Pictsie and Digby

So what's it like to have 2, 200-ish pound English Mastiffs? Well, be prepared to feed them 4 scoops of dry food, 2 cans of wet food, 1 pound of hamburger, and several dog biscuits and bacon treats each day. Yep, each day! Haha! Plus, you may have to invest in lots of rags to clean drool and perhaps replace a window if a happy-tail gets a little too close (true story). However, and most importantly, you should be prepared to share your home with pups with the biggest hearts! I introduce Digby (the male on the left) and Pictsie (aka, Pixie, the female on the right)...

These two beauties were litter-mates and, as puppies, grew one pound a day!Pictsie and Digby's dad had wanted Mastiffs his whole life. He finally convinced his wife to take on not one, but two! You have to realize that she was more of a cat person at the time so it was quite an adjustment going from 10-pound cats to having 200-pound pups! It was totally worth it and the Mastiffs are the light of his life!Their parents even purchased the extra land behind their house, giving Pictsie and Digby about 4 acres to walk trails and to go hunting for rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and other small creatures. Pictsie and Digby's happy faces tell just how happy they are. They have their own bedroom in the house as well as as huge dog house in the backyard. Yeah...they have it made. :) When they run, they tend to get a little drooly...and when they have treats, and when they are hot, and just about whenever. Their mom even offered to let me borrow a different shirt to drive home in. Heck, I'm used to it and it makes me laugh!Such a gentle giant...They are daddy's dogs without doubt!

And a little outtake! This was one of the very first shots right out of the camera. They just had to make sure the camera wasn't a new, special treat! :)

Happy early Father's Day to Pictsie and Digby's dad! I hope you enjoy the sneak peek!

Bailey's Canvas

I'm simply in love with the software I use to show clients what their artwork will look like on their walls - to scale...with their decor. When Bailey's mom was redecorating one of her rooms, she decided to add a canvas above her couch. Using this software, we decided on a 30x40 canvas with one of her favorite images. I think it looks fantastic! On the left: The Preview

On the right: The final product!!! :)

Oh, and Bailey approves too!

Thank you to Bailey's mom for the wonderful pictures!!!! :)

Bristol - A Furever Puppy

Bristol may be 2.5 years old but that doesn't stop everyone from thinking that this fresh-eyed Golden is still about 8 months old. With a petite 45-pound body and vibrant personality, this sweetheart has everyone fooled. This is just one of the many aspects of Bristol that her parents adore - she is a "fur"ever puppy! Along with her small stature, Bristol is a social butterfly and doesn't know a stranger. She's about as happy as they come and she was ready to show off her different smiles for the camera...

Bristol has tons of energy so we made sure we could get some time in with a tennis ball. Maybe it would take the edge off?All the fun running made Bristol a little on the warm side. While her body may be petite, her tongue is not! ;)Bristol was ready to play in the water but there was an important picture we had to get beforehand. Yep! Her mom and dad are getting married!!!"Can we play in the water now???"Well, we didn't take the edge off earlier with chasing the ball. Nope! Bristol never runs out of energy. She was sooooo excited to go swimming!Haha! Bristol blends right into the sand!When Bristol was a puppy, she chewed up a plastic toy and some of it got stuck in her tummy. She ended up having to have surgery to have it removed. To top it off, her intestine then got a small tear in it and Bristol went septic and had to have another surgery. She spent 9 days in ICU. Now, Bristol is only around toys with supervision.And she enjoys every minute with them...She is such a beautiful girl!!!If you are on a computer, you should be able to see the slideshow of Bristol running into Lake Norman. She's like the Energizer bunny! She keeps going, and going, and going!

Congratulations to Bristol's parents on their recent engagement! I hope this little sneak peek is a nice early Mother's Day surprise! :)

2013 Bark For Life - Lake Norman

Saturday started out as a typical Spring morning - crisp and cool. Fortunately, this chilly temperatures didn't scare away the many people and dogs that were slated to walk in this year's Bark For Life Lake Norman event. As the sun rose and temperatures climbed, participants began to sign in, get their goody bags, and place the American Cancer Society's signature purple bandanas around their pups' necks. It was only a matter of moments before this year's walk through Birkdale Village was to begin! Hooray! As people started filtering in, I happily captured some of the excited doggy faces that were ready to get their exercise in for the day...

Here are some of the fabulous people that were part of my team! They rock! We have raised $725 for the American Cancer Society and there will be even more money added after my donation from print sales! Not too bad for a first year team! :)This year, the walk's ambassador was a Westie named Luka. I had the honor of photographing him in the past and I was so excited when the Bark For Life organizers wanted to have him lead the walk. Despite his condition, Luka took his job very seriously and proudly walked before the crowd. What an angel! There was a great turnout of people and dogs that walked through the streets of Birkdale Village.About 3/4 into the walk, Luka was still in the lead. What a trooper!!!After the walk, the crowd enjoyed some fun contests and giveaways. The participants had a good laugh during the doggy fashion show...

With the help of 25 teams and 185 participants, $21,345.00 was raised for the American Cancer Society's fight against canine and human cancers. A huge thanks goes out to everyone involved, including the dogs, walkers, staff and volunteers. You guys rule!

To see more pictures from the event, check out this site: http://mcgrawphotography.zenfolio.com. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of any prints will go directly to the fundraising efforts of the Bark For Life –  Lake Norman event. Thank YOU!!!

