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Simba, the Sweet Senior Goldendoodle

February 25th, 2022

Hello – and happy 2022! This is my first blog post of the new year, can you believe it? I don’t schedule photo sessions in January, since that’s my yearly planning & organizational time, but now I’m back in the swing of appointments & sessions and I’m SO glad. Because I have lots of sessions planned with some ADORABLE dogs this year!

I can’t think of a sweeter, more handsome boy than Simba the goldendoodle to help me start my year off right! He is a happy, easygoing old man who unfortunately got a scary diagnosis recently, and we’re not sure how much time he has left. But his mom has so much love for him and is determined to complete his bucket list: they’re planning to do all the fun things a dog could possibly want, and I think that’s a wonderful plan. Obviously there is no “good” way to lose a pet, whether it’s by surprise or you know its coming – it’s excruciating either way – so while the situation is not ideal, I love how Simba’s mom is using this time & knowledge to spoil the heck out of him and treat him to an amazing time. I personally think she’s handling it in the best possible way. They really are lucky to have each other!

Despite the fact that they are in this unfortunate situation, when you meet Simba, you really can’t tell what he’s going through. Simba is acting like himself, doesn’t seem to be in pain, and he’s just as happy as he’s ever been. He really is the sweetest guy! Did I mention that he’s huge, too? He kind of lumbers around happily saying “hi” to people, but there’s no doubt that his happy place is his mom. At the end of the day he always comes back to her; he absolutely adores her. He was always monitoring where she was going during our photo session and never wanted to be a foot away from her – like a massive velcro dog! I really enjoyed photographing him because he has this happy-go-lucky, content look about him, but then when he perks up his ears he looks like a little puppy again. Trust me – its the cutest thing! I loved photographing him from every angle.

We didn’t get many “action” portraits during this photo session, and that’s okay! After about 2 throws of the tennis ball the most Simba could muster was to slowly would walk toward it, and then he was done. At 11 years old he’s earned the right not to chase after every tennis ball! We let him relax without putting any pressure on him whatsoever. When I meet dogs who are going through any medical treatment or diagnosis, it’s very important to me to not push them physically for safety reasons. We truly just went with Simba’s vibe and what he wanted to do – which made the photo session a nice, slow, enjoyable pace for all of us! All he wanted to do was hang out in the grass, relax and snuggle with his mom. I think that was the ideal photo session for Simba – and kind of for me too. We had a great time!

     

This is Simba in his happy place. Right next to his mom.

happy goldendoodle dog
     

See what I mean about his puppy face?!

goldendoodle photo
     

“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.” – Milan Kundera

goldendoodle in the park
     

Ieva, I can’t wait to share the rest of our photos with you soon! Give that boy a hug for me in the meantime!

     

Willow, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Puppy from Dana Point

December 7th, 2021

Meet Willow, one of the sweetest & most beautiful dogs I’ve ever had the privilege of photographing! I was veryyy tempted to steal this pup and take her back home with me, haha – especially since it’s not every day that I get to photograph a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever! She is a total sweetheart and loves to make new friends. Willow is actually her mom’s first dog, and they are already off to a great start! I loved seeing the bond that they have already made. And if this is just the beginning of their relationship, then I can’t wait to see what it grows and blossoms into from here!

We started our session at Balboa Park, which turned out to be a wonderful (if incredibly busy) spot. Despite all the activity & distractions, she was a perfect angel throughout the afternoon, and did just about everything we asked her to do. I was impressed with her obedience for such a young pup at just 5 months old! There’s a lot of time and work that go into obedience training and it can feel like you’re making progress at a snail’s pace. Puppies have a short attention span and it’s a big world for them to figure out (and be distracted by), so training can be extremely challenging. It takes time, energy and effort – and Willow’s mom has done SUCH a good job staying consistent! I’m here to tell you that all the hours they’ve put in together have paid off – not only for her, but it made my job a lot easier too, haha! Willow’s focus allowed us to get a great variety of portraits. The park was a spectacular setting with all of its bright colors, too; it worked well with Willow’s ruby red fur and I’m so glad we started our session there.

