Photography: Golden Shots Never Get Old

Gixer, Tigger and Doll Baby are all such stunning animals. I was honored to photograph them in their owner's back yard while gawking over the gorgeous light and sweet interactions. Sometimes you make magical images and have no idea how the stars could have aligned for you, and sometimes you align the stars. The image of Doll Baby, the TW horse on the left, is definitely an example of the former. Before I went to photography school, I took my camera everywhere that I went and shot everything that was moving. That image is one that I captured many months before being accepted into photography school and I used it as part of my entrance portfolio. 

The shot on the right, Gixer and Tigger, was taken while I was in photography school, but required quite of bit of star aligning. Once I learned basic camera exposures, I purchased a fixed fifty lens, and I could only use the manual focus setting with my particular camera body. Having shot 35mm film for the previous six months and using only manual lenses, I didn't see this as any problem, just a fun challenge.

Basically everything I know now about how to get the shot quickly I learned from working with that lens. So the shot on the right was taken while I was backing up while laying down, because I was shooting with a 50mm on a cropped sensor camera. Basically put, I was too close to the subject and nothing could focus, so I almost tumbled backwards as I shot vigorously to get the shot. It worked out pretty well! This is the only shot I've ever gotten focused of this interaction, and I shot it manually. 

After having obtained a myriad of shots similar in quality to the one on the right using my fixed fifty manual, I decided to get a fixed 35mm and a new camera body. Needless to say, I believe that learning how to shoot manual or with a lousy camera body will optimize your experience and results with a nicer camera body and non manual only focus. I'm so grateful that I have gems like these from my early learning experiences!

Dog Training 411: Spotlight on Abby

Abby is a beautiful 6 year old Weimaraner. Her owners called me in to help them learn the ins and outs of walking and crate training, and Abby responded very well to my methods and her owners reinforcement applied over a consistent period of time.  

Many times I work with dogs whose backgrounds are somewhat known and somewhat unknown, and it's important during sessions with dogs who have an unknown background to observe any missing links. I noticed that Abby has some beginning signs of separation anxiety, most likely from being moved from one home to another recently.  

Separation anxiety has numerous levels and it can be a tough topic to bring up, so this is why I always teach: 1) exercise 2) discipline 3) affection. When people see with their own eyes that their dog is happier to receive affection after exercise and discipline, it's much easier to discuss the necessary elements in dismantling separation anxiety.  

Dogs respond to the environment in which they are put. This is amazing news because we are responsible for changing their environment and we can therefore change the way they behave. However, this needs to be a simultaneous reward and consequence based system. Dogs will always reproduce rewarded behaviors, which is why even separation anxiety can become a "self fulfilling prophecy" type behavior. Similarly, they will have ample incentive to discontinue behaviors that are corrected, so both are equally important.  

Abby responded beautifully to my methods and her owners implementation of my suggestions. Great job, everyone!

Photography: Second Edits

Photographing animals is absolutely my passion. One of my favorite things about capturing their characters is getting to work at their pace. I'm a high energy person who has worked very hard to quickly tone down my pace to whichever animal I'm working with, and this has been very intentional. I'm a natural extrovert who scored as an introvert on the Meyers Briggs test, so I guess I'm an introverted extrovert? Either way, somehow I'm both a dog and cat person, and this makes photographing both dogs and cats a lot of fun.

Sammie is a beautiful rag doll kitty who I photographed using natural light only. You may not guess this, but he is laying by a window in an apartment, and it only took me a few minutes to grab this shot. 

Shortly after this session, I attended a Florida Professional Photographers Gild seminar on how to achieve studio lighting patterns using natural light and specific post production techniques. After taking tedious notes and rushing home to work on this image, my initial edit looked like garbage compared to this final edit. Once I learned how to create this feel using natural light and photoshop, I've been duplicating it in every kitty photo session that I've done indoors. 

It's very important to me that the cat I'm photographing is relaxed and just doing their thing. I acquaint myself with the kitty I'm going to be working with for the number of minutes necessary for them to feel comfortable with me in their space. This can't be stressed enough. If a cat is stressed or feeling forced, it will be very obvious in their body language. Here, Sammie looks like he was just doing his thing, but what you don't see is his owners hands above him. She had encouraged him to lay down, and then he voluntarily stayed there, looked out the window like a prince, and gelled right in to his comfy spot. I depend heavily on the relationship that the pet owner has built with their pet in order to encourage the animal to be comfortable and compliant. 

