Griffin and Prim

Two awesome pups in an Uptown Charlotte park? Who could ask for more? After a session delay because of rain, I finally got to meet Griffin, an white-ish Lab mix, and Prim, a Boxer mix. This pair are best buddies and Prim makes it her full-time job to take anything away from Griffin that she can.

We spent the session exploring small bits of Frazier Park including some flower beds (don't tell!!!), some stinky water, the creek, and a super cute bridge. Griffin and Prim were great to work with and they had their sit and stay down nicely. Griffin would bark at me from time to time but he was just telling me to hurry up and give him a treat. Can't say I blame him! ;)

This is Miss Prim...

And handsome Griffin...This shot of Griffin makes me smile. He looks so happy to be laying the grass with a nice new toy! At the time of our session, he was still recovering from having a tumor removed from his spleen. Fortunately, he is now cancer-free but his parents will have to check regularly to see if the tumor returns. By the looks of this photo, I'd say he's feeling pretty good! And Prim's always happy and proudly wears a big smile on her face!I loved this bridge that lead into the park. Griffin and Prim were happy to show off just how cute they could model on it. I'm not sure who has my vote for favorite! ;)Such a cute family! Oh, as a side note, I die for mom's dress!I'm only including this shot because I wanted to show the stinkiness that Griffin and Prim dove into. OMG! That water could make you gag! Lol!But I love the wet look it gave them for the next couple shots! It's the "dirty beach hair" that's all the rave! ;)We moved on to the second location where Prim could run free a bit. Despite being toward the end of the session, she wasn't about to slow down!Griffin loves his mommy...Since we were so close to Uptown, we had to get a nice skyline shot!

I hope you enjoyed Griffin and Prim's sneak peek! Best wishes to Griffin on his recovery!!!

Sur Nicholas McLovin and Sierra

There are so many places to start with this story that I'm not sure where to begin. I guess I'll start with Sur Nicholas McLovin, aka Sur. I actually met Sur about two-and-a-half years ago when I was volunteering with the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas. He was being fostered by fellow volunteers - now his parents - and was fighting a horrible battle with Mange. He was struggling for his life but fortunately found a great couple that provided wonderful care and love. This is what Sur looked like before...And this is Sur now. Isn't he stunning?Too often, the "ugly" dogs (especially Pits and Pit-mixes) are overlooked and left behind at shelters around the country. I love Sur's story because it shows that the ugly duckling can turn into a swan! Through Sur's recovery, a strong bond formed between he and his dad. His dad owns a dog walking and training business and Sur has been instrumental in helping him perfect his training abilities. In fact, we took some time to photograph some of his training techniques for his developing website. The exercise on the right is called Pushing and is part of Natural Dog Training. Sur's dad uses these giant boulders during his training sessions and they were just to pretty to pass by. Time for a photo opp!This session wasn't just about Sur. His sister joined in too! Her name is Sierra and she is just the sweetest ol' lady ever!Sur may be daddy's dog but Sierra is definitely momma's girl. Some of Sierra's mom's favorite traits about her are...

1 - She always raises her paw to get your attention

2 - Her teeth!!!3 - She has a great body wag and bounce4 - Her play bow. I'm so glad we captured them all!!!This whole family makes me want to squeal!!! Love them and they are the epitome of dog people!Sierra looks gorgeous in this picture but I think she was ready for a nap! :)And I'll finish off with more of Sur balancing on things...

Thank you so much for a wonderful session! I'm so thrilled to see how far Sur has come and I hope he inspires others to take a second look at the "ugly" doggy in the window.

Rio - Greenville, SC

Saturday evening, I met with Rio and her new mom! Rio is an adorable Boxer-mix puppy that was recently rescued from the pound in Greenville, SC. Because, up until now, Rio has only seen the worst of Greenville (from behind cage bars), we decided to head out and show her what this awesome city is about! Greenville, SC has the quintessential Southern downtown but with a modern twist. Its a cool, hip area centered around Reedy River Park and is filled with restaurants, bars, shops, and condos almost all converted from old buildings. This downtown is seriously alive! Actually, there were so many people on the streets Saturday night that we had to abandon our original idea of shooting along Main Street. However, we stuck to the outskirts of downtown and still got some great shots that spoke to us about the session's theme...old, new and rebirth.

Theme, you ask? Absolutely! I usually always try to have a theme in the back of my head during a shoot. I just took this one a little further and made it a little more literal. Old - the life at the pound that Rio once had (represented by the old buildings and brick). New - the new life in front of her with her new mom (the new buildings). Rebirth - the actual mental and emotional shift Rio went through after being adopted (the bridge and greenery). Is it cheesy? Maybe. Does it work? Heck yeah! I don't know about you, but I can definitely see the newfound hope and happiness in little Rio's eyes!

Rio thoroughly enjoyed rolling around in the nice, cool grass. She looks super uncomfortable in this frame but I think she's in heaven!I seriously can't take this much cuteness!