Every year, Lake Norman Currents Magazine celebrates the pets of the Lake Norman area with their annual pet issue. They host a fun contest with tons of dogs - small to large, fluffy to bald. Judges from the area have the hard decision of picking just one that will land on the cover of the magazine. This year, Cuda walked away... (click on the image above to continue reading)
Mackenzie, Rouge and Scrappy made the trip all the way from Raleigh, NC for their session last month. After dodging rain storms, we were able to pull off their session in what was probably the most humid evening on record. Ha! We explored a big chunk of Fisher Farm where we found some amazing wildflowers, awesome smells, and big land to run through. We were a sweaty mess by the end! This session was scheduled because Mackenzie, the brown and black German Shepherd, is getting a little older and her mom wanted to capture her in all of her beautiful goodness. She brought her sister, Rouge, along as well. She's the black German Shepherd with the name to match her personality. Lol! I love it!
They also brought along their little brother, Scrappy. Now this little guy is a crack up and oh-so-small! He was lost in the tall grasses and got so wet during the shoot. This little firecracker loved every second of it though!
The shot on the right just about sums this pack up. Mackenzie is so regal, Rouge is a goofball, and Scrappy is a little silly...
Here they look like little angels though. ;)
Mackenzie and Rouge loved playing ball in the wide open fields!
I can't get over this face! I love little Scrappy! His mom sings to him..."Because I'm Scrappy, Scrappy..." to the tune of Pharrell Williams' "Because I'm Happy."
Exploring...
I love this shot of the gorgeous Mackenzie...
Scrappy was so tired by the end of the shoot. He needed some lovin' from his mom... :)
Thank you for such a fun but hot and sweaty shoot! ;) I'm so glad we avoided the rain and were able to squeeze this in! xx!
Dashiell is only the second Wirehaired Dachshund I've ever had the honor of photographing. And, I must say, he was beyond amazing to work with. This one-year-old boy was very well-trained and would do anything for a treat. Not to mention he's about as adorable as they come! His little beard and fluffy back-mohawk made me a little weak in the knees. I got to meet Dashiell on the beautiful evening on Mother's Day. We started out shooting at his house but quickly moved on to the always lovely Fisher Farm. I was blown away when we got there! The sun was sparkling, the grass was tall and flowing, and the purple flowers were dancing in the breeze. We were in heaven!
I have to start this sneak peek with the images from Fisher Farm because Dashiell took my breath away standing in all of that gorgeousness...
I could photograph this every day. And Dashiell just made it that much more special!
This is one of my favorite shots of the evening. He bounced through the grass like a bunny and it was to die for!
Back at Dashiell's house, we explored his backyard and he worked his magic...
His "Bang! Bang!"...
And one last cute one (his human brother and sister's favorite)...
Thank you, Dashiell, for such a wonderful session. I hope your mom enjoyed her Mother's Day present!!!
I've been excited to photograph Murphy since his family bought a gift certificate last year. As some of you may know, I kinda have a thing for Doodles of all sorts. If anything ever happens to one of my pups (which will never happen, right?) I want to find a Doodle to rescue. They are just so fluffy, goofy and full of personality. I must say, Murphy was no exception! Murphy grows his hair out super-long for the winter and it made me so jealous! I mean, why can't my hair be that long, flowy, blond, and wavy? Yeah, I just admitted I'm jealous of a dog's hair. Anyway, I almost think his long bangs make him look like Sam Sheepdog (please look it up if you don't know who that is). So funny!
Murphy was so good and patient! He's used to getting his picture taken though - he manages his own Facebook and Instragram you know. Look at that big smile on the right! :)
With all that hair, we knew some action shots were a MUST! Not sure how Murphy could see...as happy as he was, I don't think he cares if he could!
There's an eye poking through! ;)
I can't say enough about the day we had. It was chilly but the sun was shining in full force casting beautiful light on us...
Oh my Dog! That shaggy face just get me!!!
One of my favs! Shaggy dog? Check. Gorgeous background? Check. Head tilt? Absolutely!
If you want to see more of Murphy, check out his Instagram at @must_b_murphy. :)
Dogs are similar to people in that, as they age, they tend to get set in their ways. Briar is certainly no different. Briar is a pretty chill, fluffy furball that loves to lounge around and take it easy. He loves hanging out at the pond in his neighborhood so we decided to let him do what he loves most. We spent a chilly, but sunny, afternoon together just taking in the gorgeous sights. He had no plans of doing anything different. ;)
This happy face is loved dearly by his human dad. Lucky for dad, Briar's mom set the session up as a surprise Christmas gift for him! 
Briar would give me a split-second of his attention while I gave him a treat. Then it was right back to checking out more interesting things. Ha!
