VP Shoots Photography: Blog

Waterrock Knob Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 21:12:46 GMT

Waterrock Knob is a mountain peak in the state of North Carolina, U. S. This peak must be reached by travelling on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is located at mile marker 451.2.

Wikipedia states this is the highest peak in the Plott Balsams and is the 16^th-highest mountain in the eastern United States. The Plott Balsams are a mountain range in western North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

We entered the Blue Ridge Parkway off of US 74 to the east of Sylva, North Carolina, just a short distance past Balsam, North Carolina. This entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway will take you passed several different overlooks and many different trails for those looking to do some hiking.

This location is dog friendly - please make sure you have your fur kids on leashes (or voice command) as there are others that are taking their dogs out too. We saw quite a few dogs up there enjoying the view (or maybe it was just the smells).

Here is Ollie taking a few minutes break from riding on the curvy roads up here! (She was on a leash - removed in photoshop).

Yep - most people make their children pose, I make the dogs pose! Ollie (left), Rue (her sister), Abby (adopted sister?).

One of the pull offs from the Blue Ridge Parkway is Glassmine Falls. If you look across the mountains to the far side, you can see a small amount of water flowing down the mountain. There is a small trail at this overlook for those looking for additional views or just a short walk to get outside the car. Google lists the address as “Black Mountain, NC”.

Once you drive up to the parking lot for this view, there is a ranger station and restrooms. For those that are up to a hike, you can hike up a trail that is about 1.2 miles in length to view the actual ‘Waterrock knob’. There is a steep climb that goes up 412 feet in elevation – but on a beautiful day, this hike is probably worth the effort. The first ¼ mile of the trail is paved.

Since the clouds were moving in, the trail was a bit steep and the view limited, I decided that perhaps today wasn’t the best day to try this hike. The elevation at the parking lot is 5820’. There is a map that you can look at and it tells you about the various mountains that you are viewing.

The hiking trail takes you up a little further in elevation, 6292’.

If you happen to have a clear view, the casino in Cherokee, North Carolina can be seen – that’s quite a way from where you’re currently standing. The white 'spot' in the middle of this photograph is the casino.

For more photographs visit: https://www.vpshoots.com/waterrockknob

For more information and photographs visit:

https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/waterrock-knob-mp-451-2.htm

https://www.romanticasheville.com/waterrock_knob.htm

Letting go, memories after your dog (pet) crosses the Rainbow Bridge

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Every one knows eventually the day will come when you are saying good bye to your fur child. That has always been the hardest day for me followed by days, weeks, months, maybe even years of quiet times, sulking, remembering, crying. Times when you will be brought to tears for one reason or another because ...you feel that empty space..you feel that lost.

Like many, I have experienced this lost. I've had many cats over my life time - my Mom loved cats. But somehow I usually don't develop that same close bond with my cats that I have my dogs. If you have known me (and Jim) for a long time - you remember Dolly. Dolly came home with my step son so many years ago - wow, seems like an eternity now - Dolly was my soul mate - the perfect dog - everyone thought there was just something special about her - myself included. She was my inspiration for getting started in pet photography.

First, Grieve. Cry. Remember. Sulk. Everyone is different, but you have lost a member of your family.

Cope with the loss of your pet by sharing your pet - photos, stories, memories on social media. Let the world know about your beloved pet!

1) Share special moments

2) Share great memories

3) But first, you have to capture those special moments that will be great memories!

4) Make sure you print them (don't leave them in the digital world)

Here's a (much) younger version of me with my Dolly in her senior years. Dolly always hung out close with me all those times that I would stop to take photographs of just about anything. Yep, I'm sharing!

Share special memories Dolly was there for many of my early learning experiences of photographing a dog. One of Jim's favorite memories is when I was having a tough time trying to get Dolly to do what I wanted in a posing session. How did Dolly handle this? I think the photo tells you all that you need to know.

My favorite portrait of Dolly in her later years is when she was laying in our backyard enjoying the sunshine. The soft glow around her face gives me wonderful memories of this ole girl.

Losing your best friend - Find a support group

I have learned a lot during the last decade and that's other people understand.

Another way to cope with pet loss - Find a support group - or friends/people that have pets or lost pets.

They will understand your grief.

They will understand your loss.

They will understand what it's all about.

Remember the good times

This is the first photograph we ever had taken with Jimbo - it was taken in the parking lot of the place where Jimbo was staying until we came and picked him up - so trusting, having made that long journey from the Bahamas via private plane. Then traveling up to Tampa - saying good bye to Jim as he left with Jim's sister, then seeing us come back to get him just a couple of days later.

Jimbo had the biggest heart. We learned from him. He learned from us. A beautiful story.

Create a memorial, print photographs and put them on your wall

As a photographer, you would probably guess that I have photographs of my pets - current and past gracing walls within my home. It's a wonderful feeling to look at those photographs and remember a special moment. Whether you ask a professional photographer to take photographs or take them yourself - don't forget to PRINT some of those photographs. That will allow you to look at them anytime - and it's harder to lose than a broken phone or a failed hard drive (and you don't have a backup).

Animal Communication - after you lose your pet

While you may not agree, I firmly believe that when our dogs leave us in the physical sense, they do indeed stay with us. While they cross the rainbow bridge, there energy continues to surround us.

When I lost Dolly, I was so, so happy that Jimbo had joined our lives - now I had time and love that I could dedicate to him. But you know what? Jimbo was not Dolly - but very similar in many ways. A few months after losing Dolly I reached out to my first ever animal communicator. My goal was to try and learn why Jimbo had some issues and how best to work with him.

My first animal communication session

This was my first and only in person session (the other sessions have been via phone). As Laura communicated with Jimbo, she shared a lot of things we knew about Jimbo but I hadn't shared with Laura.

We learned a lot about Jimbo.

Laura looked at us and said, "One of you is thinking about getting a second dog. Jimbo wants to be the only dog." I was caught guilty but so relieved that Jimbo was happy being the only dog in our household.

Our session continued, Laura told me there was another dog present but not in a physical form. This other dog was extremely happy to see Laura and wanted Laura to ask "Did I do good?"

I didn't understand.

Laura continued to tell us that Dolly had a big role in bringing Jimbo into our lives. She reached out to find a dog that would fit into our lives. A dog that had many of the same attributes that she had.

I began to cry (and I have tears now too). Dolly - you helped bring Jimbo to us? She did. Her time was limited with us and she wanted to make sure that I would be ok so she found another dog that would be perfect. Dolly was so right - Jimbo was perfect.

Recent animal communication

I've worked with another animal communicator recently to help with some of the issues that Abby faces.

Anxiety, particularly separation anxiety.

When we finished our session, she reached out to find some of our previous pets. Jimbo was waiting.

Shay asked if Jimbo was a large tan dog, similar to a golden retriever. Yes, that's him.

Shay told us that Jimbo is still here with us (it's been over 2 years now since he left us - at least in the physical form).

Jimbo is showing Shay an image of a red bird with a black face - she asked if we have a lot of them around in our yard or nearby.

We do.

Jimbo sends a little energy to you with each of those red birds - he wants you to remember, remember the good times, remember him.

We do. We love you Jimbo. We will never forget you.

What about kitties?

Most times (apparently) cats are pretty independent and will head on off to whatever might be next in their lives after leaving us.

However, one sweet kitty was hanging out with Dolly. Our little black and white tuxedo kitty, Angel.

Angel had a special relationship with Dolly because Dolly found her at our local park. Alone, sick and just a baby. Without Dolly, little Angel might not have survived. I guess that makes for a pretty special relationship.

Interested in Pet Photography Session? Special memory sessions for pets leaving soon

If you would like to discuss or book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough/Pinellas/Pasco/Polk counties in Florida). We have flexible rates and packages to fit most everyone’s budget as we believe that having wonderful photographs of your pet is important to so many people.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Dallas dog photographer Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography writes about the origin of the term Rainbow Bridge and how it has helped people deal with the grief of losing a beloved pet.

Happiness is....spending time with your fur kids (aka, dogs)

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Happiness is?

I totally believe that our dogs (and probably most dogs) are happiest when they are with their human family. Sure they love the other fur members of the family - but it's different.

This first photo of Jimbo posing for a photo with me - one of the few of just the two of us up close (back when I first tried to do a selfie!). We were out on one of our walks to a favorite local park just a short distance from our house.

Happiness is - well for our dogs it's simple.

Did you say Ride? Walk? Park? Snack? Starbucks? Mike (their best human friend that is our friend)? The excitement can get a little overwhelming for them, but the joy is so pure, so simple and who can deny that it brings a smile to your face?

We have been blessed that ALL of our dogs have just loved to travel – travel short distances as well as long distances. As such, we take our dogs to many dog friendly places locally including parks and restaurants.

Not the best photo, but the expression on Abby's face is priceless.

By far, the best food places are a local place with an outdoor patio, Gaspars, located in Temple Terrace, Florida. Often we will do an outside breakfast at Shamrocks, also located in Temple Terrace, Florida. Of course, all of our dogs love drive-thru places, but for the most part (except for Starbucks and the Pup cups) drive-thru places are limited to when we are doing long distance travelling. And yes, I know that Starbucks pup cup isn’t good for them but you try to ignore 6 brown eyes (I can sometimes).

Our dogs all love those car rides, but sometimes they realize that they ended up at an undesirable location (aka the vet) which is always fine until they either have to be separated from Mom (aka me) or go into the little room. Rue and Ollie being smaller take refuge under the chairs…(so happy to be somewhere, but not so happy about this location!).

Happiness is going for our morning walks – although, every so often Abby thinks it’s going to be worthy of taking a favorite item with her (which eventually ends up being dropped and I am carrying another item). I think Abby was having an 'unsecure' morning and bringing her cow gave her comfort.

Sometimes happiness is having a little cuddle with one of your fellow dog siblings….

Happiness is traveling to a nice park where nature runs abound whether it's in Florida close to home....

or in western North Carolina - a long way from home.

and for Ollie, who just loves her "Poppa" sometimes it's just hanging with him while he takes photographs of something other than her.

Happiness is....

A car ride
A walk
Time with my humans
Time with my fur siblings
A snack (aka treat)

And I'm sure there are many other things that make our dogs lives so complete, but these things top the list.

It all boils down to "where is the next adventure going to be - close to home or miles away, as long as I have Mom and Pops, that's all that matters to me".

For now, Jimbo says I'll leave you with one of the only video's of me as I create a nice place to lay down and chill - hope you enjoyed this week's blog post featuring candid cell phone photographs of the Perdue-Vargas dog family.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Atlanta dog photographer CM Bryson takes you behind the scenes of creating an award winning image for Embark's Colorific challenge because happiness is Colorific!

What kind of dogs are they?

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 08:00:00 GMT

What Kind of dog do you have?

The most often question I have been asked when walking my dogs is "What kind of dogs are they?". I have to admit, for a good while my answer was "One with four legs". I was clueless what exactly my dogs were, other than "My dogs" - shared with 'Pop' also known as Jim. All of our dogs came from the rescue we photograph the most for, Maxx and Me Pet Rescue - all of them are mutts. They are mixed breed, who knows what they are - but they are our little fur kids.

Here's each one the day we met them as we were asked to photograph each of them for the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue.

Meet Abby

Abby was approximately 6 - 7 months of age. She came into the rescue from Starke County, Florida. Known for the jail - a town located in central Florida that we have passed through many times travelling Highway 301. She came to us because it was thought that she might have kennel cough, she didn't have a foster lined up and with the possibility of having kennel cough, she could not go to boarding. Our sweet Jimbo was kind enough to let her come to our house and stay - but he made it clear - you have to train her, I'm not (and yes, this was Jimbo, our dog, telling us this).

Meet Ollie (formerly known as Irma) and Rue

A litter of 4 puppies came into the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue. They were little - real little. They came from northern Florida, areas where often a good number of dogs are not given an opportunity to live. Maxx and Me Pet Rescue grabbed this little litter of puppies, having survived parvo and brought them to Tampa. They didn't have a foster - they were all placed in a boarding facility. In September (just after Hurricane Irma) we were asked to photograph these cuties. As there were 4, and Hurricane Irma recently came to our area - Irma has 4 letters - each letter was used to come up with names for these puppies. Ollie was first known as "Irma". Rue was named Rue (and stayed as Rue). The other two puppies took the letters M and A (I don't recall their names). I couldn't call a little puppy "Irma" so in time with various fosters - she was renamed to Ollie by someone else and oddly enough that is my father's middle name and the name my grandfather went by. Strange circles.....

Rue - the toughest puppy of all 4 to photograph!

Ollie - the easiest of the puppies to photograph

Growing up - Abby became a beautiful hound dog

Abby is definitely hound - look at those ears? But what are the various breeds that make Abby "Abby"? Well, everyone knows she has some form of hound(s) in her - her looks say that. She loves the water, she is very good at tracking us and even better at tracking Jim! She doesn't let her Pop get to far away and if he does, well it's nose to the ground.

So what is Abby's DNA telling us? No surprises for the most part for me!

29% Beagle

10% Treeing Walker Coonhound

10% Rottweiler

9% Bluetick Coonhound

8% Chow Chow

What was a little more surprising is that Abby has a sister that has tested (also lives in Florida, sharing 55% of her DNA) named Madison. She also has 2 other close relatives named Charlie and Utah!

Growing up - Rue and Ollie remain very close

These two girls are from the same litter - and they look very similar. People ask how we can tell which is which. Here's the rundown of the differences.

1) Ollie has an extra dew claw on her hind foot

2) Rue appears to have broken her tail as a very young tike because the end of it has some little bends that aren't normal

3) Ollie is redder than Rue

4) Rue has white socks

5) Ollie is shorter and stocky; Rue has longer, thinner legs

Oh - and Ollie usually has a red collar on and Rue has a yellow green collar. I as the "mom" can tell my twins apart just like any other parent can tell their twins apart - they each have slight differences.

Any guesses on what these girls are? Everyone says they are unique - but no one guesses what their DNA hides....

33% Australian Shepherd

19% Miniature American Shephard

14% Chihuahua

11% Bichon Frise

5% Poodle (Toy or Miniature)

While Rue and Ollie did have a few relatives listed they did not have any close relatives :(

Just in case you are curious, the girls have one surviving brother who has fur similar to the shephard breeds they have in their DNA and they also have a sister that has piercing blue eyes!

DNA Results for my dogs

Vacation photos from our hikes in North Carolina! The first group photograph is on a hike in the Nantahala Forest. The second group photograph was taken at Dry Falls near Highlands, North Carolina. (Yes, you take photographs of your kids on vacation - and we take photographs of our fur kids).

My dogs DNA was tested using the Wisdom Panel. This is one of several companies that perform this particular type of test. Another company, Embark, does DNA testing for dogs (and cats). In the near future, I would like to try Embark to compare the results and determine how similar (or dissimilar) they might be. Hopefully, the results will be similar, otherwise I might question exactly how the process is being performed and what the accuracy of the results is.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Massachusetts dog photographer Darlene Woodward of Pant the Town Photography shares the DNA ancestry results of her rescued mutt, Kota.

Tampa's Riverwalk is dog friendly!

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Tampa's Riverwalk was established in 1989 and has become an almost instant success! People love walking along this 2.6 mile walk on the east side of the Hillsborough River through downtown Tampa. It's not only for people, yep, you guessed it - the dogs love it too! There are two dog parks that at least 2 small dog parks along the Riverwalk (one slightly off the main path, one right along the main path). There are some dog friendly places to stop and eat like Ulele (1810 N Highland Ave, Tampa, FL 33602) which has outdoor sitting if your dog is with you. Armature Works (1910 N Ola Ave, Tampa, FL 33602) also has outdoor seating that allows you to bring your dog(s) along.

Recently we took our little dog family to walk along part of the Riverwalk as the sun started to rise. We parked at the Poe Parking Garage located at 800 N Ashley Dr, Tampa, FL 33602. Make sure you have your trusty smart phone with the Mobile Parking app as you'll need it to park in most places in downtown Tampa.

As we began our walk, I took a few photographs in the early morning light. This is a bridge house next to one of several bridges that cross the Hillsborough River.

As the sun rises, the clouds pick up the beautiful colors. The old railroad bridge stays in an upright position most of it's life. While I have never seen it down, I hear that it does come down on a semi-regular schedule for a very short train line to deliver supplies into the downtown area.

The Tampa River Center is located on the west side of the Hillsborough River at 1001 North Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33606. The University of Tampa keeps the boats for the rowing team in this building, but it can also be used for many different types of events. To visit their website, click here.

The Riverwalk goes under Interstate 275 which is one of the main interstates in our area. There are a few free parking spots located here under the interstate - 4 hour parking if you're lucky to get one of these.

Well, after about an hour, perhaps a little more of being 'pulled through' the Tampa's Riverwalk by my three fur kids - I had them pose for a few photographs before we headed back to the garage to pick up the car.

As we were in a fairly busy area with respect to possible things to chase - I was careful to just let Abby be our first model for this photograph of downtown Tampa from the park along the Riverwalk.

Rue and Ollie were pretty interested in the treats that Abby was getting for sitting so nicely while I tried to get a few photographs - so they joined in. These two girls, being siblings from the same litter, spend a lot of time posing close to each other naturally.

In this last photograph, I realized that the kiddos were all facing in the same direction, east, as the sun was starting to come over the downtown buildings to the east of the river walk.

Rescue dogs enjoying a day out on the Tampa Riverwalk

Sometimes we take a dog out of the shelter or boarding facility to enjoy a little time outside - often we head to the river walk in downtown Tampa allowing them to experience some sunshine, smells, people and whatever else comes along during the few hours of 'freedom'. Here's some dogs that we took out when they were looking for their forever home (they have since been adopted).

Dog downtown parkDog downtown park Dog Tampa RiverwalkDog Tampa Riverwalk

Lola is enjoying the dog park near Armature works while posing for her photography session.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Carol Mudra of Apawture Studios in Milan, Italy "notes" one of her favorite locations nestled within Parco Formentano that makes a great backdrop for dog portraits.

Photography session with a large dog named Buck

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Often when photographing rescue dogs, we don’t have much information about the dog(s) we are going to photograph. Sometimes we get a snapshot of the dog, or perhaps a few little personality traits - but we don't know what exactly to expect. The most common thing we run into is ‘shy dogs’. Or a dog that doesn’t do well with meeting new people (there are exceptions, but this is pretty normal). Our latest rescue dog photography session is an owner surrender – the owner is sick and looking for a new home for her dog so that he is safe.

Meet Buck. Buck is about 2 years old, fully grown, weighing in at about 80 pounds and once he knows you, well let's just say you're a friend for life!

Buck was shy at first, protective of the personal dog trainer who brought him to us. We let Buck have his space – talked with his personal dog trainer and enjoyed the park where we meet. Since we also have a dog that has some issues with new people, situations and other dogs - it's pretty easy for us to just chill and ignore the dog for a little bit while they figure out that we are 'good humans'.

We placed a small ball where we wanted Buck to sit, lay down, stand (really it didn't matter) - just hang out here somewhere big guy. He laid right down, the ball in front and stuck the pose - wow, from being shy to doing this?

Well, wasn’t long before Buck thought all the wonderful attention he was getting made up for anything else he might have been thinking. Buck looks like he has known us a long time now! Truthfully, it's been about 30 minutes, but he warmed up to us pretty quickly. Very happy, relaxed pose for the camera.

You want me to sit here? Sure – not a problem.

Play with the ball – sure – oh and thank you for bringing it, that was kind of you.

Ah, I caught it! Buck is saying I caught the ball - I am saying I caught Buck with the ball in his mouth (it didn't stay there very long so being quick is definitely a good part of the photography session game with animals).

And after some treats, some attention and a little play time – well, what better can a dog give but some wonderful kisses! Trust me when I say there were a lot of kisses - because my partner, Jim, was getting licked all over his face because he smelled like turkey.

Dog kissing a manDog kissing a man

Buck is available thru Maxx and Me Pet Rescue located here in Tampa, Florida.

Buck's personal dog trainer, Dara Crystal, is available in the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area if you need some help with your dog(s). The website for Crystal Clear Dog Training is located here https://crystalcleardogtraining.com/

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Seattle Pet Photographer Holly Cook highlights on of her most recent photo sessions with Mossy Wonder at the beach.

Dog friendly lakes, Western North Carolina

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 27 May 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Ah the joys of being able to go swimming in the water without fear of an alligator! Recently we spent a couple of weeks up in Western North Carolina enjoying the mountains hiking, biking, swimming - outside with nature.

As many of you know, we live a few blocks from the Hillsborough River in Temple Terrace, Florida (a small city on the east side of Tampa). But - the Hillsborough River has alligators. And those alligators find dogs tasty - so our dogs have been trained that they are NOT allowed in the water - no swimming allowed. That's mostly for their protection from these big alligators that many times aren't as afraid of people as we would like them to be (hint to those of you that think it might be fun to feed them - it's illegal).

But - when we head up to the mountains, there aren't any alligators. Sure there are snakes, those are everywhere - but the likelihood of a snake biting our dog in the water is probably even less than an alligator attack. So, once we scout the water, if it's clear - it's game on. Abby absolutely loves the water. Especially if she is hot (but that's probably true for all dogs).

These aren't portraits of dogs, these aren't fancy photographs this week - but they do show my girls Abby, Ollie and Rue enjoying being dogs! When we arrive at one of these lakes with the 'Georgia red clay' bottoms, this is what I see - a beautiful scene with cool water (it was late April).

And this is what Abby sees. A Place to jump in and cool off.

None of our dogs are much for swimming, so I usually have zero worry that they are going to go very far. They just love playing at the water's edge where there feet are still on solid ground. Well, most of the time there feet are on the ground - except when its time to jump on your sister.

Abby splashing along the shoreline of the lake at Tsali bike trails, Whittier, North Carolina (near Fontana, North Carolina).

Tsali Trailhead - Bike, Hiking, Horse Trails

So where exactly is Tsali bike trails? It's near Fontana, North Carolina and is located near several different lakes. In addition to biking trails, there are also plenty of trails to hike on (share them with the bikers or the horses) and also trails available for those with horses. They alternate by day whether a given trail is for bicycles or horses - so you shouldn't meet both of them if you're hiking on foot. Snipet from Google maps to help provide location information on these trails.

