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Golden Retrievers Starr & Max

Sunday, July 1st, 2018

I had an absolutely perfect photo session recently with Starr & Max, golden retrievers who live in Carlsbad. And don’t get me wrong: even though I describe it as “perfect”, things got a little silly at times, a couple of aspects definitely didn’t go according to plan, and Max made it clear that he never realllllly wanted to sit still and pose for my camera, haha! But the “plan” and the preconceived notions of what the dogs “should” do during a photo session really don’t have anything at all to do with how well the session goes. Instead, what made this session truly perfect was the family I got to meet, and the relationships I got to witness. Starr & Max are both senior dogs that have been with their family for over a decade; their brothers are young men now, and one of them told me he remembers adopting the dogs when he was in second grade. I got to see them play fetch with sticks and tennis balls in the sunlight, sit and relax in the shade together, and even go for a little walk as a family, all 4 people and the golden retrievers too. It was beautiful and perfect and everyone had a good time – and as a result, I think we ended up with some pretty nice photos! ;)

 

This is Max – who his family always thought was the younger dog by about 2 years, but after a big of digging, his mom just found out that he’s only a few months younger than his sister! Isn’t he handsome?

golden retrievers in sun

 

And this is Starr, proving she can still chase after a ball if she wants. I just love her flappy ears!

golden retriever fetching

 

Oh Max. You’re such a happy boy.

golden retriever in sunshine

 

Don’t you just adore the way Starr looks up at her dad?! Total sweetness.

golden retriever laying down

 

Theresa & Doug (and Justin & Zack), thank you so much for including me in such a lovely afternoon together! I’m excited to share the rest of our photos with you soon! :)

 

Skype the Golden Retriever – San Diego, CA

Saturday, June 9th, 2018

Okay, you KNOW I have a weakness for golden retrievers. So when Skype’s dad called me, I couldn’t have been more excited! Skype is a 1-year-old golden retriever who’s 100% puppy, simply couldn’t be more gorgeous, and absolutely adores his parents. We ran & played at Encinitas Community Park and Tourmaline Beach, and I got to see his (very real) obsession with the ball the whole time… he would chase it literally all day long if he could! Apparently he’s somewhat famous at Camp Run-A-Mutt for never taking a break during playtime; the boy just doesn’t sit down if there’s a ball or another dog to play with. Shepherds, border collies and terriers usually get a reputation as “high-energy” breeds – but I think Skype could outlast them all, haha! And so I was able to capture our fair share of action photos, but lucky for me, Skype was also willing to show off his “sit” and “stay” commands every once in a while, so our session ended up having a ton of variety. I think his parents are going to have an exceptionally tricky time picking out their favorite portraits, as a result!

 

Here’s that handsome face. If Skype ever goes missing, don’t look at my house.

beautiful golden retriever

 

If these photos don’t make you want to adopt a golden retriever, I don’t know what will. There’s so much fluff to love – and can you tell he’s still a puppy?!

golden retriever picture

 

He LOVED the beach! And yes, since he always came trotting happily back to his dad after every fetch, we let him go off-leash – the lifeguard didn’t like that very much! Oops! :)

golden retriever at beach

 

Chris & Clara, thank you for introducing me to your sweet boy! I’m looking forward to showing you the rest of the images soon! :)

 

Introducing Murphy & Porkchop, the newest “Spokespets” for Tender & True Pet Food!

Thursday, January 11th, 2018

Are you ready? Are you sitting down?! This announcement is a big one…

I’m incredibly thrilled to share with you that I’ve accomplished one of my biggest goals for my business – and simultaneously, two of my clients’ pets are FAMOUS!

Several months ago, I was contacted by the marketing team at Tender & True Pet Nutrition. They were looking for fresh, new imagery for their new flavor of dog & cat food, and asked if I had any photos that might fit their specifications. (I practically had to stop myself from laughing – with over 7 years of photography sessions under my belt, there are very few image specifications that I can’t meet!) So after sending them a gallery with dozens of photos to pick from, the people at Tender & True made their selections – and I’m incredibly proud to present you with the newest packaging that will be gracing the shelves of pet food stores in just a few months!

 

pet food picture

pet food photo

 

These pet food photos came from real, unscripted photo sessions here in San Diego. Murphy is the gorgeous golden retriever, whose photo I captured during a mini-session (!!) in Balboa Park. (Yes, the ocean was digitally superimposed into the background. It is a salmon-based food after all, haha!) And Porkchop is the Maine coon, whose photo session took place at his house (alongside his feline brother, Applesauce) in northern San Diego. Unfortunately Porkchop isn’t with us anymore, sadly… but regardless, both of their families are thrilled to see their pets immortalized in print!

