A photoshoot with your dog doesn’t just have to be a portrait—we can get creative, like this session with dogs in a boat on the owner’s pond.

This was one of the most fun (and challenging!) shoots I’ve done. My friend was an absolute star, helping keep the boat in position, holding the rope so we didn’t send the pups drifting off into the middle of the pond, and making sure everyone stayed safely onboard.

The dogs? Total pros. They were calm, curious, and clearly up for an adventure. I’m always amazed at how much our dogs will do when they trust us.

I really should’ve had a behind-the-scenes video for this one… 

Picture this: I’m standing in the pond, camera in hand, trying to frame the shot while balancing on a narrow shelf of solid ground. Two steps forward and—whoosh—I’d have been fully submerged, camera and all.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking about where the light is, keeping the dogs in position, calling out directions to my boat wrangler and constantly reminding myself not to move an inch forward.

It was one of the trickiest setups I’ve done but also one of the most fun. The dogs were absolute champs, my friend was a huge help controlling the boat, and we ended up with some magical images.

Moral of the story? I’ll do almost whatever it takes to get the shot—even if it means standing in a pond with my camera, praying not to slip! That being said, I now have a new, more expensive camera and lens, and I won’t be standing in any ponds with my new camera…hmmm, an underwater casing would be fun. I’ll take back that “never” and replace it with “until” I get an underwater casing!

If you have any interesting or unique photoshoot ideas you’d like for your dog, please reach out. I’d love to hear about your dream shoot!

Kudos to Vanessa and her team for pulling this together with such amazing fundraising results for Happy’s Place. Putting on an event like this takes months and months of planning and superb organizational skills—it looked seamless from my end, and I was so proud to be a part of the day’s festivities!

This event raised over $40,000 for Happy’s Place. Those funds will help so many senior dogs in need, which is what this day was all about!
Thank you so much for stopping by our tent! I truly hope you enjoy your photos. I loved being there and being able to do what I do best in terms of fundraising for Happy’s Place, by taking photos of amazing dogs!

Two wonderful volunteers helped me set up, tear down, and be there throughout the day. Thank you so much for all your help!

I hope you enjoy the photos! Don’t forget to use your coupons too if you have a desire for a private session! To find and download your photos follow this link to the gallery, you’ll be asked to enter your email address which will also add you to my mailing list so you’ll be advised of any special promotions coming up!

Welcome to my pet photography blog! If you’re here, we likely met at Wienerfest, and I’m thrilled you stopped by with your furry friend or friends! This year was a blast; meeting you and your amazing dogs was wonderful. Being a Pet Photographer is the best job in the world!

As a dog photographer, I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue my passion for working with dogs. It also guarantees I work with people who feel the same way about their dogs.

When working with dogs and their owners, I love to experience their relationship, watch their verbal and non-verbal communication, and see the joy in their shared companionship.

Why do we love our dogs so much? For many of us, they provide that unconditional, non-judgemental love – they are so generous in how much love they give. As humans, we can be judgemental about other people. Dogs are not like that – it doesn’t matter what we look like, what kind of car we drive, or how much money is in our bank account; they accept us for who we are without prejudice.

Dogs can be in tune with our feelings and sense when we are happy or sad. While they can’t tell us in words, they are good at using their body language to convey they feel we can do the same for them. I’ve read that petting, playing, and cuddling a dog releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and affection, in both the human and the dog. I believe this as I know how it makes me feel!

When photographing dogs with their humans, I want to capture images reflecting this profound connection and the joy people share with their canine companions.

Preserving those cherished memories for them with beautiful artwork they will treasure forever is a privilege.

As a dog photographer, I’m always looking for perfect settings, considering factors like light and scenery. However, a unique circumstance arose when photographing an elderly dog with limited mobility. Despite initially planning to shoot in their yard, it didn’t meet my vision. I drove to the back parking lot of a medical building across the street. Drawn by glimpses of ornamental grasses and some beautiful light I hoped we could make that location work. The owners agreed to drive the dog across the street.

I had to quickly come up with a plan and ended up doing a speedy session in the parking lot’s island area with small evergreen trees and mulched ground. I was concerned about the outcome as I wanted to provide the owners with images they’d love. And it worked out; the charm of the senior dog and some Photoshop creativity turned the parking lot into a convincing forest setting, resulting in some beautiful artwork for the owners.

I had another photo session at our local university – I love shooting there. I had images I was pleased with, but I was still missing one, commonly called the “Soul Searcher”. This is a photo where you have the dog look straight into the camera and focus on their eyes. It’s nice to do a shot like this surrounded by flowers or greenery. I was initially going to photograph this sweetie in a bed of tulips, but she was so small, and the flowers were too tall.

We were heading out of the parking lot when I noticed some pretty purple flowers planted around the parking attendant’s booth. We put her in there, and by working my angles, I created an adorable photo that her mom loved. You’d never guess she was sitting in a tiny patch of flowers in the middle of a parking lot.

In both sessions, the situations were different from what I had in mind, and the location could have been better, but it’s amazing what you can achieve in a less-than-perfect setting when you open your mind to the possibilities.