Currents 2nd Anniversary Party

Wednesday night was a special night for everyone in the Currents Magazine family. Currents celebrated their 2-year anniversary with a fabulous party at the newly relocated Havana Social Club inside the Palace Theatre. The Oscar-themed event featured a red carpet entry, entertainment, wine tasting, and great company with the Currents crew, writers, photographers, designers, and readers.Inside the Palace Theater, guests were given the Paparazzi treatment with a photo op and interviews...A great time was had by all.Entertainment was provided by local recording star and Currents' January cover model, CiCi Jansen. Continuing the Oscar theme, tables were topped with gorgeous Academy Award centerpieces designed by Deborah Bell Design. However, amid the props, there was a real trophy given out. Currents was honored as the 2010 MarCom Gold Winner! Congratulations!

For more pictures from the event, click here: http://www.mcgrawphotography.com/?sproofing=events. The password is: events

Select the Currents Anniversary Party gallery in the lower, left corner and enjoy! I will be adding more photos over the next few days.

Evan is Growing Up

I haven't seen Evan since the beginning of June and I was shocked at how big he had gotten! He is only 7 months old but is already fitting into some clothes made for a 12 month old. He has his first two teeth and is constantly chatting away in his best baby talk! To see his newborn session, click HERE. I couldn't be happier to be the photographer chosen to document Evan's first year of life. These images will be priceless in the coming years...when he starts to walk...begins kindergarten...goes on his first date...leaves for college...gets married...has his own kids. Evan's parents are extremely lucky to have professional photos to remember these fleeting moments.

These images bring a smile to my face every time I look at them. I hope they do the same for you!

Here is Evan on our way to Campbell's Covered Bridge...

My mom said Evan looks like a little Buddha here. I couldn't agree more.Love...What a cute family, including Evan's sister Molly.

Holiday Mini-Session Sneak Peek

We got to celebrate the Holidays a little early on Saturday with Holiday-themed Mini-Sessions at Bone-ified Dog. All of the dogs were great sports and really hammed it up in the studio. Here are a couple of my favorite images so far... We will start off with Rex. He is just a young boy with so much energy. I love how expressive his face is!

I think someone has been naughty...Tigger really wanted to give me tongue shots. I was happy to oblige...How cute are these little ones? They are Dachshund/Poodle mixes. So adorable!

Happy Holidays!!!

Dozer and Sadie

Those that have been following my work for a few months may remember Dozer's studio session back in August. Back then, he was way smaller but with the same amount of attitude (in a good way)! Now he is almost full grown and was ready for another photo shoot. Fortunately, his mom was the lucky recipient of a session gift certificate raffled off at the Dogtopia Charity Dog Wash. This time, she got to include her other baby, Sadie, in the photo shoot. I must say...these two make quite the pair! Sadie is a bit older and has never-ending patience for Dozer's Bulldog antics. I was shocked at how tolerable she was as Dozer tried to steal the show! They really compliment each other nicely. Like they say, opposites attract!

We started off the morning at the neighborhood dog park just after the sun came up. We played with tennis balls, stuffed toys, and the ever-popular orange Cuz (a doggy favorite). Afterwards, we headed back to Dozer and Sadie's house, making a pit stop at a neighborhood green space along the way. Overall, the morning was filled with squirrels, toys, digging in flowers, treats, oh, and TONS of slobbery kisses!

This is Dozer (on the right) and Sadie (on the left). Enjoy the sneak peek!

Dozer stops to smell the roses...Sadie is IN LOVE with her mom. As you can see here, she won't take her eyes off of her...I'm pretty sure Sadie was staring down a squirrel in this image...

Isn't Dozer a "fine specimen of the breed"? (That's for Dozer's mom) :)Dozer is true to his name. He doesn't give up and will bulldoze his way to get what he wants. But, he always looks cute doing it!Sadie's eyes are so gorgeous. Who could say no to a face like this...

Riley and Amadeus

It's that time of year when the temperatures begin to drop, the leaves start changing colors and the evening light takes on a gorgeous golden glow. Saturday evening was no exception and I couldn't have asked for better weather for my photo shoot at Triple Diamond Farm with Riley and Amadeus. This photo shoot was very special to me, not just because of the gorgeous day we were blessed with, but because this was my first session with a horse. Now, I love horses but simply haven't had the opportunity to spend much time with them. On top of that, this shoot was a special gift to my client's daughter whom always dreamt of having a photo shoot done with her horse, Riley. I feel very honored that they chose me for this special occasion.

