So, no, he is not a Spice Girl. In fact he's a boy...a very handsome one at that. This little fluffernut is a cutie Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix) named Sport.
Sport was an absolute DREAM to photograph. As long as I had a treat, I had his FULL attention. He would just sit/lay/stand in front of the camera until he was "released" or fed a treat. From what his mom says, this is way different than he used to be when he was younger. Evidently, back in his heyday, Sport was a little bit of a crazy boy (weren't we all?). He's since calmed down and has even done several years of volunteering with at-risk children. What an angel...
Sport is now 11 years old and as healthy as can be. He's had a couple knee surgeries that have slowed him down a bit but he still enjoys going on long walks through his neighborhood.
One of Sport's favorite places to go is The Green located right in the middle of his hood. The neighborhood pups all meet there on Saturday mornings and have a fun play hour. :) Sport has quite a few friends he gossips with during this weekly meet-up.
Because of his past surgeries, Sport is a little wonky when he runs. I just couldn't help but post one of the images of the faces he makes!
Don't you just want to lean down and kiss this little munchkin?!?!?!
Thank you, Sport, for being such a doll! I can't wait to see you again soon!! xx!!!
Tucker - Studio Session
For a little over a year, I had a tiny little 11x8 foot office that I used for client meetings and ordering consultations. When we made the move to Uptown Charlotte, I knew I had to move my office out of Cornelius. I looked for months and months and finally found a place that would just be large enough for what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to have a big enough space to meet with clients, work out of, AND do studio work. My new space isn't super big or fancy - just 360-ish square feet - but it gets the job done. My husband and I have been trying to personalize the space since we moved in and we are nearly finished (pics to come soon!). Fortunately, it's far enough along that I can already set up my studio background and lights. I'm so excited to be shooting in the studio again...no need to worry about weather, time of day, etc. Plus, I love the nice clean look it gives!
So without further ado, I'll be featuring some of my latest studio work here on the blog! Hooray!
One of the first models in the new space was Tucker. Please give a warm welcome to this multi-colored and very unique looking handsome boy!!!
Cosmo
Cosmo's session was scheduled for a "warmer" day - about 43 degrees - which, at that time, was warm for the weather pattern we were having. Yeah. Well, turned out Mother Nature wanted to bring along a crazy wind chill with that so it wasn't so "warm". I'm talking, bundled up and still freezing kinda winds. Obviously, little Cosmo is a Chihuahua and they are very sensitive to the cold. We would go out a shoot a picture and then come right back in to get her warm. It was pretty obvious that it was going to be stressful on her so we scrapped the session for the afternoon and decided to try again the next day. It was probably the best decision because we lucked out with a very pretty evening and Cosmo was much more comfortable. She certainly got to show off her sweet little personality! :)
This is Cosmo to a T! She is a little superstar!!!
She loved my liver treats and wanted to let me know! 
Cosmo likes to be transported in her fashionable animal print bag. It doubles as a body warmer and it looks so chic (as does her mom)!
Cosmo's different faces crack me up! I don't think I've ever seen this many different expressions from a Chihuahua!
This one is the killer for me. It looks like someone drew a smily face right on her mouth. I just wanna grab her and give her a big kiss!
Thanks to Cosmo for being such a patient model and hanging in there for our second day. I look forward to seeing your supermodel poses in the studio! :)
Rocky - Beach Sessions
I've been a little down lately and I think the cold temps are making me a little cabin fever-ish. I really despise cold weather and it's been way colder than normal here in Charlotte this winter. I mean, I used to live (and love) Phoenix and I'd take 120 degrees over 20 degrees ANY day! Ugh! Fortunately, Spring is just around the corner which means it's time for my annual Spring trip to the beaches of North Carolina. As I was putting this post together, I already felt better remembering and seeing the warm sand, the smell of the bursting flowers, and the welcome rays of sun shining down on my head. Spring is one of my absolute favorite times of the year - especially when I get to celebrate it with sand in between my toes.
That being said, I'm excited to announce the dates for my Spring trip to Emerald Isle, NC. I'll be there from March 19th-23rd and I'll be offering a handful of beach sessions (and Moving Pet Portraits). This is a great opportunity to capture your pups romping on the beach without having to pay for my travel expenses.
BEACH SESSIONS - $1000
includes...
- 1-2 Hour Session for up to 2 dogs (from same household)
- 30 Fully-Edited High Resolution Digital Files w/Print Release
- 3-Day Online Proofing Gallery
- Skype or In-Person Ordering Consultation
And because I'm sure you'd like to see what Spring looks like in Emerald Isle, here's a little peek from last year's session with Rocky...
