Some of you may recognize Miss Gertie from her super-adorable studio session a couple months ago. Her mom just knew she also wanted to capture her silly lady on-location at her home. We waited until the weather warmed up so we could get Gertie swimming in the pool...her new favorite hobby! After dodging some rain showers, the clouds parted and we had a nice, humid evening poolside. Gertie was excited to see me again (really, she's just excited to see anyone that will play ball with her) and put on her best show. We started off checking out around the backyard before cooling off in the water. :) 
Goofy girl!
How do I keep Gertie's attention? Pull out a squeaky ball. She's all mine!
Uh oh! The ball went in the pool! Better put on the lifejacket just to be on the safe side. Gertie won't go in the pool unless... 
...she has the safety of her pool float to land on first. 
Then there's no stopping her!
Again, her special float (and a super cute give-me-the-ball face)... :) 
I love this little munchkin! (PS - Her mom is the fabulous designer and owner of Olive Yew, a fantastic jewelry shop. You must check it out!)
And my favorite outtake! Gertie doesn't appreciate getting splashed. Hahaha!
Thanks, ladies, for such a fun shoot! So glad we got to de-mosquito and de-stink in the pool! :)
Charlie
I just love it when a dog full of personality and spunk comes into the studio! Meet my latest playful pal, Charlie. I have to start this post with one of my favorite images...a profile shot of his amazing beard...
Charlie needed a little time to warm up to the flashes, but he quickly realized he could get treats for his good modeling skills. :)
His adorable head tilt...
After some serious shots, it was time to pull out his favorite toys! This one is named Beethoven. It's way bigger than Charlie but he still manages to fling it around like it weighs nothing!
His other favorite toy is his hedgehog...
This one is a little more nimble. Haha!
And then there is the random shoe sitting around. Charlie took full advantage of the no-shoes-on-the-backdrop rule.
Man, he is one handsome fellow!
Sometimes Charlie loves on his toys too. Best buds...
I can't wait to see all of Charlie's artwork come in! He's going to have his own special wall above the couch, but shhhhhhh...it's a gift for his dad. :)
Lulu, Bailey, Charlee & Lillie
Lulu, Bailey, Charlee, and Lillie's parents won an on-location session during a silent auction event benefitting the Concord and Greater Cabarrus Humane Society. We quickly scheduled their session and, just before the temperatures went sky-high (along with the humidity), I was able to spend a lovely evening with these gorgeous ladies. This four-pack of pups were absolute dolls and their beauty blew me away. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to photograph them. We started off photographing the eldest of the pack. Lulu is almost 14 but is still a little firecracker! She not afraid to put her sisters in place. She knows she still rules the roost. :)
Next up was Lillie. Now this dog is one gorgeous lady! She is accessorized with brown spots as opposed to the normal black spots found in Dalmatians. And her eyes and personality just sparkle!
Bailey's turn was next. This is Daddy's baby girl. He's putting up a gallery display in his office and Bailey's image is going to be the centerpiece. I totally get it...I'm a sucker for a sweet black Lab too. :)
Last but not least, I got to hang out with Charlee. She's a little more on the shy side but is still a ham for some treats and the ball. Aren't her multi-colored eyes spectacular?
We also got to do quite a bit of playing. The two Dalmatians loved it and were full-on crazy! Haha!
And we of course needed to get an image of all the single ladies (all the single ladies)...excuse my Beyonce moment...
I can't wait until Lulu, Bailey, Charlee and Lillie's artwork comes in! It's going to look amazing on the walls and the album is simply gorg!!!
Millie and Marlowe
Oh My Dog! Oh My Dog! Oh My Dog! That's what kept running through my head during Millie and Marlowe's session...and while I was culling their images...and editing...and designing their album...and on and on and on. Seriously. These two Goldendoodle puppies gave me a perma-grin that I just can't shake. I don't think anyone can handle all of their cuteness. So I'm putting it to the test with this blog post.
We spent a lovely evening in Millie and Marlowe's backyard where these two got to go all out wild! They were wrestling, chasing the ball, and plain ol' acting goofy. I mean, what else would puppies do? I introduce Millie (on the right) and Marlowe (on the left)...
Marlowe is the youngest of the two at just 5 months. I think he's part kangaroo because he's a hopping machine!
Aghhhhhhh! I told you the cuteness would be too much!!!!
Millie is the older sister (actually half-sister) and comes in at 11 months old. She's been through some training and was happy to show off her new "sit" command as well as her don't-ignore-me face!
The whole time I was at their house, Millie and Marlowe never chilled out next to each other. We kinda made this moment happen but only after the craziness you're about to see...
This is more like the puppy-play I witnessed when they were together. Haha! They were full-throttle!!!
What a wonderful and fun time! Their album looks amazing and I'm even ordering a print from this session for one of my new framed print samples. Love, love, love!!!
So, I wanna know...could you handle the cuteness???
Dashiell
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!!!
Happy Day!
Just to make you smile. :) Can't wait to share more of Marlowe and his sister, Millie.
Oliver
According to his mom, Oliver is the All-American dog. He is a black, mixed-breed rescue...in my opinion, one of the best kinds of dogs out there! Now Oliver isn't just your run-of-the-mill pup. Noooo. He's a smarty pants and will do anything for a treat (and don't say that word too loudly). His repertoire of tricks is pretty extensive and he'll go through them all before you have a chance to ask. Oh, and his crooked front paws and head tilt are the cherry on top.
We spent Mother's Day morning hanging out in Oliver's gorgeous back yard. After an hour-and-a-half, I had fallen in love with this fluffy little guy. I would have taken him home with me, but that probably wouldn't be too nice to do to his mom on Mother's Day.
Oliver was a phenomenal model. His mom was a little worried that he wouldn't look at the camera because he shies away from her iPhone. Some treats and a ball solved that issue. :)
This is one of my favs...
Oh, and this one. That face. I tell ya...
And some goofy ones of this sweet boy...
Oliver's eyes are absolutely piercing. I don't know if it was the light or what, but his eyes looked this gorgeous straight out of the camera. Wow!
Thank you so much, Oliver, for knocking our socks off. What a special gift you are to your mother. Everyday must feel like Mother's Day to her. xx!
Luke - Studio Session
Luke is a big ol' puppy with paws as large as my hands. I'm guessing he'll be a 90-pounder or so? When he came into the studio, I had to document all of his puppy goodness. I figured I'd give it a go with some video! As most of you know, I've really been playing around with video and trying to learn everything I can. This was a new experience in and of itself. Shot inside with only available lighting, I quickly realized I'll need to invest in some continuous video lighting if I want to replicate the look of the still images in the studio. Either way, we had a ton of fun and we ended up with a super-cute promo video. I especially love the end...
Pet Portrait Studio from Sarah McGraw on Vimeo.
And I'm sure you'd like to see a closer look of Luke's still images. I adore this big baby!
Thanks so much for coming along on this fun session!