Lottie Dottie, Little Sister and Breezer

Lottie Dottie, Little Sister, and Breezer. Judging by the names, I knew this trio was going to be pretty awesome. This little pack's mom won a session with me in a silent auction during the Humane Society of Charlotte's Ties and Tails Gala back in October. We decided to wait until the Spring to shoot the session to take advantage of the green grass and pretty flowers that their yard offered. I'm so glad we did! These three really showed off their home turf as best they could!

We had a lovely session together and I learned so much about each of these Shih Tzu's personalities.

Lottie Dottie, the gray and white lady on the left, was the most independent of the pack. She was happy to go about her own business unless we could bribe her with some hotdogs, cheese, or carrots. She knew how to get what she wanted! :)

Breezer, the blue-eyed boy in the middle, was the one we were most nervous about. He is a recent foster failure that was rescued from a puppy mill. When he was brought home, he didn't know how to walk down stairs, he wouldn't eat out of a bowl, and he was obviously very skittish. It has been several months since he's been rescued and he's made wonderful strides in learning how to be a real dog! He was actually very cooperative during the session and warmed up to me pretty quickly. His mom is very outspoken against puppy mills and Breezer has now become the poster child for her cause. Love that!

The happy black and white girl on the right is Little Sister. She is so laid back and wanted to be involved in all of the action during the shoot. She has been a big help in making her new brother, Breezer, feel at home.

Each of the pups happily posed by the pretty flowers in the backyard...I thought this was a cute shot of Breezer coming out of his shell. He allowed me to get very close to him with the camera from above - something that can be very intimidating to a timid dog. He was fine as long as he got his hotdogs! :) Little Sister showed Breezer the ropes in getting some action shots!Meanwhile, Lottie Dottie heard treats rattling around and came running!And some cute pics by the lounge chairs... :)

What a wonderful session with some fabulous dogs and heartfelt people! I hope to see more of Breezer's face as his mom speaks out against the puppy mill problem we are dealing with in North Carolina. I want to give a huge THANKS to her for fighting the fight!

Oscar, Harriet, and Reese Cup

I introduce a trifecta of Dachshunds! From left to right - least hairiest to most hairiest - Harriet, Oscar, and Reese Cup! Each one of these 4-legged shorties have personalities as different as their looks. Put together, they have the perfect compilation of traits to complete their household. :)

Harriet is the most shy of the three (except come rabbit hunting time). However, her mom brought a couple of her favorite treats which grabbed her attention long enough for me to get some great shots of her sweet Red Dabble face. I instantly was attracted to the markings on her ears. I think she is stunning...Nothing like gorgeous light and a beautiful pup! Love!Next up is Oscar. This long-haired boy is his mom's heart dog. He can tend to be a little nervous around strangers but, again, the magic trick was some yummy treats. He actually warmed up to me and the camera very quickly. From judging some of his poses, I'd say he was practicing for this shoot for a while. :)"Did you get my good side?"He wanted to make sure I captured how luscious his locks were...He really did pose the whole shoot!Last but not least, we have Reese Cup! Reese is the newest addition to the family but is definitely the mother of the trio. Despite being the most laid back of the three, she won't take her eyes off Harriet and Oscar! She has to make sure they are ok 100% of the time.

She has the perfect name - her fur matches a Reese Cup perfectly!I love how fluffy Reese is. Walking around in the grass, she looked like one of those woolly  bear worms. It was cracking me up! She even kinda moved like one! And the whole pack together... :)

Gus and Sanford

Let me just apologize in advance for such a loooooong post but I just couldn't help myself!!! Once you scroll through the photos, you'll understand why! Gus, a Dachshund, and Sanford, an English Bulldog, joined me on a beautiful day in Davidson. I knew instantly that these two were going to be amazing in front of the camera! While they might not have been the best at sitting or staying and they kept their mom's hands full, it didn't matter in the end! These two burst with personality and their precious faces just scream "I'm the cutest thing EVER"!

I love the handsome bow-ties their mom made special for their photo shoot.We took off to Fisher Farm so the pups would have fewer distractions and have a little room to spread their short legs. The grass was finally starting to turn green and gorgeous little purple flowers were popping up everywhere. The evening light made it a sight for sore eyes...Sanford also enjoyed the fresh Spring air...Gus loves to chase tennis balls so why would I want to stop him? ;)Hehehehe...Some exploring...OMG! I seriously want to steal these two so I could photograph them all the time! Look at those faces!!!If you don't love these two, you officially need to be checked out by a doctor! What a pair!!!

Many props to Gus and Sanford's mom who had her hands full during our shoot. Plus, she was a trooper sitting in the grass in her pretty dress, had to listen to my sickly cough, and put up with me calling Sanford the wrong name (I had a mental block).  I think it was totally worth it!!! I hope she agrees! :)

Bark For Life Charlotte Caught on Video

While taking pictures of the 2013 Bark For Life Charlotte event, I decided to turn my camera over to video and try my hand at a little event videography. Well, props to those people because that isn't easy! I had a shoot list all written out ahead of time and I pretty much had to abandon that right away. Despite the video not coming together as I imagined, I'm still really happy with it and I got to capture some of the cuteness that went on that day. I hope you enjoy!

If you want to see pictures from the event, don't miss the post about the event HERE.

All the technical goodness: Shot with a Canon 5D Mark 3 and 35mm f/1.4 lens (maybe a couple shots with the 50mm f/1.4). Edited with iMovie. Music rights purchased from Triple Scoop Music.