Usually the fields of wildflowers are in full swing in March. They are magical and make for some of the most brilliant and spectacular images. I haven't found anything like them in the Charlotte area. So if you want this, you gotta have a beach session (it doesn't always have to be only beach images)! ;)
Of course, you gotta have some beach shots, right? After we photographed the in the flowers, we loaded Rocky up and headed to one of the largest beaches I've ever seen.
And Rocky went crazy!!! The water is still pretty chilly in the Spring so he decided to steer clear of it.
And he wore himself out pretty quickly. What a tough life...
If you are interested in booking a beach session with your pup, please contact me right away. Booking will close several weeks before the session dates.
Murphy - The Goldendoodle
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. :)
Becks, Ellie & Sienna
I've very excited to share my latest Moving Pet Portrait of Becks, Ellie, and Sienna... This footage was shot back at the end of September for a fabulous pet photographer from Atlanta, Leesia Teh. She, her husband, and her three pups made the 4-hour trip up to Cornelius (where I was living at the time) just so I could shoot this video. I was very nervous as Leesia was one of the first photographers I learned of after I started my pet photography business. I really wanted to impress - even though I was still very much a newbie at the whole video thing. With all the pressure I put on myself, I was so embarrassed when they had to come to our apartment! We had sold our house, was waiting for an updated closing date on our new place and we were living among stacks of boxes. So much for first impressions! Ha!
That aside, we lucked out with an absolutely gorgeous sunny afternoon to shoot with. We hopped over to a huge abandoned field where the dogs could safely be off-leash (there's no Photoshopping out leashes in video!). I had a shoot-list written down that I generally went by. However, these dogs were so good and had so many tricks up their paws that I kinda threw the shoot-list out. Becks, Ellie and Sienna totally blew me away! They were seriously a dream!
Just over 3 months later, I finally have Leesia's video complete. Yes, she knew it would take a while - I had to move my house, my studio, and get through the Fall/Christmas season. I certainly hope the wait was worth it!!! I think this Moving Pet Portrait capture these dogs (and parents) in a way stills can't.
I hope you enjoy!!!
Becks, Ellie & Sienna - Moving Pet Portrait from Sarah McGraw on Vimeo.
Technical info: Shot with a Canon 5D Mark III, 35mm f/1.2, 50mm f/1.4. Supports: Handheld, tripod, and Fig-Rig. Editing: iMovie (although I hope to upgrade to Final Cut before the next one). Song: Little Red Bike by Mindy Gledhill licensed through Triple Scoop Music.
Amos - Humane Society Cover Dog
A new tradition began at the Humane Society of Charlotte's 2012 Ties and Tails Gala. It was the first year they auctioned off the opportunity to have your dog be the "Cover Dog" for the event. This meant your pup would be on all of the promotional pieces advertising the next Gala. Yep, that meant on websites, printed ads, newspaper and magazine articles, etc. How cool is that?!? The winner of the 2012 auction and 2013 Cover Dog was Emma (check out her images here). She had her image blasted all over the Charlotte area and her mom loved every minute of it! :)
The winner of the auction this year was Amos, an oh-so-handsome black Giant Schnauzer. During our brief session together, this stunner managed to pull of all kinds of looks for the Humane Society to choose from. Could he possibly be the next Zoolander?!? I personally love his big smile pose.
If you are interested in having your dog be the Cover Dog for the 2015 Ties and Tails Gala, be sure to attend the Gala in October and bid away! In the meantime, I look forward to seeing Amos's cute mug all around Charlotte this year!
Graham
Graham has to be the cutest cotton ball on 4 legs EVER! When I saw Graham get out of the car, I was so in love with how big his head was! He is certainly the fluffiest-headed Bichon I've seen and I love it! :)
The afternoon we met, the weather was fighting rain and there was a chill in the air. We were determined to go through as Graham's session had been rained out twice before. Graham didn't even notice the weather... he was too busy posing...
We explored the greenway just outside of Uptown. It was pretty cool how many different backgrounds there were in such a small area. We checked out the stonework in the parks...
...as well as along the creek-front. Graham has no interest in getting in the water but he enjoyed checking out the sites.
Graham found some really cool grass that he wanted us to see...
We even got some cuddle time in with his people. :)
Watch out! Cotton ball coming through!!!
He's one handsome boy if I do say so myself!
And lastly, one of my favorites. Graham didn't care much about my treats or noises. Here, I made a high-pitched enough squeak for him to give me a little head tilt. Awwww!
I hope you enjoyed Graham's sneak peek! If you see a Bichon with a bigger head-to-body ratio, I wanna see pics!!! ;)
