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Porter, the Anxious Yet Adorable Puppy

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021

Stop what you’re doing – you’ll thank me later – and come meet this adorable 6-month-old rescue puppy, Porter! He was recently adopted from a rescue organization in the Little Italy area of San Diego. And as his dad cleverly says, Porter comes from a long, established line of street dogs! :)

My favorite part of their story comes from the first time Porter met his dad: they had gone on a walk around Little Italy, to get acquainted, and afterwards Porter fell asleep on his shoes when they were done. It speaks volumes to me that he would immediately trust him that much! Porter’s trust isn’t earned very easily – trust me on this one – so I think that story is all the proof I’ll ever need that Porter & his dad are the perfect match.

My second favorite thing about Porter and his dad’s story? Turns out Porter is a little timid around new people, due to some anxiety issues. He’s had some sleeping issues at night, and separation anxiety too – so his dad has kindly worked with him by busting out the sleeping bag to be near him, just outside of his crate, all night long. Once the sleeping bag was working to keep Porter calm & happy, he “graduated” to sleeping on the couch! This went on for weeks – all to keep Porter as comfortable as possible. Isn’t that wonderful?! That story just blew me away with how dedicated he is to his boy! Thankfully, Porter is doing much better in his crate now, and his anxiety issues are lessening. Their connection is real, and as a result, it’s safe to say that Porter only has eyes for his dad.

The nice thing about Porter’s nervousness around other people & wanting to stay close to his dad was that he was able to be off-leash in some relatively crowded parts of town. No issues, no running away whatsoever – which is amazing for a puppy! If he got distracted by some smells, he was always quick to come trotting right back. I lovingly nicknamed him the “velcro puppy”, since he never wanted to be more than a couple of inches from his dad. I wonder if that’s a personality trait that will stick around as time goes on…

We started our photo session at the Spanish Art Village at Balboa Park, and then headed over to Coronado Beach. I think Porter’s favorite part of the session was playing fetch on the beach!


This is Porter. That face… what a handsome boy!

puppy with color


When I say he looks up to his dad, I mean it literally & figuratively.

puppy walking


We got alllllll that puppy energy out at the beach!

puppy running


I’m pretty sure these two can handle anything life throws at them, as long as they’re together.

puppy at the beach


Jay, thank you for such a lovely afternoon with you and Porter! I can’t wait to show you all the images we were able to capture – we have quite a few! See you soon!

Pepita, Effie & Ralphie at the Park in Coronado

Friday, August 18th, 2017

Every dog has their own personality, of course – but I can’t remember the last time I had a session with 3 dogs that had such distinctive personalities as these three awesome pooches! I’m so thrilled to introduce you to Pepita, Ralphie & Effie!

 

This is Pepita, little leader of the pack in every way. Don’t let her size fool you, she’s the boss – and she’ll speak up to make sure you know it! Pepita is crazy about treats, has attitude coming out her ears, and recently developed a little snaggletooth that makes for some really cute expressions. But for now, I’ll share her big, classic smile with you!

coronado dog in a park

 

This sweet guy is Ralphie. He’s the shyest of the bunch, and his personality (plus his big eyes & floppy ears) have earned him the nickname “Mousie”. But luckily, the yummy treats that his mom brought to our session were enough to coax him out of his shell – and once I had a few in my hand, he became very interested in me & my camera!

coronado park dog photo

 

And last but certainly not least, this bundle of happiness is Effie. She’s the biggest of the pack and probably the most food-motivated (which is saying something!). And she was thoroughly confused why the entire photo session wasn’t just a belly-rub marathon. Oh Effie, you made me laugh so hard!

dog in coronado

 

Oh my gosh, I adore this family photo. For all having minds (and personalities) of their own, these pups sure do make a cute pack together.

coronado family photo

 

 

Andrea & Phillip, I had such a great time with all 5 of you all around Coronado! Can’t wait to get together again soon! :)

 

Stella the Shepherd Mix on Coronado Beach!

Friday, August 19th, 2016

This photo session is proof that I get to work with the most gorgeous dogs in San Diego. I don’t know how, I don’t know why – but my gosh, Stella the shepherd mix is stunning, and I’m pretty thrilled that I got to spend the afternoon with her & her family!

Stella is a 3-year-old shepherd mix (with collie? maybe?) and she lives with her parents in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. She’s an athletic, energetic pup and her happy place is Coronado Beach – so that’s exactly where we went for our photo session! And boy, she was excited to be there – although I insisted on staying away from the dog beach. That’s because I didn’t want a million other dogs running through the background (and probably the foreground, too) of all of Stella’s photos… plus, she loves to play with other dogs, so it was much easier for me to get her attention with those dogs a few hundred yards away, haha! I’m pretty sure she thought I was a party pooper for that idea, but I can already tell that the photos are well-worth the private playtime! Stella posed for the camera like a total pro; I couldn’t help but be impressed. And her parents were willing to run up and down the sand with her so many times that I’m pretty sure I gave them a workout, too… so without further ado, here is Stella’s “sneak peek”!