You can buy Tender & True at Whole Foods Markets, various local pet boutiques (like Howlistic and Buddies & Babes here in San Diego!) and online at chewy.com. And if you’ve never heard of Tender & True before now, check out their gorgeous new website and get a feel for the care & attention to detail that goes into their products. I’m truly proud that my work is helping advertise their food!

And – if I may – I’d like to point out that this proves what I always say: I don’t work with professional models! I bring out the beauty and “inner model” in regular pets that have zero prior training. Neither Murphy nor Applesauce had any previous experience being in front of a camera, besides their parents’ cell phones. And yet look what we created!! We turned newbies into pro models. And that’s why I believe it’s worth hiring a professional – whether you want photos to hang on your walls or to feature on your company’s dog food – because a professional will be able to bring the best out of any pet.

Anyways… back to popping the champagne! :)

 

More Photos of Casey & Brittany, Golden Retrievers from San Diego

Friday, October 20th, 2017

Two beautiful golden retrievers deserve two “sneak peek” blog posts, right?!

(They do – but truthfully, I wanted to share more portraits of Casey & Brittany because of a few scheduling difficulties that have delayed their parents’ Viewing & Ordering Session. This is my busiest time of year – and my calendar is definitely feeling the crunch! So hopefully these images tide Casey & Brittany’s parents over until they can see the whole session!)

If you saw their previous post, you already know that I visited Balboa Park with Casey & Brittany on a gorgeous fall day. We had a great time playing fetch, exploring the flowers & architecture, and generally being fawned over by every passing person. (Obviously it was the dogs getting fawned over, not me, haha – and you can take one glance at their photos and see why. They’re such beautiful girls! Showstoppers, really.)

 

This is Brittany, posing like a pro.

golden retriever standing

 

And this is Casey, getting cozy with the flowers.

golden retriever with flowers

 

Together, they account for 200% of your suggested daily serving of sweetness.

golden retrievers in archway

 

Thanks for being so patient, Rene & Miles! I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!  :)

 

Casey & Brittany’s Photo Session at Balboa Park!

Monday, September 25th, 2017

I’m not especially proud to admit this… but at the end of my photo session with Casey & Brittany, I threatened to commit a crime. No kidding. I did so loud and clear, and I know their parents heard me, as well as any passers-by that were in the vicinity.

What crime, you ask? Kidnapping. (Although I suppose dog-napping is the correct term.)

Yep. True story. I would like to dog-nap Casey and Brittany because I am completely smitten with these two sweethearts!!!

Haha – I’m so excited to introduce you to these gorgeous girls! Casey and Brittany are two golden retrievers with happy smiles and loving parents; we met at Balboa Park for our photo session and had a lovely afternoon together. I was really impressed at how well they did with all of the distractions/people/dogs that were constantly swirling around us; their parents have done an incredible job at socialization & training to ensure that Casey & Brittany would turn out to be happy, social, confident dogs. And they truly are! The girls also have fabulous obedience skills, which means I was completely spoiled with all the sitting and staying (and generally doing anything I asked). But don’t worry, we let them let loose, too – both of these girls love to play fetch! In fact, they make it a team sport; when we let Casey play with the ball on her own, so I could capture some solo portraits, she kept bringing the ball back to Brittany as if to say “come on, we always play together, let’s go!” It was soooo cute, and made all of us laugh every time she wandered back over to her sister. And that playful attitude was actually the key to ending up with dozens of gorgeous images!

 

This is Brittany, the beautiful younger sister who always keeps her eye on the ball. (Literally.) She’s always ready to play!

balboa park picture

 

And this is Casey, the older sister who became my shadow by the end of our session. I have to admit, I certainly didn’t mind – because how could you resist that face?!

balboa park dog photo

 

In all honesty, this photo (below) was originally a candid test shot. We were getting situated in-between poses, and at the moment I didn’t even realize that I’d captured a sweet moment between Casey and her mom, while Brittany scanned the horizon for her next adventure (or possibly a stray ball). But I love the real-ness of this image when no one knew I was pressing the shutter.

golden retrievers in Balboa Park

 

See what I mean about great obedience?! These girls were happy to pose anywhere I asked, and I simply adore their smiling faces amongst all the vibrant color in Balboa Park.

dogs in balboa park

 

 

Rene & Miles, thank you so much for introducing me to your sweet girls! I absolutely loved our session, and I can’t wait to see you again soon! :)

 

 

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