Derrick - The Service Dog

At the end of August, I had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot for Lake Norman Currents Magazine of an amazing family and their special service dog. I've written time and time again about how amazing these animals are and Derrick is absolutely no exception. This bright-eyed Golden mix is the service dog to Eleanor, a 10-year old born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Derrick, who was adopted from Canine Companions for Independence, responds to over 40 commands and helps Eleanor with everyday tasks. To read more about this amazing story, pick up a copy of the October issue of Lake Norman Currents Magazine before the end of the month. You can also find the e-version online.

And here are some of my favorites of Derrick and Eleanor...LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

5 Tips for Better Pet Pictures

I was recently asked to do a live segment on the Charlotte Today show to share some tips and tricks for taking better pictures of your pet. I was super excited because it is so important to have great images of your pet even if hiring a professional isn't in the budget. If this is something that interests you, check out the segment for more info...

First of all, I want to thank Charlotte Today for having me on the show. I did a pre-taped segment last year (the one they used to introduce me) and I was unbelievably nervous (as you could tell by my tied tongue). So of course I was even more nervous to find out I would be on live television!!! What!?! Freak Out! As I walked into the studio, I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I thought I might have a heart attack. Then things quickly got better.

The staff at the show were seriously amazing. They were warm and welcoming, so sweet, and more than attentive - even with being short-staffed by 3 people. They made me feel right at home with their help, direction, compliments, and so on and so on. My nerves seemed to melt away! I had to take a minute to myself and take it all in. I'm so grateful that I was allowed to be on the show and I really appreciate everyone (and of course all of the pets) that have helped me get to where I am in my business. It has been a very long and hard road but I keep walking it everyday. Thank you! <3

Now back to business! :)

Just to recap the show, here are the 5 tips that will hopefully help you take better pictures of your pet... :)

1. Use Natural Light/Turn off Your Flash

Natural light is your best friend when it comes to pet photography. Flash can scare your pet or, even worse, give your pup or kitty those freaky glowing eyes. Try placing your pet near a window or go outdoors during the golden hours - the hour right around sunrise or sunset. Golden hour light is nice and low in the sky with a warm, even tone.

2. Get Down on Their Level

Be prepared to get a little dirty. Lol! Try something different and lay down, squat, or sit in front of your pet. It will give a whole new look to the image!

3. Shoot Tight/Middle/Wide

You can get three different shots without needing your pet to move! Sweet! Shoot tight - a headshot - then either move back or widen your lens. Then shoot a mid shot - include the body and some of the background. Then move back or widen your lens again. Now you can include quite a bit of the background for a nice artistic image.

4. Use Treats, Toys, or People to get Your Pup's Attention

Hold a treat or toy right above your lens to get your pet to look right at the camera. You can also hold it out to the side or have someone walk over to where you want your dog's gaze to go. Funny noises work great too! Don't forget to reward your pet if he/she does what you want!

5. Know Your Camera!

Try reading the manual and play around with those weird looking settings. Try using AV, TV, and M modes. AV mode means aperture-priority. Aperture controls the depth-of-field so you can get the eyes in focus while blurring the background. TV mode is shutter-priority mode which is great for controlling action. M is manual which means you control it all! Experiment and see what changing the numbers does!

The Bonus tip is to be patient and have fun!!!! Learning photography can be tough and frustrating but it is sooooo worth it in the end! I hope these tips help!

And many, many thanks again to Charlotte Today for inviting me to the show. You guys rock! I also want to thank my family, friends, and Facebook fans for all of the sweet messages, emails, and texts that I got after the show. You made me feel like I should be on TV! Haha! ;)

Currents Magazine Pet Issue 2012

It's October and that means one important thing to this Lake Norman-based pet photographer... it's time for the annual Lake Norman Currents Magazine Pet Issue!!!! This is my favorite issue (for obvious reasons) but this year's issue is FILLED with more pet goodness than years past! I'll start off with the cover... Maddie was the winner of this year's Cover Dog Contest and she was awarded the honor of gracing the fabulous October cover! She will be seen by thousands of Lake-area residents and may have to go incognito to get around town now. She is such a sweetheart and she was so much fun to photograph. I love how happy she is and it looks like she's coming right out of the cover to come give you kisses!