 

I told you. Stella is gorgeous.

shepherd mix on the beach

 

You can’t tucker her out! Trust me, we tried! This dog is a fetch machine. (Well, except for the part of fetch when you’re supposed to bring the ball back… she’s not so great at that part, haha! I think she considers the ball her prize – and why would you give up a prize?)

shepherd mix running

 

We ran, fetched & posed until the sun dipped beneath the horizon, and that’s when the truly amazing light came out to play.

shepherd mix photo

 

Luke & Paige, thank you for a wonderful afternoon! I had such a great time with all three of you! :)

 

San Diego Pets Buster, Fae, Leyland & Nyx

Wednesday, April 8th, 2015

I’m so excited to share this family’s photos with you – because I’ve been waiting so long to do it! You see, this family’s session began one day… and continued on another day… and finished up several days later! Usually sessions happen all in one afternoon: we go from one location to the next with (usually) no issues. But, if you can believe it, bad weather forced us to reschedule so many times I lost count. (Of course, here in San Diego, “bad weather” means “cloudy” – but when you’re going to the beach, too many clouds can make or break the scenery! Have you ever been to the beach on a gray, overcast day? It’s nothing like a pretty, sunny, blue-skies day – and that’s why we weren’t going to settle for anything less!)

 

So this family gets huge kudos in my book, for being willing to wait until the weather cooperated with us (and my picky tendencies). I think they’ll be glad they did, too: the resulting images were well worth the wait! :)  This session featured four different animals: first, there’s Buster, an Australian shepherd mix, who’s the oldest & biggest of the bunch. He’s a consistently happy guy, maybe a bit slower than his siblings, but a very handsome boy! I also met Fae, a corgi mix with a permanent smile on her face! This girl is full of life and I loved photographing her happy spirit! Next is Leyland, a black & white long-haired cat. He only has one eye, but that’s okay – he gets around just fine. (And he even came with us to the studio – pretty impressive, for a cat!) Last but certainly not least is Nyx, a new puppy that just joined the family! I met her literally just a few days after her parents adopted her, and with the delay in getting together for the second half of our session, I feel like I’ve gotten to see her grow up a little, haha! So fun!

 

This is Buster and his mom, Patrisha. They love each other – as you can tell.

Australian shepherd mix studio

 

This is Fae! (She’s cute from any angle, haha!)

corgi mix dog

 

This little troublemaker is Nyx – ready to pounce!

puppy studio photo

 

And this is Leyland! I love his little pink nose & ears.

studio cat photo

 

We visited their house, where Fae did her best impression of a teddy bear…

dog with teddy bears

 

And finally, we hit the beach! You should have seen Buster light up & run around the coastline!

Aussie mix Coronado Beach

 

Nyx, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. (This was actually her very first trip to the beach!) She preferred to stay within the safety of mom’s feet… just in case.

puppy's first trip to beach

 

 

Patrisha & Scott, thank you, again, for being so willing to wait for the best lighting conditions. I know for sure that it paid off! :)  I’m excited to see you both again soon!

 

Coronado Dog Photography Session with Casper!

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

I had a lovely time recently during my Coronado dog photography session with Casper the schnauzer/westie mix! Take it from me, this little pup definitely lives the good life: his parents own the fabulous Kensington Pet Supply shop! He has access to all the best food & treats in the pet industry, and their shop is a fantastic little oasis for dog and cat lovers – you can even find him behind the counter sometimes! (Cutest employee ever?) I highly suggest you stop in for a visit, especially if you live in the Kensington/North Park/Normal Heights area.

But enough about his parents – this little guy is full of personality! We played in the shadow of the fabulous Hotel Del Coronado for our session, and it’s one of Casper’s favorite beaches in San Diego. He has a funny little routine when he visits the beach: as much as he loves romping around in the sand, his true “happy place” is in the water, and that’s where he always wants to be – but only if his dad goes with him! He ventures out into the surf until his belly gets wet, and then he makes a break for the shore again, straight toward his mom! It was so cute to see him get brave with his dad but eventually give in & run back to mom, time after time… just hilarious! So let me introduce you to the little goofball!

Here’s Casper with the Hotel Del! Can you see the westie and schnauzer in his breeding?

coronado dog photography session

 

 

That big grin never left his face when he was in the water… he looooves the beach!

coronado dog photo session

 

 

And perhaps the most exciting part of this session? Casper’s about to be a big brother!! He was so generous about sharing the spotlight with his future sibling; I can already tell they’re going to be best buds!

Coronado dog photography

 

Thanks for a wonderful session, Rich & Liana! I had a great time with all of you – and next time I visit the beach, I’ll make sure to tell my clients to warn me about approaching waves! haha! :)

 

 

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