Brutus, Caesar and Diesel

It's a horrible feeling thinking something is going to happen to your beloved pet. Trust me...I just went through a scare with my cat, Teton. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I was pretty sure he was heading down the road to Rainbow Bridge. Thankfully, with the help of the AMAZING staff at Independence Veterinary Clinic, Teton was better and back to his old self by Monday. Wow. It was a really long and tear-filled weekend. That same relief is, I'm sure, what Brutus' mom felt after he got the all-clear from his liver shunt surgery. You see, Brutus was born with a congenital birth defect which allows some blood coming from his stomach to bypass the liver. Those nasty toxins go straight into his bloodstream which is a recipe for disaster. This condition is very rare in cats and it manifested itself as blindness after Brutus was neutered (the blindness thankfully went away).

Brutus had surgery on August 26th. It was very risky with not a ton of success in cats. We, of course, immediately scheduled a session should the unthinkable occur. Brutus also had his Abyssinian brother, Caesar, join in.

Thankfully, after much observation and many tests, Brutus has gotten the all-clear and the liver shunt has been corrected. I couldn't be more happy for this seriously sweet and wonderful family. What a huge sigh of relief we all felt. With the good news, they even added on a third kitten after our original session! The little guy is named Diesel and we decided to have a fun little session with him in the studio!

I hope you enjoy some of the images from these kitty sessions. Virtual hugs to this entire family!!!!

Because these guys are hard to tell apart, I'll start off with the main focus of the shoot...Brutus! I'm head over heals about these kitties on this animal print goodness!!!

This curious guy is Caesar. He definitely did his best to steal the spotlight. He kinda did. ;)Love between mom and Brutus...On to the crazy boy Diesel!!! I mean, he's an adorable kitten let loose in a studio full of toys. This is awesomeness!His jig...The absolute favorite pastime of Diesel's is to attack the cowhide rug. So of course we had to include that! OMG!Thanks again to this fab kitty family. I'm so glad everyone is happy and healthy! I hope you enjoy your wall art and album for years and years!!!! :)

Serta Pet Beds

I couldn't be more excited to share some of the fun images we got during a commercial shoot for Serta Pet Beds! Their new and jazzy website is now live! I for one know just how great these beds look and feel. I spent hours and hours stuffing them, setting them up, photographing them, and yes, lying down in them (they are super-comfy...I'd rather sleep in them than my bed!). Without further ado, here are the stunning models showing off their favorite beds...I really love the True Timber line. Camo is so hot right now!And a few screen shots from the new site. Go and check it out for yourself! www.brandedpetbeds.comAnd of course I had to include this last screen shot. See that little black paw down there? Yep, that's my little Sadie's paw. She was so patient while we got her leg at just the right angle. I'm so proud! :)If your pup has what it takes for commercial work (VERY well-trained, fit, etc), stay tuned to my Facebook page because I have model calls on a regular basis. :)

Svennie and Willow

Puppy mills are a huge problem in North Carolina and Svennie was one of the many, many dogs that have to suffer the consequences of our lack of laws and punishments. A year ago, Svennie was rescued during a puppy mill raid. She was only 6 months old but she was already left with the everlasting health effects...including meningitis. Her parents gave her all the medical care, love, and feeling of home that she was denied for the first part of her life. Despite all of their efforts, the balancing act between Svennie's prednisone and meningitis became too much for her delicate body to handle. Sadly, we scheduled her Angel Session as she was being weaned off her last round of meds.

Willow, Svennie's sister, joined in on the session too. She provided some comic relief for what was a very heartbreaking session.Some of my favorite images were of Svennie with her mom. Although they only got to share 1 year together, their love was like no other.Rest in peace, sweet Svennie. We will do all we can in your honor to make this puppy mill problem a thing of the past.

Simone

Back in the day, I learned photography with black-and-white film. I developed my own negatives, printed my own prints, and even made a make-shift darkroom in the laundry room of one of my apartments while in college. Needless to say, black-and-white images hold a near and dear place in my heart. However, typically with pet photography, the gorgeous sunlight and outdoor locations really scream for color. I typically only convert images to black-and-white when people are included in the shots. This allows the emotion and connection between subjects to shine through. Strangely, when I was editing Simone's gallery, something just begged for black-and-white conversions. I don't know if it was the indoor location, the beautiful "eyeliner" around her eyes, or the dynamics of a kitty-cat's life. I grinned from ear to ear when I saw how lovely this feline subject became in a monochromatic image. Therefore, I've dedicated this entire post to Simone in black-and-white. :)

As a side note, I really approached this session as a day-in-the-life of a cat. I, of course, threw in some portraits, etc, but I really wanted to focus on capturing the essence of this little rescue kitty subject. So, naturally, we start off by sunbathing in the warm morning sunlight...

