When Edmund Fitzgerald's dad contacted me for his session, I'll admit that I didn't know what the Doxie's name was in reference to. It wasn't until after I talked to a friend of mine that I learned of the famed freighter and folk song. After reading up on the story, I was confident enough to go into the session knowing everything about the tragic events of the boat's wreck. Now I just needed to find out why this tiny little Dachshund was named after this freighter...
Turns out that Edmund Fitzgerald's parents are big Gordon Lightfoot fans (this singer of the folk song) and have been to several of his concerts. In ironic fashion, they thought it would be funny to name such a tiny, little creature after a huge 728-foot boat. How hysterical!!!
He is so cute and photogenic!
Not to be overshadowed, Hershel is Edmund Fitzgerald's older brother. His gray face shows his age but he is wise beyond his years. :)
He still has some craziness in him too! :)
Doxies are so cute when they run!!! I love their flying ears!
Hehe! Edmund Fitzgerald almost looks like a toy here...
Well, if you didn't know about the Edmund Fitzgerald and/or the song, I hope you get the chance to look it up and get a little history lesson today! :) And if you don't, at least you got to look at some super-cute pups!
Dashiell
Dashiell is only the second Wirehaired Dachshund I've ever had the honor of photographing. And, I must say, he was beyond amazing to work with. This one-year-old boy was very well-trained and would do anything for a treat. Not to mention he's about as adorable as they come! His little beard and fluffy back-mohawk made me a little weak in the knees. I got to meet Dashiell on the beautiful evening on Mother's Day. We started out shooting at his house but quickly moved on to the always lovely Fisher Farm. I was blown away when we got there! The sun was sparkling, the grass was tall and flowing, and the purple flowers were dancing in the breeze. We were in heaven!
I have to start this sneak peek with the images from Fisher Farm because Dashiell took my breath away standing in all of that gorgeousness...
I could photograph this every day. And Dashiell just made it that much more special!
This is one of my favorite shots of the evening. He bounced through the grass like a bunny and it was to die for!
Back at Dashiell's house, we explored his backyard and he worked his magic...
His "Bang! Bang!"...
And one last cute one (his human brother and sister's favorite)...
Thank you, Dashiell, for such a wonderful session. I hope your mom enjoyed her Mother's Day present!!!
Missy and Dailey
Before I start on the cuteness overload you're about to see of Missy and Dailey, I have to give a big shout out to their parents. Long-time followers of mine, they were all over everything for their session. Mom read all through the Welcome Package and did everything in the "How to Prepare" section and even had an appreciation for the lighting the day of the session (we had to reschedule once because of the threat of rain). Can I say dream client? Just wanted to put that out there because I don't do it often enough. My clients (human and 4-legged) are amazing. :) Now on to their super-adorable babies, Missy and Dailey. Although they greeted me with a couple barks, once I stepped in their home and they smelled treats, they were all mine. :) Even Dailey (who tends to be a little more shy) was following me around within seconds. I had a feeling they were going to be great models. I introduce the pups in front of the camera for this pet portrait session...drum roll please....Dailey (left) and Missy (right)...
I instantly fell in love with Dailey. He may have a little head - no, really, he's tiny - but he's got the smarts of a young child. There's a lot going on behind those eyes. He's one of the most intelligent pups I've ever met.
Missy wasn't a dummy either. She'd do anything for a treat. :)
The best part was seeing the two of these pups together. They are professional head-tilters part-time. 
And full-time crazy playmates!
And of course to-die-for models. :)
I squeal every time I see an image of these two together!!!
Toward the end of our session, we made a quick trip down to the neighborhood creek. Most of the tall grass and flowers had been cut that afternoon but we managed to find some pretty goodness to pose in.
These two, man. Gotta love 'em! :)
Rylee, Chloe, and Zoey
This trio of pups' session has been on the calendar since May. They got a prime Fall slot and I'm so happy for that!!! The gorgeous, gorgeous colors were just starting to appear at the fabulous location we found. It brought out all the special beauty in these three ladies! This trio consists of Rylee, a lovely Golden Retriever who was going to be the main focus of the session; Chloe, a mini-Doxie with a chill attitude; and Zoey, a prim and proper Yorkie with stunning locks.
