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Daisy, Hank, & Rusty – 3 Little Dogs from Mira Mesa

Wednesday, November 20th, 2019

I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter family to work with than the Stone family! They were such a pleasure to get to know, and during the session they were up for anything! I really appreciated how they were willing to go with the flow and listen to what the dogs needed and wanted to do during our time together. I always try to go into photo sessions with a plan, but often times the plan simply falls apart – which is nobody’s fault of course, that’s just dogs being dogs doing what they want to do! (And usually we end up with something much better than my plan anyway, haha!) But their willingness to just “roll with it” made this photo session a whole lot of fun. Maybe that made things a little chaotic at times, but I think this session serves as proof that sometimes it doesn’t look like much is “happening” to the bystander; it probably doesn’t feel or seem like we’re creating artwork. But oftentimes all the elements come together in the final images, and I am definitely loving these results!

They chose a great spot in Mira Mesa that I’ve never been to before (which was super exciting for me, haha)! It was a community park that was totally deserted – so. much. fun. We were able to play fetch on the baseball field, run around in the grass, and watch the dogs just let loose!

Daisy is the only girl of the pack – girl power! She is a little fireball and is the one who likes to live life at HIGH speed. She was super excited to be at the Mira Mesa park to play fetch. And oh man… she can really move! I was totally impressed by her athleticism. If I had to guess, I think playing fetch and running around in the empty field was her favorite part of the afternoon by far. This girl loves her tennis balls!

dog in mira mesa park


And Daisy wanted to make sure you know how much she loves chasing her ball – so here she is just moments after the above image!

dog running in mira mesa


Her brother Hank is a little cutie too! He is a Chihuahua mix and allllll personality. He has this sweet-and-sometimes-sassy little attitude that somehow comes through no matter what he’s doing. He is not shy about what he wants and doesn’t want! And he was a joy to be around, even if he did keep me on my toes. :)

mira mesa chihuahua


And last but certainly not least, they recently adopted a new dog named Rusty. He is a beagle who has lived his whole life in a laboratory. Unfortunately, beagles get tested on a lot for different products, and Rusty hasn’t had the easiest or happiest life. The good news is is that these days if he’s enjoying himself you can hardly even tell what he’s been through! He’s a total sweetheart and really enjoys being around people. He’s happy when meeting new people and a lot of things are going on and he gets to be social and explore. I love that about him – talk about giving the world a second chance despite what has been done to him! I think he is just amazing and so is his family for adopting him and giving him a life full of love. He’s fitting in really well with his new family – in fact, he has been given the award of #1 couch potato! If he can’t be out meeting new people, his idea of a good time is sitting on the couch, relaxing. (Can’t say I blame him, haha!) So the fact that we were out in the park in Mira Mesa for a photo session… nottttt really high on his priority list. He was a little slow to get into the rhythm of things – but as soon as we got to Balboa Park he absolutely came alive! His tail was just wagging and he was even “high stepping” a little bit. It was an immediate difference – so cool to see!

beagle dog


Thank you Katherine and Neil for a lovely afternoon with your 3 amazing dogs! I can’t wait for you to see all of our images soon!

A Bittersweet Photo Session with Huxley and Gibson

Wednesday, November 6th, 2019

Are you ready? A dose of beautiful & bittersweet is coming your way. You see, Huxley the Great Dane was recently diagnosed with cancer, and he doesn’t have much time left with his parents and little brother. Luckily, I was able to carve out some time in my schedule to meet with them soon after talking with his mom for the first time about a month ago. It’s not easy to squeeze in last-minute sessions this time of year, since it’s my busy season, but I always leave holes in my shooting calendar just for emergencies like this. I’m sad that I met this fun family under these heartbreaking circumstances, but at least (miraculously) the weather was absolutely perfect, almost as if the weather gods knew that we might not have time to reschedule.

We started out at Presidio Park in San Diego. Although the natural incline of the park proved to be a little tough on Huxley’s back legs, he handled it like a champ! He was having a good time and only wanted to hang out with his brother, Gibson, and of course his parents. We found a nice, relatively flat spot in the park under the shade of a huge tree that was perfect for portraits. After some time there, we headed over to Fiesta Island. Huxley LOVES Fiesta and so does Gibson! Right after getting out of the car, you could immediately tell there was a difference with Huxley as he was more comfortable and walking easier & faster. It was familiar territory which made him happy and in return made all of us happy. It was great that we were able to be flexible and arrive there earlier than we were originally planning, rather than pushing him too hard to stay at the park longer than he wanted to. It’s SO important that pets feel as comfortable as possible during their session. As a result everyone has a better time!

