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The Best of 2012

January 8, 2013 – 4:35 pm

Hello everyone!

Do I hear an echo?  I’m sure I must.  I am the worst of all bloggers on the planet, I think.  One of my many New Year’s resolutions is to post on this blog more often.  So I am starting off the New Year ( my definition of “starting off” is anytime within 8 days of the New Year)  with SOME of my faves from 2012.

I hesitated to do this because I don’t want anyone’s feelings hurt if their dog/horse/cat doesn’t show up here.  I just chose a few but had so many wonderful shoots.  In fact, I didn’t have a single shoot in 2012 that wasn’t wonderful.  Lucky me!!

So on with the show.

The first prize goes to Scooter. He wins the “Dog I Most Want to Squeeze and Kiss Every Time I See His Picture” award. (Yes, these are the kind of categories you will be subjected to in this post. Don’t say you weren’t warned. )  Scooter is a rescue dog who came to his owner, Angie, in horrific condition but you would certainly never know it.  He’s so full of himself it’s hilarious- can’t you just see the little ‘tude he’s copping?  What a little buster!

The next award goes to Fastest Shoot Ever- I think it lasted about 10 minutes.  This is the Kentucky Humane Society calendar cover for 2013.  It turned out great but it was a very fast, “hairy”  job!!  That’s because these two dogs had never met and did not exactly get along.  The super happy and very social puppy, Noelle, was a little too much for 11 year old Lacie, who would have much preferred a nature walk to a puppy hanging off her ear.  But they hung in there just long enough for me to get about 5 shots, including this one. Whew!

And while we’re on the topic of charity shoots and calendars….  Daisy was the 2013 Louisville Weimaraner Rescue Calendar girl.  She wins for Silliest Smile!! Love it!

Best Sunrise Shot:

Best Sunset Shot:

Best Puppy Picture:  Little Luca.  She also wins for the puppy with the best attention span.  This is at the end of the shoot in which she posed like the Queen for about half an hour!! That’s like 6 hours in puppy time. :)

Most Dogs/Grown-up and Baby Humans posing in one portrait!

Most Photogenic Horse- the incredible Hansen.  He’s a talented racehorse,  a gorgeous guy, and a big sweetie too.

The award for Best Eyes go to Sahalie.  They are the deepest amber color- gorgeous!!

I think little Henry gets the nod for Best Outfit.

Best Model goes to Gabby.  She and her sister Foxy have been photographed by me three times, and they have posing down to a science. They are both fabulous!!!!!

Most Photogenic Feline goes to Atlas.  He’s one of those cats who thinks he’s a dog. And what incredible eyes!

And, on a completely unrelated side note,  I just realized that the vast majority of the cats I’ve photographed have names that start with the letter A. Hmm…. weird…

Most Fun During a Shoot goes to Gracie!  She was joyful and tireless and loved every minute of it!!  Even after the two hour car ride to get here!!

And finally…… the award for Most Challenging Pose!!!  You probably can’t fully appreciate the dexterity of this little guy but he was balancing on a rock, down a hill by a rushing creek. ( He also gets the award for Canine Bravery during a Photoshoot!!)

What a great year!!!!  And so many others too that I wish I could show. Maybe I’ll do a part two sometime soon:)

Here’s to 2013-  may my clients be just as wonderful!!

By Beth | Posted in Cats, Dogs {and their people}, Horses {Equine} | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Spring is here?

March 8, 2012 – 2:02 pm

Is spring really here? Seriously? I have all my administrative catch-up work going on over the winter and I am sure winter is not supposed to be over!!!  Not ready!!!

Oh well..  I have not posted any of my more recent shoots as I am down and dirty with designing a new website to be coming soon to a computer near you.  So here are a few highlights from some recent work!

First cat of the year- Athena.  She’s a bengal cat and I photographed her and her brother.  Is she a gorgeous cat or what?  Wow!!

How about this little cutie? This is Fiona.  She’s a sweet Bichon and we had a great shoot in the park! She was supposedly a picky treat eater but she completely LOVED the salmon jerky treats I had and would probably have preformed a back flip into the lake if I’d asked! Of course- I didn’t :)

Rudy is an Australian Shepherd.  He was the perfect model. Seriously, he was one who would sit and stay for an hour if I’d asked.  As a result, we shot some gorgeous images of him to surprise his Mom for her 30th birthday! ( It’s over now so I can post!) She was thrilled with a large, framed fine art print of this picture.  Rudy now assumes his place in the home as #1 child for another few months until she has her first baby. Then he’ll have to share the spotlight, I’m sure!

