Another change...

We're changing things up again at Nizhoni Pet Photography. We've decided to move our blog over to our own domain, where we can use wordpress. It lets us match the website itself and post much larger pictures, so I think its a definite improvement. So, if you'd like to see Sugar's partner in crime, mosey on over to the new version... here

the swimming hole

Sugar has an interesting habit of submersing her entire head in her water bowl, followed by a frantic "digging" in the water dish which results in water ending up ALL over the kitchen floor. Based on this observed behavior, we thought she might enjoy a trip to the lake. And by lake, I mean one of the muddy cesspools that dot the Lubbock landscape. The most memorable point in the afternoon was chasing her around in an attempt to remove the nasty rotting fish head from her mouth. When we could distract her from the fish head, she did seem to enjoy the swimming quite a bit though.

Sugar

So adorable little Roxie was adopted on Saturday, big surprise. I'll admit it, I got a little teary eyed when I said goodbye. Of course it only took them a matter of seconds to zero in on me as an foster-less foster home and I was soon asked to take another one home. Actually, they asked, could you maybe take two? Just for tonight?

Name: Sugar
Breed: Boxer mix-ish
Age: four months-ish

She does the superman thing with her front legs when she sleeps

Oh I suppose, just for tonight, I told them. That was Saturday...

We have a winner.

Two, actually. The winners of the Humane Society of West Texas's drawing for a free photography session from yours truly are (drum roll please)...

Sergio Larez

and

Norman Elstone

Congratulations to our winners! If you happen across this, feel free to send us an email, otherwise we will be contacting the winners on Tuesday. And, of course, thank you to everyone who came out to the concert to help support the Humane Society.

And while I have your attention, here are a few more lovable dogs that are looking for a forever home in the Lubbock area.

name: Bonnie

breed: Collie

name: Bo

breed: Australian Cattle Dog mix

name: Kendall

breed: Boxer mix

As always, please contact the Humane Society of West Texas if you are interested in adopting one of these beautiful dogs.

My first canvas

One of my clients from the session in Columbus ordered an 8x10 canvas wrap of one of her images. Its the first time I've had one printed and I was so pleased with how it turned out. I think I'm going to have to get a few larger ones to have on hand for displays.




I think, in the future, for smaller wraps, I'm going to go with a slightly shallower frame; while this depth should be fine for the bigger sizes.



And, of course, I ordered a ton of prints, both for clients and for my own use.

Roxie

aka: Roxarelli, Turd Bird, Little Dog... I've picked up my sister's habit of calling dogs by anything but their actual names.



Roxie is a boxer puppy, probably six or seven weeks old. She was found by a guy just outside of town, who kept her for two weeks before he found out about the Humane Society. Everyone else he called was going to put her down if they didn't find a home in three days. He said his landlord wouldn't let him keep her once she got big, and he knew if he kept her any longer, he wouldn't be able to give him up. I can see why.



She is hilarious... all floppy legs and wrinkly skin. And she jumps when she walks. She also has her whole tail. I think it might be the first time I've ever seen a boxer with an intact tail. It very rarely stops moving.

she loves to play with toys.

She's constantly harassing Kodiak and Nizhoni, who are trying to teach her how not to be the most annoying dog ever. Their barks and snaps of reprimand are generally ignored in favor of continuing to run around like a mad woman. Or she barks right back at them, much to Kodiak's distress.




We are trying to crate train her. She's good in the crate while we're at work and she'll wander in and out of it when we're home. She just doesn't like to sleep in it. And against our better judgment, she's been sleeping in our bed. Its just that she's so damn cute, I can't say no. And I figure we'll only have her to the end of the week, then someone else can break her of the habit. I'm a terrible foster mom, I know.



One minute she's running around all spasmodic, then next she's out like a light. And she's uber snuggly when she's sleepy. Unfortunately, right this minute, she's tearing around the house like a bat out of hell. Oh, and she chews everything... but not until she's paraded around the house with it for a good five minutes. This is especially true of shoes and slippers that are bigger than she is.



The nice thing about fostering is that we get the cuteness of a new puppy, without the obligation of a big dog. She's awfully precious now, but she's going to be a good sized girl, and we do NOT need another big dog.

Can you tell I love her little tail??

But if YOU are in the market for a big dog, she is perfect... in a hilariously obnoxious, delightfully cuddly kind of way. Seriously, I can't even explain how snuggly and adorable she is.

