For about a year I’ve wanted to photograph the whole puppy process: the birth + the eight weeks leading up to when they go home. Partly I liked the idea of documenting a process over the span of two months; partly I liked the idea of having a good excuse to hang out with brand new puppies week after week.
The project fell into place with the Elick family + their Golden Retriever, Bella. They added my phone number to the list of numbers to call when Bella went into labor and graciously had me over just about every week thereafter until the puppies went home in early February. (I missed weeks five and seven).
Put aside the fact that baby Golden Retrievers are irresistible, it was also fascinating from the perspective of someone who is utterly fascinated by dog behavior. Instinct is an amazing thing, as firm and unwavering as gravity. That Bella knew exactly what to do without ever having seen it is mind blowing. Somehow the abundance of technology makes me forget how extraordinary nature is.
The other part of this process that totally blew me away was how the puppies go from being hamster-like blobs to actual individuals in the span of just a couple weeks. I know there’s evidence on both sides of the age-old nature versus nurture argument, but holy cow these little dogs each had their own distinct personalities as soon as they were coordinated enough to exhibit them.
So here’s a comprehensive slideshow of Bella + her babies. It is 5 minutes, 18 seconds long. I know that far surpasses the 30 second attention span most people have for watching slideshows online, but I couldn’t slim it down any more than this. Eight weeks of puppies is hard to turn into 5 minutes.
A big thank you to the Elicks, and to Bella.
23 Comments
This is so awesome! I love the concept of this project and how well you executed it. You have some killer shots there, lady. Well done!
Such an amazing project, Claire, and the photos tell a beautiful story! Thanks for the smiles!
wow, that’s about the best thing i’ve ever seen. great work! my favorite image is their little b/w butts while they’re nursing :)
Oh. My. Heart. Hurts. (from the cutness)
That is so awesome. What a creative project. Those photos really tug at the heart!
This is a really amazing documentary project. Congrats!
Thanks for sharing!! SOOOOOO beautiful and heartwarming. Really makes me wanna get a puppy. I’ve raised 5 guide dogs and truly miss the puppy breaths, first teeth, soft little ears, swimming in the dog bowls, etc. Love it immensely. :)
I just squealed so loud that I think anyone in a 5 mile radius heard me. Seriously love this Claire!
yay for RJD2!! (and puppies of course!)
Very nice Claire. Karen and I have a Golden, I could almost read their little minds as I was looking at the show. Thanks for sharing it!!1
Wow, this is incredible! I don’t know how you got it down to 5 minutes…I never would have been able to do that. How fun for you to get to go through this whole process with them and amazing for them to have these memories. The baby tails got a loud “Ahhh” from me. That was my fave. :) Excellent work!
Amber
OMG this was sooooo cool! I l definitely watched the whole thing :) The black and white images in the beginning are so captivating! You got so many awesome shots and great music choice! I love love loved it!
Loved this! I am not only a Golden lover, but I have done this with my own breeder–documented my dog’s life as she grew into a dog since she was 2 days old. Well done! Thanks for posting this.
The pile of puppies sleeping got me. All those little paws. soooo cute!!!
This is such a treasure, Claire! No one could have been more thoughtful, diligent and enjoyable with this project, than you! Bella’s startling introduction to motherhood and the development of these 9 pups is illustrated so beautifully! A thousand thanks from Tuk Tuk, Kristal, Lucy, Buddy, James Bailey, Rufio, Mick, Riley, Emma and Bella for a precious “family album”!
Oh. Wow. Those shots towards the end are really something. What an amazing journey, made even more so by your beautiful shots! Thoroughly enjoyed the slideshow, thanks Claire!
WOW! These are AMAZING! you don’t see a lot of puppies under eight weeks. It’s very interesting to see how different they look before they go home and to see them grow into what we see as a puppy and dog.
What a cool project! I’ve never seen puppies that young.
love love love love love love love love love love love love! could these pups be any more stinkin’ cute?! amazing work, and fantastic concept. :)
Oh my gosh Claire… these are absolutely AMAZING. I can’t even pick a favorite. Kudos girl, this project came out fabulous and your incredible talent really showed!
What a fantastic project, and beautiful images (of course)! A dog photographer’s dream. Thank you so much for sharing!
Great fun shots. I have made 3 diffrent versions of personal storybooks for my business of my Border Collie pups. I wish I had taken better photos, but I love being able to create a lasting memories book, cards, posters, playing cards, gallery wrapped canvases, individuale pages for framing and other projects. I just got a great idea to use the photo I have of moms foot and babies foot that are next to each other. We have a new size of gallery wrapped canvas, 8×8. Your photo inspired me! Way cool.
http://www.celebratingmystory.com
So darn adorable – you have capture them beautifully and have such a gorgeous compilation of images. Thanks for sharing!!
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