Jack rabbit Trailhead - Hiking and Bicycling

Jack Rabbit trails are located near Hayesville, North Carolina. Several of the trails are located along the lake shoreline. All trails are marked very well and blazed different colors. Hikers share the same trails as those bicycling. There is a 'restroom' on site in the parking lot (but nothing fancy). Nearby they have camping grounds for those considering spending more than a day.

This trail map is at the entrance to the trails which all start from a common location. The "You are here" is clearly marked to help orient yourself before setting off on a trail. For those that are hiking, there are many signs that help identify different types of vegetation providing for a learning experience if you're inclined.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Courtney of CM Bryson Photography loves spending Georgia summer mornings kayaking with her dogs. In this blog post she's sharing 3 Must Haves for Kayaking with Dogs.

A walk at dog-friendly Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 08:00:00 GMT

One of our favorite places to take our dog(s) for a walk is a local county park called "Lettuce Lake Park". This park is enjoyed by a lot of people on a weekly basis. Just a short distance from the metro areas of Tampa including University of South Florida, New Tampa, and a short drive off Interstate 75 this park is well located along the Hillsborough River.

If you want to take your dog(s) for a nice, mostly shaded walk - whether you prefer a paved path or a more natural path - Lettuce Lake Park has got you covered! The paved path is enjoyed by those walking, bicycling (slow speeds only) or skating - whether you have a furry friend or not - it's a beautiful park.

There are several shelters through out the park to have a picnic, family gathering or perhaps just a quiet break with your furry friend.

The visitor center has a 'dual' water fountain - one for us humans, but also one for the dogs along the pathway.

If you're looking to do a few things without a furry companion - perhaps you'd like to rent a canoe or a kayak and paddle on the Hillsborough river where few motor boats travel. Or the boardwalk is a great addition to walk along to see birds, turtles and alligators (no dogs are allowed, but it's for their safety).

Take a little wooded trail that goes between the boat ramp (canoes/kayaks) and the paved trail for a wonderful, totally natural trail. Just be advised, that if it has done a bit of raining recently, it is likely to have puddles and possibly muddy areas.

And sometimes Jimbo just liked to be 'free' but he always stayed close and only when we were 'alone' on the trail. This is the natural trail after a heavy rainfall. Here he is waiting for us to continue following.

More about Lettuce Lake Park:

6920 E Fletcher Ave, Tampa, FL 33637

The park is 'officially' just outside the city limits of Tampa and opened in 1982.

In addition to the other amenities mentioned, there is a central location has a large playground, restrooms, field to play games and sand volleyball courts. The boardwalk has lots of birds for those into bird watching! There is also a tower you can climb to get a higher viewpoint of the river and it's wildlife.

Official county link to this park: https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/lettuce-lake-conservation-park

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A walk in the park in the St. Cloud MN area with About A Dog Photography!

St. Patrick's day dress up for the dogs

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 09:00:00 GMT

Well, soon it will be the middle of March - yep - St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. As a child, I always said "I wasn't Irish, so I didn't need to wear green - at least, that's what I said when I forgot to wear green". Years later, I did a DNA test and well, found out I was 11% Irish! So I guess I should wear green to honor the Irish holiday.

I began a quick search to find a St. Patrick's day outfit that might fit my fur girls. The first thing I found was that most of the different things that I could get in a short time period is made for smaller dogs not large dogs like Abby. We ended up with 2 different types of outfits for the fur girls.

The most challenging outfit is the little hat/beard which required a dog that would allow this to be placed on their head. Who would wear the little hat and beard? I didn't think it would fit Abby...and Rue, well - she is "Rue (not a model)"...leaving me with Ollie. Here's Ollie posing with her St. Patrick's day costume. I can hear her now - how many treats do I get for wearing this crazy hat and beard?

Often in order to get photographs of the smaller dogs (Ollie is about 32 pounds), I will place them up on something so they are not on the ground. By placing them off the ground, it takes a little bit more for them to 'run away'. If we are in an open space such as a park or the dog does not do well with the 'stay command' then a leash is used to help keep your dog in the area preferred for photographing.

Tricks for working with Abby and Ollie :

1) Very food motivated - ensure she knows I have 'snacks aka treats'

2) Both are good with the 'stay' command when food is involved

3) Ensure she is in a 'sit/stay' position

4) If no helper to ensure she stays, I will use a wider angle lens so I can stay close and keep her attention

A fair amount of trade on the dog treats and Ollie was kind enough to look at the camera for another pose. The little hat/beard was found at Pet Supermarket here in Tampa, FL.

This one has an interesting look because of the way the beard line is on her face (it's not photoshopped - it's really on her). Abby is often my 'go to' on photographs - she will do just about anything I ask if there is food involved.

Finding a St. Patrick's day costume or accessory for a larger dog is not as easy as for a smaller dog. Abby weighs in at about 65 pounds. These little 'vest/bowties' actually have a simple collar to put them on your dog which works perfectly. A different collar could be used as long as it fits in the slits that are provided on the costume which is about 1/2 inch in width.

As I wanted a little more control over what was in the background of this photograph of Abby, I decided to try looking down on her and filling the frame with her - calling out the 'keyword' for all of my dogs "S N A C K". If that doesn't get them looking at you, then it probably isn't going to happen.

Last, but not least, is Rue. Rue doesn't do the 'stay' or 'pose' very well - so she is the hardest of my dogs to photograph. Tricks I used with Rue since she is not a good "stay/pose" dog include:

1) I put her off the ground - in this case she was sitting on a bench

2) I stay very close - using a wider angle lens allows me to be within 2 feet of her

3) I ensure she knows that I have 'snack' if she is good

4) I will keep her in place by gently putting her back into place several times before I attempt to take photographs

5) Work QUICK!

Hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's day!

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Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Syracuse photographer shares the story of a lucky dog and his journey to a new home.

Photographing for local pet rescue

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 09:00:00 GMT

This week is about giving back to the local pet rescues in our area. You would probably be surprised how many rescues there are! There are many that are breed specific and others that are for a wider range of dogs or cats. Definitely most rescues are either for cats or for dogs (I don't see many that cross this barrier). For us here at VP Shoots Photography, we work with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (www.maxxandme.org) located in the Westchase area of Tampa, Florida. This rescue is entirely foster based. We started doing photographs of rescue dogs back in 2015 for this rescue and last year we photographed over 80 dogs for them.

Maxx and Me Pet Rescue is run by individuals that have full time jobs in many cases and do rescue work because of their love of animals. Many of the dogs that come into Maxx and Me are mixed breeds and often are senior dogs or dogs that have come from a situation that is less than desirable for the dog. My heart aches when I see how some of these dogs have been treated, but our specialty is to spend time with them and capture some images that will help them find a new home - one where they can be loved.

Thus far this year we have photographed a few golden retriever girls who were formerly with a breeder. These girls have never actually been in a loving family. It's interesting to see how different their personalities are. The first one came out and was pretty happy just having 3 people (all photographers) giving her all of their attention and treats that she wanted.

The second golden retriever was quite the opposite - very uncertain of the whole situation and trying to stay away from us as much as possible. So, what do we do? Well for starters, we spend a bit of time just trying to get her comfortable. Then there is time we may just ignore her and talk for a while as she gets the idea we aren't there to hurt her in any way. Eventually, we realize that she has been through a lot and it's time to 'improvise' and get some photographs of her.

And by the end of our 45 minutes with her (yes, some take longer than others!) - she is happy to give us a few poses as long as we don't tell her what she must do.

Sometimes we have dogs come into the rescue that are 'owner surrendered' - meaning for whatever reason the owner no longer wants the dog. This is always sad because many times the dog is coming from a good situation that ended in divorce, death or some other reason the dog has found itself without a human. Recently we photographed a few dogs that were in this situation and they were a joy to photograph because they had been loved, but perhaps were more adjusted than some that were abused (translate to 'easy to get photographs'!).

Teddy is a chocolate lab - and he was very good with posing! I love the next photograph because I gave him a toy knowing full well this was the end of this little ball's life but the expression on Teddy's face says "Oops, I wasn't supposed to do that?"

Our next little guy was taught how to do a lot of tricks, so at some point he was given a lot of time and just loves being with humans.

This big boy grew up to be a wonderful dog - but he is a big guy coming in around 80 pounds! Loves to play ball or frisbee and needs to have humans that want an active dog.

So there you have a sampling of the dogs at Maxx and Me Pet Rescue. There are other rescues that we also do volunteer work with including Polka Dogz located in central Florida (Clermont, FL). They work with a lot smaller dogs and often these dogs have health issues that are addressed once they come into the rescue. If you are interested in a smaller dog, you might consider this rescue - polkadogz Dog Rescue.

We work with any rescue that is in need of our services. If you are a local rescue that needs help with photographing dogs or cats (we haven't done other animals, but that doesn't mean you can't be the first!) feel free to reach out and providing our schedules allow us to assist we will!

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Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Darlene Woodward of Pant the Town Photography raises funds to help the animals of the MSPCA Nevins Farm in Methuen, MA.

Number one reason to have photographs taken with your pet

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:00:00 GMT

Hi everyone! I want to share the single most important reason you should have photographs taken with your pet - it's very important. I'd love to say that you should have this done by a professional photographer - someone like us here at VP Shoots Photography (or another professional in your area) but the fact remains - you need to do this! Your pet's life could someday be totally dependent on it. You may be totally dependent on it. Are you curious? What is that single most important reason that you should have a photograph taken with your pet? (the answer is below the photographs with our dogs)

Here's some family portraits with our dogs - these were taken to remember each of these wonderful creatures we share out lives with.

Ollie (left) in front of Jim and Rue (right) sitting on my lap. We officially adopted these girls from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (maxxandme.org) and the rescue likes to have a 'family portrait' when you adopt dogs from the rescue. We enlisted Jim's son to help us take this photograph so that we could both be in it with our new family members.

A young Abby - this family portrait was taken in our back yard with the help of the basic photography equipment - a tripod and self timer! Lucky that we were able to get this photograph of Abby looking directly at the camera - she looks so young here - not a gray hair to be found on her face.

Jimbo decided to join in on the photography session once we had the 'required' family portrait of our new family member from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue. Jimbo was such a great sport allowing this loud, barking young girl into our family.

Family portrait with Jimbo taken in the fall of 2015 at Pine Mountain, Georgia where we were on our first vacation after officially retiring from Verizon. Jim actually 'took' this photograph by setting the camera on a tripod and using the self timer. Jimbo and I just sat there waiting for the perfect photograph to be taken. This photograph went on to become our Christmas card for the year 2015 (another great reason to have portraits with your pets).

Jimbo and I stop for a moment for Jim to capture our photograph while hiking in the mountains one year.

#1 Reason to have a photograph with your pets

So are you curious?

What is the number one reason you MUST get photographs with your pets?

Especially your dogs since they go outside?

Here's the answer:

If your dog gets lost or worse, gets stolen - if you have a photograph of your dog and you're not in that photograph - how can you prove that it's your dog? Yes - it's great to have photographs of your pets, but if you truly want to ensure that people know it's your pet - be in that photograph with your pet. Take that extra step to be in that photograph with your pet. Make sure there is a connection between you and your pet - something that isn't easily changed in post processing (which is so easily done in today's world).

So there you have it - that's the number one reason you should always have photographs taken with your pet. Even better is to have professional photographs taken with your pet because those photographs will be sharp, crisp and allow for seeing a lot of details on your pet should they be a breed that might not have a lot of unique characteristics.

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Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography in Northeastern PA, talks about a New Years resolution that should be on every pet owners' agenda.

Dog Photography, People Photography, Wedding Photography - a look back at the year 2021

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Wow - the year has flown by and a lot of photography has happened for us here at VP Shoots Photography! While many of you may know that I am the main photographer behind our photography - I have 2 partners that work with me - one is my lifelong partner, Jim Vargas. The other partner started helping with rescue dog photography back when my little twin girls were just mere pups - Greg Turner. A shout out thank you to both of them!

This year we have photographed over 80 rescue dogs, some dogs we photographed more than once making the number of photography sessions go over 100 this year. We love each and every dog we meet whether they are looking for their forever home or they already have their forever home.

As 2022 begins in a few days, one goal I have for 2022 is helping people with 'end of life' photography sessions. This is a tough thing to do, but the rewards are so big and having lost our Jimbo in 2020, it's very fresh in my mind.

It's been almost a year now when a litter of puppies was born into the Maxx and Me Pet rescue and one little puppy wasn't as fortunate as the others. Her name was Honey and she was being fostered by a very special person who was also a vet tech. I stayed positive during the whole photography session, but in my heart I could only pray that I would be able to capture this small puppy's personality. Honey did great and within a few weeks was no longer with us. I often wonder if she was just waiting for us to capture some great memories that touched every one that met her.

Meet Honey

More Photography

A good portion of our photography is 'for the dogs'. We have photographed a lot of dogs! We also photograph people (family portraits, senior photographs) and photographed a wedding for friends. In addition to doing pet photography, I do stock photography for an agency and sold one of my 'biggest' name authors cover this year - Lisa Jackson's book "The Third Grave" features my photograph (and the book was really good too!).

A look back at 2021 has given me time to reflect where I might want my photography to go in the next year. Definitely I will continue to help the rescue dogs with my photography. It's a very rewarding project. As I mentioned earlier, I would like to help with "end of life" sessions and have recently joined The Tilly Project and I am currently looking into additional avenues related to this particular type of photography. Having said this, I am happy to continue to photograph my furry kids (Abby, Ollie and Rue) and other pets of all ages.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Toronto based pet photographer, Terri J Photography, shares her first ever client photo awards for 2021.

Holiday Pet Portraits with dogs

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:00:00 GMT

This week our pet photography blog circle is celebrating the holiday season with 'green and red'. It's a busy time of the year and we took our dogs to the local park and photographed them among the green ferns. As we are in central Florida, winter has not changed our scenery much and we still have lots of green trees, grass and plants with our temperatures being pretty warm this week (we are getting highs into the low 80s).

As many of you know, we have three rescue dogs adopted from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue. Abby is our oldest at almost 6 years now and is my best model. Abby will do whatever you want for food - so take along a few treats and you're just about guaranteed to get some great photographs. The idea of putting a scarf around their necks was new to them and they all seemed very happy to sport this new item (whew, they were not trying to eat it or yank it off!).

This photography setup has worked for several years now and always provides beautiful photographs. Late afternoon on a mostly overcast day, we went into the woods near our home and set up in a quiet area. My photography equipment is fairly simple - a Nikon D750 camera with a trigger for the off camera light. For lighting, I use a soft box and the AD200 flash unit on a light stand.

Abby stood watching those treats while we set up the lighting and got everything in place. Next, my partner, Jim is working to get our twins into the photograph with Abby. Ollie (green and red stripe scarf) is a good model and sits fairly well - however her sister, Rue doesn't have a clue what 'stay' means - making this a tricky job to get all three lined up.

Ah, well everyone is lined up, but Abby has a pretty serious look there. Let's try again for a little more relaxed smile.

Ah, now we got a great photo of our three fur kids (Rue, Ollie and Abby). Thank you to my partner, Jim Vargas, for helping to corral those dogs into a wonderful photograph.

Abby has a hound dog nose and she knows there are still some treats in that little bag, and she hangs out waiting for another treat - so I captured another beautiful portrait of her.

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Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Jemma Martin of JM Photography looks at all things festive and shares some festive dog photography.

Fall Pet Photographs with two special dogs looking for their forever home

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

In recent weeks we have photographed a couple of dogs that have been looking for that special home that will become theirs. Each of these dogs was photographed using a fall theme (even though in this part of Florida, we don't see fall - we just feel a drop in temperatures and humidity). Maxx and Me Pet Rescue is known for taking in dogs that often have a tough past yet the dogs have a great outlook on life and deserve a chance to have a wonderful life. This week I am featuring two very different dogs that are with Maxx and Me (www.maxxandme.org).

Salem

Salem is a husky mix and is a sweet, yet high energy dog. She is easy going, but needs an active family - perhaps one that likes to go hiking so she can go along and get some exercise with them. Salem came into the rescue and had a litter of puppies. All the puppies are growing up in their forever homes, and now it's Salem's turn. We took her over to a local park close to her foster home and she did wonderful. Modelling just like a pro.

Salem has beautiful light blue eyes, a short fur coat and is a medium size gal. If you are looking for a dog to go hiking (or maybe jogging) with you, consider checking this gal out!

Smokey

Our second dog, Smokey, came into the rescue as an owner surrender after being hit by a car. Poor Smokey has lost both of his eyes due to his early life not being exactly what one would like - but this guy was great at the park with lots of activity going on around him. It appears that the other senses have taken over a good bit and Smokey relies on his keen sense of smell and hearing. He was a very good model considering that he was probably a bit confused over what this new job (modeling) was all about....but, once he found those little dog treats - it was like magic in getting him to pose. Smokey is a full blooded German Shepard looking for his forever home.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Canberra Pet Photographer Ina J Photography shares how you can display your images after your pet photography session

Silhouettes in dog photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week's blog post is about creating silhouettes of your dog (or any dog). It's all about the shape, form of the object you're photographing. Late afternoon, just before sunset provides a brighter background allowing for creating a silhouette. In order to create these, meter the sky behind your subject and then lock those values in (I used manual mode on my camera). Then frame up your subject against the brighter sky letting the dog go to black.

Check these silhouettes out.

The first one actually shows a little 'rim' lighting around the dog's face showing little bits of fur in a few places while the overall face is dark and without much detail.

The second photo (below) shows more of the dog's body along with some shape to the overall head and face. In this photograph, the dog was on a bench and I was down below her using a wide angle lens.

This young dog is striking the pose as a little dog treat is held above her head.

The last photograph shows a silhouette of owner and dog - in this photo, the dog is being asked to hold a stay pose on the bench (hence the raised finger to tell her to stay).

That's it for this week's blog post - if you have some time, go out and try doing some silhouettes of different objects - whether it's your pet or some other object that can be easily identified with form alone.

Interested in Pet Photography Session?

If you would like to discuss or book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to v[email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough/Pinellas/Pasco/Polk counties in Florida). We have flexible rates and packages to fit most everyone’s budget as we believe that having wonderful photographs of your pet is important to so many people.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Nicole Hrustyk of Pawtraits by Nicole shares a few silhouettes

Memories of your pet - whether it be when they are young or a senior

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Memory in its technical terminology refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and then later retrieve information (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-memory-2795006#:~:text=Memory%20refers%20to%20the%20processes,encoding%2C%20storage%2C%20and%20retrieval.).

This week’s blog post is about memories – first creating those memories by taking photographs of our loved pets – whether it’s a dog, cat, hamster, mouse, bird – doesn’t matter

It’s sad that our pets have a shorter life span then us humans, but the joy our pets give us during their lifetime make it worth it. “Memory” can be referred to as the ‘sum total of what we remember’ and the more photographs you have the more memories you have created allowing you to look back and remember those great times. We want to remember them in photographs so that we can look at them and remember them.

MAGGIE

Memory sessions with your pet are very important – I’ve done a few for people I know in the past and it has brought them joy to have those special photographs to provide memories of their pet. Maggie, an older dog, used to go to the dog park with several others and when her health started failing, I took this photograph of her and gave it to her owner – such a wonderful moment to share – a wonderful memory and tribute to Maggie.

Along the way a few others have asked for short memory sessions. I always take the time to provide these – they are important to you and me.

DOLLY

I’m blessed that I have so many wonderful memories in photographs with my dogs. My photography has grown leaps and bounds from these initial photographs many years ago - I am honored that Dolly played a big part in allowing me to begin my journey in dog (pet) photography.

JIMBO

By the time Jimbo was entering our lives, I had completed several online photography courses that helped me improve greatly into the photographer that I am today along with several years of rescue dog photography provided mostly by Maxx and Me dogs.

Floating down the Hillsborough river - Jimbo grew to enjoy boating on the river after a few initial trips. Late afternoon sun, showing Jimbo and what he is seeing became a style I adopted for boat trips with our dogs.

Taken by my partner, Jim Vargas, on one of our vacations in the Carolinas. Jimbo was a wonderful boy - he was easy to please and always stayed close by giving him the freedom to pose without a leash (no photoshop removal here!).

Jimbo's trip to come live with us was special and Jim Vargas, my partner, created this video of his first year with us (it's a little long, but tells Jimbo's story) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPtZUPGU30Q . We also did a blog post when Jimbo's fifth anniversary with us came several years ago. https://www.vpshoots.com/blog/2017/10/celebrating-5-years-with-jimbo-our-potcake-dog-from-the-voiceless-dogs-of-nassau

We continue to make new memories with our current dogs, Abby, Rue and Ollie.

Rue (left) and Ollie (right) as puppies shortly after they came to our house as foster puppies. Little did I know that a year later they would still be in our foster care and we eventually adopted these twins (siblings).

Abby sleeping on the loveseat in our office that our dogs seem to think it belongs to them. Course, now it does - we got Abby as a young adult about 7 months old, but these photograph shows her beautiful face before any gray hairs started coming to her face.

Have you thought of having a memory session with your dog? What are those little things about your dog you want to remember? Make sure you capture those before you don’t have an opportunity to. Memory don’t have to be ‘sad occasions’ – perhaps you want some great photographs of your dog while they are still a puppy – these are also wonderful memories to capture – and we can make this happen for you at VP Shoots Photography.

So – what are YOUR special memories?

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Canberra Pet Photographer Ina Jalil of Ina J Photography shares why she started her business in pet photography in loving memory of the loss of her dog.

A walk in Eureka Springs Park, Tampa, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Eureka Springs Park is located in a little known area of greater Tampa, Florida. I am sure it is well known by photographers as it is a beautiful location to photograph - whether you love flowers, nature or maybe you prefer to photograph people - or maybe even your pet dog? Yes, this is a beautiful place to take your dog(s) for a walk! This week our little pack of dogs (Abby, Ollie and Rue) decided to visit on an early morning just after they opened - we had the place to ourselves on this beautiful cool weekday.

This was land donated several years ago by the owners in the condition that it remained a beautiful garden for all to enjoy. For $2 you can visit this park, take a walk through the gardens or perhaps you prefer the more natural woodlands along the boardwalk. They have bathrooms, water fountains, picnic tables, shade and the perfect place to enjoy some quiet time.

