. All three dogs were pretty tuckered out at this point, but something tells me Miss Charlotte just wanted to look pretty for the camera no matter how tired she was! :)  How cute are those big eyes & little ears?!

cute schnauzer photo

 

Serrina & Mike, thank you so much for showing me around your home & neighborhood! I had a great time with all five of you, and I’m so excited to show you the rest of our photos! :)

 

Mini-Sessions! (San Diego Pet Photography Event)

June 5th, 2015

I have to admit, my recent mini-session event was an experiment.

I haven’t put together anything on this scale – an entire weekend of back-to-back-to-back photo sessions – in a long time, and never in California. So I really wasn’t sure how things would go… would I be able to stick to my schedule? Would there be lots of interest, or not very much? Would the dogs be able to work in a 15-minute time limit? Would I?

Well… as it turns out, the event was a huge success!!! Yay! I couldn’t be more thrilled! The weather was absolutely lovely (slightly overcast, perfect for the park!), we were able to stick to the tight schedule (with help from my awesome hubby!), and the dogs all posed like total pros! 15 minutes turned out to be plenty of time for a mini-session; I was able to easily deliver a variety of 10+ images to each client, just like I promised. (Which is a small number compared to the few dozen that my full-length session clients see, but hey, for a minimal investment of time, I was pretty happy with the results!)

By Sunday night, I was just as drained as my camera’s empty battery… we were both exhausted! But my mini-session clients have been loving their images, and I’ve really enjoyed giving them a taste of the award-winning photography experience that I’ve become known for. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend – and I simply can’t resist sharing a few of my favorite images with you! So here’s a very small selection of mini-session photos! Enjoy!

 

This is Zephyr! Isn’t he handsome? I just love the way he looks lovingly up at his mom.

san diego mini-sessions

 

 

This is Bourbon, the Great Dane – a stunner if I ever met one!

pet photography mini-sessions

 

 

This gorgeous mixed-breed mutt is Sienna. I can’t get enough of her unique coloring!

pet photography mini-sessions

 

 

Gizmo was more than ready to run all around the park for us!

pet photography mini-sessions

 

 

So was Murphy, the golden retriever – as long as you’d throw his frisbee! This pup is frisbee-obsessed!

pet photography mini-sessions

 

 

He’s also quite gorgeous in black & white.

san diego mini-sessions

 

 

And Molly the goldendoodle is, too!

san diego mini-sessions

 

 

Here’s Molly with her parents – she’s such a little lady!

mini-sessions dog photographer

 

 

Okay, okay, one more of Molly – because she does the cutest trick! She carries her own leash! What a handy dog, haha!

mini-sessions dog photographer

 

 

After spending Saturday in the park, I headed inside to the studio on Sunday. This adorable matching duo is Kinlie & Karma!

san diego mini-sessions

 

 

… it wasn’t long, though, before Kinlie was giving me attitude. :)

mini-sessions dog photographer

 

 

And this little nugget is Mitzi…

pet photography mini-sessions

 

 

… she and her French bulldog siblings all visited the studio! This “butt shot” was a special request from her mom, and I love how it turned out, haha!

mini-sessions dog photographer

 

 

And although you may not think of French bulldogs as athletes, Mitzi will do anything for her toy – including jump high in the air!

san diego mini-sessions

 

 

Okay – you made it to the bottom of this post – so are you ready for the good news?

We had so much fun over the mini-session weekend that I’ve decided to do it again! Mark your calendar for November 21 & 22! I’ve planned another mini-session weekend that’s just in time for including your pets in this year’s Christmas cards… and I couldn’t be more excited! We’re bound to have a blast! :)

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Marlow the San Diego Pointer (and his siblings too!)

June 3rd, 2015

Marlow has had a pretty rough couple of months.

I was originally contacted by a friend of Marlow’s family, who heard about Marlow’s recent diagnosis. Brain cancer isn’t easy for any family to go through, and it was especially difficult for Marlow’s parents to accept that there was something wrong with their sweet old man. Marlow means the world to them… and I simply can’t imagine how they were able to swallow such an awful diagnosis. And unfortunately, there were even more worries headed their way: about a month ago, Marlow suffered a stroke which left him temporarily paralyzed. Can you imagine how scared you’d be to wake up one morning and find that your dog can’t move any of his legs? Devon, Marlow’s dad, was carrying him outside to go to the bathroom, and back inside again, several times a day. But despite the odds, Marlow fought back, and within a few days he was walking again! He still runs with a bit of a sideways gallop, a kind of lasting mark from the paralysis… but he’s back to his cheerful, walking-around-on-his-own self! (Although he’s a LOT hungrier these days, which is a side effect of his medication. On the bright side, that meant he was super-attentive to the treats I brought!)

