Sampson - Available from HSC

I honestly can't believe that Sampson has been passed by for over a year at the Humane Society of Charlotte. This smart and friendly boy needs some extra attention and hopefully these images will get in front of a family that will think he is just perfect!!! Before our quick shoot together, Sampson was in the play-yard running around with his favorite toy, a tennis ball. He really didn't want to leave it behind but he was very excited to take a walk! :)

He was an amazing model for our session! He was very attentive and obeyed my commands - very impressive considering the busy environment we were in. He is a very, very sweet and loving dog and will make someone extremely happy.

And a few words from Sampson...

I am a very handsome, athletic young boy that is waiting for my forever home. I love to play fetch and swim in the baby pool. Do you need a swimming buddy or athletic partner? If so, I'm the boy for you! I ride great in the car, am very affectionate and love cuddling on the couch and in the bed and get along with some dogs, not all of them so introduce me slowly to any potential canine friends. I think cats are fluffy chew toys, so I'd be best in a cat-free home. I'm currently in training classes at HSC and I know my name and know how to sit and am house trained too! I think I'm pretty special, I hope you do too. Please visit me today when you're visiting HSC.

...

I hope you share Sampson's information! I want to see him find a fabulous home!!!

Look at that happy face!Um, yeah. How do you say no to that head tilt?!?A tennis ball?!? You'll be Sampson's best friend!!!

Snickers and Lily

In 2012, I travelled up to New York City to watch the Westminster Dog Show. That year, a furry little Pekingese named Palacegarden Malachy won Best in Show. He was cute and all, but I think Snickers and Lily give him a run for his money! This Pekingese pair live in Birkdale Village and we spent their session exploring the local parks and greenway. The colors in every corner of the neighborhood were so bright and vivid - totally complimenting the utter cuteness of this duo.

Lily, the black lady, is a young and spunky girl! She was so excited about checking out every nook and cranny of the places we walked to. Snickers, on the other hand, is a little more reserved at his older age and was WAY more interested in the yummy treats I had. :) As long a they had smiles on their faces, I was happy!

I know Snickers is a male but this shot looks so boudoir to me for some reason. Ha! It makes me laugh!The tail in this image is just too graceful for words...Lily is all, "are you gonna let me down now so I can explore?!?"She's keeping watch in case anyone wants to cross her bridge... ;)I loved posing these two with the beautiful flowers!Hehe! This pair cracks me up! They soooo didn't want to sit next to each other for a picture. With enough patience and treats, they finally cooperated. Lily loves Snickers. Snickers likes Lily. Lol!

I can't wait to see the final artwork of these two. It's gonna be amazing! Maybe it will be displayed over Palacegarden Malachy's bed? Lol!

Chip and Jolie

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but this dog (and by "this dog" I mean me) totally learned something new during Chip and Jolie's session. Chip and Jolie, a pair of happy Papillons, have always been clicker trained - something I've heard of but never was taught properly. It was absolutely fascinating to see! They were amazing at it and completely motivated to do and try new things as soon as the clicker was pulled out! Their mom was nice enough to give me a lesson on how it works and she even did a demonstration with her husband (I think she's on to something big there, btw)!!! I welcome Chip (the pup with the most brown) and Jolie to the blog!

Chip has a very handsome face. His eyes and ears just kill me with cuteness!!!Jolie is such a little lady! She looks so elegant!The clicker training taught Chip and Jolie to get on objects and try out different things for a reward. They are especially good with the ball, balance board, and many other agility-based obstacles. Both Chip and Jolie love to chase the ball. Mostly I think they just like to play keep-away.

A huge thanks goes out to Chip and Jolie's family for allowing me to work with their youngest pups. They've had a rough year but were oh-so-gracious and welcoming during their session. I can wait to work with them on their final artwork. Much love!

Thor

I first saw Thor just over a year ago when he came into Lucky Dog for their Halloween contest. He was dressed with Snoopy's dog house on his back and ended up being the winner! Now, just a year later, our paths were to cross again - this time for an amazing session on "his" boat. Our session was set for a sunny afternoon on Lake Norman. A cold front had just moved through so it was the perfect temperature for a shaggy pup like Thor. He nicely invited me onto his boat, properly named "Lucky Dog".

Thor's loves to lounge on the deck of the boat. Kinda like his throne...Thor is a big boy - 120 pounds - so he needed a boat to fit his large stature. He has lots of nooks and crannies to call his own.One of his other favorite places to hang out... Thor was very happy to show me around the dock he keeps his boat.What a handsome fellow...If he can't find his people, he will search up and down the dock until he finds them!Once we got back to dry land, Thor showed me some of his other favorite things. One being his laser, the other being bubbles!And water... Sessions take a lot of hard work from the models. Thor needed to head back to his boat for a quick nap. What a life! :)

Many thanks to Thor and his parents for being so wonderful to work with. I can't wait to see the artwork they choose for their walls!!!

