It's that time of year when we are looking to the future and are planning big things for the New Year. Before heading to the future though, this week I will celebrate some of the dogs that made this year memorable.
Syracuse has multiple places that have beautifully painted urban walls. I recently had a session downtown by one of these walls. We enjoyed having the dogs pose in the painted scenes and then also just sitting with the colorful walls fading out beyond them.
One of the most frequent comments I get from people regarding my animal photography is "my dog won't sit still. I could never have a photo session with him." I promise you that I have worked with all different types of dogs. I have worked with shelter dogs for a more than 6 years and have encountered dogs that are rambunctious, hyper and untrained dogs all the time. In addition, I have worked with dogs that are fearful of the camera and had successful images with all.
This past autumn I was so lucky to meet up with Norman (Now named Toby) again. His mom won a contest for a photo session. It was so great to see how well he is doing. He continues to have a happy smile and is ready to run and play. His skin has all healed up and his fur is healthy. We started our session just with a little walk up a hill where he stood among the golden leaves. He then showed just how much he loved his mom with an adoring gaze.
I find it best when greeting a dog to let them approach you in their own time. At a photo session, I will let your dog approach me when he is ready. Dogs need time to sniff and assess that this person is not a threat. I generally leave the camera to the side, as that big black box often appears threatening to dogs.
It is a shame how Pit Bull's have a bad reputation. 95% of pit bull's I have encountered are loving, affectionate and goofy. The other 5% came from unknown circumstances or were from abuse cases that affected them. Working with rescues we often encounter abandoned, loose pit bull mixes that are in need of homes. Here are a few that stole my heart.
The belief is that the horses first came to the island when a Spanish galleon ship sank off the shore of Assateague. Assateague is an Island that is about 37 miles long and runs through both Maryland and Virginia. In order to manage the horses, the two states have divided them into two herds which they each manage separately. Virginia is well known for the pony swims in the spring which drive their herd a short distance from Assateague to Chincoteague where the pony's are auctioned off to maintain control of the numbers in the herd. Maryland residents that I talked with are very proud that they don't auction off their pony's and they are kept wild. However, I later learned that they are able to maintain the numbers of the herd by using contraceptive darts on the females.
When I am with a client or at the shelter, I often find it hard to put down my camera. Whether we are actively working on a pose, or taking…
Prints/digitals generally take about 3 weeks from time of order to complete the final retouching and processing. I have searched for products that are of the highest quality and some of these companies are from around the world therefore Wall Art/Albums can take 6-8 weeks from final approval. Consider the turn around time for these in order to place your order with enough time to allow for normal delays.
During our photo session we will have determined the date and location of our ordering appointment. The appointment can take place either in person at your home or via zoom. either way we have our meeting- the first goal is to let you view your images in a slideshow to allow you to sit back and enjoy the process and the results.