While I allot ample time to acquaint myself with the cats and dogs I work with, I've learned how to be Speedy Gonzales with my camera, because I know that we only have so much time before the animal gets bored. This is where my extroverted "get things done" side comes in, and I work hard to be in and out. Sometimes it takes hours to make a magical shot, but once you've learned a system of how to duplicate that magic, it doesn't need to take hours, but can be obtained in a matter of minutes.

Dog Training 411: Owning Multiple Dogs

Everyone I've talked with who has five or more dogs claims to be a serious dog lover. This probably doesn't come as a surprise, given the maintenance that only one dog needs on a daily basis. Dogs have a lot to teach us about community, boundaries, love and respect, and I would venture to say that if you have more than five dogs, you are constantly reminded of these things. 

All dogs need exercise. Period. Often times when I work in homes with multiple dogs, I find that one of the main problems is lack of exercise, multiplied by the number of dogs. It doesn't matter if I'm working with five Maltese dogs, they still need to get their energy out somehow. 

Collective exercise can be a beautiful thing, or it can be a disaster if you don't have control over your dogs and if they don't respect you as their leader. Dogs feed off of each other's energy and behaviors, therefore you can have many very well behaved dogs in one house, or many monsters. 

My best advice to anyone who owns multiple dogs and wants to have a peaceful and happy existence with them is to treat them all equally. See yourself as number one and see them all as number two. This looks like you doing everything first, and then doing everything second. Dogs want someone to look up to and call their master, but without this role in their life, they quickly realign the pecking order and begin to take charge out of necessity. 

I am always impressed by other people who take on the challenge of owning multiple dogs, it especially makes my heart very happy when I see multiple rescue dogs in one home. We must keep in mind, though, that it is our responsibility and privilege to care for them as pack leaders rather than just part of the pack. 

Photography: Crazy Puppies

Bitsy is a spunky Morkie pup, quite the clever little speedy one, too! Whenever I'm working with exceptionally fast and small dogs, I like to move quickly and shoot at their level. As a dog trainer, I understand from a behavioral perspective what their body language is saying, and every little nuance matters when it comes to capturing their personality. 

In the first image here, I waited for Bitsy to have a moment of being distracted by something at a distance and then I snagged this shot. Holding the camera about three feet away, I let her rest her front paws on my knee as I worked to level the distant horizon line with her eyes. This is one reason I find that shooting without looking through the viewfinder often works in my favor.  

This second image explains her personality much more than the first. Bitsy is an explosively playful and fast dog, so I ran backwards while holding my camera at grass height to catch this one. Where many would try to make her be still long enough to capture one good shot, I decided to work at her speed. There is never an animal that I work with where I find that working at their speed doesn't pay off. 

Dog Training 411: Spotlight on Fitch

Fitch is a beautiful mutt puppy who simply needed a little guidance. I had a blast working with her owners on basic household structures and dog behavior observations for their present and future use! Working with puppies is always a privilege for me because I love helping people set the future up for success with their dog. 

I observed that Fitch is more sensitive to an audio and physical correction rather than just physical. Since she is going to get bigger and stronger, now is the best time to figure out a consequence and reward system that works within the natural inclination of a puppy.

I'm happy to report that her owners picked up on my training methods and took my suggestions quickly, so they saw results quickly as well. Working with puppies is great, but working with receptive people is even better! I know that they will all have a happy life together, so long as they stay consistent and keep working on it! 

Photography: Family With Hooves

Blaze is a super loving quarter horse who has some sweet little things to watch after! I loved shooting him and the gang in their favorite open pasture.

One of my favorite artistic elements is leading lines. Do you feel like Blaze is sniffing your face?

Interaction and relationship is such an important thing to capture! I love imagining what these two friends are whispering to each other.

Dog Training 411: Spotlight on Rocky

Rocky is a beautiful young pit bull that I'm in the trenches working with. I've learned some key things from working with him, the first one being that dogs always need more exercise than we think they do. Rocky is a hyper active submissive dog who responds well to consistency and authority.  

