Friday

TGIF! Everyone love Friday...especially when it's a dog as handsome and unique as this Blue Merle Catahoula who, by the way, was rescued from Palmetto Paws. I've never photographed a dog that looks anything like Friday so I was beyond thrilled to have him in front of my camera. On a gorgeous day. With fun people. In Charleston. Word.Friday's unique coloring was perfect for the background of old-time Charleston!He honestly looks like he should be a doggy model of some sort!

He really knows how to work his angles...And he has a super-cute, charming smile! :)We stumbled into an alley that had this gorgeous citrus plant. Friday was intrigued and I was excited to photograph him with it. (Look at that cute face!!!)Thank you so much to Friday and his family for coming out and spending some time with us in Charleston. Don't doubt for a minute that I might ring you again to steal Friday for another session!

Lilian

A cute, wet, orange face with a huge smile was send in an email and three girls instantly fell in love. No, it wasn't a picture of some hot model guy coming out of the ocean with a fake tan. This is what happened when Brittani, Dana, and I got Lilian's submission for our Charleston model call. Lilian is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who apparently spends as much free time as possible getting wet and going swimming. Her mom was super excited at the thought of getting pictures of her when she was actually dry! Luckily for her, we were more than happy to oblige. :)

Lilian, aka Lily, often causes quite a stir when she's out in public and people tend to flock to her because of her unique qualities. I'm personally a sucker for her happy smile...

Oh and the feet. I just love the feet. So girly and feminine! This almost makes me wish my hands were hairy. Then I remember I'm a person.She's just a beauty...She also has a Princess Leia impression. She puts her ears back to recreate the hair effect. Pretty awesome!Thank you so much, Lily, for staying dry for us while we photographed you. It was an honor!

Bentley

Last week I had the pleasure of making a trip down to Charleston, SC to hang out with fellow pet photog friends Brittani (from Brittani Croft Photography) and Dana (from Dana Cubbage Photography). Of course, what are is a group of pet photographers to do when they get together? Well, take pictures of dogs of course! We put out a call for models and we had a wonderful response. It was REALLY hard to turn any down but we had to consider what we were looking for in each of our portfolios. In the end, we had four doggy models work it for our cameras.

We got to explore some of downtown Charleston during our shooting. To be honest, I was pretty jealous of the greenery and flowers they have there already...especially since I was following the dwindling trail of leftover snow on the trip down there. Soon Spring will be here too! Yay!

Anyway, I'll start the showcase with Bentley. This little Frenchie cracked us up. He was certainly into exploring Charleston too but had a great attitude with the camera. I love how his tongue is a little too big for his mouth. Cutie pie!!!

Snow Day

This past Saturday we had a surprise snow shower that left a couple inches in our yard! This rare occurrence brought out all of the dogs, kids, and adults in our neighborhood. Lucky for us, we have a huge green space behind our house that is usually reserved for Eva's and Sadie's frisbee and ball time. However, when the snow comes, it is gathering central for everyone! Of course I grabbed my camera to document the fun!

This was Sadie's first snow event and she wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first...

Once she realized it meant play-time, she changed her tune!This is Sadie's new best friend, Pippi! They love to chase after each other.Boomer from next door also joined in on the fun!An even bigger hit than the snow was this ginormous stick that Rugger found...Addie, the Bernese Mountain Dog from around the corner, even came out to get a piece of the action!I love the air that Pippi has in this shot...Finally, Eva and Sadie end up with a bit of their own...Meanwhile, Pippi gave up on the stick and took a different one...a carrot stick...from the snowman!!! Note the kids running after her! Lol!Doesn't she look so innocent?!? Boomer sat on the hill and made sure no one was getting into trouble.And my pups went back to playing tug-o-war with the frisbee. What a wonderful afternoon! My dogs were exhausted the rest of the night and curled up next to the fireplace. I'm so glad they got to experience such a fun snowy day together! What do your dogs like to do on a snowy winter day?

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rhett Butler

You may have seen me gushing over these two on Facebook for the past week but did you know they are brothers?!? Well, not blood brothers, but live-in-the-same-house kind of brothers. Imagine these two handsome devils greeting you every morning when you wake up! That would certainly bring a smile to my face!Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Basset Hound with a look to die for! Seriously. Could you say no to this face?Rhett Butler is a French Mastiff, or Dogue de Bordeaux if you are fancy. ;) He is 150 pounds of wrinkles, slobber, and cuteness!We kept most of Rhett's drool under control but every now and then, a little bit couldn't help but slip out. It's totally part of his charm!Again - Obi-Wan with that "give-me-what-I-want" look. I love his splayed out feet...This is what happens when you ask brothers to pose together. Cracks me up!Now we got it!Just in case you didn't get it before, here's another magical Obi-Wan Kenobi look. May the Force be with him.Now that's a handsome goofball!Back in the woods, both Obi-Wan and Rhett took turns working it for the camera...Poor Rhett is dealing with a heart condition that makes him a little on the slower side. However, he knew his mom really wanted a running shot so he turned it on for us! This is the tame version...And a crazy outtake.! Hehehe!As opposite as these boys could be, they were equally fun to work with (as well as their parents)! I can't wait to see them again and bring some more drool home with me! ;)

