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Rancho Santa Fe Horse Photography, with Trea!

Wednesday, August 5th, 2015

Oh my goodness – I cannot POSSIBLY tell you how excited I’ve been for this photo session, and how long we’ve waited for it to happen! Jen (Trea & Bailey’s mom) is a friend of Tate & Skyler‘s mom, and she booked her session immediately after seeing their photos – so you’d think it wouldn’t have taken more than two months to finally get together! But the severity of May Gray & June Gloom interfered, and we were left waiting for a sunny (or at least not a rainy!) day. And finally, the morning we met up at Trea’s stable in Rancho Santa Fe, the weather was near-perfect: a bright sun coming through a thin layer of overcast clouds. I love that kind of weather; it’s enough light to capture high-speed action photos, while not creating any harsh shadows. Simply wonderful! :)

 

This is Trea (short for Mr. Bailey’s Treasure), a downright gorgeous American quarter horse. We took him on a walk through the neighborhood, stopping at the bougainvillea bushes along the way.

rancho santa fe horse photography

 

I don’t get the chance to work with horses too often, but gosh I love having the opportunity! He is so regal! This Rancho Santa Fe horse photography session was definitely one for the books.

rancho santa fe horse photography

 

Jen, I hope you don’t mind me including a photo of you in this sneak peek… I just love this moment with you two! :)

rancho santa fe horse photography

 

And after our fun with Trea, we came back to Jen’s house for the second half of our session – photos with Bailey the German shepherd! Now you KNOW I love dogs named Bailey – since that’s my dog’s name too – and this happy, loving boy was a delight to work with!

rancho santa fe pet photography

 

We also visited Encinitas Community Park, where we ran around the grass and barked at a few other dogs. What a sweet boy Bailey is… how could you ever say no to that face?! (But who knows… maybe he’s just happy remembering that box of a dozen donuts that he ate all by himself recently! Haha!)

rancho santa fe photography

 

Jen, I can’t thank you enough for your patience with my weather pickiness… the good news is that I know for a fact our waiting paid off! I’m so excited to see you (and the whole gang) again soon! :)

 

Photo Session with San Diego Boxers Howie & Bernie!

Monday, August 3rd, 2015

My photo session with Howie & Bernie, the San Diego boxers, was so much fun! I absolutely loved working with these two dogs – perhaps because they’re near two different ends of the age spectrum (Howie is 8 years and Bernie is 5 months), and it was a fun challenge to work with an older dog at the same time as a puppy. I think their parents feel a bit like they’re in a time warp, of sorts; it’s been so long since Howie was a puppy, but now Bernie is testing their patience all over again with her classic puppy behavior! As all puppy owners know, silence is not golden, it means someone is getting into trouble, haha… and while they say they don’t remember Howie being such a troublemaker, I’m sure it’s a fun (if exhausting!) experience to relive those days! I’m betting Howie will teach Bernie all the ways of the world, with his 8 years of wisdom, as she gets older (and calmer). But in the meantime, our photo session was a blast – dogs never stay small for very long, and I love having the opportunity to capture puppies and their spunky young spirits!

 

I think I’ll always remember Howie as one of the most-easy-to-photograph dogs I’ve ever worked with. (Thanks, buddy!) I say this because his favorite thing to do was simply lay in the grass! I think in another life, Howie could have been Jimmy Buffett… this dog loves to relax!

san diego boxers

 

Bernie, on the other hand… :)

san diego boxer dog

 

These two would play-fight all day long, if they could! They’ve (mostly) learned each other’s boundaries, so it was pretty funny to hear them growling & barking at one another as they ran all over the park!

san diego boxers

 

And one more photo, just because I can’t resist… those puppy wrinkles are killing me.

san diego boxer wrinkles

 

Debbra & Chuck, thank you for a fun-filled afternoon! I had a great time with all four of you, and I’m excited to show you all of our photos soon! :)

 

Photo Session with San Diego Maltipoos, Myers & Morgan!

