Robin+Bob+Finn // Home Family Session

We have had a truly amazing amount of adorable doggos lately, so when we heard that we were going to be photographing little Finn, a Cockapoo Extraordinaire, we were sure that he’d be pretty great. And he was! And what makes Finn so great, you might ask? Well, Finn has a wide variety of adorable quirks, mostly involving the fact that he loves to chase toys but hasn’t yet mastered the concept of bringing them back to you, so rather he exchanges one toy for another. All games must involve multiple toys. You go out in the yard and throw something, and he runs at sound-barrier speed to go get it, and then chooses whether or not it’s worth dropping his current toy (which he brought over with him in his mouth) for this one that you just threw. His favorite is a little pink tennis ball and a frisbee, which he carries in such a way where it adorably gets stuck a bit on his head. He also has a stuffed log in which plush squirrels are hidden, which is also currently a big hit.

Finn’s beloved owners are Robin and Bob, who are incredibly lovely people who adore their family and wanted to have photographic evidence of this point in time in their lives with each other and Finn. They were really wonderful and easy to work with despite it being a particularly freezing morning and shooting outside. They were also capable of interacting in an endearing and beloved way with each other, regardless of the fact that zero out of the four people present were morning people. We had such a great time getting to know these guys and witnessing their dog put a frisbee on his head. We’re happy to have captured their family together having a good old time in their neighborhood!

Wilma // A Pitbull+Couch Portrait Study.

Wilma is one of the most charismatic and amusing furry creatures we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She is incredibly happy at all times, and quirky and ridiculous 90% of the time. Words can’t really explain the adorably ridiculous vibe that she gives off, but I can try. Mostly, she’s just really obsessed with the couch. Like, super obsessed. When Jessica wrote me to ask for pictures of Wilma for her 5 year adoptiversary, she told me about the couch (she also told me about her fantastically awesome airbrushed and glitter WILMA shirt from the State Fair that I forced her to wear for a few pictures because there’s no way you can tell me that you got an airbrushed shirt with your dog’s name on it at the fair and expect me not to make you wear it… and she also told me about the custom Wilma beer koozies in her and Dustin’s possession. Wilma, clearly, is very much loved and for good reason). But I had no idea how much the couch was truly, truly loved until we visited and saw her expression of pure delight being anywhere near it, but mostly sitting on it, sprawling on it, and relaxing over a variety of throw pillows.

In addition to loving her couch and not wanting to ever get off the couch, she also enjoys walking outside to simply stand in the lawn (heavy coaxing was needed to play because Wilma is exceedingly lazy in the most wonderful way), laying on her back for belly rubs, and licking Jessica and Dustin (who have the most amazing old Volkswagen but also the most amazing kitchen appliances I’ve ever seen [not pictured here] in their amazing house). But one of the best things that happened was Jessica telling me she bought Wilma a pink dinosaur to destroy, and then Jessica proceeded to drag out this HUGE ass dinosaur from a spare room… the size of which is the large and giant type which your boyfriend would win for you at a carnival and you wouldn’t know what to do with it because you really can’t be expected to carry that around all night. I was expecting, you know, a dog toy. But apparently, in another highly amusing trait she has, Wilma enjoys opening a hole in each of these stuffed creatures and ripping out the stuffing like she’s disemboweling prey in the Serengeti. I can’t explain Wilma, but I do love her. And I love the love her people exhibit for her. So happy to take these pictures for Jessica+Dustin of their lovely little girl!

Claudia+Ron+Layla+Reagan are back!

It is with great love and enthusiasm that we induct Claudia, Ron, and Layla into the CSP 3rd Timers Club! We’ve had three sessions with these two amazing dog parents and their pups. Layla, the golden Golden Retriever, has been with us from the beginning with her brother Canela. When Canela passed away, Layla and her parents adopted Reagan, the white Golden Retriever, who is now being inducted into the CSP 2nd Timers Club. ;) The dogs are so excited when they greet us that I’d like to think they remember us, which I think also might be true because Layla is very good at posing for us at this point. She sits where she’s supposed to, looks at the camera, kind of dog-smiles, and then either looks like she’s falling asleep standing, or it’s her version of the Tyra Banks “smize,” I can’t really tell. Reagan is still learning about cameras and modeling, but he can tell you all about his purple dragon toy, and repeatedly give you his paw when his parents go out of reach for reassurance (either for himself or for me, I also can’t tell).

Claudia and Ron, the humans in this story, are two of the most wonderful and gracious people we’ve had the pleasure of working with. And it is truly an honor to photograph them for the third time. That means so much to us and is such a huge compliment that I can’t even adequately describe it. It’s just nice to see the same people over and over again and to have our work trusted and appreciated. We really love these guys, and we love their dogs, and we love how kind and gentle they are to their dogs (and to us!). Also, we love Claudia’s accent, so that doesn’t hurt either. Happy 10th wedding anniversary, Claudia+Ron! And here’s to many, many more. :)