If you can, I urge you to send happy thoughts & prayers to Marlow and his family. They could certainly use them, after all they’ve been through.

But our session wasn’t about concentrating on the past, or his current issues – it was about photographing Marlow’s interminable spirit! It was an honor to meet this handsome old man, and I truly had a great time working with him and his siblings in their Serra Mesa backyard.

 

 

This is Marlow! Don’t you love his sweet old face?

San Diego pointer dog

 

This is Marlow’s younger sister, Darla! She’s also a pointer, and acts like a total puppy (even though she’s 4 years old). She’s happiest when she’s chasing her ball – this girl is an athlete – but I caught her during a (rare) still moment!

happy san diego pointer

 

 

And this is Cielo, the 8-year-old husky, to round out the pack. Cielo is an absolutely gorgeous girl who insists on beating Marlow to the ball every time their parents throw it, haha!

husky close up

 

Okay, okay, one more… I told you Darla is an athlete! See that purple ball in her mouth? It gives her the power to leap higher than you thought possible… this is my favorite image of her gravity-defying feats!

San Diego pointer jumping

 

 

Devon & Amanda, thank you so much for a fun-filled afternoon with your pups. And Brittany, thank you for introducing us! I’m so excited to show you the rest of our photos soon!

 

Keiko the Dachshund – San Diego Pet Photography

June 2nd, 2015

I shared a wonderful photo session with Keiko the dachshund recently! Keiko is one of the happiest & most easy-going dachshunds I’ve ever met, to be honest with you. He’s such a good boy! He’s very treat-motivated – I mean very – and can you believe that his favorite snacks are carrots & apples?! What a healthy pup! But he loved my studio treats too (which are admittedly less nutritious), and so I think he had a great time posing for all kinds of rewards!

I have to say, I really loved watching Keiko interact with his parents, especially his dad. They have such a wonderful bond – his dad taught him an adorable “down” trick that involves getting as low to the ground as possible – and since Keiko is a rescue, I think he knows just how lucky he is to be a part of such a loving family. :)

 

Here he is! Sure, there’s a bit of white on his face, but that doesn’t slow Keiko down!

dachshund photo

 

 

He was more than happy to pose for us in front of Coronado’s most beautiful landscaping & greenery…

dachshund san diego

 

 

Oh, those eyes!

cute dachshund photo san diego

 

 

Art & Wendy, thank you so much for introducing me to your handsome boy! I can’t wait to show you all our images – especially the family photos! :)

 

Photo Session with Madison the Lab/Shepherd Mix!

May 22nd, 2015

I think every dog should be as lucky as Madison.

She’s a labrador/shepherd mix, living the good life with her parents in Pacific Beach, and she’s truly the light of her mother’s eyes. Madison and her mom, Summer, have an incredibly close relationship, since they’ve been together since Madison was just a tiny puppy. And they’ve been through a lot together – most recently, a hard-fought battle with cancer that’s still ongoing. But Maddie’s a tough dog, and she’s doing so well that I have no doubt we’ll be able to get together next year for an anniversary photo session!

In the meantime, we visited the studio and the beach for a great variety of photos, and Madison had a blast playing with us the whole time! Maddie is a funny dog – her personality is a fascinating mix of sweet and bossy! For example, she’s eager to please and is simply crazy about her mom… but if we took too long to throw the ball or deliver her treats, Maddie would start barking/talking to us! Her gentle but insistent “woof, woof, woof”s had me laughing for our entire session – such a sweetie, but so bossy at the same time! Haha! :)

 

 

Oh, Maddie. You’re adorable.

studio pet photo session

 

 

Maddie loves the beach – and so do her parents! We had a great time running up & down the sand!

dog photo session

 

 

Hold on…

wait for it…

one more photo…

of every dog’s dream…

SO MANY TENNIS BALLS!!!

dog photo session

 

 

Summer & Lou, thank you so much for a lovely afternoon with your girl! I’m looking forward to talking with you (and seeing you) again soon! :)

 

 

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