One fabulous thing about dogs is that they truly do respond to their environment and the energy that is projected within their environment. This is great news because we are responsible for creating their environment and we are also responsible for the energy we project.

Dogs respond to calm and assertive energy with a calm submissive energy, given their inclination towards pleasing their owners based on their relationship of trust and respect. Rocky has been a great dog to work with and learn from, and his owners are doing a great job with him so far.

Photography: Easter Puppies

What a fun photo shoot with New Horizons Service Pups on this fine April evening. I think the puppies had almost as much fun as I did!

This scene was a blast to set up! I grabbed a bunch of Easter themed and puppy proof items, spread them out in the back yard or New Horizons headquarters, and shuffled puppies around as I played with them, grabbed their images and enjoyed the gorgeous late afternoon light.

Of course, I had to stop them from actually eating the whole set. Their Momma thanked me for this!

Puppy curiosity is one of the cutest things!

I have learned that the best way to photograph puppies is to occupy them, and then capture what they do with those occupants. 

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Dog Training 411: Spotlight on Carter

When Carter's owners called me in to help them get him acquainted with their household and family, I was very excited to teach them some basic structures. Carter is a shepherd mix who has a medium level of energy and is very submissive. I worked with the owners and their daughter to walk him and introduce him to the bike for outdoor exercise, and everyone did great with him! 

We also worked on indoor rules so that Carter could learn his place in his family. Whenever I get to work with a dog who is adjusting into a new home, I'm always excited to share the importance of balanced methods with rewarding and correcting. Carter was hesitant to some things, and so we worked together to build positive experiences, but he still needed correction in some ways, and it's okay to correct a hesitant dog. Even dogs who are unsure of their environment need to have clear boundaries, but they also need the proper reward at the proper moment in order to sort through what behaviors are acceptable and which ones aren't. 

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Photography: Bayshore Animal Hospital

I am so blessed to have collaborated with some awesome veterinarians in the local areas! Dr. Carnathan at Bayshore Animal Hospital brought me in to decorate his recently renovated veterinary clinic. I had a blast choosing the photos and arrangements myself, installing these prints and getting to know the staff there.

Are you interested in press printed decorations for your own clinic or business? Check out my online store here.

Dog Training 411: Dominance vs Alpha

Judah is one of the few dogs who taught me almost everything I know about dog behavior. He was the only natural alpha pack leader from whom I've ever had the good fortune to learn. Every dog that I've worked with has been dominant or submissive to one degree or another, and this is what makes a pack of dogs sync and gel in with one another. However, out of the handful of dogs who are most dominant naturally, only few are natural born pack leaders; dogs who would most prefer to be in charge rather than have someone be in charge over them. 

Natural born pack leaders look out for their pack and are always about everyone's best interest. This is why natural born pack leaders will happily be obedience trained and will do what is asked of them. However, to all the other dogs, they are most in charge amongst the K-9's in that household. Again, I have only ever worked with this one natural born pack leader in my 12+ years of experience with dogs, so they truly make up a small percentage of dogs as a whole.

I learned everything I know about expectancy when working with dogs while watching Judah. Dogs understand energy and body language, so they're always looking to follow along with whatever their leader is doing. This is a gift that I could never repay Judah for teaching me, because pet owners across Central Florida and beyond get the benefit in their relationship with their dog of learning this expectancy in their energy and body language from my sessions. What an amazing dog, I will forever be grateful! This picture was taken when I was a young kid, as you can see,  and Judah was extremely kind and the right kind of tolerant when it came to his pack. 

Photography: Sand Dunes Dog Park

Sand Dunes Dog Park is such a fun place to bring your dogs for photos! It is one of my favorite places to photograph at, so here's a few of my favorite shots.

Dog Training 411: Spotlight on Daisy

Daisy was a stray dog found by a friend and then given to me. She was a chicken killer, a food mongrel and generally speaking neurotic. I've worked with her for seven years to make her the worlds most "go with the flow" dog, and boy has it paid off! 

