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!

Mickey

Oh Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine, you blow my mind. Hey Mickey! Hey Mickey! Now that I have that stuck in your head, you won't ever forget this adorable honey named Mickey. As with most older Goldens, Mickey dons the oh-so-precious white heart on his face. It's a pure heart-melter!

At 7 1/2 years old, Mickey is the center of his parent's universe. He is the only pup they have had together. When they saw Mickey's 4-legged father at the breeder, they instantly fell in love and knew they had to have one of his pups. It's been heavenly ever since!

Mickey gets to enjoy the lake view from the deck and dock in his back yard. He prefers not to go all the way in the water so we knew his handsome hair wouldn't get ruined during the session!The one place that Mickey won't dare go is the ramp that goes down to the floating dock. It's super-scary for him as his poor little paws tend to slip and he looses grip. However...during our session...he actually went down the ramp to be near me!!!! He even went back up it all on his own! His parents were amazed! You can see the beginning of the ramp in this image...He makes sure all is well on the water...Mickey's favorite toy in the world is his Bunsie. It has had some surgery to correct a amputated ear but it's still hanging in there! His mom even has a backup Bunsie should anything happen to it.We took off to a local field so Mickey could have some fun one-on-one time with his beloved stuffed friend......and to run... ...and to go for a good roll! :)We finished the evening back on the dock looking over the calm water of Lake Wylie. Mickey wasn't quite done being goofy! Lol!This time, Mickey wasn't so excited about going up and down the ramp. I just HAD to take this picture. Poor Mickey. The scariest thing in the world...

Bristol - A Furever Puppy

Bristol may be 2.5 years old but that doesn't stop everyone from thinking that this fresh-eyed Golden is still about 8 months old. With a petite 45-pound body and vibrant personality, this sweetheart has everyone fooled. This is just one of the many aspects of Bristol that her parents adore - she is a "fur"ever puppy! Along with her small stature, Bristol is a social butterfly and doesn't know a stranger. She's about as happy as they come and she was ready to show off her different smiles for the camera...

Bristol has tons of energy so we made sure we could get some time in with a tennis ball. Maybe it would take the edge off?All the fun running made Bristol a little on the warm side. While her body may be petite, her tongue is not! ;)Bristol was ready to play in the water but there was an important picture we had to get beforehand. Yep! Her mom and dad are getting married!!!"Can we play in the water now???"Well, we didn't take the edge off earlier with chasing the ball. Nope! Bristol never runs out of energy. She was sooooo excited to go swimming!Haha! Bristol blends right into the sand!When Bristol was a puppy, she chewed up a plastic toy and some of it got stuck in her tummy. She ended up having to have surgery to have it removed. To top it off, her intestine then got a small tear in it and Bristol went septic and had to have another surgery. She spent 9 days in ICU. Now, Bristol is only around toys with supervision.And she enjoys every minute with them...She is such a beautiful girl!!!If you are on a computer, you should be able to see the slideshow of Bristol running into Lake Norman. She's like the Energizer bunny! She keeps going, and going, and going!

Congratulations to Bristol's parents on their recent engagement! I hope this little sneak peek is a nice early Mother's Day surprise! :)

Sir Buck - Dog Portraits

Sir Buck, or just Buck for short. I really don't know if I can put into words just how sweet this man is. At 9 years old, I think the white heart on his face describes it all. This is seriously one (if not THE) most kind dogs I have photographed. His mom described his hobbies as getting "attention of any kind from any of us" and his tricks as "being sweet all the time". She nailed it! When I arrived at Buck's house, he immediately ran up to me and asked for a good scratching and then rolled on his back for a belly rub. Throughout our shoot, he refused to leave anyone's side. He was either right next to me, his mom, or his brother. It totally pulled at my heart strings. His whole mission through the day is to get lovin' from anyone that will give it to him. If people would learn more from dogs, this world would be so much more amazing.

Buck's human brother is only 2 years older than him so they have basically grown up together. It was important to Buck's family to get some great shots of the two of them together.I love Golden tails in golden light...After hanging out in the back yard, we made our way inside where Buck got even more lovin' with a great tummy scratching.We also got a couple shots of Buck's "annoying" little brother, Rico. Another cutie...

Thank you, Buck, for such a lovely session. You are the definition of a doggy companion and your family is lucky to have you.

Dakota & Max

Ah! A Bernese Mountain Dog and a Golden Retriever. Two of the most lovable and cuddliest breeds. This is Dakota (the Bernese) and Max (the Golden), daughter and son to one very lucky man who is getting these images as a surprise Christmas present. Their mom contacted me because she couldn't think of a gift more meaningful than images of their furry pack. I couldn't agree more. We even included their cute human daughter, Avery, in a couple of the shots. Dakota, Max and Avery have basically grown up together as they are all between the ages of 5 and 7.

We secretly arranged the session while the dad was out of town and we got lucky to miss out on rain forecasted for the week. We spent the evening hanging out in the backyard which overlooks the golf course - a good source of entertainment for the dogs. They withstood the heat and relentless mosquitoes and were great models for their dad's new artwork. I hope he enjoys his wonderful and thoughtful present and cherishes these images for years to come.

PS - If you recognize these pups, don't forget to keep it a secret!

Don't miss the little drop of drool in this image. Hehe. Makes me giggle!

Chesney's Visit

Chesney's parents had a great weekend trip planned so I had the opportunity to have her stay with us as they were away. This sweetheart was such a joy and kept my dog, Eva, company over her birthday weekend. Our time with Chesney went by so fast and I have no doubt that she is now back home sleeping away all the walks, toys and wrestling that she endured over the last couple days. Chesney, you are welcome back anytime you want to keep us company. We miss you already! Of course, while she was here, I had to capture a few images of her... I love her little smile :)

Penny - Studio Session

Penny is the classic Golden Retriever. She is full of energy, is so sweet and loving, and is always on the move! I think she is shown best doing what she does, which is running, playing, and being energetic. That is the great thing about this week of doggy model sessions. I've seen so many doggy personalities and have to figure out how to show each of their very individual traits with nothing but a plain paper backdrop. I hope these images capture Penny's energy because she is so beautiful... Sometimes the images that aren't technically perfect are some of my favorites...I love Penny's crimped ears!

Thank you Penny for such a fun-filled session! I hope your mom enjoys her sneak peak!