Big Dog Day at the Studio

On Saturday, we photographed a Mastif and a Yellow Lab. The Mastif was just a six month old puppy of about 60 pounds and the yellow lab was two years old and about 70 pounds. Both were very well behaved.

When the Mastif grows up, he will be about 150 pounds-that will be a big boy.

Horse and a Beautiful Girl

This past Sunday, we were invited to a farm in Thonotosassa (on the west side of Tampa, Florida) to photograph a horse named Priscilla and a young lady. The young lady was dressed in a Renaissance dress and part of her hair was braided. Priscilla, the horse, was in prime form with part of her mane braided and her tail completely braided. Both were so beautiful.

SPCA SantaPaws in July

Saturday was the SPCA SantaPaws event. The SPCA of Tampa Bay invited Santa and Mrs. Claus to the event; because it was so blasted hot here in Florida in July, Santa showed up in Bermuda Shorts and a T-Shirt-I always knew he was a smart cookie.

Approximately 30 people came by to visit Santa, some with their dogs; oh, there were also some dogs that came to visit Santa without their owners. Visceral Image provided photographic services and the event was a blast.

SPCA PetBowl

Saturday was another eventful day volunteering with the Tampa Bay SPCA. We were at Seminole Lanes in Seminole, Florida for the 5th Annual PetBowl. The first group of bowlers started at 11 AM; the second group of bowlers started around 3 PM. We helped the other SPCA staff and volunteers by photographing each team and presenting them a team photo. Ever tried to get a team of bowlers together for a group shot? Usually one person is getting a snack, another may be getting a bowling ball and the others are available. The next time you come by to get the group picture, others are missing. Nevertheless, the event was a huge success and lots of fun.

Must be the week for Bassets

Yesterday, I photographed a couple more bassets. I wanted to try something different. I decided to do an extreme photo with a wide angle lens showing the looong nose of the Basset. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Studio Full of Droolers...

Pet photography can be very challenging. Getting the attention of an animal; trying to get them to stay in one place and avoiding the multiple accidents when the animal crashes around the room can make you re-examine your career choices. Multiply one pet to multiple pets and you have a receipt for "tons of fun". I have named this session my "Basset Exercise Program": it was a blast

Independence Day Photos

Cats Are Fun!

During my youth, my family had a Siamese named Tamerinski. He was a healthy strong cat of approximately 24 pounds and he ruled the house.

Today, I was reminded of Tamerinski as I did this photo session with a young Siamese. Cats are so much fun to photograph but also alot of exercise. They seldom want to sit still for a photo, they are not intrigued by noises and they are not particularily interested in treats. For approximately a nanosecond, they will pay attention to a dangling toy but seldom long enough for a good pose. Nevertheless, cats are fun!

Training as volunteer at Tampa Bay SPCA

For the past couple months, I have been training at the Tampa Bay SPCA . They have an incredible volunteer program working with the animals with an equally incredible training program. Sunday I completed my Level One training to work with dogs, cats and pocket pets (mice, rats, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, etc) as a web photographer.

Initial training for everyone consists of a two hour Volunteer Introduction followed by a four hour Orientation. Paths then diverge depending on the areas one wishes to volunteer. As a multi-pet volunteer I then completed a mentoring session covering cats and pocket pets and a separate mentoring session covering dogs. This was followed by a two hour introduction dog obedience class; a two hour canine safety and handling class. Ending this training was a mentoring session on web photography with cats and pocket pets and a separate mentoring session for web photography of dogs.

Anyone with the heart and time; I encourage to volunteer at Tampa Bay SPCA. The people are wonderful and the enrichment working with the animals is priceless.