Daisy learned how to run with the bike and roller blades early on, and I exercise her for miles and miles every single day. She is a dachshund beagle mix, and has needed a considerable amount of physical and mental stimulation in order to get and stay healthy.  

On a scale of submissive to dominant, Daisy is one of the most submissive dogs I've ever worked with. However, on a scale of low to high energy, she has been one of the highest energy level dogs I've ever worked with. After seven years of work, though, you would never guess that she had the issues mentioned above, and that she was a super high energy dog. she is the dog I bring with me now to sessions where the other dog I'm working with is food possessive, needs to learn how to greet other dogs, is dog aggressive, and many other issues. She is my "bomb proof muscle hound". Daisy can out exercise any dog that I work with, and many times I get tired before she does during a roller blade or bike session. As dogs age, they don't need to be physically pushed as much as they need to be physically maintained.  

It's great to work with dogs of all sorts, and I always come home to Daisy with a heart of gratitude. I'm grateful that I put the work in to train her and stay consistent over the years, because now the dog training problems that I help other people work out over several sessions are not even a second thought with Daisy.  

This is what I help other people create with their dogs, and I'm so glad that I have Daisy as just one example of a happy healthy dog with whom I've established a fabulous relationship.  

Photography: Horses At Sunset

Mariah & Socks are some of the most beautiful horses I have met! They looked stunning against the warm sunset flooding into their pasture. What a lovely time I had with them! Sometimes the scenario just calls for fine art style images. This stunning sunset light called to some deep part in my soul, and I truly believe the horses had as blessed of a time that I had! 

I love catching those sweet details. As if beautiful colors and light from sunsets wasn't enough to make my artsy side go crazy, horses are possibly my favorite animals on this planet. I believe that whatever we are most passionate about comes though very evidently in the photos we make.

Dog Training 411: Spotlight on Koa

Koa was a puppy when I worked with him. His owners wanted to learn basic household structures and how to walk him on the leash properly. It only took a few sessions for Koa and his owners to pick up on the suggestions I had to offer, and for them to see a huge improvement in Koa's incentive to listen to them. 

I'm always super pumped when people with puppies call me, because I love stopping problems before they even get a chance to manifest. There are different structures to learn for puppies than for adult dogs, though, so it is important to keep contact with a professional dog trainer who can help you as your dog gets older. Puppies need a lot more exercise and discipline than most people think. This is absolutely what sets them up to be balanced and well rounded as adult dogs. Working with Koa I learned that it's not obvious to most people to keep an eye on the puppy and only correct the puppy when they do something wrong.

Many people want to correct the dog for having a burst of energy during a game of play, but this ultimately encourages the dog to play, "catch me if you can". If your dog has a burst of energy during a playtime, maintain the same level of excitement as you had before, wait for your dog to calm down and then direct them into the next activity. This way your reaction is neutral and they don't have incentive to take control of the game next time. 

Photography: Countryside Animal Clinic

I am so blessed to have collaborated with some awesome veterinarians in the local areas! Dr. Brewer, Dr. Bryson & the Countryside Animal Clinic gang are a fabulous group of people! They brought me in to decorate their clinic with my photography, and it has been a privilege to bring in new pieces that the vet's pick out every now and again.

If you're interested in browsing or purchasing images for your clinic or business, check out my online store here.

Photography: Chasing Puppies

Koa is an adorable Corgi pup that I had the honor of training and photographing! These photos were taken in his owner's back yard in the late afternoon. One of my favorite things in photographing animals is interacting with them. While most people who photograph animals are mostly photographing and then creating brief interactions in between, I am mostly interacting and then creating brief photos in between. This is how I can cut down the time on my process, because let's be hones, animals have a short attention span.

Because I create an interaction with the dog that I'm photographing before I just start shooting, I can draw that animal to me using my energy. It's of utmost importance to me that the images I make show the interaction and relationship that I am creating with that animal, and this is one major thing that sets my style apart.

It's pretty amazing that what I do is chase puppies around back yards, capturing their expressions. I'm not quite sure who has more fun! If you're thinking about hiring a professional pet photographer, I would encourage you to find out how they interact with animals. The last thing you want is someone who makes your animal feel uncomfortable and for that to be obvious to you or others in the images made.