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Tag: ‘San Diego pet’



Simon and Aoife, Siblings

Wednesday, March 11th, 2020

“Siblings (n.) A combination of a best friend and a pain in the neck. They might be the most annoying people around you but you still love them endlessly.” – Anonymous

Simon and Aoife have what I would call the typical brother-and-sister relationship. Aoife is the older sister who seems to roll her eyes and put up with her brother’s antics, whereas Simon couldn’t be more of a younger brother – he’s mischievous, playful, and downright impish. (If Aoife could talk I think she’d agree with me, haha!)

Aoife is a mixed-breed terrier and has a beautiful Irish name, which is pronounced “EE-fah”. She was actually rescued off the streets of Mexico and adopted soon after her dad moved to the United States. It’s so cool to see the bond that Aoife and her dad have developed, since they’ve been together for quite some time now! She is about 13 years old now and is just a sweetheart with a calm, easygoing personality. You can tell that she’s very content and doesn’t need a lot of fancy things… just her dad. (And it’s good thing she’s such a happy girl naturally, because she doesn’t get to play with a lot of toys – her younger brother steals them all!)

Simon is a golden retriever and is the baby of the family at two and a half years old. If he can get away with it, he’ll do it. So even if he already has a great toy, any toy Aoife has (or is eyeing) is better and he feels the need to take it. Of course, right? And since he’s bigger, stronger, and faster, he can! But what I noticed about their relationship is that it’s not like he’s the boss or a bully to her – that’s not the dynamic at all. They actually get along great and accept each other for who they are as siblings. (Which is a pretty great lesson for people too!)

For our photo session, we started in the studio because their parents wanted that classic aesthetic; the studio lets dogs shine and brings out their natural beauty, with no visual distractions. Aoife is one of the most unique-looking, beautiful dogs I’ve ever worked with, so I was thrilled to get her in the studio! She is so photogenic and was happy to pose for us. We had to laugh, though, because their parents were sure that Simon was going to be the “difficult one”. He’s still a puppy and loves to be on the move, which is a recipe for being tricky to photography, but thank goodness: he’s very food-motivated! This helped tremendously and he actually turned out to the easier dog for me to work with! It was a funny surprise and we were all surprised at how well Simon did – really, how well both of them did – for their very first photo session.


We ended up with our fair share of “smiling” photos, but I couldn’t resist sharing this cute dual-head-tilt moment. (I must’ve made the weirdest sound just then, haha!)

dog siblings


mixed breed dog


We then moved onto Del Mar Beach and made the most out of some slightly cloudy weather! I think Simon may have been the happiest out of all of us since he got to let loose and had plenty of room to run around; he was living his best life. We all had a great time!


dog running on beach


dog sibling on the beach


dog with owner


Erika & David, thanks for such a fun afternoon! I’ll see you both again very soon!

Stoney the Shepherd Mix, at Mission Bay & Fiesta Island

Friday, February 28th, 2020

If I had to describe Stoney in one sentence, I’d say that he is an old soul and an explorer at heart. Where’s his happy place? Literally anywhere outdoors – the beach, the park, the backyard – it doesn’t matter! He just wants to be outside, and I think it’s because that’s the best place to let his wild spirit roam free. :) But as much as he loves the outdoors, he doesn’t love strangers – which isn’t a bad thing at all! He absolutely adores his parents and is very sweet with them, but it took time for them to earn his trust. Since he’s a little more timid with people he doesn’t know too well, we decided to have his entire photo session outside where he had plenty of room to roam – and where he’d be happiest, of course! It turned out to be a great decision and we had an amazing afternoon out at Mission Bay Park and then later at Fiesta Island!

Before the photo session, his parents warned me that Stoney would most likely want to spend the entire photo session sniffing the ground, and it might be a struggle to get him to do anything else. Happily that was not the case! They also didn’t think he would care about playing with toys, but all of a sudden he brought out his inner puppy and was playing fetch, chasing a tennis ball and running around! We were a little surprised, since he’s a senior dog and doesn’t kick it into high gear too often… but Stoney was full of cute surprises! (And I’m glad he didn’t spend the whole time with his nose to the ground, haha!)

After our quintessential-San-Diego start to our photo session in Mission Bay Park, we headed across the bay to Fiesta Island to catch the sunset. Stoney had a blast, and in fact maybe he had a little too much fun: at one point we decided to let him off-leash as we had trusted him (mostly!) for a game of fetch. Well… he ended up careening past where the ball stopped and kept running off into the sunset! He was probably going to sniff around and see if he could find any rabbits, but once his parents caught up to him the poor guy lost his freedom and was promptly back on-leash. :) Another fun fact about this sweet, old guy is that he used to have one floppy ear. I guess as he got older it kind of grew straighter, and his mom mentioned that she was hoping his one floppy ear would reappear for photos. Thankfully it came out for a few photos and he looked absolutely adorable! One thing’s for sure – straight ear or floppy ear, he’s a cutie. :)

Stoney was more than happy to just be with his parents during the photo session and it was so nice to see the way he interacted with them. They’ve clearly done a great job with him and have an amazing bond! It was such a wonderful, fun afternoon.

He really does look good with that trademark floppy ear. :)

shepherd mix san diego


Mission Bay Park was a great place to start our session – plenty of grass to run around & lounge in. Stoney took full advantage!

shepherd mix photo


Oh San Diego… you’re so beautiful. But you look even better with this handsome boy.

shepherd mix dog


Cathy and Adam, I can’t wait to share the images we captured with you! See you soon!

