2015 in Review

Happy New Year!! Here is a look back on 2015 in review. 2015 was an amazing year for me and I'm so excited to see what 2016 brings. 2015 was my first full year offering See Spot Run Pet Photography and I am so grateful that I have been able to pursue my dream of becoming a pet photographer. Prior to owning this camera, I didn't even know I wanted to be a pet photographer. Discovering this new passion at this point in my life is amazing!! In 2015, I took a lot of classes from The Photo Classroom, I've read a lot of books and I've watched a lot of youtube videos (mainly on photoshop and lightroom editing.) A local photographer, Sarah McGraw of McGraw Photography (McGraw Photography website) referred me to Australian photographer, (Charlotte Reeves Photography) who offers pet photography education. Through Charlotte I connected with a facebook group of pet photographers that has been an amazing learning opportunity. In April 2016, I will get to meet Charlotte when I attend a pet photography workshop facilitated by her and 2 other professional photographers. I'm so excited about 2016! I practiced my photography on several of my client's dogs. I am so fortunate to have so many dogs and cats to photograph when I am pet sitting. Ginger is one of the first dogs in 2015 that I photographed. While pet sitting with her, I brought an assistant to help me photograph her (one of my neighbor's daughters, thanks Shana and Emma!) This is one of the photos from that day and still one of my favorites from 2015.

In March, I was invited to a 14th birthday party. This is Elliott. First of all, she is a black lab which is possibly my most favorite breed. Even more importantly, Elliott knew my Buddy (who we lost in Sept 2014.) Buddy was our first black lab (hence my love for black labs.) I have loved all of our labs but Buddy was a really special dog. Luckily for me, another favorite photo of mine that I've ever taken was of this special girl, Elliott. The 2nd picture is her enjoying her frozen yogurt... she says YUM!

Until April, I'd not photographed a dog I didn't know. That changed when I met and got to photograph Joey. Some of these photos were taken indoors which is also something I don't normally do. I was pleased with the results.

This beauty is Sunny and I spend a lot of time with him when his family travels. He is a dream to photograph.

In July, I turned 50. I wanted to go somewhere fabulous and somewhere it wasn't going to be hot and humid. I chose Banff and Banff did not disappoint. The entire trip was amazing. Highlights included meeting up with a local photographer, walking with wolves and touring a dog sledding facility. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip (and choosing these was difficult!)

In early October, Don and I traveled back to southern California where we lived for 3 years. I love going back there, mainly because it is so pretty and because the weather is always fabulous. Here are a few favorite shots from the trip which of course included a stop at the Huntington Beach Dog Beach. It is just a few steps from the Huntington Pier and the waves were huge on this day!

In October, I was invited to photograph an event called 2015 Barktoberfest at Social Pet, a doggie day care and training facility in Pineville.

In November, a dog trainer Courtney Wise with Off Leash Dog Training asked me to photograph her dogs. As a new photographer, let me just say photographing a dog trainer's dog is a dream come true. I have really wanted to post the picture of "A Boy and His Dogs" but Courtney used it as her Christmas card so I resisted posting it until now. It is also one of my most favorite pictures I've taken this past year.

I briefly met this next dog Sonny at Barktoberfest. Sonny's dad Jay brought him there and when Jay's mom contacted me in November about photographing Sonny so she could surprise Jay with pictures of his dog for Christmas, I was beyond excited. My favorite picture I took all year, came from this session at Freedom Park. And I fell in love with Sonny.

So here is 2015 in Review. I'm excited to think about what photos I'll get to post throughout 2016 and which photos will make my 2016 Year in Review. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is so hard and yesterday I had to say goodbye to my client's much loved dog Dusty. I met Dusty on November 9, 2009 and I walked him pretty much every Monday through Friday since then. I was amazed when I looked back and saw that it had been 6 years. 6! No wonder this loss has hit me so hard. He was the best little guy ever and always such a happy dog. Dusty had a health scare 3 months ago and we knew his time with us was probably limited so we tried to enjoy every day we had with him.

I am so thankful that it stopped raining on Monday 11/9 and that Dusty and I had a nice walk. He couldn't see or hear well anymore but his legs and his nose both worked great. If there was a piece of chewing gum or other food on the ground, you can be assured that he would try and find it. Luckily for me he was pretty obvious about it so rarely did actually get to whatever it was he was trying to find.

