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Lottie Dottie, Little Sister and Breezer

Lottie Dottie, Little Sister, and Breezer. Judging by the names, I knew this trio was going to be pretty awesome.

This little pack’s mom won a session with me in a silent auction during the Humane Society of Charlotte’s Ties and Tails Gala back in October. We decided to wait until the Spring to shoot the session to take advantage of the green grass and pretty flowers that their yard offered. I’m so glad we did! These three really showed off their home turf as best they could!

We had a lovely session together and I learned so much about each of these Shih Tzu’s personalities.

Lottie Dottie, the gray and white lady on the left, was the most independent of the pack. She was happy to go about her own business unless we could bribe her with some hotdogs, cheese, or carrots. She knew how to get what she wanted! :)

Breezer, the blue-eyed boy in the middle, was the one we were most nervous about. He is a recent foster failure that was rescued from a puppy mill. When he was brought home, he didn’t know how to walk down stairs, he wouldn’t eat out of a bowl, and he was obviously very skittish. It has been several months since he’s been rescued and he’s made wonderful strides in learning how to be a real dog! He was actually very cooperative during the session and warmed up to me pretty quickly. His mom is very outspoken against puppy mills and Breezer has now become the poster child for her cause. Love that!

The happy black and white girl on the right is Little Sister. She is so laid back and wanted to be involved in all of the action during the shoot. She has been a big help in making her new brother, Breezer, feel at home.

Each of the pups happily posed by the pretty flowers in the backyard…
I thought this was a cute shot of Breezer coming out of his shell. He allowed me to get very close to him with the camera from above – something that can be very intimidating to a timid dog. He was fine as long as he got his hotdogs! :)
Little Sister showed Breezer the ropes in getting some action shots!
Meanwhile, Lottie Dottie heard treats rattling around and came running!
And some cute pics by the lounge chairs… :)

What a wonderful session with some fabulous dogs and heartfelt people! I hope to see more of Breezer’s face as his mom speaks out against the puppy mill problem we are dealing with in North Carolina. I want to give a huge THANKS to her for fighting the fight!

Oscar, Harriet, and Reese Cup

I introduce a trifecta of Dachshunds! From left to right – least hairiest to most hairiest – Harriet, Oscar, and Reese Cup!

Each one of these 4-legged shorties have personalities as different as their looks. Put together, they have the perfect compilation of traits to complete their household. :)

Harriet is the most shy of the three (except come rabbit hunting time). However, her mom brought a couple of her favorite treats which grabbed her attention long enough for me to get some great shots of her sweet Red Dabble face. I instantly was attracted to the markings on her ears. I think she is stunning…
Nothing like gorgeous light and a beautiful pup! Love!
Next up is Oscar. This long-haired boy is his mom’s heart dog. He can tend to be a little nervous around strangers but, again, the magic trick was some yummy treats. He actually warmed up to me and the camera very quickly. From judging some of his poses, I’d say he was practicing for this shoot for a while. :)
“Did you get my good side?”
He wanted to make sure I captured how luscious his locks were…
He really did pose the whole shoot!
Last but not least, we have Reese Cup! Reese is the newest addition to the family but is definitely the mother of the trio. Despite being the most laid back of the three, she won’t take her eyes off Harriet and Oscar! She has to make sure they are ok 100% of the time.

She has the perfect name – her fur matches a Reese Cup perfectly!
I love how fluffy Reese is. Walking around in the grass, she looked like one of those woolly  bear worms. It was cracking me up! She even kinda moved like one!
And the whole pack together… :)

Gus and Sanford

Let me just apologize in advance for such a loooooong post but I just couldn’t help myself!!! Once you scroll through the photos, you’ll understand why!

Gus, a Dachshund, and Sanford, an English Bulldog, joined me on a beautiful day in Davidson. I knew instantly that these two were going to be amazing in front of the camera! While they might not have been the best at sitting or staying and they kept their mom’s hands full, it didn’t matter in the end! These two burst with personality and their precious faces just scream “I’m the cutest thing EVER”!

I love the handsome bow-ties their mom made special for their photo shoot.
We took off to Fisher Farm so the pups would have fewer distractions and have a little room to spread their short legs. The grass was finally starting to turn green and gorgeous little purple flowers were popping up everywhere. The evening light made it a sight for sore eyes…
Sanford also enjoyed the fresh Spring air…
Gus loves to chase tennis balls so why would I want to stop him? ;)
Hehehehe…
Some exploring…
OMG! I seriously want to steal these two so I could photograph them all the time! Look at those faces!!!
If you don’t love these two, you officially need to be checked out by a doctor! What a pair!!!

Many props to Gus and Sanford’s mom who had her hands full during our shoot. Plus, she was a trooper sitting in the grass in her pretty dress, had to listen to my sickly cough, and put up with me calling Sanford the wrong name (I had a mental block).  I think it was totally worth it!!! I hope she agrees! :)

JK Blackwell - What a pair indeed!

Ali Peterson - Nice bow tie, Gus. Stylin’.

Itty Bitty & Fluffy - Gus & Sanford are gorgeous! What a wonderful pair! You have amazing locations and I love their bow ties’ too x

Bark For Life Charlotte Caught on Video

While taking pictures of the 2013 Bark For Life Charlotte event, I decided to turn my camera over to video and try my hand at a little event videography. Well, props to those people because that isn’t easy! I had a shoot list all written out ahead of time and I pretty much had to abandon that right away. Despite the video not coming together as I imagined, I’m still really happy with it and I got to capture some of the cuteness that went on that day. I hope you enjoy!

If you want to see pictures from the event, don’t miss the post about the event HERE.

All the technical goodness: Shot with a Canon 5D Mark 3 and 35mm f/1.4 lens (maybe a couple shots with the 50mm f/1.4). Edited with iMovie. Music rights purchased from Triple Scoop Music.

april - I absolutely love it! I smiled through the whole thing… :)

Fetching! | The Daily Dog Tag - [...] video is from McGraw Photography!  Its so cute and I hope it inspires you to attend a dog [...]

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