Gretzky, the Mixed Breed Rescue Dog

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

Say hello to Gretzky! :) I’ve actually known his parents for a while now, and have photographed their family and a couple of their dogs in the past who unfortunately aren’t with us anymore. This family has a special place in their heart for older dogs; I think they adopted their girl Bullet when she was more than 10 years old – which, for a pittie mix, is getting up there. So imagine my surprise (and probably theirs too) when they recently went to the Humane Society to adopt another senior dog and left with a 4-month-old puppy instead! Haha! I’m so glad they decided to add this spunky little dude to the mix!

They aren’t too sure what mix of breeds Gretzky is, but they’ll be finding out soon via a DNA test. Possibly part pit bull, part Great Dane? (Great Dane is definitely in question!) The mystery is definitely part of the fun of adopting a rescue dog. Either way, he is just adorable and surprisingly calm for a pup his age! He loves treats and my backdrop sparked his curiosity. We were even able to capture a few photos of him with his older siblings, Dozer and Bullet. He clearly adores them and the feeling is mutual… some of the time. ;)

This was his “Puppy Plan” session #1! I’ve been looking forward to it since his mom called me with the announcement of adopting a new puppy. And what a fun way to kick off my first official photo session since coming back from maternity leave! It was a great reintroduction back into the studio, working with past clients on a fresh new project – and I can’t wait to watch Gretzky as he grows up alongside my baby girl! :)

That face!! I might have come back from maternity leave even earlier if I knew Gretzky’s big brown eyes were waiting for me…

rescue dog photo

 

Gretzky would like to take this time to remind you that he’s 100% puppy.

rescue dog portrait


Welcome to the “Puppy Plan” family, Gretzky! I bet you’re going to be a big boy (especially if the Great Dane part is true!) and I can’t wait to see how much you’ve grown in a few months from now…

Turbo, the Pomeranian Mix from San Diego

Monday, February 25th, 2019

I’d like to introduce you to Turbo the Pomeranian mix! She may be small in size, but she’s got a BIG personality to make up for it! Trust me: with her energy & personality, she could not have a more perfect name. It’s always a fun challenge keeping up with her while she lives life at lightning speed!

I’ve actually photographed Turbo in my studio several times over the years for my holiday mini sessions – as well as one full-length session in the studio – but this was a first for us to visit the great outdoors together. One of the many things Turbo and her mom love to do is walk through Heritage Park, since it’s right down the street from their house in Mission Hills. And this park turned out to be the perfect spot for our session! I’ve got to say, I loved seeing Turbo in her element letting loose!

It was also a delight to see how her and her mom connect. Marjorie is so patient and sweet with her – even when Turbo gives her “attitude” (let’s just say this dog doesn’t keep her opinions to herself, haha!). Her mom has done an awesome job working with her, and I’ve enjoyed the privilege of seeing their bond deepen over the years. Not just anyone would be willing to adapt their lifestyle to accommodate a rescue dog with this much energy – but I just love witnessing their relationship, and knowing how much work has gone into it leaves me with nothing but respect for this whole family.


This is Turbo – in a rare moment of stillness. Isn’t she adorable?!

pomeranian mix dog


Walking through the park is one of her favorite things to do – in fact, I’d be willing to bet she considers it “her” park!

pomeranian mix puppy


Such. A. Cutie. (Sorry for all the sitting-still & calm photos; they’re the result of lots of effort and patience, so you could say they’re the images I’m most proud of from our session, haha!)

pomeranian mix


Marjorie, thank you for a fun afternoon – and for introducing me to my new favorite park! :)

Missy the French Bulldog Puppy

Wednesday, February 6th, 2019

I know what you’re thinking: “A French bulldog puppy? Isn’t that one of the cutest little breeds ever?” I totally agree – and I know Missy’s mom does too! Meet Missy, the most adorable four-month-old Frenchie. With her unique coloring and confident personality, she was an absolute joy to photograph!

We created these images at Presidio Park, where Missy happily got to run around, chew on sticks, smell all the smells and hang out in the flowers. She was so agreeable and was happy to pose just about anywhere or anyhow for me – in exchange for a treat, of course! And given her young age, I have to admit that I was incredibly impressed by her mom Robin and her training skills. At just a few months old, Missy has already come so far. She already knows commands like sit, come, and we even trusted her for a brief period to be off leash. She always came running right back to either one of us when we called! It was amazing, and just goes to show the strong bond that Missy and her mom are forming as she grows.

I think Missy’s favorite part of the session may have been the very end when she barked her sassy bark and got to use my finger as a chew toy. But I didn’t mind – I would never be able to say “no” to that face! (She must have been full of treats at that point, haha!) But the whole session was fabulous, since Missy was completely happy just being able to explore – never too far from her mom, of course. We had a blast that afternoon!


This is Missy. Yes, she really is that cute in real life.

frenchie puppy photo


A puppy who can sit & stay?! Pinch me!

french bulldog puppy sitting


Not pictured: the flower she chomped on before posing for this photo. Flowers aren’t food, silly girl! :)

frenchie puppy in flowers


Robin, thank you so much for introducing me to your adorable new addition! I’m looking forward to showing you the rest of our images soon! :)

 

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