When I think of Dusty, these things make me smile: 1. His name. Dusty Lovin. To most he was known as "Dusty Lovin", not "Dusty." 2. The brown spots on his white nose. I loved them. 3. The way his short tail would wag when I walked him. 4. His solid looking back legs and the way they slightly bowed when he walked. He always walked in front of me and I could see his little lets just going. They always looked so solid and coming from a mom of labs who tend to develop arthritis in their back legs, I always loved Dusty's. 5. His mom. She works a lot but she still left me a note almost every morning. Sometimes a thanks, sometimes have a nice weekend. 6. On that last day, when I rubbed his back, his little tail wagged. Thank you Dusty for that.

I love you and miss you Dusty.

'Don't be sad that it is over. Be happy that it happened.' Dr Suess

Layla

I used to pet sit for Layla's mom when she had another dog. I'd not heard from her in a year or so (unfortunately she no longer has Abbie) but back in August I got an unexpected email from her. She'd just gotten an 8 week old puppy and she needed my help. She wanted to know if I was interested. She did not need to ask - yes, I was interested. Layla is a yellow lab and as most of you know, I have two labs. I've taken some photos of her with my phone during my visits with her but only recently were her mom and I able to coordinate our schedules so I could bring the Nikon and photograph her. She is growing so fast and I've loved being a part of it and seeing her everyday. I swear sometimes I can tell that she has grown over the weekend! Here are a few pictures from that day.

Pet Photography Class

Yesterday I took a pet photography class. The good news is in the past year since I bought my Nikon, I have learned a lot. The bad news is, I didn't learn as much as I'd hoped I would yesterday. For anyone interested in pet photography and taking better pics of your own pets, here is my advice. 1. Have a lot of patience. (They did stress this a lot in the pet photography class yesterday.) When trying to take pictures of pets, it is really important to remember this. I don't consider myself an overly patient person but somehow when I have my camera and I'm working with a dog, I have all the patience in the world. It comes naturally to me and that is a good thing. 2. Have someone there with you who knows the dog. A lot of dogs don't like a camera in their face and won't give you very "natural" looks. When I'm photographing my own dogs, I experience this. I get a blank stare not the goofy smile I want. Even when I am making weird noises, if I have my camera ready to snap a picture, they don't respond like they normally would. Of course all dogs are different and I will add, some are easier to photograph than others. If you have someone to help you, have them stand behind you or in the direction you want the dog to look and make funny noises to get those cute expressions. 3. Don't use the dog's name to get his attention. Most often the dog will come to you when you use his name. If you want him walking (or running) towards you, then go ahead and use his name but if you're trying to get him to hold a pose, I wouldn't recommend it. 4. Put your pet up on something - a brick or stone wall, a park bench, etc. (Keep the dog's safety in mind of course.) Sometimes you can have better luck getting a dog to pose when he is up on something. 5. Try to capture catch lights in his eyes. To do this, have him facing the light source (the sun, a lamp, etc.) If you are using your phone, you may end up with the green glowing eyes however. Warning: Once you get a great photo of your dog with catch lights in his eyes, any other photo you see of him and he doesn't have catch lights, you won't like. Or at least this is what has happened to me. It is sad... I've not found great pictures of Sloan or Sam (my previous dogs) that have great catch lights. I will continue looking... perhaps I have some somewhere. 6. If you're using a DSLR camera, set the camera to Aperture mode and at F8 or F11. Try to focus on the dog's nose, particularly if you have a dog with a long snout. At F8/F11, you should be able to keep the entire dog in focus. (This is easier with smaller dogs... less to keep in focus. Ha!) 7. If you're using a DSLR camera and you are wanting to be more creative, in Aperture mode use F5.6 and focus on the nose. Part of his body and the background will blur. **Steps 6 and 7 are very basic examples and there are a lot of other factors to be considered really such as: how far away are you from the dog, how far away is the dog from the background, is the dog moving, etc.) 8. Don't use the built in flash on your DSLR camera. Ever.

In the pet photography class yesterday, they talked a lot about taking pictures of pets inside in more of a studio setting. Unfortunately, that isn't the type of shooting I do nor do I really want to do (at least not yet.) To do studio or portrait photography, you really need two off camera flashes, set on stands, and set to fire wirelessly. The external flash for my camera is $500. Until I am ready to really explore this option, I'll stick with mainly outside photography. Although I did purchase a lens for low light photography (which is generally what I am doing when I am shooting indoors.) I do have a favorite picture of Moose that I shot indoors. It's posted below.

Here are a few more dogs I've seen recently (and these shots were all taken before the pet photography class yesterday.)

Sunny, Ollie and Fozzy

Recently I got to spend a lot of time with Sunny, Ollie and Fozzy while their family was on vacation in Europe. I'm sure their family took a bunch of great pictures while they were there and I of course took pictures while I was at their house.

