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Westway Studio | San Diego’s Most Adventurous & Colorful Pet Portraits

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Five Steps to Tell Your Brand Story

Five Steps to Tell Your Brand Story

Brand. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot but it’s an oft misunderstood term. It doesn’t mean your logo; it doesn’t mean your packaging. It means the culmination of everything you do as a business. It’s the feeling people get when they interact with you, buy your products, and the overall experience you provide for them. It’s what you stand for and the story you create for your valued customers. That’s the story that I want to help you capture in images. But how?

We Talk

We’ll start by having a conversation all about what you do. That’s not too scary, right? Tell me about your ethos, products, services, goals, customers, and how creating a custom photo library could help your business.


We are so pleased with the photos you took of Rocco for the special Pets Issue of Common Ground. That little guy has really captured hearts and you did an amazing job capturing his spirit! I already know this is going to be one of our most memorable covers!

—Community Associations Institute


The Idea Stampede

I have to tell you, I’m a pretty good listener. Not only do I hear the things you’re saying but I also hear the things you aren’t. At this stage, I’m going to make some recommendations. You and I will bounce around a few ideas about locations, models, and any hero shots we may be envisioning. We’ll tame our wild herd of concepts and narrow in on the story we want to tell. 


As a non-profit, we must reach the hearts of our potential supporters through visual interest and imagery that tugs at the heart-strings. Westway Studio captured what our organization is all about: that special moment between a military member and their beloved family and pets when they return from months away from home.

—Dogs on Deployment


The Nitty Gritty

It’s time to set the stage. We’ll finalize locations, choose our models, and work out all the other little details. I can recommend locations or maybe you already have a super special one in mind. We can put out a model call, work with a trainer or agency, or keep it in the family and use your staff’s pets! Whatever the case may be, we’re going to get all our ducks in a row.

 

Ye-Haw, it’s Shoot Day!

Let the storytelling begin! I’ll arrive with an arsenal of camera gear, stinky treats, and noisemakers galore. We’ll set out to find the most beautiful light in impactful settings that’ll make your products and our doggie models shine. It’s always an adventure! You are welcome to join the fun or you may simply send over your products and let me do what I do best: create. Our goal is to capture images that are eye-catchingly colorful, emotional, memorable, and will help your business grow.


Working with Terran was one of the easiest processes ever! She made sure to really understand our needs and nail exactly what we were looking for. She’s very detailed oriented and covered all questions we had, as well as questions we never even thought about. The final photos exceeded our expectations and we could not be more happy with them!

—ZippyPaws


Brand Your Images

After the shoot, I’ll curate an online gallery of the best images and you’ll get to make your final selections! You’ll be able to download samples to try in mock-ups to see what’ll best fit your needs. I’ll edit the chosen images and send you full-resolution JPGs.

BOOM! You now have custom images to get your products and services noticed!

Let’s chat about your project
Commercial Package Rates

A few places you may have seen my work
 
Rangefinder Rangefinder


Let’s chat about your project!

