I recently had the honor of photographing a full house of lovely pets in La Mesa! In particular, three cats and two dogs at their gorgeous home and at a nearby park. We mainly focused on the cats being photographed inside the house even though the dogs, Poppy and Charlie, were super excited to get in on the action! (And I was excited to see them too, haha!)

Two of the cats, Bao and Botas, were ready for their close-up. It might have had to do with a little trick their parents used: fresh salmon! And it worked like a charm. They were more than willing to pose for the camera and get head scratches (and plenty of that salmon) as a reward. Whereas the third cat, Mama Kitty, basically wanted nothing to do with our silly antics. Salmon, head scratches, snuggles, nothing… she wasn’t having it. We did minimal photos with her – and that’s all right! (It happens sometimes! And her family knows she’s not the “jump-in-front-of-the-camera” type.) We were still able to get a few beautiful portraits and move on to our next location… much to Mama Kitty’s relief. :)

We went to Briercrest Park in La Mesa, a nearby neighborhood park that I had never been to but immediately fell in love with! It was close to their home and provided an amazing atmosphere for their photo session. The park had little structures, grass, trees, pathways, bridges… I was so impressed by all the picture-perfect opportunities. What made it even better was that it was familiar territory for Poppy and Charlie; it was already their favorite park that they visit on a regular basis. So no need to sniff everything, explore all the nooks & crannies, etc – it’s practically an extension of their yard. This spot is definitely one I will want to keep in mind for future photo sessions!

Poppy and Charlie were very well behaved during their photo session, and were happy to do whatever we asked for treats. My favorite fact about these two fluffers: they are both from China! They were rescued from a terrible fate on the streets, and I have no doubt that their life couldn’t be better than it is today. :)

Ellen & family, I cannot wait to show the rest of the images to you soon! Thanks for such a fun photo session!