We photographed Mercury in 2008 with his older sister Juno, who has passed away. Mercury and his humans have moved to Arizona but our memories of this wonderful shoot remain.
July 27, 2010. Thank you Mercury!
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Well, with temps continuing to top 100 degrees our summer shooting season has been significantly impacted. Summer always brings its share of complications for outdoor shooters such as late afternoon storms and the occasional super hot temps. This summer has been the poster child for bad weather and reschedules.
Yesterday we had Buddy and Cooper on the books. It was to be a combined barn and outdoor session. With the heat index well over 100 we opted to shoot the barn portion only and have them return in the fall for the outdoor portion of their shoot.
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After meeting these two, we’re secretly happy that they have to return! These little guys were simply delightful. Buddy, age 11, was a rescue dog. Adopted by his family in 2008 from Maryland Westie Rescue, he breathed life back into a home that had recently lost their beloved dog, Kasey.
Buddy did not come to his new family without problems. As many Westies are prone to have, Buddy came with a plethora of skin issues. To say they were extreme is an understatement. Below is a photo of Buddy in 2007 as he entered the rescue program.. Words, I believe, are not necessary.
Buddy’s current condition is a testimony both to the wonderful work of Maryland Westie Rescue and to the dedication of his adopted family. I have seen so many dogs abandoned because of conditions like this. Unwilling or financially unable to manage such severe skin conditions, dogs like this are at best relinquished to rescue groups and at worse, euthanized.
Instead, Buddy found a home with his very lovely forever family! First he had to be wrangled away from his foster home who also wanted to keep him. He was such a charmer within the rescue organization that a newsletter has been named after him, Buddy’s Buddies.
Buddy’s charm notwithstanding, Cooper is a bundle of personality as well! Cooper came to his family as a puppy and is full of cautious curiosity. He has that Westie charm and exuberance (read stubborness!)
It was truly a delightful afternoon. We are so glad Buddy has come so far. And so grateful to his adopted family for giving him a new lease on life!
Buddy & Cooper thanks for a lovely day. We can’t wait to see you in September when the temps are cooler and the farm is in full color!
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We thought it such a wonderful plan when Carissa, who was about to marry Mike, called us and wanted to give him a surprise session after the wedding with their dog, Bull Terrier, “LB (LeBlanc).”
What was even cooler was they planned to give LB the wedding experience he missed by dressing in their wedding attire. They had an intimate and beyond special wedding weekend in May and our shoot was on the books for June – twice. Both sessions got rained out. But finally, LB showed up with his humans, Carissa and Mike (and he brought his perfectly coordinated neckerchiefs as well)… 
So, armed with a bag of “LB” treats and distractions, and dressed to the nines – we started out for our session.
LB found the whole thing quite entertaining and LOVED the attention.
After a few shots in the front yard we loaded everyone up and drove down to the stream in our lower field…
Where we proceeded to show LB exactly what we expected of him… There was a bit of concern on his face as Brandy whisked him away and headed toward the creek…
But once out there, on his assigned “prop,” he behaved quite beautifully!
We proceeded to roam the farm and enjoy our evening with this lovely trio. LB was rescued after being in 3 other homes by age 2. He was shuffled between college students who didn’t quite have the wherewithal to care for him.
To say he scored big is an understatement. This lovely couple loves this dog!
We loved how they were ready to try anything and it was so much fun to watch how happy they are. I love this next shot as it shows the gentle sweetness of this couple as they brushed each other’s hair into place.
This truly was the most fun session we’ve ever done. This couple is delightful and fun and LB is a dream. Thank you so much for sharing this part of your wedding with us! (And thanks for the great wine too!)
After weeks of temperatures surging into the triple digits and a morning of torrential downpours, the skies cleared, the temps cooled, and we had a lovely evening session with Sandy and her human, Barb.
Sandy brought along her BFF Cody, who I photographed nearly two years ago. He has survived liver cancer and is still active and interested and seemed to enjoy roaming about while Sandy took center stage.
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So, while Cody explored the farm, we put Sandy through her paces. She played with her beloved ball for a while for some play shots and then we settled down for her “beauty” shots.
Sandy is a big dog with a big spirit (and a big tongue!) There is rumor she is a shepherd, possible pit bull cross, as evidenced by that large mouth!!! But she is a bundle of sweetness and fun.
It was interesting last night. I had an opportunity to have both of my assistants work the shoot. I loved the fact that they are both seeing light!
Nicola found this wonderful spot amongst the cool shade trees…
…and Brandy found this one..
So, it’s not enough that they are dog handlers extraordinaire – they are beginning to see the light as well!!! Making my job easier and easier…
Thanks for coming out Sandy.