Display at Art Institute of Tampa

A couple pieces of our work are displayed at the Art Institute of Tampa beginning May 13 though May 31 as part of the "Art of Rescue-A Ruff Exhibit" benefiting Florida Boxer Rescue. The following is from the Florida Boxer Rescue announcement:

"Please join us on Saturday, May 31, 2008 for an evening of great local art, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres. The Art of Rescue is being held in the gallery at the Art Institute of Tampa located at 4401 N. Himes Ave. This special event will feature local artists' work and will help raise funds for Florida Boxer Rescue. Doors for this event will open at 5:30pm with a live auction beginning at 6:30pm. A silent auction will also be held and will conclude 15 minutes after the end of the live auction. Tickets can be purchased for $20 in advance through Paypal from the Florida Boxer Rescue website or at the door on the night of the auction for $25. It's a fun business formal event for a special cause, complete with hors d'oeuvres prepared by The International culinary School student from The Art Institute!"

see: http://www.flbr.org/

Tiffanie's Dog Obedience School

Today, I met with Tiffanie and Family; we wanted to take a few photos to use in her dog obedience school. After the individual photo of her dog and the group photo, we decided to take a few photos of her Macaw, what a beautiful regal bird! Thank You Tiffanie.

JAG Family Dogs

Friday afternoon I visited Jim, his wife and his family of Rotties and "Crash", a Golden Retriever. What a blast, all dogs were so well trained and well behaved. "Crash" stole my heart, his love for his toys was endearing.

Saturday was Rachel and Rick's Wedding. The ceremony was at Pass-a-Grille Beach and the reception was at the Peninsula Inn and Spa in Gulfport. I do not remember ever seeing two people so much in love and two people that enjoyed this day as much as did Rachel and Rick. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your celebration.

Today was a triple; a Havanese, a wire-hair Dachshund and a Chihuahua. What fun! All were photographed at the home of the owner; a couple with three teenage girls. All three dogs were boys.

Mix Breed Pit Bull and German Shepard

Today was a studio photography sitting with "Flip", an adult mix breed. He is part Pit Bull and part German Shepherd.

New Pet Studio

I have been taking photos of wildlife and pets for over 30 years. During the mid-1970's, I had a studio. I recently decided to open another studio; there is something special about having a permanent place to work. Today, I did my first studio shoot. This is Pumpernickel, a mix beagle and dachshund. This was a bit more fun than I expected. Pumpernickel is a 2-year old rescued from the SPCA and is totally untrained-not so easy to get her in front of the camera and looking alert. Nevertheless, it was a blast!

Now I have three choices for pet photography; in-home, outdoor environmental photos and studio photography.

Epcot Commercial Shoot-Artificial Grass

Friday, I did a photo shoot for an artificial grass company. They have an exhibit at Epcot as part of the DuPont Gardens and Pluto Playground. It was a challenging assignment; making "grass" the focal point and making it interesting.

This was the second assignment for this client; the first assignment was about two years ago. It was a "grass shoot" at two dog care facilities in St. Augustine and Holly Hill, Florida. The photos at the dog care facilities appeared in company brochures, website and also in USA Today newspaper.

Saturday Morning-Engagement Photographs

Saturday morning I met with Rachel and Rick (and their two dogs) for their Engagement photographs. We met near the Art Museum in Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg. The weather was very overcast and a bit foggy. We had a fun time; there are many opportunities for awesome photos in the Straub Park area. An old tree with low limbs is just east of the Art Museum, a set of faux rocks in near 2nd Avenue North; interesting architectural details are available at the Art Museum and at the Vinoy Hotel , and sailboats in the basin and the Pier in the distance.

Saturday Afternoon-Engagement Photographs

Saturday afternoon I met with Brooke and Neil. They also brought their dogs and we met at a dog park near the Venice Airport. The park included fenced areas and beach access. No good areas for photography were evident in the fenced areas so we proceeded to the beach access. One of the two dogs made a bee-line for the water and was immediately wet. Next time, I will make sure to keep the dogs dry because it makes for better photos. The weather was clear and sunny; we completed our photographs on the beach and soon after the weather turned foggy and very overcast.

New Blog

This area will be for Photographer comments, musings and general insights. Please share with me any of your thoughts.