Gibson on the other hand? You can’t push him too hard, haha! He’s a total puppy compared to his older brother! He’s a rescued Tijuana street dog, a doberman/labrador mix and a ball of energy! He just wanted to run around, chase his ball, have a blast, and play with tug-of-war with his brother on the beach. It was so funny to watch him scramble around and jump and hustle to play tug with a new toy with Huxley, the Great Dane, who just… stands there. Almost motionless. Haha! Sorry Gibson, but it’s hilarious to watch. Their parents let me know that they usually bring their favorite “stick log” that they found one day at Fiesta Island and bring back to let the boys play with it there. But even though they didn’t get to play with their stick log, they had a blast with the ball! This truly is their happy place and you could tell that Huxley was in his element. The dogs usually swim with their lifejackets, and although we didn’t let Huxley fully go swimming this time we were able to capture some really playful portraits!

This was just a beautiful afternoon for Huxley and his family. I know they have hard times coming up, and Gibson is really going to miss his big brother. We ended up with some amazing portraits to remember him by. I feel so honored to have been a part of this photo session, and I know his parents will cherish these moments for a very long time.


This is Huxley. Isn’t he handsome?!

great dane dog


I don’t think Gibson has an “off” button. He just goes!

happy dog at fiesta island


It’s your world, Hux. We just live in it.

great dane at fiesta island


Melissa & Chris, thank you so much for introducing me to your sweet boys. I’m looking forward to showing you the rest of our images soon!

Buster the 10-Year-Old Staffy Mix

Friday, October 18th, 2019

I am so happy to introduce you to Buster! He’s a 10-year-old American Staffordshire terrier mix, a total sweetheart, super easy-going, and an as-long-as-my-mom’s-here-I’m-happy kind of dog. He and his mom actually live just a few blocks away from my studio, and that’s where we started our photo session! But after a few minutes we noticed he was somewhat uncomfortable, and just not loving the studio. He was trying his best – but it was clear that it simply wasn’t the ideal place to be. So we decided to adjust our plans and head to Balboa Park shortly into our session – which turned out to a great thing for him! He really came alive in the wide-open environment and it was almost like his head was on a swivel, taking it all in. He was ready to be on guard for his mom (watching verrrrry closely the families playing on the nearby playground, haha!) and it was too cute!

And my favorite part? Our timing was perfect when we arrived; the lighting was absolutely gorgeous. We headed over to a little corner of the park where it was relatively quiet, and he did some more of his favorite pose (laying down). He is 10 years old after all, so we cut him some slack, haha! He did some walking around and even did a little jogging with his mom. (Be forewarned: you might get a workout in the middle of your photo session!) And Buster never gave us any trouble because his mom brought his faaaaavorite treat – chicken! So as long as he had his mom and his chicken, he was a happy boy! :)

Overall, we had a really relaxing and peaceful photo session. Buster is doing great even though his mom is starting to see signs of his age. (You gotta love how healthy mutts tend to be! Buster’s staffy mix heritage is certainly doing him favors these days.) She wanted to get this photo session on our calendars before anything takes a turn, which I think is a perfect idea. I was thrilled to be able to do this for them and can’t wait to show off the rest of his portraits at his ordering session!


staffy mix dog photo


staffy mix dog walking


staffy dog


See you soon, Cynthia! Give that handsome boy a hug for me in the meantime!


Rupert the Fetch Machine

Friday, October 11th, 2019

Meet Rupert, the happiest dog ever! Get this: his 2 favorite things (besides his parents, of course) are playing fetch with his ball and having his picture taken. Whether the picture-taker is a professional like me or it’s just a quick cell phone pic, he knows what’s happening and he loves it. So imagine his joy as he spent the afternoon playing with his ball AND having his photo taken… Rupert’s day was made. I’m pretty sure he was on cloud 9 during his entire photo session – and he was simply a dream to work with!

We started at San Dieguito County Park and we played fetch amongst the grass and the fall leaves. Rupert was just so funny; it was almost like he couldn’t believe we were there to just play fetch and take photos! He looked at me several times as if to say, “really? We’re just here to do THIS?!” And at one point when I wanted to take a family portrait, he decided it was better timing for a belly rub. He flipped himself over with a big ol’ smile on his face looking at his parents, having decided that plan was much better than my plan! He had everyone laughing!

After the park, we headed to Windansea Beach down in La Jolla. I’m so glad we did, so we could capture the distinctive rock formations on the beach that are very much a part of the La Jolla coastline. Rupert continued to have an amazing time splashing in the water, chasing his ball and shaking off every time he got wet. Each time he fetched, I asked his dad to throw the ball towards me so we could capture Rupert running towards the camera. And I have to say, I’m impressed – he did a surprisingly good job of running SO hard at me and yet swerving at the very last moment without touching me! There were several times where I thought oh this is it. we’re going to collide. and it’s gonna hurt… but he never did! He avoided me with the deftness of a cheetah, swinging his tail and barely missing me every time (despite the fact that my life flashed before my eyes at least once). His athleticism was off the charts – he may be 6 years old, but he doesn’t act a day over 1!


Did I mention how handsome he is?!

black dog photo


Occasionally he took a break from running around like a maniac…


black labrador dog


Beach = fetch, for Rupert. If he’s not chasing the ball, is there even a point to being there?!


dog playing fetch


I had an amazing time laughing with Rupert and his parents! I’m looking forward to showing them his photos soon!

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! :)

 

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