Our dogs will take you on a walk through Eureka Springs Park located at 6400 Eureka Springs Rd, Tampa, FL 33610. Rue and Ollie are leading the way on the boardwalk which is a nice walk through the wooded areas with lots of tall cypress trees growing as well as other plants.

I suspect from their height of just over a foot, they don't see a lot except the sides of the boardwalk - but they definitely lead the way along this part of our walk. Sometimes Abby will join them in front but most of the time she is 'bringing up the rear on our walks'.

Now that we have completed the boardwalk, let's go through some of the other areas. Abby posing by the 'entrance' of the park as we enter the gardens.

Eureka Springs Park walkway

Covered walkway over the area where all the water lilies are growing. They are blooming now (September) and blooming several months of the year.

This little sitting area is near the entrance of the park - the flowers in this area vary based on the time of year. Right now, they are purple and really beautiful.

Couldn't resist - let's get Ollie on the bench for a photograph. It seems that my dogs are 'over it' on the posing - none of them really like looking at the camera when I ask them to pose for a photograph. So a nice - looking off is what I often get of my gals.

Eureka Springs Park

In one area a beautiful sweeping oak tree comes low over the walkway.

I think one of the most used area is the arbor in the rose garden - I see a lot of people being photographed here. The rose garden photo is from April of this year. Different things are blooming at different times of year, so keep this in mind as you wander through this park.

The green house area has an arbor structure as well as plants that are sensitive to cold.

Eureka Springs Park

In the picnic area is a tree stump about 3 feet high - perhaps for putting small dogs up on for a photograph with some greenery in the background.

Rue is my worse 'model' at staying put - her idea of staying is touching you....so she is always harder to photograph and in this photo is ready to jump down off the tree stump as soon as possible!

This concludes our walk through Eureka Springs Park....I wonder if our dogs will ever figure out that the faster you walk, the sooner the walk ends?

The Hillsborough County Website for Eureka Springs Park is located here.

To see more photographs taken at Eureka Springs Park, click here.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography serving Grapevine and the greater Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex, shares images from a recent senior pet session at Grapevine Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park.

What to expect at your Pet Photography session

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

What should you expect if you are doing a pet photography session with VP Shoots Photography? Well, for sure, it should be fun! That's probably one of the most frequent comments we get from people when we do a pet photography session. If it's not fun for all involved, then the photographs probably will not show your pet's best side. Other comments I have heard include "I had no idea what all was involved!" or "I truly gained an appreciation of what you do and the patience you have. Amazing!"

In order to make writing this blog post easier, I will refer to your fur baby (babies) as dogs - but they might be some other type of animal. Most of the time it is a dog, but not always! I always ask for an hour of time to work with you and your fur baby.

Step 1 - Introductions

The first step is a little meet and greet. Often times it is the first time that we have met face to face especially if we are photographing a rescue dog for one of the local rescues. We typically get out a little bit of our camera gear and come meet you and your dog. If your dog is shy or timid, then at first we will focus our attention on you - the humans - and let your dog get more comfortable with us and all that stuff we have!

Step 2 - Dog meets camera

Once we have completed the meet and greet, it's time for us to get an idea of how your dog reacts to a camera. First, I will take a few photographs of the area to see how it looks on camera. Gives the dog a few minutes to see what is going on, but still not be a part of the action.

Early in my pet photographing years with rescue dogs I had a beagle that was afraid of the camera. I sat down, put my camera down - and with permission from the foster parent, I put a dog treat on my camera and waited for the beagle to come check it out. This went on for a good 5 minutes. At this point, the beagle trusted me enough to allow for photographs to be taken. For this senior girl, I used open shade - I already knew that this dog wasn't going to handle any fancy lighting.

In some cases, I will use natural light and in others I will bring in artificial lighting - this depends on a number of things including your dog, what your dog can handle and what the lighting looks like. Overall, these are determining factors that will help to make great portraits of your dog.

Step 3 - Dog becomes model

An important step as we begin is to confirm what motivates your dog - food, toys, noises? If it's food, confirming there are no allergies or using your treats. The next step after the dog has gotten some time to settle in and we have got our location (or at least the first location) chosen - it's time to get your dog into the location for photographs. In the case of dogs, they are much like young children. Short attention span, work fast and then change things up a bit. Giving the dog a break every 10 minutes or so to do what dogs do (sometimes potty, sometimes love, others just take a break and move around).

Then we will continue to work with your dog over the course of about 30 minutes to capture various different photographs and show them off.

Trooper was a rescue dog with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue back in 2019 - he was adopted a few weeks after we completed his photographs. This young dog had been hit by a car and was taken in by Maxx and Me Pet Rescue, given the care he needed and healed. He was named Trooper by the rescue because that name fit him so well - he was a 'Trooper' and did wonderful with his photo session with us. Trooper's foster mom had this wonderful bench on the back patio area - we setup the bench in hopes that Trooper would be willing to sit on it for us.

As it was, Trooper had zero issues sitting up on the bench and hanging out while we took photographs of him!

As the sun got lower in the sky, we decided to change things up and let Trooper stand up for a few photographs.

After this beautiful photograph, we called it a wrap and just played with Trooper for a little bit while talking with his foster mom. What a great personality this boy had considering all that he had been through in his young life!

A couple of key points to keep in mind

1) Your dog will be a dog - don't worry if they aren't the best behaved, tend to wander off, have to go potty, whatever might be the case

2) Human parents need to relax and enjoy this whole process - your fur child will know if you're anything but that

3) We have patience - and we don't book sessions close together so time is not typically an issue, if your dog needs more time - we have the time to give them

Don't forget to check out the previous week's blog post about getting prepared to for your dog photography session. Here's the link. We also put together this little cheat sheet on our website that might help if you're considering getting professional pet photographs. Click here.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography explains the nuances of a pet photography session in the beautiful Endless Mountains of PA.

Thinking about professional pet photographs?

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week's blog post discusses the early stages when you may be thinking "I'd like to get some great photographs of my pet(s)". Often times you may think that you'd love to have some great photographs of your dog (cat, rabbit, etc) but you haven't yet taken the first step. So what's that first step all about?

If you're thinking about having some photographs taken, the first step is to reach out to a potential pet photographer in your area. At VP Shoots Photography we serve the Tampa Bay area. This area is pretty broad including Hillsborough County as well as some areas in Pinellas County, Pasco County and Polk County. We have photographed a lot of different dog personalities with several years of rescue work.

Initial Inquiry

The initial inquiry is to find out what you want photographed and involves discussion about your pet(s). I know this list looks like a lot of questions, but many of these are very simple! If we were to meet while walking our dogs, I'd probably know a lot of the answers immediately. This is all about 'getting to know you' and your pet.

1. What type of pet(s) do you have?

2. How many pet(s) do you want to have photographed?

3. Pet name

4. Pet size (approximate weight - just trying to determine if we have a small dog like a chihuahua, medium dog such as a border collie, large dog such as Collie)

5. Pet breed (if you know - just trying to determine a little bit about your dog particularly if they are pure breed)

6. Pet fur colors

7. Pet age (or approximate - specifically asking to determine if your pet is a youngster, adult, senior)

8. Any special considerations such as blind, deaf, 3 legs, immobile, etc

9. Do you or any other family members want to be in the photograph with your pet?

If your pet is a cat, rabbit, or most likely anything except a dog - the photographs will be taken at your home. My experience is they prefer this location since we do not have a studio location. We do have mobile studio equipment we can setup at your home.

Dogs

1. Do you want to have photographs taken outside or inside? If outside, do you have a particular location in mind? (backyard, park, beach, etc)

2. If you have multiple dogs, do you want photographs of your dogs together? separate? both?

3. Do you have any specific type of photograph or look that you want captured?

4. What commands (if any) does your pet know? (Sit, down, stay, etc)

5. What motivates your pet? (noise, treats, attention)

The primary goal of this initial inquiry is for us to get to know each other. It's important that we discuss what you are looking for as well as what we, as pet photographers, can provide. If after initial discussion, it's sounds like you would like to pursue setting up a session, we will discuss details related to your specific session and cost associated with your session. Our primary goal is to provide you with wonderful memories from a fun, enjoyable experience as we capture special moments with your pet.

Inquiry and Consultation Example

Potential clients like to reach out to us using various methods. A text message is often the beginning of our discussion. I'm happy to text and get some ideas of what you're looking for, but ultimately I want to talk with you to ensure that we have a common understanding of what you're looking for and what we can provide. A few years ago, I was approached by one of the many dog fosters we meet each year who wanted a special photography session. She asked about having a photograph of her grandson with the Christmas decorations they put in their yard every year. More importantly, she wanted to include her daughter's aging dog with her grandson - as she was concerned that this might be the last Christmas they would have together. I asked about her grandson (how old was he, did he like to have his photo taken, general questions). Then I asked about their dog - many of the same questions listed above. It turned out the dog is a Corgi and had been with their grandson all of his life as well as a part of the family for a number of years. Our conversation was light, nothing difficult - just like having a conversation with a friend. That's what makes this process so much easier for you and us.

Grandson and family dog posing among all the decorations.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Darlene Woodward of MA, owner of Pant the Town Photography, shares how simple it is to get you started with your dog photo session experience.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Photographing big mutts (those large mixed breed dogs we all love)

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

I love all dogs, but I often find that the majority of the dogs I photograph are mixed breed (aka mutts). All of my dogs have been mutts and the dominant breed we photograph in the rescue dog world is "mutt". Why are we all so in love with our mutts? Is it because they are unique? No other dog looks like them right? Or is it because of the variety? Or maybe it's because we ourselves could be considered "mutts"? My DNA from Ancestry says I a mix of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh along with some heritage.

Often the large dogs have a harder time finding a home. Larger dogs eat more, cost more for vet care in some cases and sadly don't live as long. If you allow the dogs on your furniture, they might need their own couch! But, then perhaps they are more likely to be gentle giants. I remember when we first got Jimbo - I thought, wow he is a big dog! Jimbo is the largest dog I ever had topping out at about 70 pounds. At first, I will admit that his size alone was a little scary to me. But once we got to know each other, we became fast buddies and spent a lot of time together!

The largest mutt I have photographed is Flash. He was a large mix breed mutt who lived with one of our friends once he was rescued. Flash was among those I considered to be a 'gentle giant'. I suspect that Flash had some mastiff mixed in with some other dog breeds creating a wonderful combination of mutt.

Course, when you see just his face portrait, it's hard to see how big a boy Flash is - so his little buddy Jackson decided he would pose with him to help get some perspective. Jackson is probably around 20 pounds just in case you're curious.

The most important point for photographing large dogs is to ensure they look comfortable in the space - whether it's outside or inside.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography just photographed what might be the biggest dog in Coppell, meet Navy the Great Dane

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

How I pick a location to photograph dogs

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week we explore some of the key points I use to pick a location for photographing dogs. As many of you know, a good portion of our photography of dogs is currently related to photographing rescue dogs. We love to photograph dogs that already have their forever home too! This week we will discuss several of the things I look for when picking a location to photograph dogs.

First, unless I am practicing photographing dogs in action, I do not photograph at a dog park unless I can be guaranteed that we will be the only dog(s) in the dog park. This is not an ideal situation as there are to many other dogs as well as distractions that will have the dog looking everywhere but where you want them to look.

I've shared photographs of Riverhills Park and Scout Park (aka Boy Scout Park) in other blog posts and this is the featured location for this week. A few things to be aware of (especially for dogs) are this park has wildlife - there are a lot of birds (including ducks), squirrels as well as the water critters which usually are not an issue as they stay in the water.

So, how do I pick a location?

Key Point #1 - The location must be dog friendly!

Any location where a dog is going to be photographed must allow dogs - that simple.

When you're models are ready but you haven't figured out if this is where you want to shoot or go someplace else - they tend to get a little bit bored and start well - looking around or hanging their heads low as if to say "Not again"! (Thank you Abby and Jimbo for letting me take this candid photograph of you both!).

Key Point #2 - Accessibility

What are the hours the location is available? Is the location available from sunrise to sunset? Or are the hours more limited to less desirable hours (say 10am - 4pm as this is a fairly common time frame I see at areas locally to us here in the Tampa, Florida area). This photo was taken in summer, early morning. Keep in mind things change depending on the time of year as well as the time of day.

Key Point #3 - Shaded areas

I look for areas where I can get away from the bright sun. Contrary to what many people think, the bright sunlight can create harsh shadows that don't always make the best photographs. Yes, there are photographers that shoot in the middle of bright sun - and I've done that too - especially with black dogs. But is this my favorite place? No. It's hot in central Florida and the dogs typically are looking for shade within 15 minutes and we are too. This is typically all year except winter (defined by when the trees lose their leaves, not the temperatures).

Key Point #4 - Variety

Does this location have more than one option for photographing the dog(s)? Or is there just one location and all the photographs will look very similar?

In the early morning hours (particularly non-weekend/holidays) the boat ramp is quiet and shaded. In late afternoon, often there is a beautiful sunset that can be used in the photographs on or near this boat dock by the boat ramp. This was taken in June.

Key Point #5 - How busy is this location?

Are there going to be a lot of distractions - whether it's people, dogs, cars, etc. Working with a well rounded and socialize dog this may not be an issue - in fact, often times you can get some people walking by that will give you just what you're looking for - the dog is alert and actively looking in your direction. However, with rescue dogs, often times they are not as comfortable as they have been through a lot in recent weeks and are trying to find someplace they feel 'safe'.

Late afternoon during certain times of the year (this was taken in January), the sun will shine through and light this area up beautifully.

So there you have it - these are the key points that I look for when I pick a location to photograph dogs. This week's dogs was photographed at one of my favorite locations, Boy Scout Park, located just a couple of blocks from our home. I will admit that Dolly was a great sport in posing for these photographs - but we decided to cut this photograph session a little short as the mosquitoes were a bit on the vicious side in the early evening hours. In case you're curious, both Dolly and Lola have loving homes (they are not rescue dogs).

Boy Scout Park meets all the criteria listed above. We went to a shaded area in the late afternoon where we could get away from everyone and any distractions that might be area (except of course those darn mosquitoes!)

We headed to the area where lots of ferns grow with little trails through out the ferns. It's all natural back here - no man made things and definitely a dog treat here in Florida.

The soft greens in the background provide just the right amount of color and blur for a pleasing background without distracting from the beautiful young dog - Dolly - a blue heeler and hangin tree hound mix.

These photographs were taken about 2 hours before sunset. It's shaded and a little on the dark side since it is very wooded. Dolly was a little scared each time the flash (Adorama AD200) went off inside the softbox. I think this was her first official modeling job.

Dolly's cousin, Lola, has grown a little bit since I last photographed her - she is now almost 5 months old. They got the pleasure of spending a week together.

This last photograph, we decided to let Dolly climb an oak tree that was at a great angle to allow a dog to climb up a few feet. This is one of a couple of trees that have a portion of the trunk that travels at a low angle making it an ideal location for dogs and people to be photographed.

This week's post is primarily about how I pick locations to photograph dogs - why? Well, I photograph cats on occasion too, but cats tell you where they are going to allow their photographs to be captured - so there isn't as much input coming from us as photographers. I always photograph cats at their home where they are most comfortable.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Nicole Hrustyk shares her 3 tips for finding the perfect session locations in Mount Charleston, Nevada

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Dogs in the flower field

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Ah, a few weeks ago we heard about a wonderful flower field not far from our house through a family member on Facebook. I have to say, I was excited never having actually seen a field of zinnia and sunflower plants - and the thoughts of photographing them. For those of you that might be local, this was located on McIntosh Road just south of Highway 92. I suspect that all the flowers are gone now as these images were captured a few weeks ago - but I am hoping that they do this again!

As I looked at all the beautiful flowers, I unloaded one dog at a time and put them in the flower field. My Abby was definitely the best model of the three dogs I have. She is a beautiful black and white hound dog.

Abby - Beagle/Coonhound mix

Up close portrait of Abby sitting among the zinnias.

Ollie - shorter of the two 'twins' (Australian & Miniature American Shepherd, Chihuahua mix)

Many of you know that we have two little (about 30 pound) dogs that are siblings. Ollie is my better model by far than her sister Rue. After some thought I was trying to determine if I should use a stool or what to keep Ollie from being 'buried' among the zinnia flowers that were a good foot taller than her. Here's little Ollie flower field photos.

Ollie, a smaller dog (about 30 pounds), sitting on a stool in the middle of the flowers.

Rue - the one that thinks 'stay' is 'by your side'

And last, but not least, is Rue. Rue is pretty much my 'velcro' dog. She wants to be touching you at night when it's bed time. She is the worse of my three when it comes to "stay". "Stay" to Rue means sit at your feet. That makes taking photographs in a flower field rather difficult, so this is my attempts to get photographs of Rue in the flower field.

Yep, Rue is running back to me as I tried to get her to stay in the flower patch. She stopped when she reached my feet - this would have ended better if I had Jim (Dad) along with me - but flying solo didn't work with Rue!

And there you have it - my three kids out for an adventure in the flower field on McIntosh Road, Seffner, Florida.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Courtney at CM Bryson visits dog friendly Roswell, Georgia to find unexpected blooms in the city during Jamie's pet photography session.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session

Collars I recommend for your dog's photography session?

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week let's talk about what your dog should be wearing for their photography session. There are so many different options, let's start with the most common options which includes my recommended collar.

Collars

Most of the dogs I photograph have collars. In fact, I think a good portion of the people I meet keep collars on their dogs all the time except perhaps bath time. I fall into this category with my girls - all wear collars with the required tag and an id tag. Photographing a dog with a collar is the most common scenario. My favorite collars are simple, solid color collars. Nothing fancy, you want the focus on your dog not their collar. Sure, right now you might have a very trendy collar on them, but will you still have and like that trendy collar in 5 years?

The best collars for a photography session are:

1) Solid color collar

2) Blends or contrasts nicely with your dogs fur

3) Doesn't have excess collar length (if it has a buckle as opposed to snap lock)

Here's an example of a basic collar by AMAGOOD found on Amazon.com

Here's an example of an aqua collar on a black dog - good color combination to provide some color on a dark dog.

While we are discussing collars, let's think about a few points to consider:

1) Collar with no tags for the photography session

2) What tags are on the collar? (nothing that will take attention from your dog's beautiful face)

3) Minimize the tags on the collar for the photography session

4) Non reflective collars if they will reflect back at the camera when we photographers use lights in our photography sessions (we don't want the collar to pick up that light)

5) No martingale collars because it makes it harder to make the collar look like a leash is not attached in final photographs

Here's an example of the martingale collar which has 'chain' for the slip portion of the collar. The leash is laying on the ground in front of the dog, this is a challenging photographic technique that would need to be corrected on all photographs or the collar/leash has to be positioned such that this doesn't show. Hence the reason I prefer not use these collars in a photography session.

Having said all this, I will photograph your dog with whatever collar you have or want the dog photographed in. These are things I have picked up over the years and realize what makes the color less a prominent part of the portrait.

Naked

Yep, no collar, no harness, just the dog as nature intended. This often is not a choice in the outdoors depending on your dog's training, but some people don't have their dogs wearing collars except when outside the home. If that's the case, then certainly it's an option - but there are some things to consider.

1) Is your dog in a safe environment? Perhaps indoors at their home?

2) Will your dog stay if there is something interesting going on outside of the photography session? (did a squirrel just run down the tree?)

3) Does your dog have very good recall ? (you call them, they stop and come back immediately)

Harness

A dog harness is a great option for walking your dog. I highly recommend the "Easy Walk harness". All of my dog's have an "Easy Walk" harness and when we are out walking, that's what the sport on their bodies. They all have a bit of pull and I think it gives me more control over them without choking. Abby, my largest dog, has more pull when she is 'going after something', so with the Easy Walk harness I actually put the center where the leash attaches on her chest. She pulls hard, I pull her and she is pulled away from whatever that something is. My smaller dogs have the Easy Walk harness with the leash attached on the back as one would normally expect.

However, a harness is not the best looking idea for a photograph. If once we complete a little walk for your dog to explore and we are now ready to photograph, I refer to take off the harness. I can attach a lead if they don't have a collar or there is still a 'flight risk'. Using a lead the dog doesn't have the ability to easily slip out providing it is kept snug. Many rescue dogs wear leads when we photograph them. I use basic slip leads not show leads. Small leads for smaller dogs, big leads for bigger dogs. Show leads are great, but I have to many dogs chewing throw in a minute and then singing "I'm Free"!

Blaze is wearing a slip lead in the photograph below - the portion around his neck was left as a 'collar' and the leash part of the lead was removed in post processing.

Typically if your dog must wear a harness, then I photograph with the harness but it's in the final photograph a good majority of the time. It's best to remove the collar if they are going to be wearing a harness in the photograph. This rescue dog was at risk of taking off and this was a big open area for him to run, so we had both a collar and a harness on him for his photography session to ensure he didn't sing "I'm Free".

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Jemma from JM Photography in Suffolk, looks at the different collars and accessories she likes her client's dogs to wear for a photoshoot.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

My dog won't look at the camera - how do I fix this?

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 08:00:00 GMT

As a pet photographer and even more a ‘dog photographer’ I’ve heard a lot of various things from people about their dogs. One of the most common things I hear are “My dog won’t look at the camera”. Another one is “My dog can’t be off leash”. We work with a lot of dogs that come from the rescue world and as such, we have been exposed to a lot of dogs that know nothing (no commands, and maybe not even the name we are calling them). So we might have a case where our photography session starts like this.

When we started working with little Sundae, she didn't like being put up on a swing nor bench. So the looks we got were scared and I am outta here. Not good for any dog photographs, much less adoption photographs. The next step was to find something that she was more comfortable with. The nice furry blanket worked. Course, now she isn't looking at the camera. One step at a time.....patience.....

Sundae was agreeable to being moved into position, so we gently turned her the direction we wanted, found out she loves chicken jerky and now we were on the way to some great photographs.

There are simple things that we try in order to overcome each of these scenarios.

My dog won't look at the camera

That’s the more difficult of these two things that often we come across as dog photographers. I’ll be honest, I don’t want to see a video of us working to get a dog to look at least towards the camera. It might be pretty embarrassing but hey, if that’s what it takes.

There are a variety of things that can be done to help overcome the “My dog won’t look at the camera” situation.