Dukem

I have never felt the desire to get a pit bull. Its not the I have anything against them, because I don't. And I've met some very sweet ones at various dog parks. I've just never looked at one and thought, gee that's the kind of dog I want.

Most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen on a dog.

Until yesterday. This is one of the sweetest, most beautiful dogs I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He was, by far, the most well behaved dog at the adoption event. And the sad thing is, he will probably remain in foster care because he is "too expensive to adopt."

He was all about sitting all up in Ken's lap

There were several inquiries about adopting him, but each time they heard that they would be required to pay for the training class at Petsmart on top of the adoption fees, there was a change of heart. Not to mention issues with homeowner's insurance and all the other crap that comes with adopting a bully breed


Knowing that after another month or two, we would easily be able to afford this dog is heartbreaking. I know I say that I want to take them all home, but this one's options are far more limited than the others through no fault of his own. For us the problem isn't money. Its the fact that Kodiak is a dumbass and would probably start a fight that would get him maimed or killed. So no pit bull for us.


So if you, or anyone you know, is willing and able to give this handsome guy a home please, please, PLEASE contact the Humane Society of West Texas.

Puppy love

I'm not even sure I needed to bother with pictures of these cuties. Surely they aren't going to be in the system long. I mean seriously, how can you look at these faces and NOT take them home??

Tom

Tammy

Toby

Tank

Tank had some outdoor pictures too, but is this not the cutest "take me home, PLEASE" face ever? All four of the T's are litter mates. Their dad was an Australian shepherd, though Toby is the only one that really looks it.

This fellow is a few weeks older, and a little bit bigger, but that didn't stop the T's from starting some wicked wrestling matches.

Nightcrawler

Everyone just wanted to be on the other side of that baby gate...

Some product shots

Back in March I had ordered a 5x5 book for my aunt as a thank you gift. I took some pictures of it at the time, but then forgot that they were on my card when I formatted it for a shoot. Whoops!


Luckily I stopped in Dallas again to say hello on my way to Lubbock, so I was able to snag a few shots of it. I am pleased with how it turned out, though I think I may try another company or two, just to compare. I had nightmares about the two-page spreads not lining up properly, but they turned out just fine.


I also hit the craft store to find some goodies that I could use to make my discs look a little less utilitarian. Scrapbook paper is magical; I swear I could spend all day in that aisle and I don't even scrapbook. Turns out, with a little help from a paper cutter, it makes a lovely lining for CD cases.


I've also got my first canvas wrap on order and it should be arriving in the next couple of days. I can't wait to see how it looks!

Rescue me!

Adriana is another beautiful dog up for adoption from the Humane Society of West Texas. She's a bull terrier mix and as sweet as can be. And she has the cutest bat ears...


One of the volunteers said that HSWT has over 140 adult dogs in the system that need homes. There are so many advantages to adopting an adult, I wish more people would consider it.

And, whether you've got an adult dog or a puppy, every dog needs some stylin' gear. So hop on over to April Ziegler Photography for a chance to win a super stylish new dog collar.

Doppelganger

We had our first Humane Society of West Texas event this morning and it was awesome! We had to take pictures in the parking lot, which obviously wasn't ideal, but everyone was SO nice. There were a couple of youngsters there who were excellent assistants, and who could recite each dog's stats from memory. I was very impressed.

We got lots of cute pictures, which I will most likely post once we get our arrangement with them all nailed down. But I had to post this cutie.


Her name is Starlight, and she's a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. But more importantly, she's Nizhoni's Doppelganger! Ok, obviously her color is different; but her face, her ears, her tail, and even her stance are dead on. If Ken hadn't been there, I would have adopted her in a heartbeat. Not even kidding.

If you live in Lubbock, and want a dog (or are even thinking you might possibly want a dog at some point) you should adopt her. Immediately.

#1 Buddy Holly fan

Turns out Kodiak is a big Buddy Holly fan. Who knew??


He actually sat. And stayed. (Two skills we have failed to cultivate and at which he usually fails dismally) But apparently he too was mesmerized by the giant glasses, because he sat for a really long time.



Since I had a few days between getting into town and reporting for duty at my next rotation, we decided to drive around to see what kind of cool locations we could find for future photo shoots.



Some of the framing and processing on these (particularly on the first and last images) is inspired by a wedding photographer team that I have a secret photography crush on. While I in no way claim to have anything close to their mad skillz, a gal can dream :) If you're getting married, check 'em out. Seriously.