Then it is playtime.A.D.D....is that a bird? or just a leaf falling?Just hanging out on her throne.This has to be one of my favorites. It's so quintessential cat overlooking her kingdom...Nothing like a good chin rub and some exploring.And the most adorable series of a kitty I've seen! ;)After all the adventures, it's time for a nap in the sunroom...I hope you enjoyed this black-and-white day-in-the-life of Simone. :) I can't wait to see this story come together in her Coffee Table Album! Meow!

Fergie

Some days are just made for the perfect photo shoot. The day I met Fergie, the sun was out, there was a slightly cool breeze, and the colors of fall were starting to appear. We met in an abandoned field that was filled with gorgeous yellow flowers which complimented Fergie's wavy fur. Her spunky personality was on full display as she bounced around, explored, and chewed on sticks.

Even though Fergie had a busy day of traveling (she'd been visiting rescues looking for a fur-buddy), she could keep going and going. Every once in a while her eyes would get a little heavy, but then the breeze would bring in a new smell and her face would perk right up again.

Man, I just love this happy little girl! Meet Fergie, the 10-month-old Cockapoo...

Fergie's beautiful parents even joined in for some pics. Isn't that a lovely family?!?This session had definitely made me ready for the fall season! The colors throughout this shoot are going to be phenomenal in Fergie's Coffee Table Album! Can't wait!!!

Currents Magazine Pet Issue

I had so much fun photographing Ace, the 2014 winner of the Lake Norman Currents Magazine cover contest. He beat out 50+ other pups in a contest that would land the winner's face on the October pet issue - all to benefit Friends of the Animals. When Ace isn't workin' his stuff in front of my camera, he's a medical alert service dog who is specially trained to alert his mom of changes in her blood sugar. And here are a couple of the fun shots we got while hanging out during our shoot...

And here is the talented Ace on the cover. Now that's a handsome boy...

Mr. Banks

When you get the opportunity to photograph an unbelievably cute and scruffy dog for some large artwork for a vet's office, you jump. Like ASAP. And, man, I tell ya, Mr. Banks didn't disappoint. Here are just a few of the amazingly cute images this superstar knocked out in a matter of about 30 minutes. He didn't waste any time hamming it up!

And the final product? This 30x40 canvas is proudly hanging in the lobby of West Ballantyne Animal Hospital! Stop by to check it out! (Photo Credit: West Ballantyne Animal Hospital)

Ender, Princess & Magoo

The Smith family is a family of animal lovers. They are very active in the Iredell county rescue circles and have three adorable pups of their own...Ender, Princess and Magoo. Ender is a sweet 8-year-old Doberman that loves her frisbee and a good game of fetch. She loves to run in her large backyard as well as look for bunnies and other tiny intruders. She also has the hobby of being super irresistible as seen here...Princess is actually the little "queen" of the clan. She's a 9-year-old Chi with a few tricks up her sleeve...Last but not least, there is Magoo. Although a little timid of strangers, Magoo warmed up quickly to my treats and tennis ball. :) This scruffy pup is well known for his bouncy run and it was on the "must-have" shot list! Our session took place on an absolutely spectacular evening with the lovely sun sparkling through the pine trees. I'm so lucky Ender invited me into his backyard to capture the gorgeousness!Of course we had to get him playing with his favorite toys!Usually the dogs my clients worry most about end up being the best models. Magoo was the classic example and ended up being the biggest camera ham! Tiny Princess tried to keep up with her brothers and did a little running after the ball. It didn't take long before she tired of the grass and was ready to get to solid land.Her eyes!!!! Gorg!

So you wanna know the real reason for this session?!? Well, this furry family is expecting their first baby of the 2-legged variety!!! Woohoo! The pups joined in for some cute pictures for the baby announcement. Everyone join in and leave them a big congrats!!! :)