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!

Lyla

Lyla is Zabu's more sociable counterpart. She was all about her day in the spotlight.



She was a tiny, skinny little thing too; none of that belly fat that my cat's are always dragging around. Maybe she stays fit by chasing Zabu around the house.



Not even kidding with the eyes here. A little boost in contrast and that's it for the editing. Seriously.


Thanks again Tricia, I hope your daughter likes them!!

Zabu

Zabu and her sister Lyla belong to one of the technicians at the hospital. Tricia helped me survive last month by providing lots of girl talk and chocolate; so to say thanks, I offered to take some pictures of her cats.




The post-processing on this next one was somewhat inspired by this photo. Its not nearly as awesome as hers, but I really liked the look of black and white with a dark colored animal and it seemed to work with this image.



Zabu did NOT want to look at the camera, but right before I gave up he stopped in the doorway and I managed to snag a few.

Oakley

And the final dog from Saturday is Oakley, a Brittany Spaniel (looks a lot like a dog I used to know, eh family??)



Oakley is too funny! He was so wound up, he played frisbee for like an hour straight while the other dogs were having their pictures taken, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't even tired. His tongue was all over the place though. I think he wins the award for the smiliest dog ever.


At the end, he took a dip in the Goodale pond to cool off. There are three of these that I think would make a sweet triptych.


And of course everyone needs a pretty picture they can send to the grandparents. :)


Thanks for a great session, Shannon. He was a riot to photograph!!

Sagel

Next up we have Sagel (pronounced like "toggle"). I don't even know what to say about this little guy. Seriously, I just wanted to stuff him in my bag and run away.


Sagel is a shih-poo and he has this long, super-soft fur that just screams "cuddle me."



His fur is this unique mixture of black, brown, and orange that looks different depending on the lighting and the angle. Most of the time he followed his mom with his eyes everywhere she went, but every once in a while he showed the camera a little attitude. :)


And sometimes I had to trick him into looking at the camera by stealing his new favorite stick. bwa-ha-ha.


Looking at mom again...


I didn't actually mean to make this black and white but accidentally hit a black and white action button during editing. And I kind of like the high contrast look that it gave.



Thanks for an awesome session, Dannelle!

Rose

I know I said it was going to take a while to get all these images processed, but turns out that having nothing to do at my rotation = lots of time to work on images.

The first dog of the day Saturday was Rose, a black cocker spaniel. Rose's mom is the one who helped to set up the whole affair on Saturday, which was awesome of her. (Thanks again!!) We all met up at Goodale park just north of downtown Columbus. It was a gorgeous day for some photography.


Rose is definitely the most relaxed dog that I have worked with so far. She was totally content to sit where ever we put put her.


While she looked pretty smiley for the most part, I love the serious look on her face in the next one.



The secret for black dogs is open shade... and a pretty brick background doesn't hurt either.


I hope you like them Jan! Thank you so much for a great session and all the fantastic publicity :)

Nesties sneak peek

A beautiful day, three beautiful dogs, and three of the sweetest clients a photographer could ask for. Why did I leave Columbus again??

Still going through them all and I will give each of them their own post, but here are a few to whet your appetites!

Boots and Mittens

An appropriately named pair of cats, considering how cold it was here today.

Boots was definitely the more cooperative model, and handsome too. He photographs so well, you wouldn't even know he's not feeling too well. Unfortunately he's not, and I'm happy I could get some good pictures of him for his mom and dad.



Mittens is the prettiest cream color with beautiful blue eyes. I definitely learned some lessons about shooting a light colored cat today.



The house was a perfect set up for natural light pictures. There were lots of big windows and beautiful furniture for the kittys to sit on. I just wish it hadn't been quite so overcast as a tiny bit more light would have been perfect.

Cynder II

I spent some more time practicing on Cynder, this time trying to get more posed shots incorporating some of the furniture and decor in my Aunt's home. One thing I have learned is that even when it seems as though there is quite a bit of light, my camera still struggles and I often wish I had a slightly higher ISO to bump up to. An upgrade is a long way off though, I fear. Still, there were plenty that I liked.



This couch used to belong to my grandmother. The dog is probably not supposed to be on it, but it was only for a few minutes... honest :)


This pose is SO Cynder. She is thirteen years old and as playful as any puppy I have ever seen. I am having a book printed as a gift for my Aunt (who has been more than generous by letting me stay and taking excellent care of me!) and this will be a two page spread. Its my first time having a book done at my current printer so I am excited to see how it looks.


And this one I love because of the colors (overcast days really do make for the prettiest photos I think) and the tail. I have been trying to get a good shot of that tail since I got here. She really is a sweet, beautiful dog.

Gypsy

Quite possibly the cutest puppy ever, and the pictures that inspired the creation of Nizhoni Pet Photography.



Matt would have preferred we not let her sleep on the couch, but can you wake up something that precious?

Best friends forever

Kodiak

Yesterday the hubby asked me what I thought about talking to the accountant about getting Nizhoni Pet Photography set up as an actual business so we could consider photography related purchases a business expense and deduct them from our taxes. I honestly hadn't even thought that far ahead yet, but it made me feel all warm and fuzzy to have him be so supportive. :) And its probably a good idea, considering just how much some of that stuff costs. (Not that I'll be making any of the major purchases anytime soon...)

In addition to Nizhoni and the hubby, the other member of my supporting crew is my baby boy Kodi. There's a special warm fuzzy place in my heart for this guy because he's been around longer than both of the other two and is the biggest momma's boy EVER. Even when he does things like eat an entire roast (or pan of brownies) off the counter or destroy several large houseplants, he's still awfully cute.


He is the master of the pathetic look, second only to Nizhoni herself. He is particularly good at this look when there is people food involved.




But most of the time he's a pretty smiley dog.