We eventually headed to the studio, where the sights & sounds of the park faded and we got to slow down & relax a bit. I remember feeling pretty excited throughout our photo session because of how well everything was going, and I figured the portraits were not going to disappoint. So here’s Willow’s sneak peek… you be the judge! 😉

     

This sweet face is Willow!

nova scotia duck tolling retriever dog
     

As soon as I saw these flowers, I knew Willow belonged amongst them. Thankfully, she was willing to entertain all of our crazy ideas!

nova scotia duck tolling retriever puppy
     

She was a natural in the studio. And I think we all enjoyed the change of pace from the park!

nova scotia duck tolling retriever dog in studio
     

I’m excited to see how Willow and her mom’s relationship continues to develop and deepen over the years. They are such a cute pair! Training aside, they simply have a great bond, and it’s always so lovely to see a person and dog in sync with one another.

Emily, thank you so much for visiting the studio all the way from Dana Point! I’m excited to share the rest of our images with you very soon!

     

Abby & Jackson, Doggy Siblings in Escondido

November 9th, 2021

I can’t tell you what a special place I hold in my heart for repeat clients. To be trusted to photograph & document someone’s family is a huge responsibility, and for that same family to ask me to do it again when they’re at a different stage in their lives? It’s an honor, it really is! But this session was a little bittersweet, because although I loved reconnecting with this family, the dogs I photographed a few years ago (JD & Anna) aren’t here anymore today. They’ve passed on, unfortunately, and they are very sorely missed. So instead, I got to photograph two dogs of the exact same breeds – Jackson & Abby, puppies from the very same breeder – who have some very big shoes (paws?) to fill! :)

All joking aside, let’s be honest, no dog can ever fill the shoes of the dog(s) that came before them. And nor should they; they’re different animals with their own unique personalities. So while I was thrilled to meet Jackson & Abby purely because I had photographed their older siblings (predecessors, shall we say?), I was also excited to get to know them as new, fresh personalities. And they were so much fun to photograph! Don’t get me wrong, I often caught myself comparing them to their elder siblings: Abby, for instance, is a lovebug and just wanted to cuddle, whereas Anna (the elder Anatolian shepherd) was far more stoic and independent. But I’m happy to confirm that both Abby & Jackson are total sweethearts, and a joy to photograph!

After about 10 minutes of excited “getting to know you” time, both dogs settled right down and became the perfect models. We found the prettiest parts of their yard to pose in – spots where they don’t typically hang out as often, but they did a great job regardless. They also showed me their favorite hangout spots like a massive boulder that’s perfect for doggy sunbathing. Both are such good dogs, very loving, and absolutely crazy about their mom! It was adorable to see. Jackson and Abby are also incredibly independent pups; Rhodesian ridgebacks and Anatolian shepherds are strong-willed breeds that tend to do what they want even with all the training in the world. That little quirk was on display a few times during our session, haha – but thankfully they were willing to cooperate and do what we asked of them!

I love visiting their home, since they have a huge amount of property to explore. It provided some fresh perspectives and we were able to get a variety of family portraits as well as individual photos of the dogs. We even got to recreate some photos in the exact same place as we did back in 2018! I hope you enjoy seeing a few photos from our session, as I prep the rest of the images for their parents to see very soon.

     

This is Abby, the sweet girl I would have loved to take home with me. Look at that face!

     

And this is Jackson, the handsome boy who simply can’t take a bad picture. He’s a happy, adventurous boy!

     

And while we have plenty of beautiful photos of both dogs together, with and without their parents, I couldn’t resist sharing this outtake! They loooooved the treats their mom had prepped for them, haha!

     

Julie & Curt, thank you so much for inviting me to your home a second time! I’m excited to share the rest of our portraits with you very soon!

Lucca the Very Big Dog Canadian Warmblood Horse

October 21st, 2021

I was so thrilled when Lucca’s mom reached out to me, as she’s a past client going back all the way to 2015! (You can go back and see the blog posts where I have photographed her pets over the years: including Buster, Fae, Leyland, and Nyx, then Nyx, Fae, and Quinzel, and most recently Fae, Nyx, Quinzel, and Slade.) We have fun every time we get together, so I knew this time around it wouldn’t be any different! Except maybe there is one tiny difference… Lucca is a horse! He recently joined the family and I was honored that his mom asked me to photograph him. As much as I am an expert at dogs, horses are an entirely differently animal. *pun intended* :) Photographing them is a completely different skillset that I’ve been working on, because while dogs will always be my true love, I genuinely adore working with horses. Capturing them in all of their glory involves a different pace, style, equipment… all kinds of changes to my normal routine! Plus, one look at this beautiful boy and you’ll see why I was thrilled to be asked to create some gorgeous portraits with these two.

