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Tag: ‘backyard’



Cats!

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

Yesterday I did something that I’ve never done before – and quite honestly, I was a little scared. I photographed a session with FIVE CATS. But what made this session different than any other session I’ve done wasn’t the sheer number of cats; I’ve actually photographed five cats in one household before. The uniqueness of this session was that there weren’t any dogs! While I’m a pet photographer, and I do include ALL pets in that title, dogs are really my comfort zone. They’re the vast majority of what I work with, and I’ve studied + know quite a bit about dog behavior. So when I entered this house and I knew there weren’t any tail-wagging “woofers” (to quote my father-in-law) around the corner to greet me, I felt a little bit weird! Lucky for me, these cats’ parents (Kim & Dale) are SUPER nice, and happy to tell me if I committed a feline faux pax. So here are just a few early favorites from our session – let me introduce you to the cats!

 

Pumpkin (on the ladder) is a rescue from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He’s a sweet, lively cat who did pretty much everything we asked of him! Little Man on the right is missing his right eye, but look at how stunning his left eye is! I think it looks like he’s winking.

Two orange cats perch on a ladder and look up at the camera.

 

Sasha prefers to stay outdoors, but if you’re out there with her, she’s got to be the center of attention!

A cat sits on grass in its backyard.

 

These were the two shy cats. Gracie (in the bush) is a gorgeous gray color and warmed up to me with a bit of time. Little Beebee, on the other hand, had to be held (pretty tightly) by Kim so he wouldn’t sprint into a back bedroom… the poor thing is petrified of guests, so we didn’t get a huge variety of photos of him, but I love this sweet one of him & Kim!

Two gray cats peer through leaves and sit on mom's lap

 

More cat photos are coming! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this out-of-the-ordinary post!

 

German Shorthaired Pointers: A Study in Green & Brown

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

Looking through my photos from this session, I have to say that I adore the colors in it. I’m naturally drawn to deep, rich colors – pastels? not so much – and the tones & hues in these images are soothing, relaxing & simply perfect!

But let me introduce you to the stars of the show: Dega & Grace are German shorthaired pointers that live with their parents in Pace, Florida. Dega is a handsome guy whose only wish is to hunt the squirrels, rabbits & birds that make the mistake of appearing in his backyard. Grace is a sweetheart and tries hard to keep up with her brother – but let’s just say he did most of the exercise during our session.

 

Two German shorthaired pointers in their green grassy backyard.

 

A German shorthaired pointer runs in his backyard, and two pose for a photo.

 

Thanks for a fun afternoon session, Maureen & Dwight! I can’t wait to see you again soon and show you the rest of our images!

 

Beautiful Shelties in their backyard

Monday, August 13th, 2012

I’ve only photographed Shelties once before, and I knew them to be laid-back, happy dogs – it turns out, that breed reputation stands for another session! This is Morgan, Mage (pronounced “mayj”) and Mystique, sisters who live the good life with their dad! They’re all very different: Mystique (mostly black) was a ready & willing subject as soon as she learned I had treats to give. Morgan (mostly brown) is calm & patient, and needed little breaks to be loved on every few minutes! (so adorable!) Mage was petrified of me; I think I petted her just once. But from a distance, and only very quickly, she let me take a few photos that turned out to be some of my very favorites from the session! Take a look…

 

Two shelties pose for photos in their backyard.

 

Tri-color sheltie dog laying in the grass of her backyard.

 

I’m especially excited about this session because a few select images are going to grace the exam rooms at Davis Animal Hospital in Pensacola! So if you’re a client of theirs – or if you’re looking for a great new vet in the area – you’ll see these pups’ smiling faces there soon!

 

Thanks Roy – I can’t wait to show you the rest of the images!

 

Thwarted by the Rain: Bubba the Border Collie

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

You might remember Bubba the old border collie from his earlier post – and I have good news to report! He’s doing a bit better, and we got to schedule another session with him! So we had grand plans to visit a fantastically beautiful horse farm in Pace, and I was so excited to get together with the old guy and his mom Kim again. But sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate – and this was one of those times. Despite prayers and an anti-rain dance, the clouds opened up (literally as SOON as we were ready to start shooting!) and unfortunately stopped us from getting the most out of this gorgeous setting. Hopefully we can return to try again soon!

 

A woman stands with a horse and a border collie dog.

 

A woman walks away in a field with a border collie dog and a horse.

 

A black and white photo of a border collie standing on hay bales in a barn.

 

A close-up of a border collie dog's face in a barn with a woman.

 

 

Happy Dogs & Shy Dogs: Marlee & Amia

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Let me introduce you to two dogs who are total opposites – around strangers, at least. Marlee is a bouncy 8-month-old golden retriever and couldn’t be more friendly! She’ll “attack” anyone who comes to the door with kisses and tail wags. Amia, on the other hand, is a much more reserved Boston terrier. She’d prefer to keep her distance, and it’s a little more difficult to gain her trust.

I absolutely love it when dogs open up to me, and with dogs like Marlee it’s incredibly easy, but with Amia it can be more challenging. So I’m always thrilled when I walk away with images like the ones below, because it means all the steps and precautions I take to let dogs get comfortable with me, really work! (I study dog behavior, I meet dogs before their session, I warm them up to the camera slowly, etc.) I hope their mom Jane sees her dogs in these photos not as through the lens of a different person, but simply as she sees her dogs every day. Enjoy the photos!

A boston terrier and a golden retriever dog in their backyard, close-up.

 

A boston terrier and golden retriever relax in the grass.

 

Thanks again Jane – I’ll talk to you soon! (and don’t worry – I have plenty more photos of Marlee positioned more than just a few inches away from the camera!)

 

 

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