Luka and Lacey

Surprise sessions are the best and I just love the excitement that surrounds the news when the secret is revealed! I recently had the pleasure of photographing 2 totally kissable Westies as a surprise gift for their 2-legged dad. Not only was the session special because of the Christmas holiday, but because we wanted to document our main model, Luka, in a very loving way. A tumor was recently discovered on his liver and, of course, the news was devastating to his family. Fortunately, his energy is still fantastic and you can't even tell that he is ill. Our session revolved around him and this charmer was beyond thrilled!

Luka had a blast exploring Fisher Farm. He had the biggest grin on his face the whole time and his smile is so contagious!What’s so great about exploring a field if you don’t get drop for an oh-so-good back scratching?Luka stepped aside for a few moments and let his sis, Lacey *literally* sneak up for a shot. ;)And he even shared the spotlight with his pretty momma…What a CUTIE!!!I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to document this special boy on such a wonderful day. Luka's dad was definitely surprised because as he unwrapped his Coffee Table Album, happy tears began to fall. They even sent me a picture of him posing with his album. I love what I do. :)

Here is a peek at their gorgeous Album...

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Goodbye in 2012

2012 was hard in that I had to say goodbye to too many clients this year. Each and every pet that I photograph becomes a part of my heart and I love nothing more than to receive updates on what they're up to and how they're doing. Inevitably, I will also get told that one of them had to say goodbye. This is the hardest part of what I do and I cry every. single. time.

I wanted to put together a little blog post in order to honor those pets that have gained their angel wings this year.

Ellie - Ellie was the first deaf dog I've ever photographed and I fell in love with her sweet personality immediately. She loved going out on the boat with her moms...

Jack - We squeezed Jack's session in just hours before he said goodbye. He spent his days protecting his mom on his front porch...Cali - Cali said goodbye way too soon but we were lucky to have a wonderful session together before she got sick. She got to play ball, swim, and go on a car ride...Disney - Disney had a beautiful Angel Session that was full of celebration, positivity, and compassion. It was so touching and I know she said goodbye with nothing but happiness and love in her heart...Cliff - Who could ever forget Cliffy-Poo? This sweetie also had to say goodbye too soon but I know his parents will always look at this picture and smile...Manchester - Manchester fought a strong fight so he could stay by his mom's side as long as possible. He enjoyed licking out the peanut butter jar for a special treat...Chaz - Chaz was ill during our session but you would have never known it. He made sure his family had images of his sweet, happy face having a great time...Ilsa - Ilsa resembles my Eva so much that I took her session very personally. When I got the news that she had said her final goodbyes, it was very hard. She was a beautiful dog with a beautiful soul...

Phoebe Buffet - Phoebe Buffet was part of a model call that I held back when I was doing studio work. At 14 years old, she had played "mother" to numerous foster dogs and is now watching over them from afar...

For those of you out there that have lost a beloved pet, I know the pain never goes away - it just gets easier to deal with. Please know that there are people out there that also treasure the memory of your pet and understand that they were a part of your family. I'm sure 2013 will bring you new memories (and maybe even new pets) but be assured that your four-legged loved ones have now gained their angel wings and are watching over you...

Bailey

An "overgrown fluffy Lab" was the description I got of Bailey when I got the session inquiry from her mom. With a description like that, I knew Bailey would be awesome! At 11 years old, she is still as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as any puppy I've seen and was a pleasure to photograph. Unfortunately, when it came time to actually have her session, the weather just didn't want to cooperate. Dark grey clouds and threats of rain forced us to reschedule three times! That's a new record for me. Thankfully, on our fourth try, we lucked out with a gorgeous sunny day and mild temperatures. The wait was totally worth it!

So without further ado, here is Bailey...

We started Bailey's session at her townhouse and then moved on to one of her favorite walking trails.The greenway was gorgeous and peaceful and we even encountered a few deer as we explored. Bailey wondered why we kept stopping and taking pictures instead of trying to walk the whole loop.To end the session, we headed back home to a field behind Bailey's house.She had never explored back there and her smile tells the story of how excited she was!!!She seriously explored every nook and cranny she could get to! I think I had as much fun as she did!

Bailey, it was so wonderful to FINALLY spend and afternoon photographing you! I hope you have since recovered from all the excitement and I can't wait to see you again!