Use a longer lens on your camera allowing the dog to be more comfortable and ‘be a dog’.
Sometimes it is the flash or lighting equipment that makes the dog look elsewhere – go with natural lighting.

What motivates your dog?

If these two things don’t get you anywhere – well, there are other techniques to overcome “My dog won’t look at the camera”. Let’s find out what motivates your dog. Usually, we find that one of a few things will motivate a dog – and this helps us to achieve our goal.

Noise – I’ve learned to make a lot of different noises with my voice. Sometimes my partner brings a harmonica and plays different notes on it. Squeakers help with some dogs. However, noises only work if they are noises the dog is curious about, and more importantly hasn’t heard before or has heard infrequently
Food – Does your dog have a strong food (treat/snack) drive? I know all 3 of mine do and the keyword for them is usually “snack” – Do you want a snack?
Movement – Does your dog follow movement? Hey, we have been known to do jumping jacks, peek a boo, open doors, close doors, run across the area behind the photographer – I’m sure it’s a comedy show to watch.

At the beginning of our photo session with another rescue named "Charlie Moon Pie" - we took him our of the boarding kennel for a few hours at the University of Tampa - the beginning? Well, he is 'big eyed' over everything he was seeing - just being out in town was making his day, but not the best photographs yet. And yes, he was on a leash in all photographs which is removed in post processing - so your dog doesn't have to be the "best dog in the world" and doesn't have to look at the camera.

After giving Charlie Moon Pie a little time to explore, go potty, and relax - we got him to sit on a bench and look at the camera!

Course Charlie Moon Pie is just like any other dog - sometimes he will look, sometimes he won't. Looking into the camera may not always be the best captured image - sometimes personality is more important (or in the case, the other dog that was playing fetch and having fun).

My dog still won't look at the camera

If none of these things work, then the next thing to do is just take a break. Maybe getting a little time where your dog can just relax is the ticket. Often times they are taken to a new place or location, sat down and expected to model – what about checking out the area with all these new smells? Usually by this time, we can get the dog to at least look close to where the camera is. Maybe just don’t hide your face with the camera. It can be quite intimidating and perhaps using “live view” is a better option. Think about it – all those cell phones photographs aren’t covering up your face – perhaps that is the answer?

If after all these various things have been tried and your dog still won't look at the camera, then it might be time to consider that your dog just isn't going to look at the camera - however, that doesn't mean you can't get great images of your dog, just means you might have to change what you're trying to capture.

In this photograph, Charlie Moon Pie, is looking slightly to the side of the camera, because, well that was more interesting!

Still not exactly looking into the camera, but getting close!

We continued to move around the area of our location shoot and found different places that Charlie Moon Pie could hang out and as he got to know us better, realized we had food and water - well, he began to trust us and just plain enjoy the time hanging with us.

And Yes, he did look directly at the camera for many of the photographs that we captured in this mid-morning outing. If you're interested in adopting Charlie Moon Pie, please go to Maxx and Me Pet Rescue and fill out an application.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Jemma Martin of JM Photography shares her top secret tips on getting dogs to look at the camera.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

My favorite neighborhood walk with my dog in Temple Terrace, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

We are blessed here in our little residential city with a good number of parks. My favorite neighborhood park is actually a combination of Riverhills Park and Boy Scout Park. Both of these wonderful parks are great places to take your dog for a walk - not leash free - but still a beautiful place to take the pup. Riverhills Park is located along the Hillsborough River and is on the Florida Birding Trail. What is there to do in Riverhills Park?

Boat ramp - want to enjoy nature in a canoe, kayak or power boat? or perhaps go fresh water fishing? - It's available at this neighborhood park

Play ground - want to take your children to the playground? - It's available at this neighborhood park

Fishing on river bank - want to go fresh water fishing? - perhaps your children want to experience fishing? - It's available at this neighborhood park

Are you starting to get the picture?

Other activities include a picnic at one of the many tables available under the trees, a party or get together at the gazebo, a nice walk along the river on the boardwalk, pickle ball on the courts or perhaps gardening at the Community garden. There are a large variety of things to do.

If you're more into nature and want a little bit of a get away, check out Boy Scout Park - you might not notice that you changed parks unless you see the sign as they are right next to each other. Boy Scout Park offers a trail system in natural Florida. It's a nice place to wander with your dogs among the trees, ferns and other vegetation. Just watch out during alligator mating season (April/May) - yes, they are here! Watch out for the spiders and mosquitoes. If you're lucky you might spot a barred owl or perhaps a red shoulder hawk.

I must admit, that we walk our dogs through this park almost every day. We might skip a day due to weather or being away but just about every other day we will walk through this park and the dogs love it.

Our first walk with Jimbo so many years ago (2012) was to the trails at Boy Scout Park.

After walking among the ferns, Jimbo just sat down in the middle of them. I think he was looking for our other dog, Dolly, who was the 'senior' of this pair.

I am in the middle of ferns!

Recently some new paths through the ferns have been cut - the dogs are enjoying going through those to see where they lead. These ferns are a couple of feet in height, so I'm sure they are just following the path without any idea where exactly it is going.

Sometimes (not often) when "Dad" comes along, if it's hot, and we are careful...we get to play in the water at the boat ramp. Never when it's busy, always watching for gators only for a very short period of time (I do not recommend this by the way).

Water coming out of Abby's mouth in various directions (she was having a lot of fun).

Only Abby loves the water - and when we are up in the mountains, we let her play as much as she wants (no threat of gators) - but here at home, doesn't happen very much.

Sometimes, its just a few minutes sitting on the boat ramp dock with Dad relaxing and taking in the view. In the early morning these trees look like they have been toilet papered. There are so many white birds (mostly Ibis) that flock to this island of trees each evening and each morning they leave for the day.

So what does this park actually look like?

The boat ramp and playground

Approaching by boat the boat ramp at Riverhills Park and the playground in beyond in the distance.

The Sunsets

The sunsets can be very beautiful! Especially in the cooler months of the year - sometimes during the summer after a thunderstorm the sunsets are spectacular also.

The trees

Beautiful oak trees are among the park providing shade from the Florida heat.

The boardwalk

The boardwalk is a nice walk along the river's edge. Watch for birds, turtles and the occasional alligator. And please do NOT feed the alligators. NOTE: The boardwalk was redone a few years ago with plastic wood which is not shown in this photograph.

Fall Color along the water's edge

The cypress trees turning to a beautiful color as fall approaches.

Entrance to Boy Scout Park

The trail system within Boy Scout Park can be a fun get away from the 'city'. At sunset, if timed right for the sun to shine through, the trees light up beautifully.

Dog Photography at Riverhills Park

In case you are curious, yes - there are some great places to take your dog and get some great photographs too. Many of the photographs that I have shared of our dogs (Abby, Ollie, Rue and Jimbo) were taken at this park. Here's a few photographs taken at Riverhills Park.

Dog portrait taken at Riverhills Park (Leash was removed in post processing)

Full body - this dog had a great time during our photo shoot at Riverhills park near the Gazebo. Leashes were removed from the photograph in post processing.

Jimbo among the roots of what was at one time the most iconic tree at the park. Unfortunately, it was removed a few years ago because it was dying and branches were falling down. We loved our Jimbo - we loved this tree - now both are memories.

Address

Riverhills Park - 401 South Riverhills Drive, Temple Terrace Florida

Located behind Riverhills Elementary School

Boy Scout Park - located off West River Drive (west of this street) and Broxburn Avenue. Please note - Google indicated that this park is closed, however it can be accessed from the parking lot located to the west of the intersection of West River Drive and Broxburn Avenue in Temple Terrace.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pawtraits by Nicole, photographing pets for their people in and around Las Vegas, Nevada

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Why I shoot in early to mid-morning - my favorite time for pet photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Here in Florida, the majority of the year - it's hot. No way around it. So, this leaves us with a few choices on when to do outdoor pet photography - either early morning or early evening. Well, in Florida - at least on the west coast, it rains a lot in the late afternoon so it's hard to predict if the weather will cooperate so it's best to do a lot of the outdoor pet photography in the early to mid-morning. Another plus is - a lot of people are heading to work or still in bed.

Neighborhood park

I am fortunate - I live a couple of blocks from a beautiful park. The park includes trees, boardwalk, gazebo, playground, boat dock, and river. In the early morning, especially during the week, it's pretty quiet. There might be a few dog walkers or boaters heading out but often times we might be the only ones in the park. This is my favorite time to photograph our dogs (or your dog(s) ) in this park. It's beautiful at this time of day. Usually, the sun doesn't reach into these trees and park until about 2 hours after the sun rises which often works better with the human schedules.

Oh, did I mention the weather here in Florida? Well, we may be known as the "Sunshine State" but I will tell you that we have a lot of overcast days. And while I wanted to capture some of that beautiful golden hour either in early morning or late evening, it's been a choice of rain or overcast skies. So, the golden hour wasn't golden.

Overcast Skies

There is a special place for those overcast skies - you won't have harsh shadows, you won't have the dogs over heating as fast - but you'll have some beautiful even light to photograph. My best tip if the sky is overcast - enjoy it and if you can eliminate the sky from your photographs they will come out very nice.

Dark eyes - both Rue and Ollie (Rue is in this photograph) have very dark eyes - if you can't catch light in their eyes, it looks pretty dark in there! Whether you have something white that reflects in their eyes (overcast sky, flash, or perhaps a white object of some size), it's going to look a little lifeless. In post processing, I was able to get a little life in those dark eyes (next time I need to use some artificial light).

Abby hanging out on the boat ramp - due to the drought, early morning hour and recent rains - there was only one other person in the park. So, Abby had the boat ramp to herself to hang and wait for a few photographs to be taken. The curious look - I missed what she saw, but she was nice enough to stay posed.

These photographs were taken with 'just a camera'. Notice how the overcast skies provide a catch light in Abby's eyes. The blur of the background allows Abby to stand out from all the things in the park. I will say, that in 2020 my Abby definitely went 'gray'. She celebrated her 5th birthday in February - but now seems to have the facial characteristics of a much older dog. Perhaps this is proof that COVID was hard on the animals as well.

Having a mostly black dog has taught me some basic things about how to photograph black dogs. First, you have to make sure they don't become black blobs - you want to be able to see those beautiful details and texture. Second, I often reduce the saturation or at least the blue saturation to remove the blue cast that is very common on black fur when photographing outdoors. The empty boardwalk at this early hour of 7:20am is just about 30 minutes after sunrise.

So there you have it - early morning is my favorite time to photograph. It's my favorite time to be out walking the dogs. It's peaceful before the day really gets started rolling. But - when those beautiful sunsets are available, I will never turn one down if I have the opportunity to photograph a beautiful bundle of fur!

Jimbo - watching the sunset

In memory of Jimbo - he loved this park and walked there almost every day of his life - watching the sunset - they can be beautiful at this park if you're looking for a great place to watch the sun set.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Angela of Big White Dog Photography, creating light for great dog portraits in Spokane, WA.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Creating an easy and delicious dog treat

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This past week I asked for suggestions on what other pet owners give their dogs as a treat - I got some really interesting ideas! The suggestions ranged from very easy - carrots, beans, blueberries, banana - all great things to feed your dog - in moderation of course. A couple of the suggestions were not something I prefer such as raw chicken necks (yuck). My dogs are not to picky and will eat a large range of fruits and vegetables.

Carrots

I have three rescue girls - they all love carrots - I usually give them the 'baby carrots' because that's what we like. Carrots do have some naturally occurring sugar, so don't over feed these - but as a small treat every so often - it's easy and no work involved.

Beans

Another common and often well liked treat. Often times we are able to give these to our dogs straight out of our garden (organic garden, no chemicals). Some studies have been done that indicate beans may not be safe for dogs in large quantities - so use this as a limited treat.

Bananas

I didn't know about this delicious treat until recently and I gave it to each of my girls one at a time. Abby said - Yes, I like this. Rue said - Yes, I like this. Ollie said - "Yuck what is this?" (no go for Ollie - tried more than a few times).

Making your own treats

I've made several different types of treats along the way for my dogs. Baking a combination of pumpkin and peanut butter is a big hit here - but that takes a little more work - especially if you want them to look like cute little doggie bones.

In asking several facebook friends - I found that many of the recipes had similar ingredients - plain greek yogurt, blueberries, and peanut butter. Some people throw in bananas, chicken broth (low sodium) and pumpkin. However, in reviewing all these great ideas - I decided to try a simple recipe and see how my dogs liked it.

Here's what you need.

Blueberries

Peanut Butter and Plain Greek Yogurt

Mix up the yogurt and peanut butter - I mixed enough peanut butter to make it taste more like peanut butter than yogurt. I also choose to use smaller individual containers so that I didn't have to make to many at a time (worked out good for me). Mix it up real good so that it almost looks like a marble of peanut butter and yogurt.

Throw some blueberries (if your dog likes them) into it and mix it up. Then find a suitable container to freeze it. In my case, I used an ice tray. Several people indicated in my query that a bpa free mold is best.

Nothing fancy, yep some of them have been eaten!

No dog photos this blog post although if you could have seen Abby sitting there wondering what I was doing with all these great ingredients in front of the camera instead of heading to her mouth it might have been an interesting photo!

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Jessica Wasik of Bark & Gold Photography, celebrating National Donut Day all month long with Hunter's favorite treat recipe

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Alarka Falls, Bryson City, North Carolina

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 06 Jun 2021 21:00:00 GMT

Looking for a beautiful trail to hike near Bryson City? Check this one out - Alarka Falls (or Alarka Creek Falls) located outside of Bryson City, North Carolina. This trail is located in the Nantahala National Forest and I can not say enough about how beautiful this trail is. The entire trail follows along the water which has numerous cascades along the way - just stop and enjoy nature.

We were the only ones on this trail with our 3 dogs on this weekday in May 2021. To find this trail and see this wonderful nature take US-74 west from Bryson City (or in our case, we came from Franklin off NC 28, so we turned right on Highway 74) - take exit 64 for Alarka Road. You will be driving through the Alarka Community for several miles - one website said about 10 miles. It's a nice paved road for most of this distance and no need to worry about hard curves and up down hill along a mountain side. Take Alarka Road from Highway 74 and keep driving till you get to the end where there is a small parking area (looks more like a turn around or cul de sac).

The trail is on the east side, don't go the forest service road (gated). Not very exciting looking, but this is where a small camping area is and the entrance to the trail.

Photo of the Trail head

I must confess, that as we approached towards the end of this trail it appeared to be getting very rocky and steeper - so on this trip, we didn't make it to the end but maybe next time as everyone on google says it is worth it!

You'll see the water flowing to the right of the trail - very soon - if you don't you're probably not on the trail we took.

Some trees to climb over

The trail itself is pretty easy, well worn and not hard to follow. Dirt with some rocks along the way. There are a few places where trees have fallen across the trail - so you will have to either climb over or find a way around them if they are still there when you arrive. We climbed over, but found our smaller dogs preferred to go under - so we dropped the leashes so they could find the way that worked best for them.

Cascades, water falling

Beautiful water flowing through the rocks.

The trees in May were beautiful with the green leaves. The sounds of the water falling down over the rocks was relaxing - don't forget to take the time to enjoy this hike. The entire hike is about 1 mile (perhaps a little further in some other blog entries). Still an easy and great hike.

A glimpse of the trail

Some of the trees have been cut to allow the trail to go through, but in some places the trees are still across the trail.

Near to the end of the area that we hiked to, this beautiful setting with trees, water and fallen branches/trees across the water.

Our dogs along the trail

The rocks can be slippery near the water, so be careful. I scrambled up a little way but soon decided that the little girls were having a bit of issues and perhaps we should try another day. Abby being larger was roaming around on the rocks. I was past this rock at one point, it wasn't that easy to come back down with a camera - so be careful, especially if it's wet.

A good portion of this trail is in the shade - that makes it nice too as it didn't get as hot.

The twins tied off to keep them from going to far from us.

Yep, now they are all waiting on us. Kept them tied up a good portion of the time to keep the wandering to a minimum just in case someone else wanted to join us on the trail and perhaps had their canine(s) with them. Another photo of the trail to get an idea of the terrain.

A couple of different websites have information on this particular trail.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/alarka-creek-falls and another website is https://www.hikewnc.info/ (hopefully these links will be live for a long time into the future).

Google Maps provides this information for a google search "Alarka Creek Falls Trailhead"

That's it for this trip - enjoy the hike if you decide to check it out.

Top 3 must have photographs for your dog's portrait session

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week I am sharing with you my top 3 must have photographs for your pet's photography session. Of course, I realize that my top 3 photographs might not be yours, nor might they be your pets. That's why I have a top 3 - that leaves wiggle room for your top photographs too. Having said that, these are the ones that I try to always capture whether it is a rescue dog (cat), a friend's pet or a client. I treat all equally - I want all of these photography sessions to be fun and capture your pet's personality. That's what this is all about - so what are my top 3 must have photographs? I was fortunate enough to get little Lola, a blue heeler puppy, to do a modeling session for this week's blog post - so here's little Lola showing off her talents.

1. Full body - I always want to capture a full body photograph of your pet - let's show off those beautiful colors and markings - your pet 'stood in line' to get them! Our first pose is Lola sitting - her beautiful markings and those ears!

Next she decided to lay down and we captured her tail along with the freckles all over her body.

2. Looking directly at the camera - yes, I want that connection between your pet and the camera and I think that is best conveyed by having your pet look directly at the camera - at their level - not shooting down at them. I like to be at the same level as them - see the world from their perspective.

Sometimes it's the cute laying their head on the front paws (other times its a dead stare to see who wins).

A slight head tilt while still showing a good portion of her body.

3. A face/head shot - if your pet (talking dogs here as I have not seen cats do this much) will give that cute little head tilt or a playful look - that's what I want - something that shows their face up close with all the beautiful markings.

A tilt to the right?

Or a tilt to the left?

Little Lola gave us both! That doesn't often happen and when it does, it takes a bit of fast clicking to capture both of them. So there you have my top three must have photographs.

Now, having said these are my top three must have photographs doesn't mean that's all I will shoot. I will shoot until your dog has decided that it doesn't want to participate or until I think we have captured enough photographs that we have a good selection of choices. Some dogs love to play, some like to play catch, or perhaps a bit of tug a war - we will capture those moment too if that's what you're looking for. Our end goal is to capture their personality is what we always try to do - along with showing a happy dog (cat) in as many cases as possible.

Here Lola has decided to relax, I think she decided that was enough for this photography session, but a casual outdoor, natural light photograph shows a different side of Lola. It's also showing her with a slightly open mouth, a little smile perhaps?

When we are photographing rescue dogs, it's a matter of what the dog is willing to share - some are much more willing to enjoy the whole process while others find it very intimidating and challenging to get great photos - but with almost 6 years of experience in the world of rescue dogs, we have learned a lot along the way! If we are photographing an animal (dog, puppy, cat, kitten) I always try to get these top photographs:

1. A photograph of the entire body - sitting, laying down and/or standing

2. At least one facial portrait - let them see those eyes - and get a connection between the viewer and the animal looking for a home.

3. Photograph(s) at the animal's level

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit BARKography by Kim Hollis and her 7 Must Have Poses at each photo shoot in Charlotte NC

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Tellico Gap - Appalachian Trail - Franklin, North Carolina

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 30 May 2021 21:00:00 GMT

We hiked a small piece of the Appalachian Trail - according to a local, we hiked about 1.4 miles of it. Recently, we decided to head out to find Tellico Gap which is located in Franklin, North Carolina. As we were in the Franklin area, Google Maps told us to take NC Highway 28 (Bryson City Road) north to Tellico Gap road. If you haven't been lucky enough to find another website with information about this road and hike - please be aware that this is a dirt road - and it's a dirt road for a bit of a distance - couple of miles of narrow, dirt and winding road. Passing another car is a bit scary - and you definitely don't want to pass anyone going any speed because one of you will be on the 'outside' of the road and there are steep drop offs. We did manage to take this little winding dirt road up to the parking lot. And nope, there are no photos of that winding road because I was to busy hanging on as we snaked up slowly and I watched Google maps slowly say the distance was getting shorter to our destination.

The parking area

The parking lot is well setup and holds about 10-12 cars - all nicely sectioned off into little areas that allow a little privacy should you need that. Keep in mind that there are no bathrooms except the great outdoors - no food, water, etc unless you brought that with you - so plan ahead. It's easy to see why this particular area was named 'Tellico Gap' as there are large electrical towers coming up through the mountains here. This one is right next to the parking area.

Gives you an idea, there are several little areas that are well marked for parking.

As we parked and got our little group of 3 dogs leashed up and ready to go, the next step was to find the trail. While we like to hike, I wouldn't consider us experts on the 'way of the land' when it comes to hiking. If you look here, you will see a trail that is on the left and then another trail that is behind the 'road closed' sign. These are pretty important to be aware of and we did miss this on the way up on our hike. The trail on the left is actually the Appalachian Trail - blazed white - and you're in for a nice hike that steadily climbs in elevation. The hike itself is well marked and not to challenging - but it is 1.4 miles in length. There are some areas that have drop offs or are pretty narrow - so keep those dogs close as well as any human children you might have with you. Plenty of places to stop and take a break - and we did.

If you take the trail to the right, the one behind the 'road closed' sign - that's an old forest road (I'd love to see a vehicle travel it) - it's is .6 miles in length (a lot shorter!) and based on what others have said it is steeper than the AT although, I'm not totally sure I agree it was that much steeper.

If I was to do this again, I would choose the trail on the right - it's shorter and I can handle a little steeper if it's that much shorter to the same wonderful view. But, we didn't see that at first, so we headed off on the AT, the trail on the left.

Tellico Gap

Shortly after we started our hike on the Appalachian Trail, we saw this sign confirming where we were. I am sure that this is very helpful to those that have been on the trail for many days and are wondering exactly where they might be now.

We continued hiking on up the trail - here's a few photographs to give you an idea of what parts of the trail are like. In many areas the clay and dirt is very well packed down and there are very few rocks on the actual trail.

This area of the trail is fairly wide - enough to comfortably hike without seeing any drop off that is close. Along the way you will get some glimpses of the overall scenery - but for the most part, until you get to Wesser Bald, there aren't any real open views that don't have trees, branches or some other obstacle blocking part of the view.