{I promise I don’t bite}

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Located in San Diego, CA
(858) 848-9378
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Sometimes a photograph is so much more than just a Sometimes a photograph is so much more than just a picture. Sometimes it holds a deeper meaning to the photographer than the average viewer might expect. This is one of those photographs...
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Meet Greg's aunt Charlotte, who lives full-time at the ranch, caring for all the animals and the property. She is an incredible horsewoman and a strong-willed, independent human being. She barrel raced competitively into her mid/late-70s, only recently making the decision to stop riding.
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Charlotte has never been one to want her photo taken but when she asked me if I would create some special portraits of her with her horse, Brawley, I was honored. Her main goal was one nice photograph to hang on the wall of family portraits to celebrate her time as the ranch's caretaker.
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If you've ever spent more than a few hours at the ranch, you've certainly seen Charlotte out riding around the property, either checking the gates or practicing running barrels in the arena.
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While Charlotte wanted her portraits to be more traditional to match the feel of the other family photographs hers would be hanging alongside (which we did), I knew in between locations that I also wanted to capture a moment that we, her family, have all seen time and time again... her, on Brawley, simply walking down the road.
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As soon as I saw the light on the road and how the dust hung in the air, I knew this was the image I had envisioned. I held back an extra few seconds as Charlotte, Brawley, and her trusty ranch dog, Sage, continued up the road. This was it. This was the moment I had waited for. It was the slightly more artistic and creative portrait that I knew not everyone else would fall in love with but I knew I would... and sometimes in between creating art for others, we have to remember to create art that means something to us, too. 
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#westwaypets #skyevalleyranch #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegohorsephotographer #sandiegohorsephotography
*wink wink* Betty clearly has a secret that she th *wink wink* Betty clearly has a secret that she thinks I know (but I haven't a clue). What do you think it is? 🤣
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#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography
I've been getting a fair number of end-of-life ses I've been getting a fair number of end-of-life session inquiries lately. They are so hard emotionally for everyone. I do my best to keep things light and joyful, though, which you can see here in little Licorice's portrait.
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For Lic’s portrait session, we ventured down to the beach where he and his mom loved to walk every night. Their session was filled with mama and puppy snuggles, kisses, and, yes, even some laughter.
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I've often gotten very lucky with these types of sessions. I get the sense that our animal companions know what's happening and this is their moment to shine. I frequently hear "he's doing really well today!" before the start of our photo shoot. Our dogs and cats have taken care of us their entire lives so it's not surprising they'd want to leave us with happy lasting memories, too. Animals are INCREDIBLE.
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#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography
For dog mom and dads, this day can be filled with For dog mom and dads, this day can be filled with dread instead of joy. How do we keep our dogs stress-free with fireworks? Will someone set off firecrackers when we're not prepared? Will we be hearing rogue fireworks and firecrackers late into the night?
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Last year, I found a trick that worked really well with Roxy. My home office has an attached bathroom with a very loud fan. Roxy and I made ourselves comfy in the office, turned on the fan, pulled the blinds, closed the blackout curtains, and watched loud movies with the volume higher than normal. I could hear the fireworks but she couldn't distinguish between them and The Avengers, especially with the white noise of the fan.
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Anytime we're traveling, though, and there are loud, scary noises, I am prepared with nature sounds on my phone that act as white noise. I have used them in the past and within a few minutes, Roxy will settle down and go to sleep (and so will I).
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Also remember that it's a good idea to keep a collar on your dog with your current address and phone numbers. If they're microchipped, make sure the information on your account is up-to-date and that it still scans at the vet's office.
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I hope these tips help and that you and your furry companions have a happy and safe July 4th! 
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#westwaypets #westwaywisdom
All dogs can be lap dogs! This sweet buddy is Harl All dogs can be lap dogs! This sweet buddy is Harley. I found out that he passed away recently. This was one of my favorite images from their photo shoot a few years ago. Harley was a big love and so, so special to his family.
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When animals come into our lives, they change everything for the better. It's hard to remember the times before they were with us. We all know it's inevitable, though, that someday we'll have to say goodbye. When that time comes, I believe our companions take a little piece of our souls with them but leave a little piece of theirs in exchange so we will always be together no matter where we are. 💗
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#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography
Few things in life are cuter than a fluffy Pomeran Few things in life are cuter than a fluffy Pomeranian booty — and Rocco knows it.
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#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography
Sundays are for relaxing in the grass with your be Sundays are for relaxing in the grass with your best friend, don't you agree? .
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#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography
It has come to my attention that I am not the only It has come to my attention that I am not the only one who says "OH, BIG STRETCH!" every time Roxy does a... well... big stretch. What is it about this magical act of stretching that has pet parents across the globe reacting in the exact same way? Tell me your theories!
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#westwaypets #westwaywisdom
“Let’s play, mom!!!” . Who out there has a d “Let’s play, mom!!!”
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Who out there has a doggo who loves fetch as much as Kiyah does???
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This sweet, wonderful girl is one-of-a-kind. She is a flyball champ, always happy, and is ready to run and have fun at a moment’s notice. Kiyah is always watching her mom and is as loyal as they come. I absolutely adore this sweet puparoo!
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#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography #commercialpetphotography #commercialpetphotographer #commercialdogphotographer #commercialdogphotography
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