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!!! ;)

Goodbye in 2013

At the end of each year, I like to honor those 4-legged family members that have crossed over rainbow bridge. I like to think their spirit lives on and they are still by our side - just in a different form - secretly giving us slobbery kisses as we sleep... Rudy - Rudy crossed the bridge just days after our session. However, her shoot was filled with laughter and smiles - the perfect way to say goodbye...

Rhett Butler -  Rhett had been living with a heart condition that finally took him over the bridge. His family now misses his signature slobber marks.

Carly - Carly said goodbye a few months after her first human sister was born. Carly left happy knowing her baby sis made it into the world safely.

Shelby - Shelby fought a long, hard battle with cancer. Her Angel Session captured her while she still felt good and her perky ears and long tongue showed off her personality.

Andora - Andora said goodbye very quickly, leaving her dad and mom heartbroken. They've since gotten a new puppy and Andora is keeping them all protected from above.

Luka - Luka went out with a bang. He was the ambassador for the 2013 Bark For Life Lake Norman event and represented all the dogs out there battling cancer.

Lacey - Lacey crossed the bridge soon after her brother, Luka. This sweet, ol' gal was ready to reunite with her brother and play free.

Griffin - Griffin was in remission when we had his session hence the HUGE smile on his face! Sadly, the cancer returned shortly after. He's now playing ball over the bridge...

Scooter - Scooter's mom did each. and. every. thing. she could possibly do to keep Scooter comfortable before he said goodbye. He really didn't want to leave such a wonderful mom.

Pepper - I've photographed Pepper a couple times - the last being at the beach. I hope she is now chasing the seagulls leash-free.

Our pets come and go faster than we could ever imagine and they certainly never leave our hearts. Many hugs to all the pet parents out there that have had to say goodbye in 2013. {{{hugs}}}

Briar

Dogs are similar to people in that, as they age, they tend to get set in their ways. Briar is certainly no different. Briar is a pretty chill, fluffy furball that loves to lounge around and take it easy. He loves hanging out at the pond in his neighborhood so we decided to let him do what he loves most. We spent a chilly, but sunny, afternoon together just taking in the gorgeous sights. He had no plans of doing anything different. ;)

This happy face is loved dearly by his human dad. Lucky for dad, Briar's mom set the session up as a surprise Christmas gift for him! Briar would give me a split-second of his attention while I gave him a treat. Then it was right back to checking out more interesting things. Ha!OMG! The light that day was amazing! It made Briar's fur glow like an angel! This is seriously what Briar would do all. day. long. if you let him... Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph you doing what you love most. I hope your dad enjoyed his fabulous gift!!!