I’ve been doing more & more Del Mar pet photography lately, and I was thrilled to meet Charlie Brown at his beautiful house just off Camino Del Mar the other day! His house is pretty much a photographer’s dream: the yard’s fences are covered up by a variety of gorgeous greenery, the yard itself is well-kept & has plenty of room to run around, and there’s even a view of the ocean from the guest house! Not to mention, Charlie himself is a super-sweet dog, a labradoodle and just a ball of love. He was happy to pose for my camera (especially if I shared my squeaky tennis ball with him) and has a wonderful, even-keeled personality. I couldn’t have been happier, and we had gorgeous light as the icing on the cake! Perfect!

This is Charlie Brown! (Don’t you love that face?!) I met him at Dexter’s Deli during Christmas Mini-Sessions, and his mom decided she’d like a few more personal photos around their yard. So Charlie was more than happy to show me around!

See what I mean about that perfect light? Gah! I love it!

Charlie was also happy to show me his parents’ front door – how beautiful is this?! The rainbow tile pattern, the wooden dolphin door handles… I couldn’t get enough of their fun, eclectic decor.

Charlie, thank you for being such a great subject – even if you only paid attention to me for the sake of my squeaky tennis ball! Janet & Nigel, I had a wonderful afternoon with you both; thank you so much for letting me spend more time with your handsome boy.

I absolutely love doing in-home pet photography sessions! My clients typically don’t have much of a problem choosing locations for where they’d like their sessions to happen; they’re quick to pick spots that are meaningful to them & their dogs, which is always a good idea in my book. But when, every so often, a client isn’t sure where to go or what might be the best place to visit, I’m always quick to suggest their own house!

But then, most of the time, I’m told something like “oh it’s too messy” or “I don’t have a really big house” or “we don’t get much natural light”. Well, I say, it’s a good thing NONE of those statements are problems! I work in messy houses all the time – let’s be honest, this is real life – and I focus on clients’ dogs, not the dust bunnies or piles of clutter in the corner. (I always say, as long as you’re not a contender for a future episode of Hoarders, you have nothing to worry about!) “Big” houses aren’t necessary either; I’ll just ask to shoot where your dog spends time. We don’t need 20 different sofas to take photos on! And finally, natural light is a luxury, I’ve learned. That’s why I’ve invested in a set of portable lights that I bring with me to lighten up any room! So at the end of the day, I’m happy to work in almost any house, and at home is where your dogs are most comfortable & relaxed anyway. Plus – it’s so personal! It’s your house, your dog, your life – why not document it all?

So as you can see, I have my reasons for being a big fan of in-home pet photography sessions. And when that home is in gorgeous Del Mar, with a big landscaped backyard? Well, sign me up! Haha! That was exactly the case when I met Molly the miniature poodle at her parents’ house. Del Mar has more than enough gorgeous vistas to photograph around town, but Molly’s favorite place is her own backyard! Because that’s where she gets to play fetch until she drops!

Don’t let her breed fool you: this girl is an athlete!

After we played fetch so much that it tuckered poor little Molly out, she was happy to calmly sit & pose for treats in all the pretty spots around her parents’ backyard. (we just needed to work out the tennis-ball-wiggles first!)

Molly, it was absolutely lovely to meet you & explore all the nooks & crannies of your backyard with you! Debby & Midge, I simply can’t wait to show you the rest of your photos; I’ll see you both again soon!  :)