I joke about Ollie but he really is either running and jumping around or he is sleeping. He reminds me so much of my dog Moose who is also part hound dog. They get super excited but love (and I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE) to sleep more than any other dogs I know. Its the way they sleep that honestly makes me jealous. Can I be jealous of the way a dog sleeps? My goal over the next week is to capture some pictures of Moose sleeping... look for that post soon.

Sunny is just a lover. While I was pet sitting with him, it was probably 95-100 degrees every day. One afternoon he crawled up on the couch with me and got in my lap. Crazy dog.... he had to be hot. I was. He's probably 85lbs and he is very furry. We stayed like that for awhile though... it was so sweet I couldn't move. I don't mind at all making these types of sacrifices for my job. It is rough. ha!!

Fozzy is the senior of the crew and I think she is around 12ish. She is funny though too. Once in awhile she'll get a burst of energy and she'll want to chase around with the big boys outside. They're both scared of her and I can tell sometimes they're not sure if she wants to play or not. Whenever we were in the house, she was content to just curl up at my feet.

Sunny, Ollie and Fozzy are such great dogs and I am so fortunate that their parents entrust their care to me. All three of them just want to be loved on and pet. And Ollie loves to run through his yard treeing squirrels too.

This Pet Sitter takes a Vacation

When this pet sitter takes a vacation, photography is now part of the planning. Since I was going on vacation in mid July and it was so hot & humid in Charlotte, I opted to head for the much cooler Canadian Rockies. Banff in Alberta Canada has been on my bucket list for several years. It did not disappoint. I thought the pictures that I'd seen online must've been photoshopped but no, it is real. The Banff area is as pretty in person as any picture I'd ever seen. I wasn't sure what to expect because further north there were quite a few forest fires. Luckily for the locals, it rained a good bit the week I was there. Not so great for me and for photography but I still loved the trip. I arrived mid-afternoon at the hotel on a Saturday. I grabbed some lunch and then walked into town. I'd read online that anyone doing any hiking should have "bear spray" so I spent my $40 CAN and signed my waiver that I wouldn't use it as a weapon. I'd watched a video online (you gotta love youtube) about how to use the bear spray should you encounter a bear. Don thought I was crazy for buying it but the chicken in me needed it. After checking out some of the t-shirt shops on Banff Ave and armed with my bear spray, I headed back for the hotel.

I'd been planning the trip for several months and since I've recently taken up photography, I decided to spend a day with a local photographer who could provide me with some tips on photography as well as the best places to shoot around the area. The 2nd part was easy.... anywhere around Banff is an excellent place for photographers. I kid you not, everywhere you turn is a breath taking view.

On my first full day, the photographer (Mark with Rocky Mountain Photo Adventures) picked me up at 4am. Luckily I was still on east coast time so it was 6am to me. We drove 60 minutes to Moraine Lake near Lake Louise and set up to do some sunrise shooting. The hike to the location wasn't long but it was uphill and then back down over some rocks to reach the lake so I was huffing and puffing when we got there. We got the camera set up on the tripod and starting taking some practice shots. We were shooting towards the mountain range behind Moraine Lake which is the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Unfortunately, the skies were pretty cloudy. Clouds over the mountains would've been okay but the clouds also blocked the rising sun. We weren't able to capture any photos of the sun hitting the mountains which was the shot I thought I'd be taking.

Mark suggested we go down to the water and look for some other photo opps. He got pretty creative and we were able to come up with this composition. Honestly, it wasn't the image I was hoping for but I do like the orange rock on the left side of the photo and the reflection of the mountains in the water. We snapped a couple of photos of a stream as we were hiking out of the area (the 2nd photo.) We wrapped up our day around 1pm.

In Banff this time of year, the sun rises around 5:30am and sets around 10pm. Since we'd finished our day at 1pm, I still had a lot of daylight left. There was an area near town called Vermilion Lakes that was supposed to be a nice place to do some sunset shooting. As the sun sets, it hits Mount Rundle one of the famous peaks in Banff. I decided to get in the car to go check out the area and see where I might want to set up. There are 3 lakes along Vermilion Lakes Rd and I'd stopped at the 3rd to snap a few pictures. A car pulled up behind me and said if I drove down the road just a ways, I could see a black bear. I hopped in the car and drove around 50 yards. There were cars stopped on the other side of the road and a Canadian Parks Authority truck stopped in front of me. I looked to my right and saw a very large tree trunk being pushed over by an angry grizzly bear. The park ranger guy was waving everyone past so I didn't get a chance to snap his picture. It was a very cool experience although I will say my hands were shaking as I drove by. Seeing a grizzly that close (he was probably no more than 20 yards away) was surreal. Needless to say, I decided against returning to this area to do any sunset photography. :(

That was the end of day 2 in Banff.