1/1/2013 - Model Call: Berger Picard and more!

Model Call: reminder ... BREEDZ WANTED for January 2013

If you have one of the following breeds and would like a complimentary session before January 10, 2013, please do contact me. Your dog might appear in a national magazine, on a greeting card or in a calendar! I'm currently looking for the following breeds:

Pomeranian

American English Coonhound

Belgian Sheepdog

Berger Picard

Puppies, adults and seniors - I need them all! They must conform to breed standards, but they don't have to be show dogs; purebred-looking pets and rescues are available for this offer as well.

Contact me to arrange your free private photo sitting. Shoot participants that are chosen for a national magazine will receive a copy of the issue they are published in. All participants will receive 20% off any prints they wish to order from the free session.

Studio sessions will be held at my Santee studio and location candids are available at San Diego County area parks or beaches. If you are in the SD, CA area and have a great house/yard to photograph in, then I may be able to come to you for the shoot. I would also love to do "lifestyle" shots and include the owner, if you are up to it (playing, walking, everyday life with your dog). Does your dog do a job, sport or fun activity? That is a possible shoot, as well. I look forward to hearing from you!

top photo: Atticus the Pomeranian puppy

bottom photo: Pomeranian #41: CH Cliffrose Call Of The Dove (call name Woody). San Fernando Kennel Club. May 27, 2011 in Pomona, California. Owned by Krystal Morris and Ron & Merilyn Smith. Bred by Krystal Morris and Lana Price.

2/6/12: Breedz Wanted to Photograph

BREEDZ WANTED for Feb/Mar 2012

If you have one of the following breeds and would like a complimentary session before March 10, 2012, please do contact me. Your dog might appear in a national magazine, on a greeting card or in a calendar! I'm currently looking for the following breeds:

West Highland White Terrier

Airedale Terrier

South African Boerboel

Irish Red and White Setter

Olde English Bulldogge

English Foxhound

Puppies, adults and seniors - I need them all! They must conform to breed standards, but they don't have to be show dogs; purebred-looking pets and rescues are available for this offer as well.

Contact me at DogBreedz (at) yahoo (dot) com to arrange your free private photo sitting. Shoot participants that are chosen for the National Magazine will receive a copy of the issue they are published in. All participants will receive 20% off any prints they wish to order from the free session.

Studio sessions will be held at my Santee studio and location candids are available at San Diego area parks or beaches. If you are in the SD, CA area and have a great house/yard to photograph in, then I may be able to come to you for the shoot. I would also love to do "lifestyle" shots and include the owner, if you are up to it. Does your dog do a job or fun activity? That is a possible shoot, as well. I look forward to hearing from you!

Top: Airedale Terrier CH Hoorah Ferocious Gentleman Branch
Bottom: West Highland White Terrier Taramour's Kayla of Arbroath

Project 52-3: From The Hip

I am a member of a network of professional pet photographers from around the world. We have a challenge project: a blog roll (Project 52) where once a week we take a photo to fit the week's theme, and then link to the next participating photographer. This week's theme is FROM THE HIP. I hope you enjoy this blog post with photos and feel like leaving a comment at the end. I love visitors! After you are finished reading, please do take a moment to click the link at the bottom and see what the photographer after me came up with for the theme. In fact, sit back and take five minutes, and keep clicking thru until you come around full circle back to here - I think you'll enjoy yourself!

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"From the Hip" ... one of the photographers in this Project 52 group termed it "shooting blind". No matter what it's called by anyone else, I call it a definite challenge and something that is currently well outside of my comfort zone in photography! But then again - that is one of the reasons I'm doing this project ... to stretch my wings and try new things. And hopefully to grow as a photographer as a result and offer an even better product to my clients. So off I went - camera in one hand and Indie the Cocker Spaniel in the other (okay, so it was her leash that was in the other, but you get the idea).

The outing started predictably enough - with a LOT of images that looked like the one to the right --->> Could I get any worse at this?! Well, the answer was "of COURSE" but needless to say, I won't be showing any of those images in this post. The answer expanded with "and I can get better too!" As with anything in life, practice is the key. I had always admired the photographers who were able to get those off-the-cuff shots (Suzy Mast Lee - you are one of my idols with your journalistic pet photos! Come to think of it, you are the one who introduced me to this group, too!). Lower to the ground gives a different perspective regarding the pets in our lives, but it takes some getting used to. As I got more comfortable shooting blind at the park ("Honest Ma'am, I'm NOT stalking your kid - please don't call the cops!) my resulting photos started turning out better.

