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Archive: February, 2018



JD & Anna, Dogs from the Wilds of Escondido

Wednesday, February 28th, 2018

Okay okay, I’m just kidding, JD and Anna aren’t from the “wild” – in fact, when I first met them, they were living in Poway! Not exactly the wildest place, so maybe the title of this blog post is a little dramatic… but I’m pretty sure their incredible new 6-acre estate in northern Escondido is more “wild” than most dogs ever get to enjoy! These lucky pups have plenty of land & hiking trails to explore, and they’re full of native plants & animals (that certainly keep Anna on her toes). Their mom has done a phenomenal job of landscaping and designing the outdoor area to be a cozy and welcoming – yet gorgeous – space. Not to mention, the view from their front porch of the surrounding hills is simply breathtaking. A few of my clients & their homes make me wish that I could be reincarnated as a dog and adopted by them, haha… and this is definitely one of those times!! Something tells me any dog would be thrilled to live in Anna & JD’s “wilderness” paradise.

 

This is Anna! She’s an Anatolian shepherd with a strong (and sometimes comical) independent streak. Since our photo session was not exactly on her to-do list that day, I didn’t get to see her perk up & smile too many times – so I relished the rare occasion that I was able to coax a gentle smile out of her! Isn’t she gorgeous?! And she’s standing in “her spot” in the backyard; with all that dirt it wasn’t exactly the place her mom most wanted photographed, but Anna was pretty insistent on spending some time there – so who are we to argue with Anna?!

anatolian shepherd in escondido

 

And this handsome boy is JD! He’s a Rhodesian ridgeback (a breed very close to my heart) and a total mama’s boy! It was so adorable to see him stick so close to his mom during our whole session; he’s incredibly loyal and I couldn’t help but fall in love with him & his sweet, childlike personality. Plus, he runs everywhere he goes! He’s just so excited to be there!!

rhodesian ridgeback in escondido

 

Anna helped me show off a few pretty spots too – like this custom front gate her mom had designed!

anatolian shepherd on walkway

 

There’s something undeniable about the way JD looks at you… I’m pretty sure he saw into my soul that day.

rhodesian ridgeback close up

 

 

Julie & Curt, thank you so much for the grand tour of your new property, and a wonderfully fun afternoon! (Not to mention lending me a very necessary sweatshirt, haha!) I’m excited to get together with you again soon! :)

 

Tug & Frankenstein, Doggie Siblings from San Diego!

Tuesday, February 6th, 2018

I first met Tug & Frankenstein in my studio – and although they look so similar, I immediately knew I wouldn’t have any trouble telling them apart! These lookalike doggie siblings (no, they’re not twins or biologically related – but I don’t blame you for wondering!) are best friends and polar opposites. Tug came right up to me as soon as we met; looking back, I realize that it was probably to see if I had a ball or toy of some kind on me. When he realized I was empty-handed, he confidently strolled right past me, into the studio… probably to continue the search. He’s a happy boy and always ready to lead the way! Frankie, on the other hand, wasn’t so quick to say hello: she’s a shy girl and preferred to stick close to her mom for most of our pre-session consultation. She cautiously said hello and sniffed my hand a few times… it takes a little time for her to warm up. But during those moments when she feels happy and safe, she gets the cutest smile on her face!! Her ears relax, her whole body gets wiggly and she grins from ear to ear. It’s absolutely adorable – and a total change from the “cautious” look she normally has on her face!

So we spent our session in the studio as well as visiting their favorite place, Fiesta Island. And since their dad is currently deployed, I’m excited to say that this is their first session – but we’re planning some great family photos when the whole family is back together!

 

Doggie siblings. Not to mention doppelgänger status. (Although I bet you can tell who’s who from my description above!)

doggie siblings picture

 

Oh my gosh, Tug is a rocket when he gets to play fetch on the beach! You wouldn’t think a dog that’s half French bulldog would be so athletic – but it must be the half-Jack Russell terrier coming out! Fun fact: the only way to get the ball back from Tug is to trick him, distract him, or step on the ball so hard he can’t get it out from under your foot. Otherwise you’ll never get it from him! #ballislife

doggie siblings

 

See what I mean about Frankie’s sweet smile?! And those floppy ears, oh my gosh… Her favorite thing to do at the beach is chase her brother as he chases the ball – she tries to bite his ears as he runs back & forth! Extracurricular hobbies include chasing birds if her brother is slowing down, and wandering off to find other families to adopt her. (She found a fisherman at Fiesta Island and I swear she wanted to stick around and help him catch fish!) But really, she’d never go anywhere without her brother, or her mom. It was so much fun to see them play together!