Saturday, August 1st, 2015

In my very first conversation with Myers & Morgan’s mom, she told me that these San Diego maltipoos are 9 & 10 years old, but they act like two-year-olds. I laughed and figured they had a bit more energy than the average 10-year-old dog… but I didn’t realize how accurate her statement really was! These dogs are seriously puppies at heart! By the end of our session, I could hardly believe they’re both a decade old… Myers & Morgan have so much spunky, puppy-like personality! Myers (the smaller one) is the elder of the two, by a few months, and he’s an adorably anxious little guy. He always has something to “talk” about, and I just adore his cute little face. Morgan is the bigger pup – we’re not sure if he’s 100% maltipoo, but he is 100% attention-seeking! Whenever his brother is getting attention from someone, Morgan barges in and makes sure he gets just as much love! It’s the funniest thing – so of course Morgan loved his time in the spotlight, haha! And his one floppy ear is so reminiscent of my own dog’s ear that I immediately loved him… seriously, these dogs were a dream to work with!

 

We started with a few white-on-white photos… and surprisingly, the dogs didn’t need any time to “warm-up”! They were ready to pose from the very beginning of our photo session!

maltipoos san diego

 

Of course we had a few yummy treats on hand!

san diego maltipoo

 

Morgan was more than happy to show me his “roll-over” command! Haha!

maltipoo san diego

 

And at the end of our session, we brought out the toys! Let the tug-of-war begin!

san diego maltipoos

 

Laraine, thank you so much for a wonderful session! I’m excited to see you & Joe again soon! :)

 

Sphynx Cats Chia & Lucy

Tuesday, July 28th, 2015

I am so excited to share this blog post with you! I recently had the pleasure of being introduced to a breed of cat that I’d never worked with before – and the images we created together could not be more distinctive! Chia & Lucy are sphynx cats!

Sphynx cats make up for their lack of fur with tons of personality! :)  As soon as Chia stepped foot into the studio, she was immediately exploring every nook & cranny that she could find… in my desk, behind my printer, on the windowsill behind the drapes, amidst the books I keep on hand… everywhere! These cats are experts at climbing, balancing & getting into small spaces. They also love attention, and being close to their humans. They dig & nestle into any surface they possibly can – so if you’re resting peacefully in bed, don’t be surprised when your sphynx cat burrows down into the covers with you! After all, they have to keep warm somehow! :)

I’m always impressed by cats that visit the studio – since most cats don’t travel well – so I was thrilled that these expressive kitties were so outgoing & willing to play! I really enjoyed photographing these unique subjects, and bringing out the beauty in their hairless little bodies. Some people prefer the furry, cuddly looks of most cat breeds, and that’s fine – but working with Chia & Lucy was a dream come true for me! :)  Here are just a few photos from our in-studio photo session.

 

This is Lucy! (Short for Lucille Ball!)

sphynx cat

 

And this is Chia. Isn’t she striking?!

sphinx cat san diego

 

 

Oh – and Lucy brought her canine sister along, too! This is Delilah! :)

san diego sphynx cat photos

 

 

Thanks for a great session, Lisa & Nicole! I’m looking forward to seeing you both again soon!

 

Berkeley, the San Diego Dutch Shepherd!

Saturday, July 25th, 2015

A Great Dane? A greyhound? A German shepherd? A Belgian Malinois? A pit bull? A mastiff? I think Berkeley and her family have heard all kinds of guesses… but they’re almost always wrong! Berkeley is a dog with rather rare breeding: she’s a Dutch shepherd! And although most people haven’t heard of this breed before, I think pretty much anyone who sees Berkeley can recognize that she’s one gorgeous dog! :)

 

I first met Berkeley at the Normal Heights Dog Park Rally, where hundreds of residents from the Allison Shamrell Photography neighborhood all came out in droves to show their support of creating a nearby off-leash dog park (yay!). I was one of the sponsors of the event, with a display booth – and so were Berkeley’s parents! They own Liquid Eden, a water store just a couple of blocks away from the studio! When Trisha contacted me a little while after the event, I was so excited to see them again – and bursting with anticipation to get Berkeley in front of my lens! It turns out, this dog can pose like a pro – and she has the most adorable head tilt!! Take a look!

 

“Berkeley, do you wanna go to the park?” I think she does, haha! This girl loves to explore and chase her ball.

dutch shepherd san diego

 

What a gorgeous dog. Absolutely regal – and her personality just shines through those happy eyes.

cute dutch shepherd san diego

 

It soon became clear that Berkeley’s ideal afternoon would consist of a shady hillside and a tennis ball to chew on. That’s really all she needs to be happy… don’t you sometimes wish life could be so simple for us humans, too? :)

san diego dutch shepherd

 

Trisha & Chris, thank you for a wonderful afternoon! I’m looking forward to seeing you both again soon!

 

 

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