Here were some other fun images I grabbed of this fun-filled lady...Inside, there are many dog-filled stories including one about a super-awesome Flyball team located right here in the Charlotte-area. Check out page 44 of the magazine to see the pictures and read the story. Find the online version here: http://lncurrents.com/pages/epub.html

And one of my favorites. This is a lovely story about a Diabetic Service Dog and his bond with his mom. You can find this story on page 22 here or in one of my previous blog posts. To see pictures from the Cover Dog Contest, check out page 16 here. We had a blast and you should see if you made it into the magazine! I spy Little Dog Linus on page 17!!!!

Check out these stories and more in the October Pet Issue. You can find hardcopies at your lake-area Cashions, BP stations, and Harris Teeters. XOXO!

Zappa - Super Service Pup

When I have photo shoots for Lake Norman Currents Magazine, I always get to meet fabulous people and hear all about their wonderful stories. In this particular case, this one really struck a chord. As you may know, I have a sweet spot for any type of service animal. So when I met Zappa, a diabetic service dog, my heart melted. Zappa assists his mom, Alden, who has been dealing with diabetes the majority of her life. This special boy can smell when her glucose levels are off and let her know that action needs to be taken. What a special boy. I'm so glad I got to spend some time with this adorable pair.

To read their special story in its entirety, please check out the article on page 22 of Lake Norman Currents Magazine. You can view the online version here: http://lncurrents.com/pages/epub.html

Lake Norman Currents did a fabulous job with the layout of the story and Alden's mom told me she cried when she saw it for the first time. Many thanks to Lake Norman Currents magazine for writing this story and raising awareness for service dogs everywhere!

Dog Fancy!

When I first started my photography business, one of my goals was to have an image published in a national magazine. At the time, my focus was architectural photography so my dreams revolved around being published in magazines such as Metropolitan Home, Dwell and Architectural Digest. As times have changed and my focus has solely become pet photography, my dream publications have also changed. Now I dream of being published in Dog Fancy, Bark Magazine, Modern Dog and others. A couple months ago, one of my dreams became a reality. I got an email informing me that one of my submissions to Dog Fancy was accepted into the magazine and that it would be featured in the September issue. I was so excited when I received my copies in the mail! One of Boss's pictures (see his blog post here) was the image they chose and I'm sure he is so proud to be featured on two pages in this national publication!

Boss' mom even sent over a couple pictures of what the new-found fame has done to his self-image. I sure hope he can bounce back from this... BOL!

Charlotte Today - A Quick Clip

Last week, Charlotte Today shared a quick story about an Angel Session I did with with a handsome black Lab named Jack. To read Jack's story and to see his sneak peek, check out his post HERE. Thank you so much to the crew of Charlotte Today for sharing what can be done for these types of priority photo shoots. Jack is dearly, dearly missed. <3

Charlotte Today with Fez & Lucy

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the awesome people at Charlotte Today about doing a segment on my photography. At first, I honestly thought it was a joke or someone trying to sell me something (I get spam phone calls all the time from "news" websites) but they were for real! I was super excited but totally nervous at the same time. I am NOT one to be in front of the camera - especially talking about myself! Fortunately I got to bring along a couple of my favorite doggy models to work it for the cameraman. You may remember Fez and Lucy from their session here. We had a great time and I'm so happy with the way the clip turned out. (Well, besides my nervous stuttering and fidgeting. Haha!) In fact, I was so nervous, I was just shooting away and not really paying attention to my camera settings. Fortunately, I got a couple cute shots from our afternoon together.

And here is the segment!

A huge thanks goes out to the Charlotte Today crew, Fez & Lucy, and Fez & Lucy's Mom and Dad (who was in a wreck right before he met with us)! You all made my year! :)

LKN Currents Pet Issue

October is one of my favorite months because the annual Pet Issue of Lake Norman Currents Magazine goes on stands! This year I had the pleasure of photographing Ozzy, a Boxer/Pit mix, for the cover. I felt a special connection with Ozzy as he and Sadie (my black Lab/Pit mix) have very similar pasts. They both were living at the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and both were found at an adoption event at the local Petco just a short time before they were to be euthanized. Ozzy's mom adopted him just 2 weeks prior to him winning the Currents Commodore Cover Dog Contest which landed his headshot on the cover!

And some more of the adorable Ozzy. Who said shelter dogs couldn't be supermodels?

If you pick up an issue, don't miss the "Pets and the Owners who Love Them" story on page 28. If you follow this blog, you'll find some familiar faces gracing the pages of the magazine. I'm so proud of my clients! They all look awesome!