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Tag: ‘Fort Walton Beach’



My Last Session in Florida: Monty the Gorgeous Golden Retriever

Saturday, May 25th, 2013

I suppose it’s pretty fitting that my very-last session in the Pensacola area was with a golden retriever. After all, they’re the breed I’ve photographed most in my career! And Monty (short for “Montana”) is definitely one of the most gorgeous goldens I’ve ever met; he is ridiculously handsome! He’s a “golden” golden retriever, not a red, but I just couldn’t get enough of that rich-colored, super-fluffy coat. And Monty’s a snuggler, so his soft fur was never far from me or his parents! Monty also has incredible obedience skills; he and his dad have worked hard on various commands and recall, and I think it really paid off in our session – he was willing to do just about anything we asked! Which made my job even more easy and fun than usual! :)

Here’s Mr. Handsome. Look at that FACE.

handsome golden retriever with parents

 

We played fetch for a while, and his parents forgot to tell me about his built-in rocket boosters. Seriously; Monty’s dad was in aviation maintenance at Eglin and I think he may have brought a few toys home from work and strapped them to his boy’s legs. This dog is FAST! Here are just a couple of action photos; there are many more! I think their final gallery may be half action, haha!

golden retriever chasing ball

 

Monty, just stop it. You’re too gorgeous.

handsome golden retriever

 

I wish I could see Monty & his parents again, but San Diego is calling… still, I can’t wait to release his gallery! Thanks for being such a wonderful last Florida session, Monty! You’ll always have a special place in my heart. :)

 

Ft. Walton Beach Min Pin & Chihuahua Photography: Frankie, Lilli & Emmie

Monday, February 11th, 2013

This was my first session with out-of-town visitors in 2013! I love the excitement of doing sessions with people visiting for only a brief time; either they come to town primarily for their session or are fitting it in with all their other vacation plans, and either way, it’s a bit of a whirlwind! But even though so much of what I do revolves around the pets & owners living nearby (visiting them before the session to meet their dogs, showing clients their photos in person, etc.) I’m more than happy to make sure my out-of-town clients still get the great experience that all my clients are accustomed to. And this Saturday was no exception! My clients actually used to live in Ft. Walton Beach, so we headed to a couple of pretty places that were special to them. I’m so excited about this session – I have a feeling their gallery is going to be huge! For now, here are just a few photos of their adorable little pack.

 

This is Emmie, a chihuahua-min pin mix. She’s the baby of the family – literally!

A miniature pinscher-chihuahua mix looks up at the camera from her owner's arms,

 

… and here are Emmie’s parents! Frankie is the chihuahua on the left and Lilli is the min pin on the right. I love how Emmie looks like mom, but got just a bit of dad’s soft peachy coloring!

A chihuahua and a miniature pinscher dog look up at the camera from being in their owner's arms.

 

Here are all three pups – in a rare moment when no one was running/jumping/exploring! :)

A miniature pinscher, a chihuahua, and their baby mix sit on a beach boardwalk.

 

Kassandra & Lyle, thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon! I’ll be in touch soon with your gallery info!

Gus: A Mixed Breed Dog with a Mixed Past

Sunday, November 4th, 2012

Gus is one very lucky dog: after his first family had to give him up and another family didn’t take good care of him, Gus was saved from the animal shelter on the DAY he was supposed to be euthanized! I am so glad that P.A.W.S. (a rescue organization in Ft. Walton Beach) picked him up and delivered him to a foster family. And after that, it wasn’t long before Karla found him! Gus and Karla make an adorable pair; he never wants to be far from her but always seems to be testing exactly what he can get away with… plus; isn’t he handsome? And isn’t she beautiful! Clients like this make my job quite a bit easier! :) Gus is a hound/boxer mix, and I think whatever’s in him mixed very well, don’t you?

 

We started out at the park, where Gus had quite a time running up and down the wooden walkways…

A hound mixed breed dog sits with his owner on a wooden walkway.

