Puppy Class Graduation Day

As part of my 'pet photography awareness' marketing project, I am photographing puppy class graduation days, and yesterday was a graduation day for a Three Little Pits puppy class.  The class consisted of a fluffy Goldendoodle puppy, an Italian greyhound, and a border collie.  The room for the class wasn't optimal lighting, but I managed to get a few shots where the reddish dogs didn't completely blend into the floor.

Theo, the fluffy Goldendoodle puppy.  (He really was the same color as the floor!)

Target, a border collie pup

Monty, the awesome little Italian Greyhound with fantastic ears!

The class was held in a vet's office, so there really wasn't a good background for this cute couple and their fluffy puppy.

Monty and his Mom.

Target and his Mom. Again, no nice backgrounds here!

I love puppy classes - all the fun with puppies without all the housebreaking!  This was a great bunch of puppies and I look forward to more graduation days!

A Few More Photos

I've been really busy with the business side of my photography business - getting organized for 'Petapalooza', the big adoption/pet-related event in Salt Lake in two weeks, where I will be the photographer for the Salt Lake County Animal Services (and, of course, getting my own name out), working with one of the local vets to get some of my canvases on their walls (I now know how to hang larger photos on drywall!), as well as coming up with a way to let the vet's clients know about the sessions I do for senior and terminally ill pets (a very tasteful metal with information about the sessions), and working with the doggie day care to make sure their new employees know who I am, and how to get ahold of me.  Oh, and I've got a few other projects to 'get my name out' (as I have decided that I need to really ramp up a pet photography awareness program), so I've been busy.  Which is really good.  But I haven't had time to take a lot of photos of the girls lately.

However, I was afraid that some of you might be going into Doodle withdrawal, so I whipped out the camera today and got some pictures of the girls.

Oh, how our mother neglects us so...

Is that a treat bag I hear?

Don't let the girls' sedentary poses fool you; there was plenty of tennis ball action in spite of the warm weather.

Hi, um, could you throw that tennis ball please?  Yes, the one in your hand!

I played around with the 'fill flash' today, too, just because I like the effect it gives me.

I win!  I have all the tennis balls!

Hi!  I'm here for my glamour shots!

There are plenty more photos that will likely appear in the girls' next blog post.

A Few Photos

It's been a while, but my super-models are always willing to work for treats!

Drama-doodle.

I have seen the light!

I just couldn't help it - this photo really demanded this quote!

The Trip to the Magic Cheeseburger Window

It's been a very long time since Fi has had a trip to the Magic Cheeseburger Window, but with her birthday, and Abby having done well after her first chemo treatment, we definitely thought a trip to the Magic Cheeseburger Window was in order. 

Fi clearly had a great time taking in all the smells!

*sniff*sniff*sniff*

Hey, Mom.  I smell cheeseburgers out there! I think I would like one, please!

Ahhh!  I love the smell of cheeseburgers in the afternoon!  It smells like victory cheeseburgers!

Hey, Mom.  I'm not so much into sticking my head out the window, but I'd still like some of what's in that bag you've got!

Just ask Fi, it's a wonderful life!

In Which the Girls are Not Impressed with My Recent Purchase

Yesterday was one of my two afternoons a month at the animal shelter, and while I was there, I noticed that the shelter dogs were having a good time frolicking in the really nifty doggie pools the shelter has in their dog runs.  It has been crazy hot here for quite a while (for those of you who have been watching the Weather Channel with rapt attention - yes, Mom, I'm looking at you! - you'll know it has been in the 80s - low 90s in Park City - which is crazy hot for us), and the girls have been wilting a bit.  So, I thought the girls would enjoy their own pool for some frolicking or soaking. Because the nifty pools the shelter has are a bit out of my budget, I thought I'd try something a little more in my price range - a $5.15 kiddie wading pool.

Let's just say that so far the girls have not been super impressed with the wading pool.

"Hey, Fi.  Why is there a ball in this tub of water?"  "I dunno, Abs.  Mom gets these crazy ideas some times."  "Yuh.  Mom is a bit of a wacko.  So, do you think she'll get this ball out of the water for us?"

I wonder why Mom thinks we would be remotely interested in bobbing for tennis balls....

Lookit me, Mom!  I've got one whole leggie in this tub of water!  Woohoo!

I'm not stepping in this water.  I've seen Jaws, I've watched Shark Week, and I watch the news. It is definitely not safe to go back in the water!  I'm just going to stretch out and make my neck really long!

"Hey Abs!  I've figured it out!  This is a ginormous water bowl with tennis ball garnishes!"

Yeah, so the kiddie wading isn't a hit so far.  I think the big hurdle - literally and figuratively - is physically stepping in and out of the pool.  So, I'm going take most (or all) of the water out of the pool and see if I can encourage the girls to just get in and out of the pool, and then when they are good with that, start adding some water.  It would be nice to get Abby to figure out that she can cool off by getting in the pool.  I have to admit, after we hit tennis balls this afternoon and I took the girls outside for their own tennis ball time, I stepped into the pool, and the cool water felt very good on the feet - I guess I need to frolic around in the pool a little bit and show Abby what she's missing!  *grin*


BTW, for reference, here is one of the super nifty pools they have at the shelter (I'm not sure Fi and Abby would have been any more interested in this pool than in the little wading pool I got them).

Needless to say, I will continue to document the progress (or lackthereof) with the wading pool!
In the meantime, we'll be the ones bobbing for tennis balls!

I *think* I have the new computer calibrated

Color calibration is a key part of producing high quality photos, and my laptop has the state of the art graphics card and monitor to ensure I can do the best calibration I can (laptops are notoriously bad at calibrating, but with the graphics card and monitor, I have a set-up that can rival a good desktop/monitor setup).   After much tweaking I think I finally have the laptop properly calibrated.  I've ordered prints of the below photos to see if I have everything set up properly.  If the photos come back not looking like what I see on the monitor, I'll go back to tweaking the calibration....

And if the calibration is a bit off, well, you all now know what you're getting for Christmas this year!  *grin*

Frisbee Action

I think the title says it all.

Pounce!

 

Fi, the Gumby Dog

Walk like an Egyptian... (that will only make sense if you listened to 80s pop music...)

I am always at a loss for words with these photos.

Zoom-zoom!

A miss, but points for style.

Preparing for the Rapture!