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Happy, happy holidays to all of you!
I’ll be back with lots of new things including:
1. The wonderful client photos I haven’t been able to post yet
2. An updated version of this WordPress blog
3. A complete overhaul of my look + name (it’s long overdue)
4. And, probably most importantly, I’ll be totally refreshed after a few much-needed days of relaxation.
I’m really terrible at a few things, and doing laundry is right at the top of that list. I had an explosion of (clean) laundry in my office the last week (or so), and Kinley took to crawling into the laundry basket and burrowing into the clothes for her morning naps. I finally got around to finishing the laundry process, and was a little sorry to be taking away such prime napping real estate.
Turns out I shouldn’t have worried – this morning she crawled right into my closet which just about always has 4-5 layers of clothes sitting on the bottom of it.
Cute as that puppy is, Roux is still my girl. And I’m still entertained by the way she sleeps too, with all of her feet in a little pile under her chin.
There are three major reasons I’ve been so terrible about posting:
1. The holidays are pure madness. I’m slammed right now. But I am not complaining, no siree. I’m well aware that there’s a part of my personality that adores chaos. Bring it on.
2. About 90% of my shoots recently have been Christmas presents, which means that I am not allowed to post those photos until after the holiday. There have been some really fun dogs lately and some really great stories, so it’s kind of killing me not to be able to share (I never have been especially good at keeping secrets), but I also really believe in the power of surprise so I’m sticking to my guns.
3. Having a 3-month-old puppy basically soaks up every spare minute I have, and even a few minutes I don’t have. I’ll tell you what, she keeps me on my toes.
For now, I’ll leave you with these… Our first attempt at Christmas photos. Roux, the old veteran, stood stock still with her reindeer antlers, allowing me as many photos from as many different angles as I pleased. Kinley, on the other hand, quickly deemed reindeer antlers as a new toy, not to be worn on the head, but to be carried in the mouth.
Not only was the light at this shoot to die for, but the subjects were a blast as well. Anna, Roxy + Tanner (the canine children) are all very well behaved and very sweet. Their little human brother, 18-month-old Connor, is adorable too.
You photographers out there know how monumental lighting is to your shoots. I couldn’t have asked for a better set up than this one – they had a large glass extension on the back of the house – which meant perfect, uniform light. I’d probably move in and put a studio out there if they’d let me.
Anna is the eldest, or first born as her mom, Denise calls her. She’s an 11-year-old Field Springer. She’s the queen of the household and Denise’s baby. I loved photographing Anna – there’s something so stately and elegant about her. I’m pretty sure if she could talk she’d have asked for a cup of tea in a British accent.
This is quite possibly my favorite photo of the whole shoot – a serendipitous little moment caught on camera.
All of these dogs are loved, but there’s definitely something special about Anna’s relationship with Denise.
Roxy is the middle child, an 8-year-old Brittany Spaniel. She’s quieter than the other two, happy to sit in the background, and is the biggest sweetheart of them all.
Look at those eyelashes!
Tanner, at 4, is the youngest of the dogs. He’s the little super model; he’s great at posing for the camera and has such a handsome little face.
Last, but by no means least, Connor:
This is another shot I’m particularly fond of. It was taken in a dark corner of the house (hence the grainy effect) while Connor was playing hide and seek with his mom.
I’m trying to keep up with posting the next week or so, but the holiday rush is truly insane, so if I’m lagging a little bit, that’s why. I do have more Roux + McKinley photos I need to share soon! McKinley experienced her first ‘real’ photo shoot at our house whereby I attempted to dress her up in Christmas ornaments. Chaos ensued…
This was kind of a monster of a shoot with four doggies. These puppies’ mom, Bree, was also fostering two additional dogs, so there were six dogs the day I visited, four of which were large breeds! Bree and her husband definitely have big hearts and work closely with the local large breed rescue. Most of their dogs are rescues, too.
Sadie (aka the Boss), 8-year-old Cocker Spaniel:
Bobbie, an 8-year-old Chihuahua/Shepherd mix (turns out that’s a fab combination):
Deacon is the baby, a 1-year-old Mastiff. At 200 lbs, he’s not a small baby by any means, but he’s still adorable in his big guy way.
(I briefly considered editing out that slobber but ultimately decided it’s an endearing part of who he is and left it in).
I usually don’t pick favorites, but I had a definite favorite from this shoot and that was Zach. He’s a Great Dane rescue – he’s got congenital problems with his legs that make it difficult for him to move around sometimes (although he still has his puppy moments) and has begun having seizures. Bree and her husband have been told their time with Zachy is limited, which was a lot of her motivation for having the shoot done.
It’s easy to see why they’ve fallen in love with him; there really is something special about him. The expression in his eyes is bright, interested, and above all trusting.
He’s a handsome fellow, isn’t he?