Along the way we saw several people that were carrying their smaller dogs back down the mountain. The smaller dogs one can carry - but ours aren't that small - the smallest being about 30 pounds. Having said that, we took breaks! And right in the middle of the trail we did. The elevation changes and having been under the weather the previous few days forced me to take more breaks than I would have liked - but then we did continue.

If you pay attention, you'll see this log with the marker "AT" carved into it. I suppose this is a fairly common thing, but it's the only log we noticed was carved on this section of the trail.

We stopped for a little while at the campground and fire pit as we got closer to Wesser Bald.

The Fire Tower

And finally - we made it to the top.

The dogs are all for taking a relaxing break - we all did. It's much cooler up on top of the mountain and there was a nice breeze coming through to help make it nicer.

These are our mixed breed 'twins' (they are little mates). Rue on the left, Ollie (short for Olive) on the right. They were champs on getting to the top of this mountain climb. Probably totally having the time of their lives. Abby, while grayer, is only 5 years of age, and much bigger than our twins. She took to resting just fine - enjoying the time.

Let me tell you - this hike was well worth it. 360 degrees of beautiful mountain top views. To see all 360 degrees, you must climb the fire tower. Yes, you may be tired, but take that break at the mountain top and when you're ready climb that fire tower. You won't regret it.

The View

Here's a few photographs that probably don't do this view justice - but you want some clue what you will see when you get there right? And it's so pretty! You'll want to do this on a nice day where you can see for miles - don't do it on a rainy bad day if you have any choice (I wouldn't have done this drive on that dirt road). But, what can I say, it's beautiful.

The trek down

Eventually, after talking with a couple of men that were hiking on the Appalachian Trail - one was pretty young and had been on the trail about 8 days now. The other was a little older (maybe closer to our ages) and had been on the trail for about 10-11 days (not sure I recall exactly how many). But they were both having fun doing the multi-day hike. The younger hiker said he hoped to do the entire trail and end up in Maine most likely in October time period (It's mid May when I am writing this). Looks like a trail to me, wondering how it could be a 'forest road' - but I guess if they have to get to the top, maybe they use a four wheeler.

A quick look shows that the other trail (forest road) doesn't look to bad and within an hour we were back at the parking lot.

Heading back

Jim talked to many of the people that drove up to Tellico Gap and wondered how they got there without any 4 wheel drive - so having said that we decided to take the 'other road'. The one that went down the other side of the mountain and soon we found out that road was a much better road to travel on then the one we came up. If you come in from the other side, you'll travel on Wayah Road and turn on Otter Creek to head up to Tellico Gap. For us, this made for a longer drive back - but it was almost all paved roads and another adventure!

I also found this link that is helpful with information about this particular hike should you be interested. Hopefully it will stay alive and not become a dead link. https://www.hikethesouth.com/hikes/wesser-bald-via-tellico-gap

Red Nose Pitbull, Blue Nose Pitbull - which one?

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 28 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

In central Florida, a popular breed of dog is the American Pitbull Terrier also known as the Pitbull (Pit Bull). This breed of animal is recognized as the American Staffordshire terrier by the AKC (American Kennel Club) and as the American Pitbull terrier by the UKC (United Kennel Club).

Researching the internet shows that there are two common varieties of the pitbull breed. The red nose pitbull and the blue nose pitbull. These two dogs are very similar, the end of the nose is different colors and often the fur will be different based on the nose color.

Both the red nose and the blue nose pits are intelligent, loyal, loving and full of fun. They are medium sized dogs that can weigh up to 60 pounds, standing about 20 inches tall. Males generally weigh a little more than females.

Sadly, the pitbull is often considered to be a dog known for fighting or bullying. Training, socialization are extremely important with this breed to help ensure they are friendly and make great pets.

The difference between these two types of pitbulls is primarily the color of their noses. A red nose pitbull will often have different fur colors that blend well with the red nose (light brown, reddish color, etc).

The blue nose pitbull may have different fur colors. The blue nose pitbull is created by a gene that ‘dilutes the color black’ thus causing the dog to have a grey or dark color coat of fur.

Recently, we had the opportunity to meet two very friendly and loving pitbulls. They came into the rescue because their owner died and they had no place else to go. Every effort will be made to find these two a home together since they came into the rescue together and have been in foster care together.

Red Nose Pitbull

So, let’s meet Chubbs. Chubbs is a male red nose pitbull. He has a cute little underbite which makes for an interesting look while we photographed him. He was a bit unsure what was expected of him, but he was all for getting attention and treats. Chubbs is giving us his ear to ear grin. I'm sure after hanging with us for almost an hour he might have been getting a little warm (it was still in the 70s and we gave them water). But, then again, he might just be a happy boy.

Here's a photograph that shows Chubbs with his underbite along with a cute little row of teeth. This was at the beginning of our shoot and we had to work hard with getting ears to come forward - they just didn't want to perk up a good portion of the time.

Blue Nose Pitbull

Sadie is Chubbs companion. Sadie is a female blue nose pitbull. She was a little more timid when it came to the flashes from our lighting equipment but totally in to all the attention and treats. Strangely neither of them really cared about any strange noises we made, so we did resort to bribery with food and love.

Sadie was having a little more trouble with this whole modeling idea. I asked if she liked blankets, the response was yes - so we got a little furry blanket out and let Sadie check it out. It was definitely a hit and we started getting some great photos of her.

These two dogs did very well on a leash so we were able to take them to a local park and take photographs of them (we had the park to ourselves on this work/school day).

Pit bull dogsPit bull dog buddies That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Terri J Photography, Toronto dog and family photographer.

Dog Parks near Temple Terrace, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 14 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

If you have a dog, they like to play with other dogs - well, the area of Temple Terrace - or more broadly Tampa located in central Florida has a lot of options. Does you dog just want to run? Or perhaps your dog loves the water? Within less than an hour you and your dog can do either.

1) Harney Dog Park (officially known as the Temple Terrace Hilltop Park) is located at 9420 Harney Rd, Tampa, FL 33637.

This dog park offers an area for smaller dogs as well as a larger area for the large dogs. Each area has a water hookup to provide water to your pup and unless it's changed recently - there is usually a small plastic pool for the dogs to cool off in. There is lots of room to run, but not a lot of shade to hang out in - so during the summer months it can get hot. Also, just a note, the large dog area can be prone to flooding when we get a lot of rain.

Abby hanging in the 'baby' pool at the park - it's a great way for the dogs to cool off if they like water.

The entire park has a high chain link fence surrounding it. In addition, there is a 'holding' area - double gate to prevent dogs from escaping. Jimbo runs with another dog in his younger years.

The Harney Bypass canal is just to the east of this park outside of the fenced in areas. Lots of grass and area to run in. Plenty of trash cans for pickup of dog waste. A small shelter with a picnic table for the humans.

2) Rowlett Dog Park is located at 8401-8549 N Rowlett Park Dr, Tampa, FL 33604.

The website says it is open every day from 8am - 6pm. There are a few holidays like Christmas that the Rowlett Park is closed. This dog park offers an area for smaller dogs as well as a larger area for the large dogs. This dog park has lots of shade trees along with picnic tables for the humans. There is a water hookup to provide water to your pup.

This park is fenced in with a chain link fence. There is ample parking for those visiting the park. In addition to the area for the dogs to run free, there are several sidewalk paths that can be enjoyed while you walk your dog on a leash. Abby playing with one of the other dogs in her younger years.

Plenty of shaded areas provided by the oak trees. There is also a few pine trees within the dog park.

The large dog area includes an agility area with a few things to allow your dog to climb if this is a sport they like.

3) Davis Island Dog Park /Beach - this is located at 1002 Severn Ave, Tampa, FL, US, 33606

There are 2 different areas at the Davis Island dog park - one, shared by dogs of all sizes is along the water. Dogs are allowed to swim in the waters of Tampa Bay. There is a bathing area to wash off your dog at the entrance. In addition to this dog park, there is another area for the dogs that is not including the 'dog beach'. If your dog doesn't care for the water and would prefer to run in the grass, there is a small dog park area as well as a large dog park area for everyone to play. There is some shade available around the outside edges of the dog park.

4) Picnic Island Dog Park is located at 7409 Picnic Island Blvd, Tampa, FL 33616

This park is open from 6:30am till 7pm at this time of year. The hours are longer during daylight savings time. The dogs have a long narrow strip of land to run up and down on the beach as desired. In addition, they have access to the water. Note, like Davis Island, this is salt water. Several years ago when we visited, we had the park to ourselves.

'My favorite photograph from this visit is this one of Jimbo and Abby playing - but it looks like they are dancing. The look on Abby's face!

5) Ft. DeSoto Dog Park / Beach located within Fort DeSoto Park is located in St. Petersburg.

They are open at this time of year from 7am till 8pm. There is plenty of sand for your dog to run in and go swimming in the salt water if they like to swim.

Abby loves the water - here she is taking a breather on the sandy beach after getting wet.

Jimbo has longer fur and looks like a 'wet dog'. His idea of being in the water doesn't stack up against Abby's.

Of course, humans can go swimming too! And Abby watched Jim (Dad) going swimming and wanted to follow until she realized.....I need to turn around and go back - Dad can save himself!

That's some of the MANY dog parks in the area of Tampa - a Google search will include several that are in the downtown Tampa area as well as others through out the area. We have a lot of them!

If you take your dog to a dog park - please be careful. Dogs can get hurt at dog parks just like children can get hurt at the playground. Always pick up after your dog. Know your dog and whether they are good with other dogs - and always keep an eye on them - especially those that have water.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Dog photographer Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography reviews three great dog parks in Coppell and Carrollton Texas.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Rescue dogs of Tampa, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 07 May 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week's blog post features rescue dogs of Tampa, Florida (and surrounding areas which includes all of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties). A google search reveals the top 3 rescues in Tampa (not dog specific) are:

Heidi's Legacy Dog Rescue, Society of Tampa Bay and St. Francis Society. This was an interesting search to see who was the top responses from Google based on doing a simple search of "Rescues in Tampa".

I've 2 different quotes that I have seen while writing this blog post. The first one, is from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay "Leading the way because every life counts". The second one is from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue, "It matters to that one" ....which is so true. That one animal is depending on us (humans) to care about that one life.

As many of you know, we, VP Shoots Photography, volunteer to photograph rescue dogs (and sometimes kittens/cats if we receive a request) in the Tampa Bay area. We have travelled as far east as Lakeland to photograph a beagle for the Beagle rescue, as far south as South Tampa and South St. Petersburg, as far west as the water's edge of Tampa Bay (Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Clearwater, etc) and as far north as Spring Hill. That's quite a large area that we have covered - and we have met so many dogs along the way.

I'd like to take a few minutes of your time to share with you the primary organizations that we volunteer with.

1) Maxx and Me Pet Rescue - this is the primary rescue that we provide photography services to in the Tampa Bay area. Per the website for Maxx and Me, the "About Us" says: "Maxx & Me Pet Rescue is a Non-Profit founded in 2014 by Lea Haverstock in memory of her beloved rescue Golden Retriever, Maxx." Their website is: https://www.maxxandme.org/

On September 18, 2017 we met "Irma" and her litter mates. This little puppy just seemed to know exactly how to pose for the camera. She was so small, about 10 weeks of age and the entire litter had been turned into a shelter without any parents. Eventually, this little cutie ended up in our household along with her sister, Rue - and she is now known as Ollie. (Irma was because Hurricane Irma was coming through our area at the time she was coming into the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue.)

Colt - a beautiful husky - needs someone to adopt him that understands the whole mindset of a husky. He has been looking for a home for a while and hopefully will find that perfect match soon.

2) Polka Dogz - They are located in central Florida (Winter Garden/Clermont Florida areas). We volunteer to provide photography services for special events like the Christmas pose with Santa Claus and home checks within the Tampa areas for dogs that are potentially being adopted in our area. Their website is https://polkadogz.org/ and they feature mostly smaller dogs and specialize in seniors, special needs and shy dogs.

In addition we have done photographs for other rescues including:

1) Heidi's Legacy Dog Rescue

2) Rescue Teamsters

and 3) Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Marika Moffitt of Dirtie Dog Photography shines the light on harder-to-adopt pets with The Limelight Pet Project in Seattle, Washington.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

If you would like to discuss or book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to vpsh[email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough/Pinellas/Pasco/Polk counties in Florida). We have flexible rates and packages to fit most everyone’s budget as we believe that having wonderful photographs of your pet is important to so many people.

Beau, a former racing greyhound here in Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Meet Beau! Beau is an excellent example of how great a pet a former racing greyhound can be. Yes, Beau's previous life was a dog used in the world of gambling at the Derby Lane located in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2018, Florida voted and passed Amendment 13 which phased out all live dog racing by 2021.

Derby Lane, St. Petersburg

The Derby Lane in St. Petersburg opened by the family of Alexis Winning in 1925. Now, after almost a century, dog racing has ceased at the Derby lane. The final live greyhound racing was held on Christmas Eve and the weekend following in 2020. The Derby Lane Greyhound Track located in St. Petersburg, Florida was the oldest continuously operating greyhound track in the country until it officially closed on December 27, 2020. The Derby Lane does remain open (as of this writing) for simulcasting and has a poker room.

"After the races ended on Sunday, some of the greyhounds will continue to race at tracks outside of Florida, some will live on a farm with other former racers, and others will be adopted" said Winning. Derby Lane worked with a group called "Greyhound pets of America" that has a 98% adoption rate for the former racing greyhounds.

Greyhound Pets of America (Tampa Bay)

This organization lists it's mission as "to find homes for ex-racing Greyhounds and to educate the public about this wonderful breed." They are an all-volunteer, nonprofit chapter of the Greyhound Pets of America.

Beau

We photographed Beau at his 'retirement home' in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was (is) the foster brother of another dog named Brie who is with the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (www.maxxandme.org). Beau enjoyed hanging out on the front porch on what appears to be the "dog relaxing couch".

Beau is a beautiful brindle greyhound with long legs and a slender body.

What's that you said? As Beau perks up to see what is going on.

Beau with one of his favorite toys.

A painterly effect added to this head portrait of Beau - Beau was moving a little fast for the camera settings, but the cute look wins and we decided to share this photo.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Tammy Snyder Photography, photographing dogs and the people they love in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the tri-state region

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Happy dogs are the best kind of dog!

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet blog theme is 'happy'. Happy dogs are always the best kind of dog. If they are happy, then they are better friends to us humans, less destructive and a whole lot more fun! Why is it that dogs almost always seem happy when we come home from where ever we have been? They seem happy just to see you walking up to the door - the happy starts to take over as they wait for you to unlock and open the door. There is nothing like being greeted by your happy dog(s)!

What makes them happy? Is it because they feel secure? They know that they are safe? Or maybe it's as simple as they live 'in the now'. They don't think about what happened 5 minutes ago and they are not worried about what might happen in 5 minutes - it's all about what is happening now.

Did they just get my leash?

Did they just say the word "walk"? (do you have to spell that word when you are talking to someone other than your dogs?)

Did they just say the word "ride"? (oh boy, the tails start wagging, they start trying to herd us up like cows to get to that door - oh and which car are we taking? Do we go to the front door? or the garage?)

Did they just say "snack"? which is anything other than the normal dry dog kibble (dog treats, carrots, beans, strawberry, banana, apple, cheese, the list goes on).

Well, just about any of these things will make our dogs go into a 'happy mode' of trying to figure out exactly what is going to happen next. Each word invokes different actions with our dogs - and I'm sure the same is true for any dog owner.

Dogs playing and running

Audrey (available for adoption from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue, Tampa, Florida) enjoys running in the back yard of her foster home.

Audrey got the prize, her ball that was just thrown for her to run and catch.

Jimbo playing at the dog park in his younger years.

A big pit bull smile

Chubbs, a red nose pitbull, giving a big smile for the camera. Chubbs and his sister, Sadie, lost their owner and are now looking for a new home - but in the mean time - they love attention and were wonderful in posing for the camera.

Exploring with us - hiking

In North Carolina at Mingo Falls near Cherokee, we decided to hike to the waterfall. When we got there, I noticed there were a lot of stairs (I knew there was some, but this was a good number of stairs). Little Ollie has short legs and wasn't sure about this idea at all - her preference is solid ground and she just about said "NO" .....our idea of her walking up the stair railing didn't work - but we took a quick photograph with her smiling.

Happy dog standing on stairway

This was more of what the dogs were thinking....water, flatter terrain, yes this is good hiking.

Abby plus water = Happy

Of all the dogs that I have owned (and that's only a few), Abby loves the water. Our first vacation trip with Abby to the Fort Payne, Alabama area. This is when we found out Abby had a love for water (something she can't do in fresh water here at home because of alligators).

Happy is having a good (safe) pond to hang out in during the hot summer months.

A comfortable place to sleep = happy

Whether it's a hard day of hiking in North Carolina or a lazy day at home - having a good comfy place to sleep always seems to make our dogs happy.

So there you have it - the happy dogs that are either in our lives now or have been in our lives at some time. But most of all, I think happy dogs are dogs that are with people that care about them, the dogs care about the humans and feel comfortable with.

Blogging with Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pawtraits by Nicole, photographing pets for their people in and around Las Vegas, Nevada.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Using color in your pet photographs

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week its all about color! Let's share some different types of color while featuring a dog within the photograph. We have color in the background using painterly like textures, colors in the Florida landscape and color in different types of backgrounds.

Color in the background using textures

Our first example features Abby sitting with crayons and a coloring book - no, she didn't have a clue what to do so she just sat there doing her 'puppy sit' and looked pretty!

This photograph uses a colorful texture as the background added in post processing.

Ok, let's sit like an adult dog and not on our butt - here's another one of Abby posing with lots of color.

Dog photography using colorful Florida landscape

When photographing a black dog, it helps to include some color in the image to help make the dog stand out from it's surroundings. In this photograph, Gunner, a tripod (3 legged dog) enjoyed the Florida landscaping of our backyard. While a good portion of our yard is primarily green, we do have a few plants with pink and red shades to add color. Not to mention the colorful collar Gunner is sporting!

Gunner had so much fun running through our yard that he picked up some of the water along the way from the plants. We had about 5 inches of rain the previous day - so the plants were happy along with Gunner. Here Gunner stopped next to one of the more colorful (not just green) plants in our yard.

Color at the USF Botanical Gardens in Tampa

This morning it was a beautiful sunny morning in Florida - more specifically in Tampa. We decided to take our dogs for a special treat to visit the gardens and enjoy the nice weather. We found several different pieces of colorful artwork through out the garden. A beautiful sunny day doesn't really make for the best photographs because the camera does not do well with the sun/shade combinations (splotchy light) like the human eyes do. However, having said that and knowing that our pet photography blog this week is all about color - we had our girls pose for us in a few places to share with you.

Our first color blast came from the large white cow that has lots of brightly painted flowers on it. Ollie is posing under this cow. To give you perspective on how big the white cow is....Ollie is about 30 pounds (so not a large dog - but very small compared to this cow).

Next, we walked over to the butterfly garden area. Lots of butterflies - some bees - but none staying still long enough to capture great images. Capturing good photographs of butterflies requires a lot of skill or them settling down for a minute to capture as they grab nectar from the flowers. This is Rue - she has a hard time staying in a sit-stay command. She will sit and then as soon as you stop telling her to stay she is coming back to you slowly because she didn't want to stay.

Last up is the outdoor patio area where all the chairs and table are brightly painted in colors. At first, we thought, let's just put Ollie in a chair and see if we can get a photograph before a kitty walks by or something else and they are wanting to start off running! But - well, let's just push our luck and see if we can get all three girls. We promised them a snack - so they decided to be good for us. Here's our girls (chubby and now all dieting!). Rue (left), Ollie (center) and Abby (right).

Blogging with other Pet Photographers

This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography fetching pet and family portraits in Coppell, Carrollton and the greater Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex.

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

It's not all about the face in dog photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Dog photography is not all about the face - think about the other possibilities for sharing beautiful photographs that will make wonderful memories of your pet. Let's think about some of the possible photographic opportunities in this area of pet photography (as it will apply to other animals as well in most, if not all, cases).

Dogs facing away from the camera

Beautiful portraits can be created as your pet enjoys looking away from the camera - capture your pet as they admire something in our wonderful world. This blue nose pit bull wasn't crazy about any of our 'flashing lights' and decided to look away - something over that fence sounds more interesting! If I hadn't taken this photograph I would not have noticed the usual markings on the back of her head. Look at those little mountain peaks along with the big spot and a few small freckle spots - all things that make this girl, Sadie, unique in this world of dogs.

This rescue dog, Bonnie, is thought to be a black lab mix but no one is certain. She is very timid as she is meeting new people and they have big black things covering a good portion of their faces. In addition, a new park with all kinds of things going on - birds, ducks, a few people all wandering around. She took a few minutes away from the camera to see who was walking by on the nearby boardwalk at Riverhills Park in Temple Terrace, Florida. For those not familiar, a dog that has it's tail down is usually scared or uncertain about their environment. Bonnie is super friendly, just a bit shy with new things.

How about those beautiful ears?

Often times when we are looking at a dog from the front, we focus on the nose or maybe the eyes - but the ears only standout when they are big or unusual. This dog took a moment to see what was going on behind him in the middle of our photography session - the portrait is simple - just showing the shape of his head and the beautiful pointed ears. The park environment shows a beautiful bokeh (blur) in the background.

I always laugh when people tell me about the big white spot that Abby (our beagle/coon hound mix dog) has on the back of her head. When they comment, I say "It's so I can pick my girl out from all the rest of the mostly black dogs!".

Dog boating down the Suwannee River

Early morning we took the boat out and floated up the Suwannee river towards the Santa Fe river. The water was smooth as glass and it's the start of a beautiful day. Since it was smooth, quiet and we were the only ones on the river, Jimbo was allowed to stand up in the bow of our little bow rider (never allowed when going fast or other traffic is around).

How about Dog Tails?

Have you ever thought about all the different types of tails dogs have? Long tails, short tails, cropped tails, long fur tails, short fur tails, solid color tails, there are a lot of possibilities here. A number of years ago I decided to take photographs of different 'pieces/parts' and it's nice to go back and see that wonderful curly tail of Jimbo's since the photographs my memories of this wonderful boy.

How about those dog feet?

