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Archive: September, 2016



Molly & Cody, Goldendoodles from San Diego!

Friday, September 30th, 2016

I had the pleasure of meeting Molly & Cody, two goldendoodles, for their photo session recently! And I knew that Molly would be a dream to work with – I’d met her before, at her dad’s office – and she’s a typical, outgoing, 1-year-old, happy-go-lucky goldendoodle who can make friends with anyone! Cody was just as adorable, but in a distinguished, 12-year-old senior way, haha – and from his appearance I wouldn’t have guessed that he’s a goldendoodle in a hundred years! He looks like a totally different kind of dog, but a very handsome one, of course, so I really enjoyed working with him too.

We started our photo session in the studio, where Molly was happy to explore and play, whereas Cody’s activity of choice was laying down to relax. We headed to Coronado Ferry Landing for a few images with the San Diego skyline, and it was a fun challenge to photograph Molly on a dock, since we had to be careful that she wouldn’t jump straight into the water, haha! And then we skipped over to the beach in front of the Hotel Del Coronado, where the dogs ran & played until the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, leaving us with a brilliant sky. I had such a great time with these happy dogs!

 

This is Molly! Such a sweet girl.

goldendoodles photo

 

Beautiful dog, beautiful city… what more could you want?

goldendoodle san diego

 

And this is Cody! All smiles on the beach.

coronado beach dog photo

 

Instead of sprinting back & forth around the beach like his sister, Cody prefers to go at a slower pace. I love his happy, contented demeanor – such a beautiful old soul.

coronado beach dog

 

 

Paul & Susan, I had a fabulous time with you! Thank you for introducing me to your adorable goldendoodles – I can’t wait to show you the rest of our images soon! :)

 

Lira the Lagotto Romagnolo Puppy in San Diego, CA!

Friday, September 16th, 2016

My favorite kind of dog is… drumroll please… quite simply, a happy one. I love working with cheerful pups who don’t mind smiling for the camera – and while I’ve worked with dozens of labradors, retrievers, pit bulls & mutts over the years, I recently had the chance to photograph a very unique type of happy dog! Lira is a Lagotto Romagnolo, a breed recognized just last year by the AKC! I was so excited to meet a breed that I’ve never photographed before – because after being in business for almost 6 years, that doesn’t happen every day! But if every lagotto romagnolo is like Lira, then sign me up to work with all of them, haha!

Lira & her mom met me at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego for their photo session, and in fact, they agreed to help me out with a very special new project that I’m undertaking – more on that coming soon! But we had a (mostly) normal photo session, full of smiles & wags from miss Lira, and a ton of fun. And Lira’s mom Debbie is a talented photographer too – so I was even more honored to work with her sweet girl!

This is Lira – a fluffy, curly-haired, well-behaved, impeccably-trained, happy Lagotto Romagnolo!

lagotto romagnolo photo

 

Lira can really RUN! She’s so fast, and it was hilarious to see those fluffy ears bounce as she bounded toward us!

lagotto romagnolo running

 

We ended our photo session with Lira in her rightful place as Queen of the Mountain. Clearly.

lagotto romagnolo dog

 

 

Debbie, thank you so much for introducing me to your darling girl! (And for being such a willing participant in our project!) I can’t wait to share the rest of our photos with you soon!

 

Maverick the Black Lab at the Del Mar Dog Beach

Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

Some dogs seem to be born graceful. They walk gently and run swiftly; every movement seems carefully & delicately measured, with a deer-like grace and softness.

Maverick is NOT one of those dogs!

I visited the Del Mar dog beach with Maverick the black lab for our photo session, and he ran like a crashing cannonball through the water! His paws pounded the sand as he powered through any oncoming wave (or person, or dog!) and there was simply no stopping his momentum… it was amazing (and hilarious) to see! Maverick has a passion for playing fetch, and it’s all he wanted to do that day. In fact, I was a bit nervous about visiting the Del Mar dog beach, such a popular & busy spot, for our session, since other dogs & people are usually a huge distraction for most pups… but Maverick’s mom assured me that he wouldn’t be interested in anything besides his ball. And she was right! Maverick has a one-track mind when he’s at the beach; it’s all about fetch, and he’s not afraid to go swimming in deep water to get that ball back. In fact, after a few times of dropping the ball for his dad when he was only halfway back to the shore, I asked if he was getting too tired to bring it all the way back – and his dad said nope, he just likes to stay in the water! So he stays out there and waits for his dad to come out to him & throw the ball again! Ha! I had a great time playing at the Del Mar dog beach with Maverick, and I’m so excited to introduce you to him!