OMG! The light that day was amazing! It made Briar's fur glow like an angel!
This is seriously what Briar would do all. day. long. if you let him...
Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph you doing what you love most. I hope your dad enjoyed his fabulous gift!!!
I swear I have some of the cutest doggie clients ever. Period. Cooper is absolutely no exception. He seriously looks like a little stuffed animal! He had me squealing the whole session - and I'm not lying about that!
Cooper is an 8-year-old Poodle-mix that has the most adorable little fuzzy body ever! He had a blast exploring Fisher Farm and he hopped like a bunny rabbit as he checked out every corner of the park. I really don't know what else to say about him other that "Eeeeeeeeekkkkkk!" Meet Mr. Cooper...
I told you, right?!?! Now check out those ears!
And his bunny hop as he ran around!
So are you squealing yet? If not, does this work?!?
I know this isn't a picture that's going to be big on the wall but I had to document this interesting moment. Cooper suddenly stopped and tried to bury his head in the grass. Not sure if he was planking? or doing an ostrich impression?
Bust out some treats and he gets focused again!
His mom better hold him tight! There's already a list of people that told me they want me to steal him for them!
One of Cooper's mom's favorite looks is when he holds just one ear up. Um, yeah. That's not cute or anything. ;)
This picture embodies the joy I feel when I look at Cooper's sweet face. It makes me smile! :)
I hope you enjoyed Cooper's sneak peek as much as I *clearly* did! :) So, do you want to steal him too?
I know Angel Session blog posts can be a little sad. This one won't be too different but I promise there are plenty of smiles and laughs tucked away in these images! Rudy's mom contacted me just over a week ago and told me all about her baby boy. He's was a 13-year-old, 90% blind Maltese and had recently had 5 blood transfusions because an immune anemia disorder. Fortunately, I was at her house less than 24 hours later and got to capture some wonderful images of him with his lovely family. Sadly, today I got the word that he had crossed the bridge. :(
His mom couldn't have said it better - he is now pain-free and running with all of his friends...
This is my favorite of Rudy and his mom...
I'm so glad things remained fun and positive during the session. These smiles and kisses are etched into my memory now...
I told you I'd try to keep this from being too sad of a posting. With a face like Rudy's sister, Penelope, you can't help but laugh. This goofy girl has the tongue, legs, floppy ears, and dirty nose to cheer anyone up!
More Rudy lovin'...
We brought Rudy inside to give him a break from the stresses of the outdoors. He was just posing away once he relaxed on the bed. He even jumped in for a picture with his sis.
And even shared the love with her...
Another one of my favs with mama...
And because we have to leave on a fun and positive note, one last image of goofy Penelope. 
Run free sweet Rudy. You will be missed but your memory will live on. Hugs to your family. xx!!!!
Last year, I had the privilege of photographing an adorable pair of pups, Dave and Lucy. After I worked with their mom, she knew Dave and Lucy's 2-legged grandmother needed a session for her own pup, Bonnie. Bonnie, or Princess Pooper Pants, is BFF's with Dave and Lucy and has been instrumental in Lucy's successful new life as a "real" dog. (BTW, if you haven't read Lucy's story, go check it out. She is doing amazing!!!) Bonnie's mom ended up getting a session for Mother's Day. How thoughtful!!! After having to reschedule Bonnie's session due to rain, we finally ended up with a simply amazing evening with sparkly sunlight and gorgeous locations. Bonnie had no fear of the camera and was a good sport as long as she got her boiled chicken. :) That's not too demanding of a request for such a supermodel!
We started off in the quaint downtown area of Davidson where Bonnie quickly figured out what we were doing and immediately started showing off her good looks...
It's not too often that the term "cankles" is used as a compliment. However, when I saw just how nicely Bonnie had been groomed and how perfectly her legs fluffed into her feet, I had to say that she had the cutest cankles ever! Don't you agree?
Bonnie is well known for her howl. She was shy about doing it in public but with the right amount of chicken, she caved in and let one roll...
I think we had Bonnie sit on every table and chair in Davidson. If you ate in Davidson that night, I apologize for the white hairs left behind. ;)
Bonnie proves that she's urban chic...
And what's a McGraw Photography photo shoot without some flowers, sunlight, and pretty grasses? We quickly grabbed some images by these lilies before heading out to Fisher Farm.
Bonnie was super excited to go out into the "wilderness". Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can tell by the big smile on her face. :)
Bonnie's senses were on overload! So many things to smell, bugs to catch, stumps to climb on, etc! Through all that, she was an angel and she posed away for me!
I hope you enjoyed Bonnie's sneak peek. May everyone's cankles be as cute as hers!