Big feet, little feet, extra dew claws, freckles, solid color, there are many different looking feet on dogs. Abby has a small black freckle on her toe of her front foot.

Or Dog Legs?

The soft curl of a dog's leg laying down. The various scars where fur doesn't grow come from a lifetime that began with hardships before he came into our lives and learned love and compassion and the comforts of a soft bed.

This list could probably go on for several more different 'none face' dog photographs, but that will have to wait for some future blog post!

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pawtraits by Nicole, photographing pets for their people in and around Las Vegas, Nevada

Using composition guideline 'frames' with pet photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Frames – that’s the pet photography theme for this week’s blog circle. If we think of frames in the most common sense, perhaps you think of something like this?

Antique Frame

If you want to hang a photograph on the wall or have it on display the only way it was done until more recent times is with a frame - whether it is wood, metal or even plastic. Antique frames tended to be painted with 'gold' and were much more decorative than many of today's frames. If you're interested in fostering or adopting this girl, please go to www.maxxandme.org to learn more about her and her needs as she has a special background and is looking for the right human to trust.

Frame/Frames - A Photography Perspective

As we think about ‘Frames’ (or Frame or Framing) from a photography perspective we are thinking about exactly what do we want in the photograph? What do we want to include? What do we want to exclude? The truth is that many people today take a lot of photographs and they probably don’t think about these things – but it can make a difference with the impact of your photos.

There are many different rules (or guidelines) for composition within a photograph. Framing is all about what elements of a scene that you are currently viewing are going to be within your frame. Many different things can be used for this composition guideline. In nature, it can be branches, leaves, flowers. If you’re thinking about buildings – doorways, fences, windows – all make for framing your subject. This also helps to provide a place for the viewer’s eyes to rest, a focal point helping guide you on exactly where to look – where the photographer wants you to look.

Let’s look at some examples that use this composition guideline while incorporating a pet.

Frames using the camera viewer

If you frame just your subject and there is nothing else in the photo – everyone knows what you are taking a photo of right? This photo is clearly about Abby – there is nothing else of any interest in the photo. I am betting this is what Abby would like life to be “All about Abby” but it isn’t the world she nor we live in.

Frames using objects

I remember a number of years ago we drove over to central Florida and we saw a dog park empty (no dogs! – the perfect kind). Back in these days, we were a single dog family and Jimbo was the center of our dog life. Jim had this wonderful idea to get Jimbo to stand at the end of this ‘tube’ so that I could frame him within the circular object – Jimbo didn’t get it and while it’s not perfect, we remember the story behind it with good memories. Using a frame within your photograph can help to keep the viewer’s eye in the photograph and prevent it from travelling outside the image.

Here’s a photograph of Rue sleeping while she is framed in my yellow sweatshirt – all cozy and happy.

In most of the above examples, the frame is surrounding the subject. But does it have to? No. The frame can be a wall, a door or perhaps even a shelf? This little rescue puppy is sitting inside a child’s playhouse.

Another type of framing using a palm branch across the top of the photograph.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Terri J Photography, specializing in photographing pets and their families in the Toronto area.

Dog Friendly - Veterans Memorial Park, Tampa, FL

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week the dogs, Jim and I decided to go explore the Veterans Memorial Park in Tampa, FL. Dogs are allowed providing they are on a 6 foot leash (and you're holding the other end of that leash). It was early on a Monday morning, the only other people we saw were the maintenance crews doing the yard work (bad timing on my part). As we wondered around, I can't help but think about 2 very different things. The first is that this park appears to have changed quite a bit since we last visited although I probably drive by once a month. The second is how much information is available about the various wars and people from our area that were involved in all those wars.

A lot of beautiful artwork exists in this park - whether it is the bronze statues or the plaques done so nicely in black marble with engravings of artwork and words. This alone was quite amazing to view. So what does this have to do with pet or dog photography? Not so much, but often people that are interested in dog photography are also interested in places where they can take their furry kids with them. Hence, the purpose of this particular blog post.

Here's a few photographs of our dogs enjoying spending time with us as they check out a new spot to potentially hang out.

We started looking at the helicopters that were in the park, but decided to move along since the maintenance crews were closing in on us. I wanted to share our dogs, Ollie and Rue, having a moment with their favorite part of this park - care to guess?

War Dogs

Ah, this bronze statue of the war dog got both Ollie and Rue's attention! I am not sure they knew exactly what to do with it.

Dogs with War Dog statue

It doesn't smell like a dog - but it looks like a dog. What's it doing up there?

Eventually Rue decided to move on a bit, but Ollie - she wanted a closer look.

Dogs with War Dog statue

What exactly is this? It was interesting to see them react so strongly to what looks like a dog but doesn't move nor smell like a dog.

We continued to wander around and look at the various exhibits.

In Flanders Fields

We stopped at a structure that has a large bronze statue of a soldier standing on top - the dogs sounded the alert. It must be dangerous - we must bark. No? They eventually figured out it wasn't moving either. By now, they have to be thinking what kind of place is this?

Here's the soldier that caused a bit of concern - all 3 girls are sitting in front (and looking at Jim).

Dogs with Flanders Field exhibit

This exhibit is for World War I Veterans - 1914 - 1918 and also contains a well known poem engraved called "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

This reminds me of my own grandfather who served in World War I - although he was from North Carolina and fortunately survived or I would not be here today.

Most of the park they didn't have any real interest except to smell and see what else came before them - but the last piece of military equipment drew a little attention US M1 57mm Anti Tank gun.

Dogs with military tank gun

And that's our little road trip to visit a nearby dog-friendly park. Leashes were left in the photographs since dogs must be on leashes in the park.

Interesting enough, and I'm sure that I gave permission somehow in the fine print of "Google" world but when I used google to find the exact name of this park after returning home, I saw this:

Address: 3602 US-301, Tampa, FL 33619

You visited today

(Oh, good when I click the little symbol this phrase shows up: Visible only to you)

Hours:

Open ⋅ Closes 5PM

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Jemma Martin pet photographer from JM Photography based in Suffolk, UK.

Self Portrait with Abby, my black and white mixed breed dog

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 08:00:00 GMT

This week I am being presented a challenge to take a self portrait and include a dog - well, Abby being my oldest model at five years of age is my first go to girl. She has been modeling for me since I first saw her. We do a lot of rescue dog photography and this is how we met Abby. Now, don't get me wrong - when I first met her she wasn't a good model. In fact, she was a challenging girl of about 6 months old and really had no idea what was being asked of her. Eventually, we did manage to get some 'okay' photographs of her but nothing like what I get of her now after a few years of modeling school (ha ha).

Selfie's are not my thing.

While I will allow photographs to be taken of me - they are taken by others, not me. I don't hold my phone out in front of me and take photos like so many do - and I see some wonderful selfies out there. Hence the challenge....get a selfie with one of my dogs.

How to do this? Self Timer, Remote ?

There are many different ways that I could do this - the obvious one is to put my camera on a tripod, get Abby situated and in a 'stay' mode (hopefully she will stay), then set the self timer and hope that I can get into a good position next to Abby in front of the camera before the shutter clicks. That's probably the most difficult way. So, as I had a few days to work with before the photographs had to be taken I went to Amazon and got myself a little wireless remote - made sure it worked with my camera and now I am planning to try doing this challenge using the little wireless remote. This is one of those times that one likes having Amazon prime ....and living on the west coast of Florida we have several distribution warehouses that are less than 1 hour from my house - it arrived the next day.

Time to try a selfie

I will say, this was a test of my ability to achieve this week's pet photography blog. Abby and I went down to the local park (it's spring break here and there are more people than normal). We finally found a place that didn't have a lot of people and I asked Abby to stay and she was very willing since I had goodies in my pocket. Now to get this wireless remote to work (which I don't recommend this brand at this time). I worked fine if it was behind the camera, but forget it if I was in front of the camera.

Great.

So now we are down to using the self timer on the camera - and well, that's not exactly the fun thing to run at a dog to get into the photo and hope that she is still there - remember she is off leash.

I won't post those that show Abby trying to run away from me, me trying to get into some kind of position before the camera fired and all the other bloopers!

Selfie 1 - I feel like I am that family 'photo' at the beginning of Young Sheldon where the entire family is looking away from the approaching cow.

Selfie #2 - I guess this one is a little better but Abby is not paying any attention to the camera and is definitely not interested in looking at it since there is no one there making funny faces, sounds or potentially bribing her with food.

Selfie #3 - Abby showing her tender side - she is a gentle dog that is sensitive and really just wants to be loved back. No loud noises, no loud yelling, just a simple life where everything is nice and easy going - that's her ideal world.

So there you have it - I have done a few selfies with Abby - I need to work on this skill I can see. And I need to find a better way to do this because this certainly wasn't ideal - and if none of that works, maybe I just need to get Jim in on it and have him take photographs of me with the girls.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, staying true to photographing reality in Northeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas

Pet Photography with cute props

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

This week's blog post is all about the Photographer’s Choice (that's me!)– this week we are focusing on using props when photographing puppies. It’s now the middle of February and we have been busy photographing about 16 puppies thus far for a local pet rescue (maxxandme.org). These puppies came from two different momma’s who had pretty large litters!

We wanted to create some creative and fun images for these puppies – some props we brought with us. These include the common things of a wooden crate painted a beautiful aqua blue, a basket, a couple of blankets or fleece materials and a white ‘furry’ piece of fabric. All of these things were purchased at Joann’s fabrics with the exception of the paint for the crate.

Here’s some sample photographs using these various props for each of the puppies.

Wooden Crate

Sitting in the crate with white furry material and a few brightly colored toys. She has been adopted!

Sitting in the same crate, outside using the house as a background. COVID has presented it's challenges and most all of our photography sessions with the rescues are done outside now. The fleece material was purchased at Joann's Fabrics several years ago. Another tip is to get smaller dogs off the ground - they are less likely to jump and leave your studio setup.

Basket

This outdoor shoot was photographed with the backyard fence blocking the sunlight and creating a simple background. The black saucer chair was used to place the basket along with a nice fluffy blanket.

All of these puppies were being raised by foster parents in the Tampa Bay area. Each foster parent had various things at their homes that made for some great props.

Child Playhouse (#1)

At one home, they had a playhouse on their patio for the children. We ask – may we use the playhouse for photographs with these puppies? With permission, we decided to utilize the windows in the playhouse to have the puppies peering out looking at us. Cute? We think so!

The puppy poked his head out the window while an assistant was hiding inside the playhouse with the puppy to ensure it was safe.

Child Playhouse (#2)

This playhouse was outside in the backyard. An assistant was inside the playhouse with the puppy to hopefully ensure they didn't jump out. A large window opening provided the perfect place for the puppy to pop their head up and pose for the waiting photographer!

Flexible flyer red wagon

Another foster household had an antique red wagon. This wagon is called a ‘flexible flyer’ (I googled this and found that it is similar to the radio flyer that I remembered from me child hood.) Now the challenge is to get the puppy to stay in the little wagon allowing us to capture a few photographs.

This beautiful antique was perfect for our little girl - the issue was keeping her in the wagon long enough to capture her portrait since the wagon was sitting on the ground. The little brindle girl was willing to sit there for us – great, we captured another wonderful photograph.

Barbie Jeep

As we drove up to the last foster household, we spotted the little Barbie car played with by so many children. We asked, "Can we use the car to create a photograph of the puppies?" She said yes, but it was a little dirty – no problem, we grabbed the water hose, got a towel from our vehicle and it was cleaned up pretty nice for a photo session. Now, can we teach Melba to drive? Yep!

Watch out - here comes a new driver! Jim, my partner, managed to get Melba to stay in the jeep long enough for a few photographs (this was after several attempts - she kept jumping out). Finally, Melba was attracted by things happening outside the jeep, she put her paws in the perfect positions and click! Just have to be quick.

Saucer Chair

One prop that I had bought but not yet had a chance to use until these puppies came along is a ‘saucer chair’ (Amazon – “Urban Shop Super Soft Faux Fur Saucer Chair with Folding Metal Frame”). This is a super lightweight chair that folds and is easy to transport. I purchased it in black – and the effects of the black with the puppies is beautiful. For each of the puppies, getting them off the ground and into something they thought was comfortable was the ticket to capturing some wonderful images with a little Photoshop (or your favorite photo editor) this became a beautiful setting.

The head tilt - typically created by making a sound that the puppy hasn't heard before (I've gotten pretty good about making sounds and ignoring what I might look or sound like!).

The dead stare ahead with those beautiful blue eyes!

For this last photograph, we added a little dead palm branch that was laying on the ground at the foster's home for some texture and added interest to the photograph.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Kirsten Hough of Wort & Flea Pet Photography, capturing the love, the fun, the adventure and the spirit of your pet in Pokeno, New Zealand.

Using depth of field with Pet Photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Ever wonder why some photographs you can see everything in the background crystal clear and others it’s just a creamy blur? Well, that’s what this week’s pet photography blog is about. In this particular case, we are looking for a 'deep depth of field'. What does this mean? Well, it means a lot of the photograph is in focus. This long boardwalk and the trees in the background are all in focus - this gives a greater amount of depth of field. I know, there's no dog in this photo - it was almost freezing and they were hanging in the truck. If you're curious, this is near Cedar Key, Florida and is called Shell Mound.

Background blur is an excellent tool that will separate your subject from the surroundings and is often used to make the subject pop out. The photographic term for this is called ‘depth of field’. Most people think of the ‘depth of field’ as being controlled by the aperture or f-stop for the old timers. The larger aperture number on the lens, the better chance of getting some great details in the background of your image. However, there is one other factor that also comes into play and that’s the ‘focal length’ of the lens used to capture that photograph. Let’s explore these two concepts and see how they impact a portrait of your favorite animal.

Aperture

This is one of the three parts of the ‘exposure triangle’ that a camera uses to create ‘proper’ exposure. For this blog post, we are only discussing how the aperture impacts your photo. Photography Life defines aperture as follows: “Aperture can be defined as the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera. It is an easy concept to understand if you just think about how your eyes work. As you move between bright and dark environments, the iris in your eyes either expands or shrinks, controlling the size of your pupil. In photography, the ‘pupil’ of your lens is called aperture. You can shrink or enlarge the size of the aperture to allow more or less light to reach your camera sensor.” (https://photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography)

In newer lenses this is not as common to see, but with older lenses (or perhaps a lensbaby lens) you can see how the hole in the camera lens gets larger or smaller.

Before the world of digital cameras came on the horizon, apertures were a set of numbers such as 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, etc usually the highest value is at least 22. If you look at these aperture numbers, you will see a pattern. The first number is 1.4, the second is 2. The third is 1.4 x 2 = 2.8. The fourth is 2 x 2 = 4. Do you see the pattern? Now with digital cameras, each aperture can be split into thirds – so we can increase the aperture a third of a stop or decrease the aperture a third of a stop. This gives a finer degree of control, but probably makes very little difference in the amount of blur in the resulting photograph.

So, now you know the formula for remembering the various ‘true’ apertures on a camera. But how do you remember which is ‘wide-open’ giving a beautiful blur or ‘closed down/stopped down’ giving details in the background? For me, I always think of the aperture numbers as fractions and then think about a pie! If I am getting ½ of the pie that’s a whole lot bigger than getting 1/16 of the pie – right? Apply this little technique to your aperture and you’ll remember without any issue.

Background blur is an excellent composition tool to set your subject apart from their surrounding areas. It’s another way of saying “minimum depth of field”. Sometimes you want everything in focus, if that's the case - then you need to think about using larger aperture numbers which translates to having a smaller piece of that pie I mentioned earlier.

Jimbo was a great hiking buddy as he could be trusted to stay with us regardless of whether he was on leash or just hanging out when we were photographing the sights. In this case, Jimbo is watching Jim who is just outside of the area the camera is capturing. A wide angle lens (14mm F/9.0), a smaller aperture and the scene all comes into focus.

Yep - it's Jimbo at another waterfall in North Carolina. A wide angle lens allowed for getting him as well as the waterfall in the background all in the same photograph (27mm, F/8.0).

Focal Length

The second part of this is all about the focal length of your lens. The human eye sees things in the world at approximately 50mm focal length. Hence, the reason that the nifty 50mm lens used to be the standard lens that everyone started using when they purchased a new camera. Now, people usually get a zoom lens that has a range of focal lengths and most of the time 50mm is somewhere in that range.

A lens that is smaller than 45mm is considered to be wide-angle. Although, most wide-angle lenses are actually thought of as 35mm or 24mm. Anything smaller is probably more commonly considered to be a ‘super wide’.

A lens that is larger than 60mm is considered to be a telephoto, although 60mm is a very short telephoto – and the more common zoom lenses are 70-200mm in focal length.

A lens with a shorter focal length, let’s say, 24mm allows more things to be in focus in your photo overall and also decreases the ability to have the creamy blur background. A lens with a longer focal length will work much better than one with a shorter focal length.

Most of my photographs of dogs are taken with a longer focal length. The most common is between 70mm and 200mm. Here's some samples of different photographs and the aperture/focal lengths associated with each. On the shorter side for the focal length, using a 'super wide focal length' just about everything will be in focus.

Ollie - 10mm, F/9.5 Superwide focal lengths can give a very unique and different perspective. It also gives you a deeper depth of field as just about everything regardless of the distance from the lens will be in focus.

Maximo - 35mm, f/4.5 - wide angle, has little blur in the background - but still a fairly good amount of depth as we in Florida know that tree behind Maximo is a Brazilian Pepper plant (invasive and everywhere).

Nana, 35mm f/18 - A smaller aperture was used because it was bright sunshine and the background is iconic in the Tampa (University of Tampa).

Salem - 42mm, F/5.0 - Using a shorter focal length and an aperture that provides some depth of field gives a little softness in the background but still able to determine all the plants in the photograph.

Now, let's start using longer focal lengths and see how to create some background blur.

Abby - 80mm, F/13

Abby - 80mm, F/6.3 (nothing changed except the aperture - look at the difference in the ferns behind Abby)

Abby - 170mm, F/11 - Changing the focal length (Abby nor I moved between these photos and the ones at 80mm) creates a lot more blur in the grass and ferns behind her.

Abby - 170mm, F/4.5 - the blur has increased enough to create creamy blur without being able to determine the plants (ferns) in the background.

Abby - 200mm, F/8 - very similar in overall appearance to photograph at 170mm/F4.5 above.

Deep Depth of Field:

A shorter focal length

A smaller aperture (think higher number here and less of the pie)

Most of the photograph in focus

Shallow Depth of Field:

A longer focal length

A wider aperture (think more pie here)

Most of the photograph outside of your focus point will be blurred to varying degrees

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, serving pets and their people in Northeastern PA and surrounding areas.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography with puppy love

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 13:08:28 GMT

Our last few weeks have been filled with puppies! Maxx and Me Pet Rescue has rescued several momma dogs and taken their little ones into foster care as well. We have been touring the Tampa Bay area photographing these puppies - and it's all about love with these little ones. Lot of puppy love going around here as we saw many different puppies and a surprising number of them with blue eyes - or one blue eye and another eye a different color.

All of these puppies belong to momma "Brie" who was not able to nurse them herself due to health issues. As such, a call went out for fosters to help feed these little babies from the beginning of their life - and they were paired up with two in each foster. Eight of those puppies have grown into wonderful little fur bundles waiting for their forever home (a few have potential furever homes, some still waiting to find one).

Here's two 11 week old siblings sharing a toy together as they run and play with a little red valentine monkey across the yard.

These two siblings allowed us to place them in a wooden crate for a few cute photographs together. Sometimes during puppy shoots, well - perhaps one shows a little love through a snuggle and the other shows what they might be thinking about it (by sticking out their tongue?).

Our last puppy, for a red love portrait - Blackberry, an 12 week old puppy with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pet Love Photography, sharing the love with Greater Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area, and destinations nationwide .

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Using Symmetry in Pet Photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Symmetry - what is it? In simple terms, this is where the two sides of a photograph are equally balanced if you split it down the middle. Or perhaps it is when there is a balance achieved because both sides of the image hold equal weight. Wondering what this actually means? Well - maybe it's as simple as looking at these two birds - both staring at each other. Actually, this is a mirror image of the same bird but using photoshop it was 'flipped' so the bird is now looking at itself. Symmetry - draw a line down the middle of this photo of the birds and you will have a mirror image on each half of the photograph.

Nature's symmetric dog face

Let's look at this with respect to a pet photograph. In the world of dogs - some have very symmetric faces as they are primarily one color. But for those that aren't, such as this husky - nature provided Colt with a pretty symmetric face. If you're looking for a husky, he may still be available through Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (www.maxxandme.org) in Tampa, Florida.

Creating a symmetrical dog face

What happens if we take a dog's face that has very distinctive markings and create a symmetrical face? Does it look natural? A little eerie? or perhaps a little off? Well - that's for you to decide. This dog had a very distinctive white mark on one side of it's face. Using Photoshop, I created another copy of the dogs face, flipped it and then created a duplicate (or mirror) image on the other half of the dog's face. Hence, we created a symmetrical face for this dog in an imaginary world.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography fetching pet and family portraits in Coppell, Carrollton and the greater Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex .

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Using Lensbaby Sweet 50 for dog portraits

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 09:00:00 GMT

This week our pet photography theme is "center" and as I thought about this - I thought, what better time to give the Lensbaby Sweet 50 a try with Abby, one of our rescue dogs. The Sweet 50 optic is used with the Lensbaby Composer which is a manual focus lens - making this a much more challenging process - to highlight Abby in the center of a sharp sweet spot of focus that is surrounded by dreamy blur. As we have very gloomy weather outside today, I decided to use this with the optic wide open on the aperture giving a lot of dreamy blur around a small center of focus.

Background Image - Lensbaby Sweet 50

First, here's an overall image that has the sharper areas focus in the center of this photograph of the ferns at our local park. This is where I requested Abby sit down and thankfully she agreed.

Abby's portrait using Lensbaby Sweet 50

All images were taken with a Nikon D750 full frame camera and the lensbaby composer with the sweet 50 optic.

This particular portrait has the focus on Abby's right eye (furthest from the camera) which probably is not the best option. Focusing on the eye closest to the camera is the preferred option but hey, getting used to a new lens, manual focus, and a moving subject.

