Bark for Life - Charlotte

Saturday marked a beautiful day for Bark for Life - Charlotte! The sun was shining and it beckoned hundreds of dogs and their people to come out and walk to raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer. 39 teams and over 300 participants joined together to raise over $43,300! Congratulations to everyone involved! Check out the huge crowd that gathered at the WFNZ Dog House...

The Carolina Panthers stadium went to the dogs as walkers enjoyed a 1.5-mile loop around the landmark.And what is a doggy event without pictures of dogs?I've said this before and I will say it again...I absolutely love participating in any American Cancer Society event. Not only is the organization wonderful to work with, everyone that participates is equally warm, loving, and open-hearted. Many, many thanks go out to all of the people and their canine companions that came out to this wonderful event.

If you would like more information about the event or would like to make a donation, please check out the event website HERE.

For more photos from the event, click HERE. Enjoy! All of the images will be up by Tuesday, April 12th at 8pm.

Little Kitty - Cat Photography

A couple weeks ago, I showed off a few images from a rare kitty session (for the original post, click HERE). Since then, I've had a few requests to feature more cats on the blog. Unfortunately, not many kitties get the chance to have a photo shoot so I figured I would take pictures of my own! I was setting up my studio for a magazine shoot when Little Kitty (yes, that's her name!) decided to step in and be a model for a few minutes... This is Little Kitty's "Wasp"/"Mad Hooty Owl" look. She looks like she's ready to swoop in for the sting...

Bark for Life - Lake Norman

Saturday morning marked a first for the American Cancer Society. It was their first Bark for Life event held at Birkdale Village in Huntersville, NC. The morning was cold and gloomy but spirits were high as a large group of dogs and their people came out to walk in support of the battle against human and animal cancers. The one mile walk began in Birkdale, circled through the adjoining neighborhood and finished along the wetlands behind the Village. The rain held off long enough to finish the walk and even include some Just for Fun contests. Many thanks to all of the participants that braved the cool weather and came out to support a good cause. I always enjoy events put on by the American Cancer Society and this was certainly no exception. I enjoyed everyone's laughs, smiling faces, and most importantly, their pups.

I'll start off the parade of dogs with the 2011 Canine Ambassador. This is Peyton, a playful 10-year-young Lab who was diagnosed with a Grade II myxofibrosarcoma that was removed from his ribs in late 2010 and is now cancer free. Isn't he handsome...This little fellow wrapped up the end of the pack. He wasn't too keen on walking very far... This was a shoe-in for best kisser!

For more photos from the event, click HERE. Enjoy! All of the images will be up by Tuesday, March 29th at 5pm.

If you missed Bark for Life - Lake Norman, don't fear! ACS is hosting another Bark for Life event in uptown Charlotte on Saturday, April 9th at the WFNZ Dog House. I invite you to come out and walk for a cause!

Thanks again to all of the great participants!!!

Mountain Weekend

The weekend after my beach trip, I headed up in elevation and spent a couple days in the mountains of West Jefferson, NC. I was lucky enough to hang out with a couple other NC pet photographers...Mary Curry (www.marycurryphotography.com), Amy Choate (www.amychoate.com), and Nunthany Johnson (www.nunthanyjohnson.com). We rented a cute little cabin named the Rustic Retreat. The name is misleading, however, as this cabin was perfect for our little get-together!

What are a group of pet photographers going to do when they get together. Yep! Photograph pets. Unfortunately, we couldn't bring our own furbabies. Cabin rules. So went went on a hunt for some cute pups to be our stand-in models.

Luckily, we ran into some neighbors that happened to be out walking their dogs while we were driving down off the mountain. They were more than accommodating and let us have an impromptu session right there in the street (no worries...it was just a neighborhood gravel drive). Not only did these neighbors own two dogs, they also had 4 cats - one of which took it upon herself to be included in the nightly walk. She was more than curious when it came to the camera and quickly warmed up to the idea of a photo shoot. While the other girls photographed the dogs, I made the kitty my model. Meet my new friend, Rosie...

Rosie was so curious about the camera...So, so curious...The wind was really blowing this evening and leaves were flying everywhere. One caught Rosie's eye...Score! Of course I had to get a shot of her sisters. This is Trixie... And Sable...And one last one of my sweet Rosie. I really feel in love with this cat. Just look at her cute little smile and those gorgeous eyes. I heart you.

Emerald Isle Trip

A few weekends ago, I took a much needed break and headed over to Emerald Isle, NC for a few days. On our first full day at the beach, we decided to take a short ferry ride over to Shakleford Banks - a 9-mile long island known for its shelling and wild horses. I wasn't sure what to expect. Were we even going to see the horses? Nine miles is a lot of territory to cover in just a couple hours. Maybe we would just have a picnic on the beach and enjoy the beautiful weather. Either way, it was going to be awesome! As soon as we arrived, we climbed over the first dune in front of us. Sure enough, off in the distance, a couple wild horses were grazing on the grass. This was already exceeding my expectations!As we explored the island, we discovered more and more horses. We got as close as we *respectfully* felt comfortable and quickly realized the horses were barely taller than me - they looked more like ponies. They had gorgeous wispy hair and beautiful coloring. I especially liked these two...Not only did we start the day off with seeing the wild horses, we also got to enjoy a little picnic on the beach. During the off-season, not many people were visiting and it felt like we had the entire island to ourselves.We were graced with the presence of a wild horse taking a stroll along the beach. He walked right past us. How cool is that?!?Back at the house, we gave the dogs a chance to explore the beach. This was Sadie's first visit so she had to stay pretty close to us...The cooler temps didn't stop Eva from going for a dip in the water.The next couple pics were taken with my iPhone. We had a wicked storm come through on the second day but the clouds parted just before sundown. Foam lined the beach and a gorgeous double rainbow filled the sky.

Next time I go back to Emerald Isle, I am definitely returning to Shakleford Banks. They allow camping and DOGS on the island! Looks like I'll be packing my tent!

"Happy Hour" Sessions

Daylight Savings time is here again and it can only mean two things. 1) I got up waaaaaay too late this morning, and 2) happy hour sessions are back! What is a happy hour session? Well its not really an hour - its a standard length session - just one that takes place after a 9 to 5 work day! Now that the sun goes down later, there is enough time to do pet sessions after normal work hours during the week! Yay! That means Spring is almost here! :)

From the Sea to the Mountains

I know, I know. I have my blog title backward. But that's the direction I traveled the last few weeks! Last week I spent several days relaxing on the beaches of Emerald Isle, NC and this weekend, I hung out in a cabin in the mountains of West Jefferson, NC. Here is a little sneak peek of the blog posts from each of my adventures. Stay tuned...

iPhone Photo of the Day

Rocky is famous! Well, not really...but almost. Here is my new sign featuring the "Hot Rock" that just got installed at Ramsey Creek Dog Park in Cornelius, NC. Check it out next time your up this way! It's located just inside the gate on the big dog side.