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!

Rylee, Chloe, and Zoey

This trio of pups' session has been on the calendar since May. They got a prime Fall slot and I'm so happy for that!!! The gorgeous, gorgeous colors were just starting to appear at the fabulous location we found. It brought out all the special beauty in these three ladies! This trio consists of Rylee, a lovely Golden Retriever who was going to be the main focus of the session; Chloe, a mini-Doxie with a chill attitude; and Zoey, a prim and proper Yorkie with stunning locks.

Everything for our session lined up - the pups were wonderful to work with, the weather and lighting were spectacular, and to top it all off, the parents were troopers!! The mom was totally chill and let things flow naturally while the dad was an awesome assistant (I'd offer him a job in a second). :) I couldn't ask for a better shoot!

We started off focusing on Chole and Zoey. Mom just wanted a few shots of them so we wore them out so they could relax the rest of the session.Now it was time to focus on Rylee - the sunshine of her mom's life. :)Rylee is such a gorgeous girl with a fun and quirky personality. I think you can totally see it in the images.She can have her serious look but it's perfectly balanced with a goofy side. In fact, her parents said she was being especially goofy during the session. Show off!Rylee LOVES sticks!!!! She even smiles when she fetches them!We left the park right around sunset and got to capture some wonderful views of Uptown Charlotte..."Oh, you wanted to see the skyline?"

Many, many thanks go out to Rylee, Chole, Zoey, and this trio's wonderful parents! What an AMAZING session. I love all of your babies and can't wait to see you again!

Seamus and Wallace

I'm one lucky gal! Seamus and Wallace's session marks the second time I've had the honor of photographing two Westies together. This time, they came all the way from Myrtle Beach for their session! Seamus and Wallace are a brother/sister duo with tons of personality! The moment they stepped out of the car, I knew they would be an amazing pair to photograph (especially with their super cute Westie collars on). Seamus, the brother, has human-like eyes and totally didn't want to move away from the camera lens. Wallace, the sister, was way more interested in exploring. However, after their trip, they were ready to run free and stretch their legs...

Wallace's squinty eyes make her look as if she's smiling!!!And Seamus was just a ham! :) See!!!Both Seamus and Wallace's tails are a little longer than most Westies. I think it's cute and makes them unique. I also love how Wallace's left ear flops when she runs!Their parents are rockstars for making such a long trip! We're hoping to schedule a beach session next time I'm in Emerald Isle! How fun would that be?!?!Seamus leads the pack while Wallace tries to keep up! I love that their parents are just laughing away in the background!Toward the end of the session, Wallace did what she does best - finds something dead to roll in. She probably had the car stinkin' during the trip home!!And one last image - a bobblehead of Seamus. 'Cause that's just how cute he is!!! :)

Many thanks to Seamus and Wallace's parents for such a great session! I hope to see more of this amazing Westie duo at the beach!

Lola and Charo

As most of you may know, Chihuahuas can be a little shy and tend to get nervous around new people and new big, black objects looking at them (aka, the camera). When I first met Lola and Charo, I took the safe approach and greeted them with treats and stayed down on their level. Charo, the long-haired fuzzy one of the pair, instantly was a fan! Anyone that gave her attention was a-ok in her book. Lola was a little more timid but I could tell she would eventually come out of her shell. As a matter of fact, I was 99% sure that she would be a camera ham by the end. (Spoiler alert! I was right!) I introduce Charo......and Lola...Charo instantly fell into her top model ways. I'm pretty sure she's done this before. ;) She was completely ready to show off her "frizzy cotton ball" look!Lola hung back for a while but really started to come out of her shell once we reached the beach at Lake Norman.She was pretty interested in the water and even got her toes a little wet at one point!The sisters had a blast running around on the sand!Such cuties!!!!Right about this time, Lola really started to steal the show. She totally "got it" and was ready to work it!Lola's like, "yeah, I got this!"When we walked out to the peninsula, we were greeted with the most amazing sunset! Most of the session was shot with cloudy skies - something I normally avoid. However, they worked in our favor since we wanted to capture the background of the lake. As the clouds parted, the sky turned the most gorgeous shades of orange, pink, and purple!And the family enjoying the lovely views...

I heart this sweet family and I hope you enjoyed their sneak peek!