Svennie and Willow

Puppy mills are a huge problem in North Carolina and Svennie was one of the many, many dogs that have to suffer the consequences of our lack of laws and punishments. A year ago, Svennie was rescued during a puppy mill raid. She was only 6 months old but she was already left with the everlasting health effects...including meningitis. Her parents gave her all the medical care, love, and feeling of home that she was denied for the first part of her life. Despite all of their efforts, the balancing act between Svennie's prednisone and meningitis became too much for her delicate body to handle. Sadly, we scheduled her Angel Session as she was being weaned off her last round of meds.

Willow, Svennie's sister, joined in on the session too. She provided some comic relief for what was a very heartbreaking session.Some of my favorite images were of Svennie with her mom. Although they only got to share 1 year together, their love was like no other.Rest in peace, sweet Svennie. We will do all we can in your honor to make this puppy mill problem a thing of the past.

Grahm + Foxy

The Spring rush is underway and I couldn't think of a better way to start it than with Grahm and Foxy's session. Unfortunately, the cold weather that has been lingering hasn't helped with the green grass or new foliage. Regardless, with some pretty sunlight and a couple gorgeous pups, we can make it work!!! I'm just loving this session...Grahm, the Boxer, and Foxy, a Border Terrier/Chihuahua mix, are brother and sister. They make the funniest pair! Like most siblings, they don't always care for each other's presence but this image says otherwise. ;)Grahm is such a cutie patootie! Look at that precious face! At the same time, he doesn't mess around if there is a ball flying!"What do you mean you aren't going to throw it anymore?!?"And then there is Foxy. OMG! This girl cracks me up! I even told her mom that Foxy was so ugly, she was cute. When I write it down, it doesn't sound like a compliment but that's what I meant for it to be! I mean, look at her! Her wiry fur, the ear that folds back, the underbite...it's too awesome for words! Love it all!!!And then there's this! She falls asleep as soon as she get scooped into her mom's arms. OMG!As we explored the park, we came across an awesome old truck. It was a little creepy with too many spider webs for my liking but you have to take a risk for the love of art. I'm glad we did because we ended up with some of my favorite images from the session. I especially love this one. When you see it big, the details are amazing. This may have to be in a new sample for me...I actually really love the colors here. It looks as if it has been cross-processed but those are the actual colors - a combo of sunset lighting with a dirty windshield and cool old seats. I like the colors so much that I may have to play around with applying cross-processing effects to some of my other images.Lastly, we headed off to a pretty field of grass...This was Grahm's favorite part! He really got to run and let loose!Foxy just hung back and did her best meerkat impressions.Love, love, love you two!!! Thank you for an awesome evening! :)

Andora & Achilles - Boxer Buddies

In my opinion, Boxers are some of the most expressive and fun dogs to be around. I'm sure you can imagine my delight when I found out I would be photographing not one, but two of them during this session! Not surprisingly, Andora and Achilles didn't disappoint! We met on a gorgeous evening with some of the nicest weather we've had in a while. It was immediately obvious how different Andora and Achilles' looks and personalities were. However, despite their endearing differences, they make an adorable family don't they?!?

Andora is the more "mature" of the fur-kids and she shows her age so gracefully. She's definitely the calmer of the two and prefers to hang out and kinda watch the action take place.Achilles, on the other hand, is still very puppy-like even at 4 years old. He's go-go-go and loves to chase his toys and give huge, slobbery kisses. Such a cutie-pie!I was so excited to have some lovely evening light to show off these pups in all their fabulousness!And the whole family...Andora happily accepts some human kisses...I think Achilles wanted to look serious for this picture. Do you think he pulled it off? ;)And here is Achilles doing what he loves most...playing!Andora just sat back and watched everyone at the park. She's such a sweetheart!And one last one of Achilles being Achilles...

I hope these pups enjoy their sneak peek! I can't wait to see them again so I can cuddle with Andora and get kisses from Achilles. :)

Rocky the Rockstar

Rocky the Rockstar. That's not really his nickname but he has always a big hit on this blog and Facebook. Last June, Rocky had his first photo shoot at the beach and was now looking for a location a little more "manly". Our impromptu shoot took place in Spartanburg, SC at the old Anderson Mill and I think it suited his needs perfectly! Rocky, you look so handsome and masculine and I hope you enjoy your sneak peek! Rocky is a moo cow!!!

This shot might not be super "manly" but you know I had to get one with some gorgeous sunlight!

And last but not least, Rocky being his silly self (must have flash to see the animation)...

Photog note: Because of the unplanned nature of this shoot, I only had one lens with me - the 85mm f/1.8. Not a lens I use a lot but I love the quality it produced! I'll have to pull it out of my bag more often!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you are getting over your turkey (or tofurkey) hangovers!!!

LKN Currents Pet Issue

October is one of my favorite months because the annual Pet Issue of Lake Norman Currents Magazine goes on stands! This year I had the pleasure of photographing Ozzy, a Boxer/Pit mix, for the cover. I felt a special connection with Ozzy as he and Sadie (my black Lab/Pit mix) have very similar pasts. They both were living at the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and both were found at an adoption event at the local Petco just a short time before they were to be euthanized. Ozzy's mom adopted him just 2 weeks prior to him winning the Currents Commodore Cover Dog Contest which landed his headshot on the cover!

And some more of the adorable Ozzy. Who said shelter dogs couldn't be supermodels?

If you pick up an issue, don't miss the "Pets and the Owners who Love Them" story on page 28. If you follow this blog, you'll find some familiar faces gracing the pages of the magazine. I'm so proud of my clients! They all look awesome!