 

That big, happy smile is permanently on Maverick’s face when he’s at the beach. And I don’t blame him.

black lab

 

He can move through the waves! Fetch is serious business, he doesn’t waste a second.

black lab san diego

 

That pre-throw look of anticipation…

black lab photo

 

Siobhan & Bob, thanks for a fun morning at the beach! I’m looking forward to sharing the rest of our images with you soon! :)

 

Poppy the Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix in San Diego, CA

Sunday, September 11th, 2016

When I first spoke with Poppy’s mom, she described Poppy as “a Rhodesian ridgeback that someone put in the dryer!” And I think it’s a pretty accurate description; Poppy looks so much like a purebred Rhodesian, only about 40 lbs smaller! (and without the ridge, but hey, not even all purebred Rhodesians have the ridge either!)

Poppy is a cautious, somewhat timid dog. She isn’t too sure of new places or new people – and during our Pre-Session Consultation, it took a while for her to get comfortable. But she did, and I’m so glad she & her mom came over for a “meet and greet” appointment before our photo session ever took place. I think it did wonder’s for Poppy’s confidence when she came back to the studio for the second time! So our session went smoothly, if a bit slowly… but Poppy is like the tortoise, not the hare. She ended up absolutely rocking our photo session, and I’m thrilled with the results! And I think you can see her sweet personality in these photos… Poppy is a wonderful, happy dog and I pretty much fell in love with her shy little self during our session. (Can you blame me? Plus, she looks so much like my Bailey!)

 

What a gorgeous girl & sweet smile. I’m so glad you “braved” the studio, Poppy! (Can you see how she’s a Rhodesian ridgeback mix?)

rhodesign ridgeback mix

 

We also visited Mission Trails Regional Park, and did a bit of exploring (which all Rhodesians love to do).

rhodesian ridgeback mix

 

Seriously, that profile kills me! Poppy is beautiful, don’t you think?!

rhodesian ridgeback mix picture

 

Stephanie, I had a great time with both of you! And I’m excited to show you the rest of our images very soon! :)

 

Rancho Penasquitos Pet Photography Session with Ally & Teddy!

Friday, September 9th, 2016

Usually, when a client says to me, “we can do the whole session in our backyard!” I hate to say it but I’m a little bit skeptical. In San Diego, most backyards aren’t ideal photo session locations – and while there are always exceptions, I always wonder: is there enough room to run around? Are there any trees or flowers for visual interest? Is there any grass, and if so, is it lush & green, or brown & struggling? Honestly, it’s tricky to check off all those boxes. (My own backyard certainly doesn’t!) So when Ally & Teddy’s mom contacted me about their “backyard”, I had all those questions for her – and I was very pleasantly surprised at the answers! Turns out, Ally & Teddy’s house backs up to a massive “green belt” in their neighborhood! We had more room than we knew what to do with, and it was immaculately landscaped too! Gah – I was so thrilled! Especially since they dogs both knew this spot as their “territory”, too – it wasn’t a new location that had to be explored, or a scary/uncertain place. The dogs bounded out onto the grass and immediately knew it was playtime! What a perfect spot.

Ally & Teddy are brother & sister, a sheltie and a golden retriever who happen to be opposites in many ways. Ally is much smaller than Teddy, so instead of trying to compete with him physically, she does it verbally! She loves to bark when she’s happy, excited, jealous… pretty much the whole range of emotions, Ally has something to say, haha! I love her sweet little face and she has gorgeous coloring, too. Teddy, on the other hand, is a happy-go-lucky fetch machine. His coat is a handsome deep red, and I’m pretty sure he’s constantly wondering when you’re going to throw his ball next! They were absolutely wonderful to work with, and I felt like we shared a classic “day-in-the-life” session of playing fetch & relaxing in the grass!

 

This is Teddy, on a mission for that rubber ball…

rancho penasquitos pet pic

 

… he’s got a one-track mind, but he’s also a beautiful dog, don’t you think?

rancho penasquitos pet photography

 

And this is Miss Ally! This was her face as soon as we brought out the turkey; what the ball is for Teddy, treats are for Ally!

rancho penasquitos pet photography session

 

Such a pretty girl.

rancho penasquitos pet photo

 

 

Bonnie & Justin, thank you so much for introducing me to your awesome dogs! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our images soon! :)

 

 

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