This portrait has the focus on the eye closest to the camera which is a better sweet spot. I've noticed that Abby has taken to "not looking at the camera" which she did very well when she was a few years younger. I also noticed that 2020 was the year that Abby decided to 'go gray' - she will be 5 in February - but apparently is going gray already!

This one is probably my favorite pose from this photo shoot but the sweet spot appears to be more towards the eye furthest from the camera.

This portrait of Abby has good focus on her eye closest to the camera creating a sweet spot on this side of her face. The center of the focused spot is her eye.

Lensbaby Lineup

The lensbaby lineup of various lenses and optics are interesting tools to work with. A throw back to the time where focus is manual - many may not have ever used manual focus but there was a time that cameras didn't auto focus (for those of you that are younger and don't know that world).

Oh, for all of these photographs I tried to use 'no tilt' of the Lensbaby composer because it often makes it harder to focus. However, it can be a really nice feature when you want to change where the center of focus for the sweet spot is located. Also, if you're curious - the Sweet 50 is a 50mm lens. They also have a Sweet 35 (a 35mm lens) and a Sweet 80 (an 80mm lens). These are the focal lengths for a full frame camera. You can also control the 'sweet spot' size by using different apertures - all of those above were shot wide open, but if you use a smaller aperture, the sweet spot will be larger.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Kylee Doyle Photography, serving pet parents in the greater Sacramento area.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme Gift

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 09:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Gift" - and as I write this blog post I think of a couple of ways to interpret this particular theme. First, I was given a gift when I first received a camera so many years ago. Now, I am using my gift of photography to help dogs looking for homes. The last several weeks have been a bit of a blur between taking photographs for dogs looking for homes and doing home visits to meet people interested in adopting a dog. The second gift, is telling the story of each dog as we meet and greet to get some portraits in hopes of helping them find their homes. I think more importantly though, the biggest gift is spending time with each of the dogs I meet and enjoying each dog as we learn a bit about them. Of course, the dogs are being generous with their time too - by letting us get photographs of them (always a two way street).

This week we photographed Phoebe for the second time. Phoebe is a young female dog looking for a foster home or even better a permanent home. She has been with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue for over a year now. How do I know? Well, I met Phoebe for the first time on the day before Christmas Eve last year. Yes, it was December 23, 2019 - and this poor gal is still looking for a home that isn't a boarding facility. She is a little timid with people at first, and she doesn't like every dog she meets. But then, do you like every person you meet? Today, she wandered around in the room as we set up our cameras, lights and got everything situated to start today's shoot. We let her do her own thing, giving her some time and space of her own. I know that being in front of cameras is a bit scary as I have done it myself. Here's Phoebe - perhaps she will find her home this year.

Our second dog is Roy. Roy's story is a little sketchy but he is a sweet boy. A medium size hound dog (look at those ears!) who came into Maxx and Me Pet Rescue after being tied up in a back yard - without a name. They called him "Boy". Anyway, I am not sure, but perhaps he flunked out of hunting and then was resigned to spend time in the back yard. During our photography session, Roy was the perfect gentleman. He was attentive, willing to pose, curious but not destructive and loves playing with the other dogs in the play areas. Roy didn't mind being petted, he enjoyed the attention and hopefully he will find a forever home soon.

Our last dog is Colt. A purebred Husky - big and beautiful. Colt came into Maxx and Me Pet Rescue after starting his journey at the local county shelter here in Hillsborough County, Florida. Apparently Colt had a little run in that left him needing surgery on his face. If you look close, you'll see a little scar - but he is all healed up now. A young man had Colt and was unable to keep him. He asked for help on social media when the rescue stepped in to help. Huskys are beautiful - but they do like to roam based on my experience (jumping fences is probably within the realm of the breed as well).

If you or someone you know might be able to help any of these dogs - please let them know to check with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (https://www.maxxandme.org/) or check out their Facebook page. All of these dogs are currently in boarding at Mutt Meetup in Odessa, Florida (https://themuttmeetup.com/)

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Shelter

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is 'shelter' and while I take a lot of photographs of dogs that are being sheltered by local rescues from the life they previously experienced - I decided to share a story about Jimbo from several years ago.

Jimbo was in our lives for just over 7 years - and we had many adventures together during that time. When Jimbo arrived to live with us he was very afraid of thunder and while he got better over the years, he never really did like thunder. I can't say that I blame him, he probably lived outdoors for the first 7 years of his life.

One year we were off on a trip to Cashiers, North Carolina - and we took Jimbo with us to do the hiking and photographing with us. It was a beautiful day (or so I thought). Jim and I are taking photographs, Jimbo is keeping watch over us while we take photos.

And less than 7 minutes later - after a single rumble of thunder, Jimbo has taken shelter under a large rock and looks totally different (not sure if this is annoyed, scared or a bit of both). Of course, I went over to comfort him and we left shortly there after because there is nothing I dislike more than making Jimbo uncomfortable with about the only thing he was truly afraid.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Photographing your pet from above

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "shoot from above". For many of us (unless we have really big pets and are very short/small), we look down at our pets - thus we see them from above a good majority of the time. Your pet looks up at you, you look down at them. Typically when I do a photo session with any animal or child I will get down to their level - I don't shoot from above. It's just not my style - I like having the eye contact looking straight into the camera. However, there are times when taking a photograph from above is just the right thing to do. Let's take a couple of examples of where I think this works very well.

First, with this little kitten (long since grown up now) - in order to keep the kitten from running away and playing I used a very large bean bag. This bean bag was used by my dog on our boat, so a good bit of the 'beans' were removed to make it lower to the ground. Then using a colorful blanket over the bean bag, I created a crevice that would make it challenging for the kitten to climb out and placed the kitten in the middle. Now, looking directly down at the kitten, I snapped several photographs. Here's one of those photographs.

Using this same technique, I photographed a sibling of this kitten and she now has a place on a book published in Italian and the kitten is named "Tally" (here's the link if you're curious: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tally-gatta-regalare-amore-Italian-ebook/dp/B077PXBPWS )

We do a lot of rescue dog photography, primarily for Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (www.maxxandme.org) but we also do it for other rescues on occasion. Many of these dogs are in foster homes with several different dogs in the household. While this dog was a resident dog living with his foster Mom - I decided to take a photo as I was being watched while working with the other dogs. As an older senior dog, the eyes were full of so much soul, I just couldn't resist. This photograph was taken indoors using natural light from the nearby window. The dog was laying on the floor looking up at me as I was standing very close.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, capturing pets and their people, from all angles, in Northeastern PA and surrounding areas .

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Reflections

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography blog theme is 'reflections'. As I thought about this over the course of the last several weeks - my initial thought since we had been having rain every day, which meant we had puddles everywhere that I would try to do a photo where the reflection of one of our dogs is in the water puddle. Well, it hasn't rained in so many days now that I need to water everything - go figure. My next thought was perhaps a mirror, glass or some other way to create a reflection - but none of those have happened this week as I've been busy with other projects. So - what about what a dog sees? Have you ever thought about what the dog is seeing when you are photographing them?

Here's a look into the eye of Rue while she watches me take a photograph of her. My initial thought is, no wonder dogs can sometimes be scared of the camera - they see a big black blob in front of your eyes.

I will say, that by far my favorite 'eye reflection' photograph is not of me aiming a camera into the eyes of a dog (mine or anyone else's). It's several years ago when I had my 70-200 mm lens camera, Jimbo on a 6 foot leash and he decided it was time to take a break while sitting in the parking lot at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN which wasn't open this early. As I am sitting there wondering how long this break might be, I decided that with Jimbo being so close I should try looking into his eyes - what did he see?

Well, I can see me sitting in front of him, but the more dominant part of the reflection is the sky and trees.

If you'd like to capture a photograph similar to this, you'll need to have the dog outside somewhere that creates a reflection. No artificial light, just natural sunlight works great and allows for seeing the reflection.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pet Love Photography, photographing Cincinnati pets for "Tails of Cincinnati", a coffee table book project for charity .

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Action!

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Action" and I have decided to use Abby as our showcase model. Abby loves the water - she will play in it for a good while - but prefers it to be shallow enough that she isn't forced into swimming - at least not over much distance. We recently decided to take the dogs over to Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, Florida. This particular state park has an area that allows dogs on the beach - with a leash. When we arrived and started walking the trail to the beach, we found that the tide had left a small 'pond' that had to be crossed. For us humans, it was probably just above our knees - but to deep for the dogs to walk across. We had camera gear that couldn't get wet either, so what's the best way to cross this? One dog at a time! Abby loved it and ran across no issues. Rue decided to do it without much issue although she was not happy about it (come on we are talking about walking/swimming for 10 feet over water?). Ollie - well, it's not an action shot, but this was her idea of how to handle it.

Yep - Ollie walked far enough to get the water to the top of her legs, belly wet and STOPPED. So I had to walk across, give my camera to Jim, walk back and pick up the little kid. Ollie is not into swimming - I suppose she would if her life depended on it, but as long as there is another option she will choose that one every time.

Since Abby liked running and playing in the water so much, we decided to have her do several runs across as we photographed her having fun. And she is off running across (leash dragging through the water/mud).

And then hitting the bottom as she continued across the water. Yep, she is pretty much covered with all the water and much harder to see - but she is still coming across the little water way.

I took several photographs as she ran across this little area from Jim (Dad) to me as happy as she could be - free to run! The entire sequence this is the only one that I captured her ears flying up in the air - one of my favorites.

At last she has just about finished crossing the waterway and ready to shake off all the water.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Terri J Photography, photographing your pets and family in and around the Toronto area .

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Rainbow Bridge Day

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is Rainbow Bridge Day. My fellow pet photographer's that are part of this pet photography blog circle were kind enough to alert me that August 28th is officially "Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day". How fitting that this happens to be the day before my birthday? In doing a google search (what we all do now, right?) I find that a woman named Deborah lost her beloved cat, Mr. Jazz, on this date in 2013. Deborah published an emotional book that detailed her journey of letting go of Mr. Jazz. The book had an overwhelming experience as so many of us each experience similar emotions when letting go of our pet. In 2015, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, became an official day to remember your furry friends.

As a child, we had a lot of cats - my Mom loved cats and cats were always a part of my growing up. I'm not sure that I can remember all of them but I'll see if I can give a quick rundown! Tom, Yachi, Grey, Sam, Momma, Chocolate, Smokey and Bobbi. Hopefully I didn't miss any of them. Course, all these kitties were in the pre-digital images days so while I have photographs of them somewhere, none are digital and easy to put into this blog post.

Also, as a child, my first dog - Buddy came into our lives. All of us children talked my father into one of the puppies that our neighbor's dog had and well we had Buddy a long time! Buddy was born in 1969 and seems that he was there all of my childhood, then into my college days and maybe even into the beginning of my working career. We loved that dog so much that when he was going off to obedience school he flunked because we didn't let him finish (back in the days when they actually went away for a few days to learn the skills of life). Photos weren't to good in this time period - all those little instamatics that kodak came out with - I'd say it was the photographer, but nothing is sharp, so think it's the world of instamatics.

After I was an adult and moved out on my own - I had cats for a number of years.

Simon - my only long haired cat, a brown tabby

Cleo - I got her from the local grocery store - a family giving out kittens from a cardboard box

Marvin - By far, I would have to say that Marvin was the best kitty I had as an adult. Marvin didn't believe that you should over sleep for work - if the alarm went off and you didn't get up, well - let's just say Marvin made sure you did. Marvin would play with the weather alarm and darn if you were awake!!

Cody - a tuxedo cat, came from a litter that one of Jim's cats had before we moved into the same household He was a good little kitty.

In time, Jim moved in and his kitties came with him. So Milo and Mindy moved in. Then we began our family of animals together.

Dillon (1) - a gray tabby

Angel - a tuxedo cat that Dolly found at Riverhills park by our house (found as a very small kitten)

Late in the list of cats, came Dolly. Dolly followed my step-son around while he was skateboarding and they didn't know what to do when it was time to leave. She had no collar, no name tag, nor any evidence that she had a good home - so she came here. We couldn't find a microchip, she wasn't spayed, and eventually Dolly became our dog. And a wonderful dog she was! She went boating, canoeing, hiking, fishing, scalloping, walking, running and travelling - through out Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana. The memories we created with this girl are wonderful, never to be forgotten. On her first road trip to Blairsville, Georgia - Dolly took a sunset boat ride with us on the lake.

Many years later, Jim and Dolly sitting on top of the highest mountain peak near where we were staying in North Carolina. We had been hiking for a good while and eventually made it to the top. As the sun was setting we now have to get back down to the beginning of the trail before it is dark - so the trip up the mountain was leisurely, but the trip down was much faster.

Thank you Dolly for being the wonderful soul mate that you were and for spending your life with us. We will never forget you!

I remember the song I put to your photos after you left us, Please Remember Me .....written by Rodney Crowel.

All our tears have reached the sea
Part of you will live in me
Way down deep inside my heart
The days keep coming without fail
New wind is gonna find your sail
That's where your journey starts

........

Please Remember Me!

Since losing Dolly, we have experienced this lost twice more. Angel, our blind little tuxedo kitty that Dolly found, left us several years after Dolly. And most recently, Jimbo. Again, the tears will flow as I write this blog post - the hurt is still strong, the love is strong, and definitely we will "Remember You"! And not only on this special day that Deborah created for all of us just five years ago.

Our dogs by far we have created the strongest bonds with as they do so much with us. We have been fortunate that our dogs all love to travel and be with us - by far, what they want most is to be with us. I share one of my favorite face portraits of Jimbo - one I see almost every day in our home.

I'll share the sunset photograph I took of Jimbo at our favorite place - Riverhills Park, just blocks away from our home. The sun has set on his physically being here with us - but the memories will live on forever. As the lyrics of "Please Remember Me" say, ...."Part of you will live in me".

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Angela of Noses & Toes Pet Photography in Spokane, WA, remembering Dexter on his last day on Earth.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme "BFF" (Best Friends Forever)

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's theme is "BFF" and in this case, it means "Best Friends Forever" as I have noticed on google that this can have another meaning. As I think of my dogs, I realize that when you have a single dog perhaps you get more attached to them? Or maybe it's just about the personality of the dog and how you and the dog get along. I've read that if you are taking a walk with your dog - if you allow the dog to choose the route for your walk, then you are 'companions' (perhaps BFF?) but if you always tell your dog(s) which way to go then you are not truly companions. I guess for the most part, my dogs are companions - as Dolly had her walks that went different ways depending on the time of day.

Either way, I know for sure that when Dolly entered my world many years ago, I did not intend her to be my "BFF" but I will say she definitely did! Everyone always told me what a special dog she was - I was so happy that she choose us to spend her dog years with once she found us. Never to be forgotten. Dolly was my first dog as an adult, and fortunately for me, she was my first model and she allowed me to learn more over time in the world of pet photography.

Shortly before Dolly left us, Jimbo came into our lives. I am sure that Dolly probably special ordered him when we weren't around to notice because - well he became my new BFF once I no longer had Dolly in the physical form and the similarities between Dolly and Jimbo were like wow! This blog post is centered around Jimbo although I have several dogs now that are working there way strongly into become additional BFFs - with Rue trying the hardest!

Jimbo was unique because he was a great hiking & photography buddy. Many of these photographs were taken by my partner, Jim Vargas since Jimbo and I are in the photos. One thing Jimbo was great about - if you dropped his leash, it meant stay put and in most cases he did just that. Depending on the amount of time we had been on the road/trail, he might take advantage and curl up for a nap - but he would always stay close by. Here he hangs out while I am taking photographs at the Historic Hagood Mill located in Pickens, South Carolina.

Hanging out on the rocks now that we have hiked to one of the areas we want to photograph. This area is called "Sliding Rock" although I have heard that there are a lot of areas called "Sliding Rock" - this one is in the Pickens, South Carolina area close to where we were staying.

I am clueless at this point as to what we were looking at, but notice that we are both looking the same way! Jimbo was good at letting me know if there was something that I should be aware of by simply perking up and looking - a fringe benefit for those with good hearing (Jimbo) and those with not so good hearing (me).

On our way to Brevard, North Carolina - we stopped for a dog potty break at a covered bridge park (Campbell's Covered Bridge). Who am I kidding? A covered bridge? Let's STOP! Jimbo and Abby were wondering why they are tied to a pole.....to many people around to let Jimbo free and Abby, well she was pretty young at this time and wasn't to be trusted off leash even if it is allowed, so I have heard from other hound dog owners.

Off walking in South Carolina at the "Ninety six National Historic Site". In my family history research I have seen references to this particular area of South Carolina and decided that I needed to visit. This was a very nice park to visit and the scenery is beautiful and peaceful. Most of all this is a dog friendly location were the entire family can enjoy. The "Old Ninety Six" is located about 60 miles south of Greenville, South Carolina.

Jimbo took 'walking' to a new level - talking about companion vs dog. Jimbo knew which way he was going to walk each time we left the house (I got more control if we were away from home). If you attempted to go a different direction than Jimbo wanted to go, he would stop and at almost 70 pounds so did I! I am sure that I looked rather funny as I tried to figure out which direction Jimbo wanted to go at some intersections not to mention that sometimes I was in mid step when he decided to go another direction. He was definitely in charge!

As the girl dogs step into their new role, it appears that little Ollie is the direction decider although she will allow you to change the direction if you insist.

Ah, the life of dogs as your best friends....

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Filling the Frame

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Fill the Frame". One of the things that make photographs interesting and compelling is filling the frame with your subject. In this case, it's filling the frame with your pet - whether it's a dog, cat, rabbit, turtle (or maybe a fish?). This is one of my favorite ways to photograph - nothing in the photo but the animal I want you to focus on. Filling the frame is all about getting close and making the subject a large portion of your overall photograph - filling the frame with dog (in this case). It's about making it such that there is no question as to what your subject is. Have you ever looked at a photograph and asked "What is this a photo of?" Many photographs are taken that suffer from exactly this issue. If you look at the next two photographs of Fauci, the dog, do you have any question what this is a photograph of? I suspect not.

This particular rescue dog was a very easy model (it's so nice to get one of them every so often!).

These are simple, well lit, composed portraits of this dog. The dog is filling the frame.

An example photograph for not filling the frame by comparison is shown below. The below photograph has our subject (the hound dog) in the front of the photograph and is the primary focus - but this photograph also shows other things providing context of where the dog is - in this case, downtown Tampa. This photograph doesn't fill the frame, but the dog is still a very prominent part of the photograph with additional elements to showcase more than just this beautiful hound dog.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pet Love Photography, photographing dogs in Greater Cincinnati for Tails of Cincinnati, a charity book project.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Mingo Falls, near Cherokee, North Carolina

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 19 Jul 2020 21:00:00 GMT

Our first hike on our recent trip to North Carolina was to Mingo Falls located near Cherokee, North Carolina. Mingo Falls is a pretty high waterfall being 120 feet in height. The nearest town is Cherokee, North Carolina although the waterfall is actually located east of this town. This was by far the busiest waterfall in terms of traffic that we visited while in North Carolina. The trail starts out with a lot of stairs - yes - stairs, so if you cannot do stairs this is not the hike for you. There are 161 stairs at the beginning - plenty of time to stop for a breather if you need one. We had our dogs with us on their leashes.

This is the first time we had our smaller dogs with us and this particular trail presented a bit of a mind twister for little Ollie (short in the leg department). It is interesting to see how our dogs think things through and decide what they want to do when presented with a given situation. Here is the beginning of the trail to Mingo Falls - Abby and Rue were preceding up the stairs. Ollie went up several stairs (2 or 3). She stopped, looked behind her, then looked back up all these stairs and turned around. We could see her saying "Nope, no doing this".

Having smaller dogs is a relatively new thing for us - this never even occurred to me as a potential issue. Ollie is weighing in at a good solid 30 pounds or maybe a little more - carrying her is not an option. What is? Hmmmm, well maybe she will walk up the hand rail?

Apparently Ollie has done a bit to much of modeling because she posed just great! But she wasn't planning on moving. Next option? Hmmm, well there is enough room for her to run along side the stairs on the other side of the railing - we can keep her on the leash and let her run along side it. That worked for a short distance, then Ollie figured out we were doing the stairs and decided to do them with us. (whew - something to keep in mind!).

Since this waterfall was pretty crowded, we decided to wait a bit for the traffic to let up as we are still in the middle of the COVID-19 and a lot of places are wearing masks and just about everyone is trying to avoid large numbers of people (myself included).

Mingo Falls - it is a beautiful waterfall with a long drop down. The waterfall itself faces mostly a northern direction and the sun is getting pretty high in the sky now as it is shortly after 11am and the sun has been coming up around 6am.

There is a wooden viewing bridge that allows for viewing the waterfall. Many people were actually up in the water coming down (I am sure it was pretty cool/cold). Given the current times, we decided to take a few photographs and get out of the immediate area since it was fairly crowded.

The hike to this waterfall is short once you complete the stairs - so if you are looking for a short hike, this might fit into your schedule and is definitely a beautiful sight.

Pet Photography - Theme "Noses"

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Noses". We all know when we are walking our dogs and they catch a scent that they will go nose to the ground, zigzag back and forth and just go nuts following that scent. Well, there is a reason for that. Dogs 'see' a good portion of the world through their noses. In general, a dog's brain is smaller than the human brain - the area in a dog's brain that is devoted to smell is 40 times larger than in humans! If this is the case, why does my dog think things I find smell horrible are great smelling? Like that dead whatever laying near the river's edge? Apparently, we have different taste in what we think smells good.

“One of the main functions of the nose is to warm the air,” Dr. Dorman says. Warming inspired air so that it’s closer to body temperature makes it easier for the lungs to function. “In many ways, the dog’s nose is similar to a car radiator to achieve this function. It achieves this by having multiple folds that increase the surface area. Because dogs rely so much more on their noses, more of the air they breathe comes in contact with the olfactory neurons that detect odors.” website link: https://www.thefarmersdog.com/digest/how-your-dogs-nose-works-and-how-to-take-care-of-it/ This is a very interesting article for more information about the dog's nose.

