Hey Baby...

April Love

More Shelter Work

Your Place or Mine?

I am trying a little something different with my promotional work... in addition to the day fostering I do, I am trying to work with more kennel dogs on the property and get them some quick attention showcasing their personality. Please follow me on Facebook so we can get these guys all the attention they deserve! https://www.facebook.com/JAKPhotographyAZ

Happy St. Patty's Day

Nikita wishes everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Of course she also would like to remind you not to party TOO hard with the green beer - hangovers Tuesday morning are the worst!

March Madness

I have been buying and remodeling a new house, and so I haven't had time to shoot much- but I am back!

So far, all of the puppies besides Ramone have been adopted from the shelter- and it feels amazing to think that I got to work with these wonderful beings. There are some that I have gotten very attached to and it makes it hard to go back and see them still waiting for their homes... but getting the email saying they found it makes it all worth while! I am trying to think of ways to do more...

Today I got to hang out with Nugget, who was very fearful and insecure, making him freeze in place. He took great comfort in physical affection, although flinched at times when I caressed his face, making me sad about what this gentle creature has experienced in his life. 

Here are some of his photos! The shelter has requested I leave the leashes in the photos so there isn't concern of uncontrolled dogs or other fosters replicating "leash less" walks (I completely understand), but you can see some of the edits below for the photos for my personal collection. Of course the theme was green for St. Patrick's Day!

 

Last week I hung out with Clarissa, who is one of the longest residents at the shelter. These black dogs for some reason continuously get passed up. I think they get lost in the shadows and people walking by cannot see their personality. Clarissa definitely enjoyed her day out, and she was super smart! She already knew most tricks and I was shocked when she came to me when called - in the middle of a park that is quite the test!

PS the "leaving the leash in" deal is KILLING me - how awesome would this photo look without one? Of course, since it crosses her body, it is not such the easy task. Since this one was more time consuming of an edit (at least for me) and it wouldn't be used to promote her, I left it in. However regardless of the presence of a leash, this is one of my favorite photos I have taken so far. So colorful (the greenness of this grass is VERY rare for AZ), she looks so happy and free, and it is a (somewhat) action shot. All of my favorite factors!

Also, any other pet photographers out there will know that shooting black dogs is a little bit more of a challenge. I opted to try full sunlight in these photos and try and shoot the dog running towards the sun, so the light hit her face. I was really happy with how these turned out because last time I tried it, it didn't turn out so well. An added bonus is how shiny Clarissa's coat looks and you can see her muscle tone! 

Catch Up

Ok I am a bad blogger! I get so caught up in these adoptable dogs that I keep forgetting to post on the blog! It seems that posting on Facebook is a great way to market these pooches and get people to see them, so I get a little distracted.

I am having a great time with these dogs and so far everyone has been adopted except the three below, who are the most recent I have taken out. This has been such a rewarding experience! I have problems with my artistic direction, as it is difficult to handle the dog AND take photos, so they don't always turn out the way I want, but I still think I am capturing more of their personality than their intake photos. I also think the notes I provide to put in their file really helps potential adopters understand how the dog is outside of the shelter and what they can expect. I am still brainstorming how I can get some better action shots too, as the dogs need to stay on a leash and the leash needs to remain in the photos as per request. Hopefully you will see more of those soon!