Everything for our session lined up - the pups were wonderful to work with, the weather and lighting were spectacular, and to top it all off, the parents were troopers!! The mom was totally chill and let things flow naturally while the dad was an awesome assistant (I'd offer him a job in a second). :) I couldn't ask for a better shoot!
We started off focusing on Chole and Zoey. Mom just wanted a few shots of them so we wore them out so they could relax the rest of the session.
Now it was time to focus on Rylee - the sunshine of her mom's life. :)
Rylee is such a gorgeous girl with a fun and quirky personality. I think you can totally see it in the images.
She can have her serious look but it's perfectly balanced with a goofy side. In fact, her parents said she was being especially goofy during the session. Show off!
Rylee LOVES sticks!!!! She even smiles when she fetches them!
We left the park right around sunset and got to capture some wonderful views of Uptown Charlotte...
"Oh, you wanted to see the skyline?"
Many, many thanks go out to Rylee, Chole, Zoey, and this trio's wonderful parents! What an AMAZING session. I love all of your babies and can't wait to see you again!
Barkley and Bailey
It doesn't quite look like Fall yet here in the Charlotte area. But with cooler temperatures and a few leaves on the ground, we figured we could recreate the look for Barkley and Bailey's session! It certainly helps when the models are covered in the gorgeous colors of Autumn - vivid golds, creamy browns, and luscious creams! Yes, Barkley and Bailey are super-amazing dappled Doxies and they are the epitome of cuteness! :)
These brothers are 2 years old and have the good looks to go with the young age! Barkley is the darker of the two and Bailey, well, I guess she just wanted to stick her tongue out...
In certain light, these two seriously glowed gold. I wonder if they are 14 or 24 karat?
Barkley and Bailey have a huge pen that they hang out in when they want to go outside. They are on full-force playtime when they are out there!
I love that the leaves were starting to fall and collect on the ground. Ahhhhhhhh...Fall...
Barkley had a good ol' time playing with the flurry of leaves.
Bailey was way more interested in the squeaky ball I brought.
But he also took some time to play in the leaves. :)
I'd like to meet the person that could say no to this face!!!
More gorgeousness in the leaves. I love how Barkley and Bailey blend right in - total camo!
What a wonderful and Fall-like session - just a preview of the months to come!!!! Thanks so much B&B!
Ellie, Mattie, and Lowrider
When you photograph smaller dogs, you sometimes don't know what you're gonna get. They can often be a little timid at first because they think the camera is a big black eye checking them out. Then, the click of the shutter can really spook them. Usually extra care and time must be used to condition them to think the camera is only a treat dispenser - not a nasty monster coming to destroy them. When it came time to photograph this trio of ladies, Ellie, Mattie, and Lowrider, I figured I'd spend quite a bit of time letting them warm up to me. I was warned that Lowrider could be a little shy around strangers and that Ellie was timid. Hahaha! When we finally met in person, there wasn't a lick of shyness between the three of them! They were super excited to explore and turn it on for the camera!
I introduce, from left to right, Ellie, Lowrider, and Mattie...
We started by photographing Mattie. This pretty Beagle/Italian Greyhound mix sure put her Beagle instincts to work out at Fisher Farm. Her nose was on full alert as she checked out all the stinky goodness around us!
I don't think her smile gets much better than this!
Oh and she's a runner (actually they all are as you'll soon see). Shake a bag of treats and she's go, go, go!
Next we got to hang with the awesomely named, Lowrider. She was as poised and graceful as she could be. She happily showed her stuff for her time in front of the camera!
She's another treat hound! Again, shake the treat bag and she's all yours! She's pretty low to ground to start with but she's got some air in this shot...
And she loves to be held like a baby! Eeeek! :)
Lastly, we photographed Ellie. She was a recent foster failure who has certainly come into her own in her new home. Gone are the days of being timid! Nope! She is 100% in your face with love!
More air time!!!
Like I said, there's nothing timid about this! ;)
I know this shot is out of focus but it's soooo Ellie!!!
This is our attempt at getting all three to run together. With air like Mattie has, there's no wonder why she's in the lead!
And our attempt at a silhouette. Just missing a head but I think it works. :) Plus mom and dad worked very hard in the horrible humidity and they deserve a shot together! Love!