Another surprise present. This is Ginger, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  Her Dad snuck her out of the house for our photo shoot.  All went as planned until Ginger decided to jump into the lake!  This was very out of character for her, as she normally doesn’t like to do anything adventurous. She was covered in mud and had to make a quick dash to the groomer so Mom wouldn’t be suspicious!  But it was all worth it in the end. We had some lovely images and he decided on this one- in a large, framed canvas for their bedroom!

Last but not least, the comic relief of my last month or so…   this is Bella the dachshund.  She is an old girl and couldn’t see or hear.  However, apparently her sense of smell remains quite in tact.  She was very enamored with all the treats I had and trotted around after me for the whole shoot.  The wind was blowing and we got some of the sweetest shots of that little girl! Love her so much!!

So a few highlights from the past few months as I’ve been busily getting ready for Spring. And apparently Spring is here!!!!

By Beth | Posted in Cats, Dogs {and their people} | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Jack

November 10, 2011 – 2:59 pm

I love beagles.  They all look like big puppies- floppy ears, big eyes, goofy grins and silly shenanigans.  Jack is a much adored member of his family. And I can see why- he was a delightful dog to photograph.  He was alert and eager to try just about anything- which is always lots of fun for me as a pet photographer.  So here’s a bit of Jack’s portrait shoot on a gorgeous Kentucky fall day!

By Beth | Posted in Dogs {and their people} | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Esme- La petit chien francais

June 13, 2011 – 9:03 am

I’m not trying to show off my superb french skills- or lack thereof-  when putting “un peu de francais” in this post. It’s only fitting because Esme is indeed a real french dog. As in… she’s from France. As in… all of her commands are said to her in French. As in.. she eats crepes for breakfast and she wears a beret when she’s not being photographed. ( OK….maybe not- but she would look cute in a beret and I’m sure she would like to eat crepes)

Esme is a Beauceron- a french herding dog. And she is one of the best behaved dogs I’ve ever photographed. Of course, I can ‘t command her to do anything because if you tell her to “stay” or offer her a “cookie” she looks at you like you are nuts.  But.. her Dad can tell her to do whatever he wants- as long as it’s in french. And, yes, he speaks fluent French- which certainly helps with a family member who doesn’t speak English.

One of the cool traits of a Beauceron is the double dew claw.  I’ve never seen that before!

Also cool about the breed is a love for water. Makes a creek shoot way more fun!

Ah as the sun set on our shoot I had to say “au revoir” to little Esme. But she was an awesome little girl to photograph. Je t’aime, Esme:)

By Beth | Posted in Dogs {and their people} | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Some dogs are made for posing!

November 11, 2010 – 12:32 pm

When you’re a pet photographer, especially when you’re photographing dogs, you really have to know the personality of your subject to make a shoot successful.  I’ve made some mistakes over the years..  trying to shoot a little dog in tall grass, a dog who’s allergic to everything at a park, a dog who chases squirrels in a wooded area. And in this shoot- I got *completely* different shots of both dogs. These two dogs are nothing alike. You’ll see what I mean.

This is Gracie. She is a shepherd mix- probably some chow because she has a bright purple tongue. She was one of the best dog models I have ever photographed. I could have photographed her all day long and never snapped a bad shot. And the scenery was gorgeous- Doe Valley in the fall. Her owners are in the military, in fact, Mom just got back from Afghanistan. So..  they live near Fort Knox and I traveled there and we took a little boat ride to a beach to shoot.  It was one of the prettiest areas of Kentucky I have seen- just about 45 minutes from Louisville. I never get to photograph on the beach so this was a big treat.. even if it was just a lake:)

Now contrast these shots with those of Daisy. This is what happened when I tried to get a nice beach portrait with Daisy. I could show you many shots where the ear was sideways, tongue out, head turned, body moving…  Daisy is not your “sit in a regal pose and look just off camera and please put your paws closer together and maybe a little more intensity in your eyes” kind of gal.

This is more what Daisy wanted to do….. and who could blame her, right?

But that’s what makes having dogs so much fun. They’re all so different and they all add joy, love and laughter to life in their own special way!

By Beth | Posted in Dogs {and their people} | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (6)