To set the scene, here is an image of Triple Diamond Farm. Stretched over 200 acres of rolling hills, large grassy fields, wooded trails, and beautiful views, it is a photographer's dream...

Now on to Riley and the gorgeous Anneliese...

Isn't Riley just stunning?Anneliese totally rocked this photo shoot. She was just so natural the whole time! I barely had to direct her at all. You go girl!Seriously? The light was A-MAZ-ING...Riley isn't the only 4-legged member of the family. Amadeus is the family's soon-to-be 8-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog (his birthday is November 4th). This cuddle-bear was ready to ham it up for the camera...especially for some all-natural treats! Amadeus had a blast in the grass and really enjoyed hanging out with us for the evening. And that was the end to our gorgeous evening together. I hope Riley and Amadeus' family enjoy their sneak peek.

Holiday Cards are Here!

I've had so many inquiries on what my custom-designed Holiday Cards were going to look like this year. Well, I'm happy to announce that they are finally here! :) These cheery and colorful cards are playful and fun enough to reflect your pet's personality! They will work great with images from an on-location session, a studio session, or my Holiday Mini-Sessions. These cards are all 5"x7" folded cards, press-printed on gorgeous and eco-friendly Art Recycled paper. They come in sets of 25 and come complete with white envelopes. These are now available to all of my past and future clients so please contact me for details!

These Holiday Cards will be included in all of my Holiday Mini-Sessions. All you have to do is pick your favorite design! For more info on the mini-sessions, click HERE.

Enjoy!

Barktoberfest 2010

The third annual Barktoberfest was held yesterday at the WFNZ Dog House - a great little venue right by Bank of America Stadium. This appropriately named location hosted hundreds of dogs donning their snazzy Halloween costumes all in the name of charity. Each year, the American Cancer Society organizes Barktoberfest to raise money to aid in the fight against human and animal cancers. With the gorgeous weather and large number of attendants, I really hope they met their goal. I had so much fun at the event and enjoyed meeting all of the sweet dogs and people. I must say, this was one of my favorite events of the year.There were plenty of refreshments for the dressed-up dogs including Bowser Beer, water, and treats from Canine Cafe.And of course there were refreshments for us humans! Proceeds from the sale of these awesome pint glasses went to Murray's Fund - a fund which provides financial assistance to people caring for a pet with cancer.There were so many dogs at Barktoberfest! They were all so adorable, yet probably not too happy they were dressed up! :) Here are just a few of the pups that came out to support a good cause...Puppies? Yes, please.The day was filled with contests including Best Kisser, Best Trick, Biggest Dog, Smallest Dog, Cutest Costume, Scariest Costume, Best Doggy/Owner Costume Duo, and Best in Show.And the winner of Best in Show! Doesn't he really look like a lion?!? His mom hand-made this...without a pattern...over a period of a couple days...and has won two years in a row! Dedication!And some more doggies with their people... Thank you to everyone that came out to Barktoberfest. If you are looking for more pictures, you can find them here: www.mcgrawphotography.com. Click on the Client Area tab and enter the password "events". Then, select Barktoberfest 2010 from the category list. I will be adding more over the next few days! :)

Holiday Mini Sessions - Update

If you are looking for fun dog portraits for your holiday cards, look no further! Spots are filling up fast for the 2010 Holiday Mini Sessions! Just as a reminder, the first date is November 6th at Bone-ified Dog and the second date is November 13th at Dogtopia. Please contact me to reserve your spot now!

Now, please keep in mind, these aren't your cliche studio sessions with cheesy backdrops and silly props. No! These are modern, fun pet portraits for the contemporary family, shot in the same fashion as my normal studio sessions (for samples of my studio work, please check out my main website). Only minimal props will be used to give your images that special holiday flair. They will be perfect for the included custom greeting cards and prints!

Each session will last 20-ish minutes and will include everything listed below. You will also be assigned a private, 7-day online gallery to review your 6-10 final edited images. The entire McGraw Photography Catalog will also be available to order from if you would like any additional items.

These fun studio sessions will be available for up to 2 dogs. For additional dogs, we ask that you book a second session. The session fee is due at the time of the photo shoot and an 8.25% NC sales tax will be added to the total due. Bone-ified Dog is located at 20901 Torrence Chapel Road, Suite 104 in Cornelius, NC. If you would like to schedule a discounted grooming or bath along with your photo shoot, please contact them at 704-987-7770. Dogtopia is located at 616 Springbrook Road, Charlotte, NC. For doggy day care and boarding, you can contact them at 704-333-3063.

Hope to see you soon!!! :)