dog sibling

 

Becca, thank you so much for introducing me to your amazing dogs! And Alex, I’m looking forward to including you in our next photo session in a couple of months! :)

 

Bailey, the San Diego Dog

Monday, February 5th, 2018

Hey everyone! I’m participating in Rover.com’s Tail of 20 Cities, celebrating my dog Bailey and our city of San Diego, along with 19 other photographers from around the world! Check out all the different city/pet portraits here: Tail of Twenty Cities Photo Journey and feel free to join the fun by posting a own picture of your own pooch representing your city with the hashtag #RoverCities!

 

Bailey and I visited Coronado for this project – because can you believe that view of San Diego at sunset?! Those colors make my photographer heart happy…

san diego

(Although Bailey was a little more interested in the birds that flew by…)

san diego dog with skyline

dog looking at san diego

The we headed out on the pier for a better look!

san diego dog

san diego

san diego dog picture

san diego dog with skyline

san diego dog skyline

 

And just for fun, a little throwback… you can tell this photo is a few years old because there’s no gray fur on her face… (sob)

san diego dog water

 

You know what? Why stop here?! This post has got me thinking about “quintessential San Diego” photos… and I have no shortage of those, thanks to my clients and their pups! Here are some of my favorite photos at various locations around town, modeled by just a few of my favorite dogs!

 

Maverick at the dog beach (well, one of the dog beaches!)

happy beach dog

Lucy, Gracie & Scarlett in Presidio Park

san diego dogs at the park

Haley & Teddy at Sunset Cliffs

san diego cliffs and dogs

Trevor & Tori and their parents – that’s San Diego (Bay Park) in the background!

san diego family

Garnet, hiking at Mission Trails

san diego hike with dog

Foxy at the botanical gardens in Balboa Park

san diego balboa park dog

Stella, on Coronado (with the Hotel Del in the background, of course)

san diego coronado dog

Candice, in North Park

san diego sign dog

 Mister Mister and his parents, out for a sunset walk on the beach.

san diego dog sunset

 

What a fun project – I love San Diego! And who better to explore it with than all these dogs?! Thanks for inviting me to participate, Rover.com – I can’t wait to see all the other portraits from photographers around the world! :)

 

Chewy & Milo, Del Mar Dogs at the Beach!

Friday, February 2nd, 2018

I often wonder how my dog, Bailey, would get along with my clients’ dogs. I envision what they have in common, how they’d play together, what they’d “talk about”: their parents, their favorite kinds of treats, the squirrel they almost caught last week, etc. (It’s possible that I have an overactive imagination.)

And I’ve made a decision: Bailey is NOT allowed to meet Chewy & Milo! Want to know why?

They get to go to the beach in Del Mar every. single. day. If Bailey ever heard that was possible (instead of just going to the beach once-in-a-while like we do), I think she’d petition to be adopted by Chewy & Milo’s parents!!!

Haha – #beachlife aside, Chewy & Milo are awesome dogs, and they were incredibly fun to work with! We started our photo session in their backyard, and soon after walked down to the beach, where I got to see their boundless energy and incredible zest for life (or at least their zest for tennis balls and running through the surf). And I have to say, their moms – who are actually sisters – have done a pretty amazing job training their boys. Their recall is spot-on and I was impressed at how content the dogs were to stick nearby their moms; with a whole beach full of other dogs and people, there were distractions in every direction. But Chewy & Milo never went more than 5-10 seconds without turning around to make sure their moms were still close by and okay. I think they must know how loved they are – not to mention how good they have it!

 

This is Chewy – master of the adorable head tilt and one of the most easy-going dogs I’ve ever met. His favorite thing to do at the beach: chase Milo and play with the other dogs!

del mar dog

 

Milo’s favorite beach game, on the other hand, is FETCH! He’s an incredible athlete and will jump over waves and swim out into the ocean to get his ball back (usually with Chewy on his tail)… my favorite part of watching him play was how he’d bring the ball back to a different person every time! As if to say “okay, she threw it pretty far, let’s see what you can do!”

del mar dog at the beach

 

Del Mar dogs to the core.

del mar dogs

 

Janet, thank you for introducing me to your fun-loving boys – and for helping me support the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy! I’m excited to share the rest of our photos with you soon! :)

 

 

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