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Mumsy (Black and Tan) and Sweet Pea (Liver and Tan) were two great bloodhounds to work with. I have a soft spot for droopy eyed, big eared hounds after growing up with a basset hound. I had an amazing morning photographing them.
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I have a LOT of photo shoots yet to be posted to the blog so I thought I would start with Moose's photos. Makes we wish it was summer! Enjoy!
Another shoot for late last summer. I got the opportunity to photograph two American Bulldog's named Elliot and Lola. This was another incredibly hot day. The great thing about these two is that they went full boar for about 20 minutes and then were spent. The rest of the session I could just hang back and shoot as we walked the paths, played in the mud and explored the park. Bully breeds are amazing!
Here is another shoot from the end of last summer with a boxer named Nero. If I had to choose only one purebred breed to photograph for the rest of my photographic career (thankfully I don't) it would be boxers. I LOVE this breed! The energy, the expressions and the personality make for amazing photographs. Nero didn't disappoint. We really lucked out for this shoot. Starting at Nero's house, a short drive from Lake Michigan, it was hot, hot, hot! We burning off some energy, got in some garden hose time and then headed down to the lake. The beach was covered in this amazing fog. The combination of a great dog and a surreal beach scene made for some great images.
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I know, this blog has been sorely neglected. There are a ton of photos I want to share since last summer so lets get started. Heidi is first on the list. I photographed Heidi early August. She is a TINY Shih Tzu! I love how the blades of grass almost tower over her. Working with small dogs can sometimes be quite a workout. The shoot usually consists of me laying, running, crawling, rolling, scooting and eventually panting. But since Heidi was pretty low key she made my job very easy. Thanks Heidi! Be sure to book your spring photo shoot while there is still time. The bulbs are starting to emerge and soon we'll have some great spring flowers. Contact me to set up a shoot or with any questions.
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Ruger is a 110 lb German Shepherd that required "the proper introduction" before I was able to photograph him. No problem! A few minutes after arriving I fed him some dried liver treats, we popped a new can of tennis balls and the rest is history. Ruger is a great dog! We ended the session with one of Ruger's favorite things... the hose. A happy German Shepherd, a hose and great evening light made for some amazing photos (some of my favorites of the summer). Thanks Linda for having me out and introducing me to Ruger. I had a blast!
I'm a little behind on blogging so these photos are from a couple months back. Better late than never with these two. Chase and Oscar are Boykin Spaniels. Never heard of the breed? Neither had I. Boykin Spaniels were first bred by South Carolina hunters during the 1900's as a small rugged dog suitable for hunting ducks and wild turkeys in the Wateree River Swam. Chase and Oscar are both trained hunting dogs. I got the demo! Enjoy!
Welby is a 13 year old miniature schnauzer who was recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Although I was told he started slowing down, you would have never known it for our shoot. Welby chased that frisbee with a bouncy rabbit like run. I had a hard time concentrating as I watched this little guy bounce toward me in the camera's view finder. The photos we got from that day were WELL worth the crazy swarms of mosquitoes. Sadly, this past week I learn that Welby passed away. Welby is one of those dogs who's hard to forget. I'm glad we have some great pictures to remember him by. Thanks Debbie for bringing me out to meet him!
A couple weeks back I had the pleasure of meeting the amazing duo of Aia Mae (Blue Heeler/Beagle Mix) and Willow (Australian Shepherd). I found out that Aida has an amazing talent. She can show off her butt on command. Very impressive when seen in person! Willow is deaf so after feeling a little foolish catching myself whistling to get her attention we figured things out and found that she's very photogenic. These two were a lot of fun to work with. If you ever want to say hi, Aida and Willow are regulars at Central Park Milwaukee Downtown where their mom is manager. Thanks Kate for a fun shoot. Enjoy the photos!
Ya, I know it's been a while since the last post. I can't believe it's almost the end of July! Before you know it the leaves will start falling. So if you are thinking about a summer photo shoot for your pet make sure to get your date/time scheduled as soon as possible. I met Astro (dachshund mix) and Cody (beagle mix) at Greenfield Park on an amazing evening. The sun was bright, the weather warm and we had a BLAST running and photographing in the park. Before I met the dogs I got this email from their mom "Just to warn you the little one, Astro, can be a bit of a handful at times". It turned out that Astro, who was 1 year old, was still very much a puppy. He had puppy curiosity and puppy ENERGY! And although we spent a lot of the time running and chasing he did give me a few opportunities to capture some nice candid portraits. I love a challenge!
Cody is 9 and much more mellow than his younger brother. It was pretty hard to take a bad picture of this guy. We got a good mix of portraits and action shots. For 9 years old he keeps up with Astro quite well. Thanks Amanda for introducing me to your boys. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Bubee was great to work with! She is 11 1/2 years old and almost completely blind. The thing I like about dog photography is how unpredictable each shoot becomes. Although I needed to change up my technique a little to accommodate Bubee's vision I could not have asked for an better dog to work with. We were able to get portrait style photos with almost no coaxing as well as action shots while Bubee explored the park. I could tell that Bubee truly loved being outdoors (I'm told that Bubee also enjoys paddling with his mom). We ended up with some great pictures! I would be happy to photograph Bubee anytime. Thanks Dawn for contacting me to photograph Bubee. She's one of a kind.