One of the activities Lucca and his mom Patrisha enjoy doing together is competing in local and regional competitions. Patrisha said that she has a lot of fun with it, and (perhaps more importantly) so does he! They do well together too; at one point we actually got to pose them next to their trophy that they had recently won! How cool is that?!

We had a great photo session in the nearby property where Lucca normally trains and boards. It was wonderful to see their bond; there has to be a huge amount of trust and a strong relationship between a person and a horse, so it was great to see the two of them interact. I’ve only seen Patrisha with her dogs, so to see her with her horse was simply wonderful. Not to mention, horses can be more challenging to work with since they can be especially fearful, impatient, or just don’t want to do what you’re asking them to do for portraits. That was NOT the case with Lucca: he was incredibly patient and willing to do anything we asked. I was very impressed with his demeanor! For this particular photo session we did a lot of posed and stationary portraits – so hopefully we can let him loose at full speed at some point in the future, since I’d love to capture that too! Regardless, I loved the slower pace of our photo session and it seemed to fit Lucca’s chill vibe perfectly.

     

This is Lucca. How long did it take you to fall in love with that face?! 2 seconds? Yep, me too.

canadian warmblood horse
     

I don’t normally include people in my blog posts… but this time I can’t help it! My favorite photos of Lucca all have Patrisha in them too! These two are gorgeous together!

horse photography
     

The champs in full regalia. (Not shown here: their epically big trophy!)

horse with rider
     

Okay, one more of just Lucca… even though I personally think his best portraits are with him & his favorite person.

Canadian warmblood horse photo
     

Thank you Patrisha, for trusting me to photograph the largest companion in your life! I can’t wait to show you the rest of Lucca’s portraits very soon!

A Trio of Rhodesian Ridgebacks: Magnolia, Gryffin & Sequoia

October 19th, 2021

Rhodesian ridgebacks have a special place in my heart, so I was extremely excited to meet these 3 beautiful dogs! Magnolia, Gryffin, and Sequoia are all purebred Rhodesians, and they’re absolutely beautiful – with very distinct personalities!

We visited the studio for the beginning portion of our photo session. We actually re-created some portraits that their moms (a mother-daughter duo!) already had made of Magnolia & Gryffin – because since Sequoia has joined the family it made sense to update those portraits, of course! Then we moved on to a new location: a winery that I’ve never visited before, Espinosa Vineyards. This was an incredible spot to visit, and such a visual treat! They allowed us to take photos in their actual barrel room and beautiful tasting area outdoors, and even amongst the vines. It was so much fun being in a fresh new place; I loved exploring and creating some beautiful new portraits with the wine theme in mind. Not many people have a distinct plan or theme for their session like this, but I’m so glad my clients’ vision was brought to life!

     
Rhodesian ridgeback dogs
     
rhodesian ridgeback
     

Magnolia is the oldest of the bunch, and the queen in practically every way. She has plenty of training under her belt and is so well-behaved. She did her best to put on a good example for the younger ones. She does have a serious side, but she was a breeze to work with – and simply stunning, as you can see.

rhodesian ridgeback dog
     

Gryffin is the only boy and a little younger, so naturally he’s a little more playful than his big sister. He’s a happy, confident boy who enjoys working for treats! Although at one point he decided to be a little sneaky and let his mischievous side come out – but what would we do without a little wild child?! I’m pretty sure that counts as middle child syndrome, right? Haha!

Rhodesian ridgeback at a winery
     

And last but not least I met Sequoia, the puppy! She hasn’t had as much training as her older siblings, and she was a little cautious around new settings (which includes both my studio and the winery). Throughout the photo session she would check in for reassurance and guidance from her older siblings, with little looks and nudges. But once she verified that everyone was happy and everything was okay, her puppyhood shone through! She was adorable! It was so much fun to work with her, and to see bits and pieces of her personality as we went along.

Rhodesian ridgeback dog in a winery
     

Sydney & Anne, thank you so much for introducing me to your gorgeous pups! I really loved working with all 5 of you, and I can’t wait to share the rest of our portraits with you very soon! :)

     
 

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