 

We had a pretty foggy morning – and look what it did to the bay! You can hardly see the horizon! I thought it was beautiful, and I’d never seen such an effect before. I’m glad we got a few photos that captured the surreal setting.

Two photos of a hound mix dog at the beach and in the park.

 

Gus’ happy place: right next to Karla.

A hound mixed breed dog sits with his owner, black and white.

 

 

Thanks for making the trip out from Ft. Walton Beach all the way to Pensacola, Gus & Karla! I had a great morning with you two, and something tells me your gallery is going to be huuuuge… It’s a good problem to have though, I promise! :) Keep an eye on the Facebook page because I might not be able to resist posting another photo or two there!

 

 

A Birthday Present for Myself!

Monday, September 3rd, 2012

Woohoo! Today is my birthday!  :)

 

And I have a present I’d like to give myself. It’s a pretty simple one, but I need the help of someone in the Pensacola area: I want to photograph a Bernese mountain dog. Yes, that’s the gift I want! I’ve photographed dozens of different dog breeds (and sometimes I think I could only photograph golden retrievers and still stay in business…) but I’m fascinated with meeting new breeds, and I’ve always secretly wanted to work with a Bernese mountain dog. They’re at the top of my “wish list”! They’re beautiful, relatively uncommon, and they just seem like really great dogs.

 

Here’s a screen shot of Wikipedia’s Bernese mountain dog entry… isn’t that a gorgeous dog?

Wikipedia photo of a Bernese mountain dog.

 

So if someone you know has a Bernese mountain dog, please pass on my information or this blog post! I’m happy to cover their session fee – so really, I suppose it’s a gift for both of us!

 

Bonus points if you have a PUPPY! My Google image search revealed all kinds of cuteness.

Google image search of Bernese mountain dog puppies.

 

Okay, that’s it for today! Hope you’re having a wonderful Labor Day too! :)

 

Real Premium Album Sample: Razzie & Cherry

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

I was so excited when the FedEx man knocked on my door yesterday! He was carrying the first-ever (first-ever!) premium album for one of my clients! I’ve only been carrying these incredible products since April, after I attended a photography convention and couldn’t bear to walk away without sharing such beautiful works of art with my clients. They really are amazing – the craftsmanship, the attention to detail that my printers give – it’s flat-out incredible. And when they’re filled with artfully-arranged images of members of your family, jaw-dropping doesn’t even begin to describe them! (I should know – one of my samples features Bailey!)

 

So here’s the premium album that Razzie & Cherry’s mom ordered. I took a bunch of photos of it today, and hopefully this post gives you a good idea of the beautiful details it includes! She decided on the silk cover album option. It arrives in a plush, padded leather carrying case…

A photo of the leather carrying case of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

She opted for a silk brocade cover material in black, which has a beautiful mix of texture and silky smoothness.

A photo of the side and box of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

She also chose to put her dogs’ names on the cover (instead of a photo). For simplicity’s sake, it’s a great choice! A favorite photo could be placed there just as easily.

A photo of the cover of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

A photo of the cover fabric of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

The pages are wonderfully thick; you’d never rip or tear them.

A photo of the side of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

One of my favorite features about premium albums? We can work quotes into the design! There are SO many wonderful (and touching) quotes about dogs out there, and I already have a small library-size compilation of them to choose from!

A photo of a quote on the title page of a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

A photo of a quote inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

We have a little more creative freedom to mix color and black & white photos in premium albums, than compared to a wall gallery. It can be tricky, but done right, the correct photos really POP.

A photo of a spread inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

As you can see, the photo stretches across the entire spread. The line you see down the middle is the glare from my office window, not a seam or gutter.

A photo of a spread inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

A close-up of the way the photo encompasses the entire spread. There’s no gutter!

A photo of a partial spread inside a premium dog photography album featuring two black miniature poodles.

 

Tomorrow I get to hand off this album to its rightful owner… but it was so fun to see it myself and take a few pictures :)  Thanks so much for letting me play with (and design) your pooches, Christel!

 

 

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