Keesha has the softest muzzle, and the wrinkliest face. She is kind of shy, and reserved, but about as sweet as they come.

I can’t wait to show you more of her. Today, however, it’s just her lovely nose!

Happy Friday Face!

Dorian and Ron in the ruins. Amazing location, amazing light…perfect subjects.

Pretzel. He has quickly become a Cool Pets Classic. I was looking at the black and white photos from his session. This one made me laugh the very first time I saw it, and again today when I looked at it.

So, here he is, the one…the only… Pretzel.

Happy Friday Face!!

This is Firehorse Franklin….better known as Oak…or Oakie as I kept calling him. Oak is both gorgeous, and cute. He is regal and dorky. He is a puppy, and he is a champion. He’s basically amazing.

I have been looking forward to photographing Oak for quite some time. And time spent with a Firehorse Cane Corso is heaven for me. I love those big gallutes!

I can’t wait to do a whole Oak post, but here is just a little tiny peek, of a very big Friday Face!

Happy Friday Face!

How beautiful Kashi is. She is so very active, and athletic. But, for one split second in time, she paused and gave me this face. Friday Face Perfection.

Happy Friday Face!

Say hello to Jewel. She is currently being fostered by my long time client and friend Kat Weitzenkorn. Jewel’s story is one that, for me, is very puzzling. Her owners moved out of their apartment and left Jewel behind. It wasn’t until 3 weeks had passed that the janitor found her. She was lonely, scared and quite hungry. Her only source of any kind of nourishment was the toilet bowl – where she was able to at least get some water. The janitor contacted Stray Cat Blues, and Jewel was saved. She found her way to Kat – who is a past president of the organization and is still very involved in rescuing and placing cats and kittens in their forever homes.

I met Jewel yesterday to take a few photos to hopefully help with her adoption. She is a lovely, sweet cat. She does not run and hide, despite what she has gone through. Instead she purrs and totally enjoys being petted and loved. She is a little thin, and haggard from her time alone in the apartment, but with some love she’ll be just fine. The vet estimates her age to be about 10 years old, and she is in very good health.

If you think you might be interested in opening your heart and home to Jewel, please contact Kat at 610.428.3030.

This is the puzzling part for me. How could anyone just go….and leave their pet behind. When we take animals into our lives we have an obligation to them. It’s not a huge obligation compared to what they give us back, but an obligation none the less. And that is to care for them, provide for them, and love them. Honestly, that isn’t much to ask. So, I have a very hard time understanding how someone can abandon their pet, knowing that it’s future will be uncertain. If they can’t take the pet along, find a group who will take him/her in. Please. We owe it our furry companions. We do.

On that note…..

Happy Friday {I need a home} Face!

It was a beautiful, chilly day when we got together to do our session. Romeo and Princess shivered almost the entire time…despite their adorable sweaters. Charlie, of course, had his natural furry warmth to keep him comfortable.

To say I had fun photographing Liz, Tom, Princess, Charlie and Romeo would be an understatement. It was a blast actually. Charlie is a natural ham in front of the camera, Tom kept me laughing with his great sense of humor, Romeo and Princess, despite their shivers, did everything I asked of them, and Liz couldn’t have been more beautiful.

You could say that this next photo is a bit of an outtake. Princess decided she needed a few kisses from Charlie. Apparently she likes to bug him. By the look on his face, I’d say he doesn’t really appreciate it. And Romeo just looks embarrassed!

Finally, after Princess was done bugging Charlie, everyone was ready! Phew, I’m so glad!

If you follow me on Facebook, or are a friend on Facebook, you may already know that we welcomed a new addition to our home a few weeks ago. Naming him was a process. We did finally come up with one, which I will tell you in a future post.

It’s an interesting process, acclimating a new kitten into your home. Especially if you already have an older cat, and two large, extremely friendly labs – and the kitten has never seen anything that even resembles a dog. Thankfully, the process with this little man was very quick. Oh, there were hisses, and some growls, but that only lasted a very short time. Before we knew it, he was out of his safe room and into the house mingling with everyone. Mingling and cuddling that is.

Since we lost our first oriental, Kovu, last May to chronic renal failure, it was obvious that Dolce was lonely. Not any more! Orientals are “pile cats.” They like to pile on you, and on each other. So, it only took a few minutes for these two to cuddle up and enjoy the lazy sunny window spot together!

Happy Friday Face!

This photo is special for many reasons. It was a rainy, misty, dreary day. Not a day that you would think of going out to do a portrait session. But, Meatball was a special dog, and Dina, his owner, was eager to get the photos done because she was concerned about his health, and how long she might have with him. So, despite the weather, we went on as planned. Except for one thing. The plan was to do the session at one of my favorite parks – so we were to meet there. When I arrived and took one look at Meatball, I knew I had to go to somewhere else….the tracks. Since there wasn’t any sun, and the weather was already questionable, time wasn’t really an issue. So, Dina loaded Meatball (and Delilah) back into the car and we headed for the train tracks.

To say that Meatball was strong and energetic is an understatement. For most of the sitting, Dina held tight to his leash as he struggled to run over to see me – or tromple over me to get to the toy that Eryn was holding. Finally we ventured up the very steep hill onto the tracks. We took a few photos, and then positioned Meatball on the tracks and asked him to sit. To all of our surprise, he sat. And sat, and sat. He sat so well, that I asked Dina to drop his leash. A few squeaky voice sounds later and VOILA, this photo was created. As I got up off the tracks (filthy from head to toe) I thanked Meatball profusely for what he had just given me.

Honestly, I really think he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew it was his moment and he made it work.

For me, this image represents so much. A moment in time that I will remember forever, an amazing dog with an incredible spirit, and a heart and soul that will live on in this photo.

I have entered this image of Meatball in PDN’s Faces contest. I would be honored if you would click here, and go to the page and vote!

Thank you for reading Meatball’s photo story, and for {hopefully} voting!!

Oh, and for anyone who might be wondering…this was shot on Fuji Neopan 1600 black and white film….my favorite film of all time.

It was a beautiful evening when I met up with David, Leoncia, Sasha and Riley for our session. It was a new location for me, and that is always exciting. The evening was perfect; amazing light, adorable dogs, and the cutest couple ever! Who could ask for anything more!