toby

Meet Toby, the newest member of our family.

He’s a 10 week old Collie. Our last few dogs have not been all that smart and certainly not athletic, nor long haired, so this this is a change and them some and we’ve only had him for 2 weeks. Our last dog, Charlie, was a Great Dane and before him Tarmac, a female pug we had for 12 years.

Smart – he knows his name and knows the smell of bacon – and where it comes from (the stove). He can open the kitchen cabinets too. He’s a got a great nose but some bad habits too, or, well, interesting ones. He’s very tolerant of the kids and the way they play with him. See, he can go upstairs but won’t come down – he just stands up there and barks (another new thing for us – the last few dogs were very quiet) until we carry him down. Guess how a 6 year old carries a dog? Yeah you got it, and he doesn’t seem to care one whit!

Another adjustment is he’s not wanting to be a lap dog, which is probably good but kinda sad as he’s cute and cuddly but would rather lie at me feet than on the couch with me. We’ve taken him outside a couple of times – the weather has not been conducive to taking a pup out. Today he went out and LOVES the snow – it’s deeper than he is tall and he just loved it. This outdoor loving dog thing is another new thing.

I’m not sure who’s got more to learn – Toby or us!

Are You Thinking Christmas Yet?

It’s November, HS football season is over, the leaves have fallen and the clocks have been turned back. That can only mean one thing – The Holiday Season is coming at us full speed ahead!

Are you ready for it? I’ve started Christmas shopping and have started to see Christmas commercials on TV. The Christmas movies are being advertised with yet another version of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, this time in 3D with Jim Carrey. I still like the Mr Magoo version best. My kids might not agree with me on that though.

If you’ve been trying to think of what to do for Christmas Cards this year we can help.  This is the first Christmas with our new Studio space so Mindy and I are working on a couple of set ideas for really cool, themed Holiday photos.

And of course we’ll have some special deals on cards and prints as gifts this Holiday Season.

Up first this year is our 5th Annual Holiday Pet Portraits.  In the past we’ve run this event at The Grooming Depot in Hopewell but this year we’re moving it to our Studio!  There is no session fee and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Beaver County Humane Society . Just bring your pet and your smile – and no, you don’t have to be in the picture unless you want to.

The dates are Saturday November 14 and Tuesday November 17. Call NOW (724-234-2893) to schedule your time! It takes about 20 minutes and you’ll get to see your poses right then. Fast, simple and it helps the animals too!

Here’s some shots from years past

For more info visit our website.

Bull! No, Bulldogs!

Most of my pet photography has been around Christmas as a fund raiser for the Beaver County Humane Society and that works well, but there isn’t the time available to do alot of creative stuff nor do I have the entire studio to work in. So when Stu called and wanted to bring over a couple of his friends for pictures as a surprise gift for his wife I was excited!   I really like pugnosed dogs (boxers, french bulldogs, pugs, pekingese, etc)  and have had a number of pugs over the years.

Izzy came along with his bigger sisters for a picture too, but  wouldn’t sit still for much.  We still got a few good ones though. Pugs are so cute!

Bulldogs are big. As in solid and heavy. They go where they want and you can’t do much about it – it’s like trying to push a cinderblock around!

I”ve been slackin’ in getting actual pictures up here, so heres alot from the session.

This one was too cute to leave on the cutting room floor!

And lastly, one more fun one taken with the fisheye lens