Oh, YEAH!

Only a couple of photos from today's shoot, partially because I'm still culling them, but mostly because I don't want the client to get too many different sneak peeks - I like showing most everything at once.  However, there were just a few photos that are too good not to share.

This shoot, by the way, was initially supposed to be an old beagle with an old pickup truck.  It evolved into husband, wife, beagle, cat, and two chickens in sweaters, with the pickup truck as a 'background'.  The shoot was a little challenging because the truck was in a fairly small parking area, with sub-optimal fencing around it, so there will be some photoshop tweaking going on to get rid of the chainlink fences, but the shoot itself was AWESOME!  Seriously, 60 year old pickup truck, 13 year old beagle, a cat, and chickens in sweaters!!!  Yup, it was a great shoot!
 

I LOVE this photo.  It is exactly what I was hoping for.

This is one where the fence will have to be blurred a bit.

Yep, chickens in sweaters!

Yep, I'm happy!

We Got a Little Snow Today...

We got "a little" snow today (luckily all falling while I was at work, so my o'dark-thirty commute was nice and quiet).  Gary was stuck with the huge task of cleaning it all up, but he did a great job, even cutting a new track in the backyard so the girls could go out and enjoy the snow.

And enjoy it they did!

With all the snow we have, this was not an uncommon photo sequence:

1. The Leap!

2. The Capturing of the Frisbee!

3. The Face Plant! ("Could someone lend me a snorkel, please?!?)

There were also plenty of photos like this during the Frisbee retrieval portions of the afternoon :

Keep those in mind when looking at the following photos!

Happy, happy snow doggies!

Snow Photos Just Don't Get Old

At least not to me. 

And big-snooter photos with the wide-angle lens don't ever get old, either!  Heehee!

Seriously, how kissable is that snooter?  (Totally kissable, just in case you had any doubts!)

Fi Wouldn't Lie to You!

In fact, she'll kiss you even when you aren't expecting it!

Playing Dress Up

I purchased a new, more powerful strobe for studio photos and the shelter, and I just got some props for Valentine's Day, so I recruited my personal models for a couple of quick photos.

Fi was not super impressed with the pink tutu.

 Nor was she wildly impressed with the red feather boa. (Yes, there were many treats involved...)

Abby, however, loves the whole dressing up thing (okay, she loves just about anything that involves treats).

"While these aren't Mikimoto pearls, I still think I look rather sophisticated!"

Yes, I am easily entertained, and Fi and Abby like snacks, so it's all good.  (And ignore Fi's mournful demeanor - she just wants snacks.  No Doodles were harmed in the taking of these photos.  I promise!)

Animal Shelter Photos

No matter what kind of day I'm having, I always feel better when I go out to the Salt Lake County Animal Services shelter to photograph adoptable pets.  It's a good environment, the staff and other volunteers are all enthusiastic and good to work with, and I like to think that I'm doing something to help adoptable animals find their furever homes.  Lately at the shelter we've been doing 'studio' photos with a backdrop and lights and a variety of props.  Here are a few photos from last week's visit to the shelter.

The goal, of course, is to get good quality photos of the animals for Petfinder and other websites, and that happens.

This is Opie, and the bandanna doesn't lie!

Chicha is just a happy girl!

Lady is a stunning gal!

And Lacy has a great smile.

 

Ryuu was a total goofball, and getting photos of him where he wasn't bouncing all over the place was a challenge, but that is always part of the fun!

Midnight, as you'll see, was a total super model!

Peppermint hadn't read the Husky manual that says she shouldn't obey commands!

Once we get the glamour shots, then we have some fun.  Usually this involves seeing if the photographees can catch treats.  Some are better at it than others!

Chica was a treat-catching champ!

Lady managed to let most of them bounce out of her mouth, but she caught a few!

Lacy showed excellent enthusiasm for the treat-catching portion of her photo shoot!

This is probably one of my favorite photos of the entire day!

Little Midnight wasn't so interested in catching treats, but she was extremely tolerant of all the props in my basket of goodies!

"Give me treats you must".  (She's wearing Yoda ears.)

 

Not only are those photos fun, but they help potential adopters get a sense of personality of the various pets.

The shelter posts individual photos on their website, but on Facebook, I like to put together collages of some of the more fun photos - they are different and they get people's attention (which is the whole point), and it's entertaining.

Seriously, Ryuu was a goofball!

Chica really is a happy gal!

I really do enjoy the animal shelter photography (if you couldn't tell!)!