Now this image may not seem like the ideal shot, at first look. But in reality, it actually is the perfect image to illustrate something that I've noticed, and just last week was telling a friend about. If you've ever walked a dog on a leash (and really, let's face it, who among my target audience here hasn't done just that?!) you have probably experienced this too. It especially happens when all you really want to do is to take the dog out on leash for a quick (and I stress QUICK) potty. Maybe it's raining, or your dinner is hot out of the oven and waiting (and cooling), maybe YOU have to potty as well. Or even a trifecta! But have you noticed ... the MOST desirable spot to sniff, the MOST "I have have have to check it out, Mom!" spot .... it is *always* just 5 inches past the end of the leash's length! And, if you give in and let your precious princess have that sniff ... suddenly THE spot has just moved ... another five inches past the end of the leash. You know I never would have been able to illustrate this concept had I been trying to get the photo. And shooting blind, from the hip got it for me.

Along with the dog park and the kids' park, there is a skate park, too - it's really a great area here in Santee! The bikes off to the side were just too tempting to ignore, and I especially like how this one turned out.

Thanks for visiting the Project 52 Blog Roll for Week #3. Now, please do take a moment and click thru to the blog of Terran Bayer (of Westway Studio - also located right here in San Diego County). Enjoy the photos and give YOUR pets a hug from me!

Meet the Breed: Poodle

Ahh ... the beautiful French Poodle with all the looks but none of the brains. We've all heard this stereotype at one time or another, but did you know ... NONE of it is true! To start with, the Poodle originated in Germany. And for anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing this breed, all three varieties (Standard, Toy and Miniature) are exceptionally smart dogs. Even though the Poodle is runway-worthy with its model looks, it comes from a strong working background, being first used as a water-retriever during hunts. The clips we see on the show dogs, with the "poofs" left over the ankles and hips - did you know that this wasn't some strange fashion choice but has actual merit? The hunters developed this cut to help the Poodles keep joints and vital organs warmer while working in the cold water. The rest of the body is clipped to help the dog move easier through the water during the retrievals. The oldest of the three varieties is the Standard (the largest of the Poodles). The Miniature Poodle is thought to have been used primarily for truffle hunting. And the smallest variety, the Toy Poodle, was most often seen in performances and circuses.

All of the Poodle varieties are quite active and require daily exercise. Don't forget to give him a job around the house or interactive toys - keep his mind sharp and stave off the boredom! Poodles have a hypoallergenic coat that may reduce allergy responses in humans and the breed is often used in mixed-breed crosses for this reason. The coat does require regular professional grooming, however. A great family dog in all varieties, do be careful with small children in the home with a Toy Poodle - a smaller dog may not be able to withstand the less coordinated interactions of a very young child. Supervision of dogs and children with any breed is always a good idea. Poodles are recognized in a number of solid colors, including white, black, apricot and grey. While you may occasionally see a parti-colored Poodle (two colors in solid patches) this is not a recognized color in the American Kennel Club and you will never see this pattern in the American show ring. The United Kennel Club does recognize the parti-colored Poodle, but over the pond they are shown in separate classes from the solids. Within the UKC the Poodle is recognized in only two varieties, divided by size: the Standard Poodle and the Poodle (the latter having both the Miniature and the Toy as members).

The Poodle is AKC recognized (since 1887) and is a member of the Non-Sporting group (Standard and Miniature) and the Toy Group (Toy). The Poodle is UKC recognized (since 1914, and separated into two varieties in 2000) and is a member of the Gun Dog group (Standard) and the Companion Dog group (Poodle). The Poodle Club of America, Inc. is the official Parent Breed Club for the Poodle in the USA.

Pictured top: GCH Brighton Lakeridge Encore (call name Alley), middle: Sharbelle Chanel II Pamir (call name Chanel), bottom: GCH Hosanna Danica Dancing In The Rain (call name Tenley)

Shop for Poodle gifts at Zazzle: click here!

Shop for Spoiled Rotten Poodle on Board stickers: click here!

Shop for Poodle greeting cards at GCU: click here!

Shop for Gift Cards with Poodle Images: click here!

