52 on Friday (Week 35): Personal Work

Oh, hi there. Did you think I forgot all about the 52 Project? I promise I didn’t! August has been action-packed… earlier this month I was doing lots of shooting here in San Diego, then a client flew me to Colorado to shoot some portraits, then I took two weeks to go on the most incredible trip. I’m finally back and I was lucky enough to be the one to pick this week’s 52 Project theme, “personal work.”

As artists, we all love what we shoot, but there is something very different about creating work for clients and creating work solely for ourselves… and when I shoot for me, I love to experiment with landscapes and wildlife.

For the past two weeks, I was in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In case you didn’t know, my heart lives in Wyoming. The mountains. The wildlife. The wide open expanses of land under a huge blue sky. I have yet to find another place that calls to me quite as much as Wyoming does.

For the majority of our stay, we rented the most perfect cabin at the base of the Grand Teton mountain range. I’m saving photos of it for when I build a ranch house someday because, I’m telling you, it was exactly what I want my house to look like. Here’s a little peek at the front entry.

Just down the road from cabin was an entrance to the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Shortly before we arrived, a few people had encountered aggressive bears, so the Forest Service closed the northern part of the road, significantly cutting down on traffic. This was really wonderful for us because the wildlife came out in droves. (I know you all think I’m nuts… “Did she just say she went where there were aggressive bears?!” Eh, not quite. We never crossed the road block, we had our bear spray handy, and we stayed in the truck. Sounds much less exciting now, doesn’t it?) We saw at least 100 elk, two red foxes, a few mule deer, and even — you guessed it — two black bears. But this trip was really all about moose… everywhere we looked, there they were!

Meet Mama, Baby, and Baby-Baby Moose (we think Baby was a yearling and Baby-Baby was just a few months)…

Here is just Mama and Baby (the yearling)…

Here is just Baby (again, the yearling)…

We also saw a few bull moose. This guy was super handsome and very curious.

“Come on, you said you saw bears!” OK, but they were so afraid of us that it was impossible to get a good, clear shot. They saw us and they took off. That being said, here’s my best bear shot of the trip. It’s not great, but darn it, it’s a BEAR!!!

I also love shooting landscapes but the weather wasn’t really cooperating with us; the fires in Idaho were blowing smoke right in front of the Tetons. I still couldn’t resist the opportunity to photograph this beautiful barn along Mormon Row, though.

Click the one below so you can see it larger… this is a favorite of mine!

Now be sure to head on over to Victoria BC’s Unleashed! pet portraits by Melissa McCabe and see what she’s been working on this week!

52 on Friday (Week 30): Play

This week’s 52 Project theme is “play,” and it couldn’t have been a more perfect fit. My week was filled with play while visiting my cousin, her wife, and their two hysterical Bengal kitties, Claudius T. Bear and Sydney Vicious, in New York City.

Early each morning, the light in their Brooklyn apartment was just perfect, and I thought it was a great opportunity to have a little fun with the kitties while experimenting with my new D800 camera (woot, woot!).

Meet Claudius T. Bear. He is usually a very distinguished and serious cat… except… when catnip is involved…

Next up, check out Pittsburgh Cat Photographer Nicole Begley, then follow the links at the bottom of each post all the way around ’till you end up right back here.

San Diego Pet Photography Featured Session: Monster

A few weeks ago, I had my table set up at The Original Paw Pleasers & Peticures by Tess. That day, I had a chance encounter with a wonderful woman who would come to remind me to never take for granted a single moment with those you love.

Monster, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever/English Coonhound mix (or so the DNA test says), was celebrating her 16th birthday and her mom was picking up a special cake just for her. We got to talking and she decided to sign Monster up for a session. At 16, Monster is not doing so well and her mom wanted to make sure she had some special photos of the two of them together.

We had the session at their home since Monster has trouble getting around. She wears a special harness 24-7 so her mom and dad can help her. When I arrived, Monster was napping on her bed in the living room. She woke up for a little bit — after all, I did have chicken treats for her — and then fell asleep again. It’s hard being a model, so we gave her a little time to rest, then we moved outside to their yard. We got some family photos and shots of just Monster but we were really focusing on creating memories of mom and pup.

Monster is an incredible dog and I really fell in love with her while I was there. When I got home and started editing, let me tell you: the tears were flowing. Monster’s connection with her mom is undeniable. They love each other so much. I was overwhelmed looking through all the perfect little moments between Monster and her mom, now frozen in time. I couldn’t help but think that these will be memories that are held on to in the months and years to come.

Editing their photos reminded me that our dogs do get older and their health does deteriorate; it is a simple fact they will not be with us forever. I was humbly reminded that what I provide to my clients are so much more than just pictures. I have been given the great gift to be able to capture the bond between us and our four-legged family members, and create memories to hold on to long after they have left us. It made me feel very lucky to be able to do what I do.

Thank you, Monster and her mom, for giving me the incredible honor — and I do mean honor — of photographing the connection and love between you.

Now, I’m going to go hug Roxy while you all check out some of my favorite shots from Monster’s session…

San Diego Pet Photography Featured Session: Sophie

A few weeks ago, Sophie the Corgi had her big day as a model! I met Sophie and her mom at the San Diego Humane Society’s 2012 Walk for Animals where they signed up for an in-studio session. We opted for the bright blue backdrop to offset Sophie’s beautiful coloring.

Sophie is such a great little dog! She is so full of life, energy, and love. She had a great time running around the studio while I tried to capture some great memories for her mom. I think Sophie knew getting her photo taken was just one big, fun game… I mean, how could it not be… she got yummy bites of boiled chicken every time she gave that-crazy-lady-with-the-camera a perfect look!

And now… meet Sophie! Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think of her session!

52 on Friday (Week 26): Second Chance

This week’s 52 Project theme is “second chance,” which means that we get to go back through the past 25 weeks of themes and pick one that we missed! This week, I chose Week 20′s theme, “The More the Merrier.”

Meet Alta the lab/pitty mix, Quila the Chihuahua, and Tiki (aka Chunk) the Frenchie. Can I even tell you how much I LOVE these three? Quila is like a second dog to me and I often tell her parents that I’m just going to keep her. I dogsat Quila before Roxy joined our family and I or my mom still watch her when her parents travel. Quila was an only-dog for her first few years, then Alta was adopted, and a little while later Tiki joined the family. I think this photo captures these three so perfectly: Quila, the older sister, so annoyed at little-sister Tiki’s shenanigans, and middle-sister Alta just stayin’ out of it all.

Next check out Pittsburgh Pet Photographer, Nicole Begley to see which 2012 52 Project theme she picked!