You never know what you are going to get with the weather in Wisconsin in spring. My shoot with Hope and Prince fell on a day of off and on showers with the chance of heavy rain later in the evening. Although it was cold, windy and looking like it could rain at any moment we went forward with the shoot. And I'm very glad we did. The overcast sky and wind produced some great pictures. Hope, the brown Pomeranian, was a little shy around the camera but, as you can see by the photo below, eventually came around with a great smile. Prince, the black and white Pomeranian, eventually got bored of barking at me and posed for some nice, windswept images. Minutes after I jumped in the car to head home it started to rain. Thanks Kim for braving the elements and contacting me to photograph Hope and Prince. I love little dogs with big personalities!
I learned a few things during this shoot involved Sarah, her peekapoo dog Toro, her pony Pleasure and her yearling nubian goat Flower. First, kids come up with the best ideas for photos and that makes my job a whole lot easier. Second, goat will eat your hair if you let it get to close to their mouth. Third, even though I know next to nothing about horses, I realized they make great subjects and can't wait to do more equine photography. It was hard to take a bad picture of this Welsh / Mustang with great blue eyes. Even though the clouds were a little ominous during the shoot we ended up with some great pictures. I had a blast photographing Sarah and her crew.
Photographing puppies can be difficult. Gabby is a Golden Retriever puppy that definitely had energy however she always managed to sit still just long enough for me to trigger the shutter. I had a blast meeting Gabby and can't wait to see the dog she grows up to be. The word is that she's going to be BIG! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.
March in Wisconsin is unpredictable. We had a week of 60 degree days and then an inch of snow the day before Honey and Phoebe's shoot. Luckily the snow melted in a matter of hours and we had a perfect spring evening at the park. Honey is the tan pit bull and Phoebe is the pug. Honey's life story started pretty bad before finding her forever home with two great dog parents. She is as gentle as can be and was in dog heaven at the park with all the sights and smells. Before I met Phoebe she was described to me as a dog that can make a person smile no matter what mood they are in. After meeting her I would have to agree that this description was right on. Thanks Lisa for contacting me to photograph your family. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
So to get a much needed creative boost I decided to shoot something completely different. These are macro shots of dog fur shot with a 50mm f/1.8 lens and Kenko extension tubes. I would love to hear thoughts, critiques, etc. I may be guilty of this from time to time but anyone who says there isn't anything interesting around to photograph isn't looking hard enough. Get up close, change your angle, whatever it takes to see something a different way. More macro "Dog Details" to come.
Benji was recently diagnosed with an aggressive illness. Photographing sick animals can be emotionally very difficult, however I have found that it's also one of the most rewarding parts of pet photography. This guy was so gentle and happy that I found myself forgetting that he was sick. Thanks Cynthia for contacting me to capture some photos of Benji. He's a great dog!
I have a thing for short, stubby legs after growing up with a Bassset Hound. Pair this with some nice big, pointy ears (like my dog Chloe) and you have a dog I could photograph all day long. Liam is a Corgi set to make an appearance in a national Corgi magazine and in need of a good portrait. According to his mom, Liam was nervous and unnatural when they tried getting photos of him in the studio. Some dogs just need to be outside having fun before they will show their true colors. Liam was one of these dogs because out in the snow (with the help of a ball) Liam was as natural as can be. Anyone who thinks all dogs with little legs are slow has never seen a Corgi run. This little guy can move! Thanks Marggie for contacting me to shoot Liam. He was great!
This post is long over due. I had the opportunity to shoot a group of four dogs on what turned out to be one of the nicest days this winter. The goal was to get some great shots of the dogs since Butch, the Golden Retriever, was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and Charm, the Chocolate Lab, had some recent health issues. The whole group did not disappoint. I had a blast working with all of them. Gizmo, the Bichon, was not a big fan of spending much time in the snow while Dewey, the mix, was a 3 1/2 year old bundle of energy. The late afternoon sun turned out to be amazing and I tried to capture every last bit of it. Thanks Cyndi for letting me photograph your group, I hope you enjoy the photos!
Many of you know my affinity for senior dog photography. Windy was no exception. She is a 17 1/2 year old Yorkie-Poo. For the shoot we got a balmy 5 degree Wisconsin day. As you can imagine I was a little worried about what we'd get for photographs since cold weather and little dogs don't mix all that well. My fears were quickly put to rest as I was able to get some great shots right off the bat. Windy was a trooper! Most of my experience with senior dogs involves the dog staying in one place with me moving around. Windy had other plans. She was constantly on the move and made me work for every photograph. In the end I had a great time photographing Windy. Thanks Beth for the opportunity. I hope you enjoy the photos.