Breedz Wanted to Photograph: 1/16/2012

Reminder: BREEDZ WANTED for Jan/Feb 2012

Just a reminder ... if you have one of the following breeds and would like a complimentary session at my Santee studio or on location before February 10, 2012, please do contact me. Your dog might appear in a national magazine, on a greeting card or in a calendar! I'm currently looking for the following breeds:

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Coton de Tulear

Curly-Coated Retriever

Chinook

Dandie Dinmont Terrier

English Springer Spaniel

Puppies, adults and seniors - I need them all! They must conform to breed standards, but they don't have to be show dogs - purebred pets and rescues are available for this offer as well. Contact me at DogBreedz (at) yahoo (dot) com to arrange your private sitting. If you are in the San Diego area and have a great house/yard to photograph in, then I may be able to come to you for the shoot. I would also love to do "lifestyle" shots and include the owner, if you are up to it. Does your dog do a job or fun activity? That is a possible shoot, as well. Shoot participants that are chosen for the National Magazine will receive a copy of the issue they are published in. All participants will receive 20% off any prints they wish to order. I look forward to hearing from you!

Project 52-2: Newness

I am a member of a network of professional pet photographers from around the world. We have a challenge project: a blog roll (Project 52) where once a week we take a photo to fit the week's theme, and then link to the next participating photographer. This week's theme is NEWNESS. I hope you enjoy this blog post with photos and feel like leaving a comment at the end. I love visitors! After you are finished reading, please do take a moment to click the link at the bottom and see what the photographer after me came up with for the theme. In fact, sit back and take five minutes, and keep clicking thru until you come back here - I think you'll enjoy yourself!

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It was l-o-n-g overdue. Bennett had been patient far too long. To his credit, he was happily patient, and would have gone on being so (he is SUCH a good boy). But let's be honest ... his Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone from the wonderful company Premier had seen better days! As you can see from the photo above, he sure is proud to model off his brand new replacement. It's a new year, and for Bennett and his BBBB, it was time to say "out with the old, in with the new"!

Now the back story - I founded San Diego Spaniel Rescue back in September 2002 and ran it until 2009 when I stepped down to concentrate on my pet photography. During my time with the Rescue, I fostered many wonderful Cocker Spaniels. Whether they were fosters learning their house manners or youngsters learning everything in life, quite a few of those Cockers were Power Chewers. My all time favorite go-to chew toy for these PCs was the Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone. It saved many a sofa cushion (and cell phones, shoes, and furniture, too) in my foster life-time.

As you can see from the photo at the left - it is well-chewed! This is about a year and a half of Power Chewing by Bennett, and it stood the test of time, as it always does. The BBBB isn't really bouncy (Bennie's favorite thing to do in our last home was to sit on the sofa and drop it onto the ceramic tile floor - thunk! Then he'd pick it up, get back on the sofa, and drop it THUNK! again. It was a little annoying, but not as annoying as heading out for more sofa cushions). It comes with a few pressed rawhide rings that you can insert on either side of the center ball, to encourage chewing (and you can inexpensively purchase replacement rings, too, if you'd like). I never bothered with the replacements - the bone-shaped insert and the ball were all that Bennett (and many others) needed to stay interested in the toy.

Out with the old: saying goodbye!

And in with the NEW!

Thanks for visiting the Project 52 Blog Roll for Week #2. Now, please do take a moment and click thru to the blog of Ali Peterson (of Skyy Blue Photography - also located right here in beautiful Southern California). Enjoy the photos and give YOUR pet a hug from me!

Breedz Wanted to Photograph: 1/9/2012

BREEDZ WANTED

If you have one of the following breeds and would like a complimentary session at my Santee studio before Febryary 10, 2012, please do contact me. Your dog might appear in a national magazine, on a greeting card or in a calendar! I'm currently looking for the following breeds:

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Coton de Tulear

Curly-Coated Retriever

Chinook

Dandie Dinmont Terrier

English Springer Spaniel

Puppies, adults and seniors - I need them all! They must conform to breed standards, but they don't have to be show dogs - purebred pets and rescues are available for this offer as well. Contact me at DogBreedz (at) yahoo (dot) com to arrange your private sitting. If you are in the San Diego area and have a great house/yard to photograph in, then I may be able to come to you for the shoot. I would also love to do "lifestyle" shots and include the owner, if you are up to it. Does your dog do a job or fun activity? That is a possible shoot, as well. I look forward to hearing from you!