Have you ever wondered how your dog knows you are about to come home from work? Well, it's all about the scent and nose. In the morning, you change your clothes, leave your scent around the house. As the day progresses, your scent become less dominant. When the scent gets to a specific level, the dog knows it's time for you to come home. Pretty clever huh? This was a story I read many years ago (source unknown) where the husband came home at the same time everyday. The dog was always waiting by the door for him to come home. So, they decided that his wife would take clothes out to her husband shortly before he was to arrive home, have him change his clothes and bring in the 'freshly scented' clothes. Guess what? The dog's clock was reset and wasn't waiting by the door! Try it - I'd love to know if this works with your dogs (my schedule is so varied, it's not possible for us to try this).

So, onwards with some nose photographs!

A dark nose with a big smile!

A slender black tip graying nose.

A short pug nose..

A light colored nose...

A strong nose for a boy....

A side view (I've been playing in the sand)....this photo includes the eye which adds a different perspective to the overall dog nose photograph.

Or maybe a senior dog going white side view....

A short face nose.....

A longer nose with lots of fur color variations....

And maybe you just want to see what one of these dogs looks like?

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Angela Schneider of Noses & Toes Pet Photography, finding snoots to boop on dogs of Spokane.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Rufus Morgan Trail, Franklin, North Carolina

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 21:00:00 GMT

Rufus Morgan Trail is located in western Franklin, North Carolina. We drove about an hour to get to the trail head – many years ago we did this trail with our first dog, Dolly, in the fall of 2010, so it’s been almost a decade since we have hiked this trail. Franklin is experiencing a good amount of rain this year and we did encounter some muddy spots along the trail. These photographs were taken in late June 2020.

The entire loop trail is approximately 1 mile in length. We hiked to the waterfall and then turned around and went back the same direction we came in. The entire trail was ours for the duration we were there, so plan to potentially be the solo hiker(s).

Dogs are allowed on this trail, we kept ours on leashes. There were several places they picked up scents and would have been gone otherwise (and not sure we would have found them with all the foliage).

The first photograph shows the gravel road (well maintained) with the tree canopy over the road.

As we start off on the trail, I snapped a quick photograph of Abby looking down the trail – for now, I am handling Abby (she is on a leash – removed in photoshop from the photograph) and Jim has the twins.

It’s not long before we see the truck a good ways down from our location – this trail has a total altitude gain of 288 feet.

Jim stopped for a photograph with the dogs near the beginning of the trail – sitting on a fallen log.

There is a lot of small life in this area of the Nantahala National Forest. A lot of trees and forest - it's quiet except for the water flowing and noise that we are making along the trail. I'm sure there are lot of animals living here - we didn't see any wildlife during our hike.

Eventually we begin to see the water flowing down the rocks. The water is fast moving with a few areas for the dogs to drink if they need some hydration. In one location it does require walking over rocks to get through the water. The water is flowing from the south towards the north - no sunlight on the flowing water.

At the waterfall itself, there is several rocks to relax on if you’re inclined to do so. Many branches are at the bottom of the waterfall. This waterfall faces north, but by the time we arrived (9:23am), portions of the waterfall were in sunlight.

Abby standing on the rock in front of the main waterfall.

Driving Directions

(https://www.wncwaterfalls.info/waterfall/1068/Rufus_Morgan_Falls)

Take US 64 West from Franklin for 3.7 miles. Turn right on Old Murphy Rd, go 0.1 mi, and then turn left on Wayah Rd (SR 1310). Go 6.3 miles and turn left on FS 388, which is gravel. Go 2 miles to the parking area on the right, which is signed. (FS 388 may be gated in winter, and - although a bit long - makes a nice added hike to get to the trailhead).

Our experience in driving to this was pretty easy except it is important to pay attention to your mileage because this is the best indication of where to turn left on FS 388.

Rufus Morgan - who was he?

Using Google to search and find out, Rufus Morgan was born in Franklin, North Carolina in 1885 (he died in 1983). He was a naturalist, author and explorer. In addition, he was one of the early pioneers for the founding and development of the Appalachian Trail which is nearby in North Carolina. If you're interested in more information, check the entry on findagrave.com for Rufus which contains a short biography. (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35182964/albert-rufus-morgan)

Pet Photography - Theme Water

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is 'water' - as a family that has done boating, hiking to waterfalls and just hanging out in nature - our dogs have had opportunities to be around water for most of their lives. We live about 2 blocks from the river that winds through a good portion of our county - so the dogs see the river daily. Here's Rue, my worse model of the pack sitting by the river - I am sure this was hard for her to just 'sit' and stay put! For this photograph, the water I made a little bluer (we don't have blue water in our river - it's dark and brown/gray color) and then I used Topaz Impression to create a painterly effect.

A few other photographs from the past showing our dogs and 'water'. Jimbo hanging out on the front of our bow rider boat while we idle around. This always make me nervous - but for a quick photo I let him be up front by himself.

Here's Abby at the dog park at Ft. DeSoto Park in Pinellas County, Florida. She is my only true 'water dog' - loves to play in the water - none of the others do.

This next photograph will always have special memories - we went to the mountains in North Carolina and rented a cabin in the area of Cashiers, North Carolina. This particular day we traveled to Gorges State Park in Sapphire, North Carolina. We decided to hike the Rainbow Falls Trail which is 1.5 miles one way and this hike was listed as "strenuous hike". That being said, this was when we were all several years younger so we decided to go because the view at the end made it worth it! Jimbo never did like thunder. The clouds were building, rain was coming - it was just a matter of time. We hiked all the way to the waterfall and took quite a few photographs. Then it happened, a loud thunder and Jimbo was at full attention. No longer happy to be at the waterfall - Jimbo was ready to leave. I can honestly say, that I have NEVER traveled 1.5 miles scrambling along a trail so fast but Jimbo had a mission (get out of the bad weather). Jimbo and I didn't get wet on this trail getting back to the truck but I was dripping sweat like I had been soaked. When it finally stopped raining, we ventured back out and found Jim just finishing the trail (he enjoyed the walk back). Not every photograph has this kind of story, but many do have stories behind them. I suppose part of Jimbo's dislike for bad weather is because he spent the first several years of his life primarily outside with the elements and learned to 'take cover'.

Just in case you are interested in seeing a photograph of the waterfall (which faces mostly south).

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Landscape and your pets

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is 'landscape' and we are showing some of Florida's green summer weather (right before we are getting 5 days of forecast for rain!). Our adventure this week is more about 'memories' than posing our dog(s) and getting great photographs. As we continue to stay home more, our dogs are just waiting for any adventure to come along and this morning they saw all the signs they have been waiting for. Up early, cooler packed, cameras by the door, oh and most importantly - they are getting our leashes! Abby was sitting by the door waiting - surely they won't go outside without letting me go too. I told her to wait, I needed to do a few things - you could see the disappointment. I left the doors to our truck open - when I came back I said "Go to the truck" - they ran so fast and jumped in - like little children ready for an adventure. We are off to the Alafia River Corridor Nature Preserve in Plant City, Florida. This is a tricky place to find - it's almost next to the Alderman's Ford Conservation Park - but not - look for the ball field complex and pull in - on the north end is the entrance to the preserve trails.

It's a cloudy, overcast day - rain forecast for early afternoon - so when we arrived and met our friends it was time to hit the trail. Our goal - find the river - we walked quite a while, came across a smoldering fire (time out for a 911 call to get the fire department - Jim handled that while we continued on to hike). Finally - it's here!

Here's the Alafia River - we crossed it on the metal bridge shown in the photograph below.

The boys spotted the river - now it's time to figure out how to get down to the water. We continued walking along the edge of the river and found a spot - Abby took a dunk to cool off once we ensured there were no big creatures (like snakes or alligators). Then they were tied to a cypress knee much to their dismay.

After a little 'fishing', food and drink we eventually head on back towards the beginning of the trail but not before Abby had some fun running along the trail and in the meadow with a new young friend!

Come on Abby - let's go into the meadow. Abby is being a great sport, but it's a bit warm now here in Florida, high humidity and a lot more walking than she is used to.

Let's run!

Finally caught the hound dog ears flying!

The end of a 'day out' is always considered a success when the dogs all fall asleep in the back seat before we get home! They have the entire back seat, yet Abby (the largest dog) is on the bottom, Rue has straddled across the top of Abby and Ollie is resting her head on the door arm rest handle (I think the other 1/3 of the seat was empty).

This is the end of this week's adventure sharing Florida's landscape.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photograph.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Photographer's Choice - Get those end of life portraits while you can

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 29 May 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Photographer's Choice" and I'm touching on a subject that many do not want to. Thus far, the year 2020 has not been a great year - it's a year which several friends have lost their furry companion(s) - I ask myself why so many in such a short span of time that I personally knew? I wonder if the animals know something about the world that we humans have not recognized?

Either way, I wanted to write this particular blog because I know a great many of us are very attached to our furry children. As such, we should do our best to have great photographs of them. Short home videos are great too. Each of these photographs doesn't have to be something special, it can be just a moment in time at home. Capture those moments that you want to remember - capture their personality.

Many of you know that we lost our beloved Jimbo just over two months ago - I haven't written to the general public about our loss as it has been hard for us. It's a deep and personal loss as Jimbo was my shadow, my buddy, always willing to go wherever I wanted to go. We hiked, boated, played, walked, laughed, smiled, cried - you name it, we did it together. We even took our first road trip - just Jimbo and I from Tampa, Florida to Nashville, Tennessee. That's when Jimbo learned about drive-thru restaurants. I always joked that he must have thought - "Mom drive somewhere, talks to someone, then a hand comes out with all that good food". He loved 'snacks' (which could be anything besides dog food - dog treats or human food). Not a day doesn't go by that I don't think of him. In time, perhaps that will change as it did when we lost Dolly - but we always remember and I have hundreds of wonderful photographs of him during the time period he was all ours.

Jimbo

Jimbo came to us from the Bahamas - he flew in a private airplane to come to Florida (very brave!). It was not our thought that we were going to adopt a second dog - but apparently it was Jimbo's and he won! Here he is on his 'freedom flight' to Florida - loaded on the plane and heading our way.

Feeling much better thank you

Here's our first photograph together - this is when we went to pick up Jimbo and begin our lives together. It was October 17, 2012 (a Wednesday - maybe I was taking off a few days or working from home - I can't imagine that I went to the office those next few days).

This beautiful smiling face - I will always remember.

If you're curious about Jimbo's first year of life starting with his roots in the Bahamas through the end of his first year, we put together a photo video (a bit long) of his travels. It is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPtZUPGU30 Q - Jimbo's first anniversary.

In the last couple of weeks, these dogs left us for the rainbow bridge and this blog is to remember each of them.

Nalli

The photographs I captured of her several years ago are when the dogs were playing at a local dog park. This photograph was taken many years ago before I started photographing dogs almost weekly - I can tell how much my photography has changed (for the better!).

Little bit of cleanup on the background to make it a nicer photograph - she was playing, so she has a little bit of dirt here and there - but still a wonderful girl who lived with many dogs and her Mom & Dad.

Spooki

These photographs were captured during social distancing near the height of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The photographs were spur of the moment as Spooki and his owner were walking by our house this particular evening. I grabbed my camera (70-200mm lens) and we had Spooki stand in front of our fence with a little distance between to ensure the fence had a nice blur.

Fred

These photographs were captured when Fred came into the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue as a timid and frightened dog who learned love while in foster care. This particular photograph was captured of Fred who was so timid that his tail was tucked underneath. Fred was attacked prior to his coming into the rescue and his ears were 'trimmed' as a result of the damage (so he had cute fluffy ears instead of hound ears). He was a good sport once he realized that we were not going to hurt him and eventually we got some great photographs (now in the hands of his owner). This particular photograph was captured outside, the background was replaced with a texture and then Topaz Impression was used to create a painting effect.

We got Fred to do a little run across the front yard - he was on leash (removed in photoshop) and my partner was running with him. When the sunlight hit his eyes, that was the moment to click.

For each of these beautiful dog souls that came from a bad place in this world and entered into the world of rescue - we will miss you.

For each of the beautiful human souls that work in this tireless profession, thank you.

For each of the human parents that have not captured great photographs of your furry companion - don't wait - do it now. If you find yourself in a 'end of life crisis' and you haven't done this task, do not hesitate to email, text or call as I will do this as an act of kindness to you and your pet providing my schedule allows even if you can not afford to pay a photographer.

Bless each of you - remember your furry children.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, making choices in Northeastern PA and the Endless Mountains.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Black and white photographs

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 22 May 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is black and white - and most of the time when this kind of theme comes around, I'll look to my beautiful Abby who is a black and white dog and has no issue going along for a modeling job especially if there are any kind of food involved (she loves food, what can I say?). This past week our dogs got to have some fun and run around - and well, be dogs. A friend has a horse farm outside of the busy city and lots of fenced in areas to run. And run they did....and when Abby found the little fishing pond, well I think she was thrilled. A break from the Florida heat!

What? No swimming?

Abby spent a good amount of the first hour sitting in the pond. I did learn that she can hold her breath because she had a good portion of her face under water trying to figure out what the boys were catching (her first experience with fishing).

Standing on shore

Ok, I'm out of the water now - did you want or need something? The boys were very patient with her swimming around while they were fishing in a stocked pond. And when they caught something - we had to keep Abby away from the catch!

All the girls....

Yes, the smaller sisters (our twins) were there, but they just got in the water enough to cool off. Abby was all about running around this pond and then jumping in!

What's this? A horse you say?

It wasn't long before the dogs decided this place has more to offer than a pond. Since these girls are a little smaller, it was easier for them to run under the gates that horses can't go under. This particular horse is older and very gentle - no care in the world that the dogs were checking it out. Notice that Ollie is big and brave on the opposite side of the fence from the horse. Rue on the other hand has always been the one that has to get into everything and while I'm praying that the horse doesn't care - Rue walks right up to it. The horse didn't care (apparently our friends knew this horse was no issue for the dogs or they would have been leashed).

A hike at Little Manatee River State Park

All of us, dogs included (on leashes), went for a walk in the state park nearby and it was getting pretty warm by the end of the hour long trek to another pond for some fishing. When we returned to the safety of the horse farm, the first thing Abby did? You guessed it - ran to the pond and sat down.

So that was our little adventure this past week - two different trips to the horse farm to let the dogs have some fun and have a little social distancing with a few friends. Eventually, slowly, the world will return to a new normal - but until then stay safe!

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Early morning 'golden' hour

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 15 May 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Golden Hour" and I've noticed several things about Florida's "sunshine state" weather. The first thing I noticed is how many cloudy and overcast days we have - well, we may have 'sunshine' but it's not here many days of the year. Overall, that doesn't really matter except when you're trying to do photographs of your dogs with a theme of 'golden hour' which is the hour of daylight shortly after sunrise or before sunset. The light is usually redder, more golden color because the sun travels through more of the earth's atmosphere than when the sun is higher in the sky. The second thing I noticed is how early the sun is now rising here - it's just after 6:30am - which is pretty early to be out walking the dogs! Last, one of my favorite places to do golden sunlight in the morning is over at the Harney bypass off US 301 - however, I'm not sure that's open right now with the COVID-19 - so we stuck to walking our normal areas here near home.

Earlier this week showed some promise of being 'sunny' (although the light still wasn't great golden color). The clouds were sitting on the east horizon - but I got the girls to do a little posing for this week's post. Often we walk around Biltmore Park which is very popular for the dogs as we sometimes have to navigate around it based on the direction other dogs & owners are walking.

I decided it might be easier to get the twins (Ollie & Rue) to be more willing if they were off the ground - so up on the park bench each was placed. Abby who is much larger looks up at them and has a special moment with Ollie (Ha ha, it's your turn, I get to relax!). It's a cute moment between them.

A gentle moment between dog siblings

Onward, Abby - let's get the girls looking the same direction.

The twins, sisters on a bench

Ollie on the left, Rue on the right - these girls will be three this summer - often called the twins - they are litter mates adopted from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue here in Tampa, Florida. Rue wasn't much for being up on the bench and quickly jumped down leaving Ollie to pose.

Ollie shortly after sunrise

Ollie Portrait - Golden Hour morning

Here's a photograph of our first dog, Dolly, during the golden hour at Harney Bypass Canal where there is a boat ramp and some open fields for the dogs to walk around and enjoy. They also have a few 'hills' that allow you to photograph shooting down or up at your subject.

That's it for this week's pet photography blog. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - before and after photos

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's photography blog for pets is "before and after". There are many photographs that I just do very simple and minor edits (exposure, shadows, highlights, cropping). Those are the easy ones! Then there are some that the location is less than ideal and to get a better photograph a lot of cleanup work on the background/location is done. Sometimes if the background is not favorable to the dog with respect to a photograph, the background is replaced. Let's take a look at a few examples that show the before and after photograph of these rescue dogs looking for their foster or forever homes. All photographed were modified using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

Example 1: Removing a leash

Here's an example of a easy, simple photograph of a rescue dog - BEFORE

AFTER leash removal.

This senior dog spent her life not being socialized, but stuck in a back yard. Her owner passed away and she was turned in to the shelter and then brought to Maxx and Me Pet Rescue.

Example 2: Leash removal, back ground cleanup

This is the before photograph. The mom is on the right - Athena and her son on the left, Roscoe. They are both pretty young and these rescues were very strong and pretty full of energy. It was a while before they stayed put this long to grab a photograph of them (each dog leash being held by a different person). While the overall hanging out next to each other was nice - the background was a little messy. Both of these young dogs are up for adoption - they are strong, but they were very affectionate towards us while we were there photographing them.

Here is the after photograph. The leashes have been removed, the background cleaned up to be less distracting.

Example 3: Background replacement

In the next example, the background was pretty much a blown out white color - mostly because the white fencing was getting sun, the dog was under a shade canopy and darker in fur color. Here's the original photograph with his leash.

Here's the after photograph (we had a little fun with the background texture).

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Angela and Bella of Noses & Toes Pet Photography hiking Spokane during stay-home orders.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Senior, older dogs in wide open spaces

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Wow, I have got to say that I need to figure out how to find some 'normalcy' our of the crazy world that we are living in now. Wondering where the next roll of toilet paper is coming from (oops, did I really say that?). So this week's pet photography blog featured an elderly senior dog that has been diagnosed with cancer, but seems to be doing pretty good thus far. His name is Spooki and I have known him for a number of years. Before we got the latest orders last week that we were "safer at home" and needed to stay home except for essentials - which included walking dogs, I was able to capture these photos. Truth be known, our friend was walking Spooki, we stopped outside and I got my long lens out and took some photographs of him. These photographs were captured with natural light only, nothing fancy, in the late afternoon.

And one last photograph that I used Topaz Impression to create a painting of Spooki.

As the state of Florida is getting even tighter enforcement to stop the spread of the coronavirus, I expect that any photographs I take in the near future will either be one of my own dogs or older photographs from photography sessions before we knew what this virus was.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Colleen of Simply Col Photography - for the love of photography and pound pups.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography using shallow depth of field

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is 'shallow depth of field'. As we continue to stay at home, and away from most all people while the world has slowly come to a new world...we decided to use the social distancing by taking the boat out on the river. Our dogs have been out of the boat several times this week and are now getting pretty used to it. Today's ride was longer and when we got home, they all ate and crashed! Little Ollie has learned how to recognize the boat ramp dock from a distance and will start to jump around on the seat as we approach - the first time she did this, I thought she had to go potty. But turned out that wasn't really the case.

Today's model is Abby - we learned some exciting news about Abby this week - her DNA sample results were in! Yes, this adorable little face is 25% beagle (the only one I guessed), 25% tree walker coon hound (well, I guessed hound because of her beautiful ears) and then pretty much a mix of 'mutt'.

This photo of Abby was taken as we cruised down the river with a 70-200mm lens (145mm, f/4, ISO 800) - she looked back at me from the bow of the boat and I snapped this photograph with the beautiful greens of the cypress and oak trees behind her.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Bella and Angela of Noses & Toes Pet Photography get some fresh air for dog photos with shallow depth of field in Spokane Valley, WA.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme Colorful - Abby in front of mural

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is colorful. Last year a local painter decided to paint the building where the restrooms are at our local park - Riverhills Park. He did a wonderful job - it is dedicated to his wife. I had the opportunity to listen to him tell me all the wonderful stories of his life and how he came to be a mural painter. It was wonderful to hear what a great life he had and about his wife's passing a few years ago.

This week's dog is Abby - with the virus issues going through Florida and all the areas starting to look like an abandoned ghost town - it's time to get my girl to do what she does best - pose for the camera!

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - using the rule of thirds to create great images

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 09:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is about a basic guideline/rule of photography called "the rule of thirds". This is a concept that has been used a lot by photographers throughout the decades - it's easy to google and find more information about it. But first, let's take a look at what it means - and this composition guideline applies to all types of photography - not just pet photography.

When you look through your view finder (or at your phone, tablet, whatever device you have) - mentally divide the image up by using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines. When you apply this concept, then the most important elements of your photograph should be along those lines or at the points where the lines meet (intersect).

"With this grid in mind, the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image. Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your photo. The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it." For more information, refer to this URL: https://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/?fbclid=IwAR2TsL81mu789lLISaneKwzD13V_eo9b4qEKw2JGE4DL8OSCtVdcFuFpJUM

Here's an example of a photograph taken of Elizabeth (aka Lola). Elizabeth is available for adoption from Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (www.maxxandme.org) if you're looking for a dog in the Tampa Bay area. First, the photograph without a rule of thirds grid.

Now, let's look at this photograph with an approximate rule of thirds grid added in Photoshop. In this photograph her eyes are on the line for the top third of the frame. The placement of her eyes is not in the intersection of the lines, but is on the imaginary line dividing the photograph into 9 areas. Keep in mind, this is a guideline, not an absolute rule of photography composition.

Another example showing the face of Elizabeth is in the left third of this photograph.

Here's a few more examples. Elizabeth has been given the nick name of "Lola" which seems a little more fitting - and shorter! They say that dog names should be one or two syllables at most (probably because in a hurry how fast can you say "Elizabeth"?). Elizabeth was very interested in seeing what every other dog was doing, so keeping her attention for photographs took a little work. She is definitely interested in playing with any dog wanting to play!

Of course, the rule of thirds is a composition guideline - it's a great concept to learn, but then once you know and understand it, don't be afraid to break this rule. I often don't consider the rule of thirds for a face portrait. In this case, it's most important to consider getting the dog looking at the camera and staying put long enough to get a great portrait.

Or when the dog is leaving the posing place and moving directly towards you.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography fetching portraits in Coppell and surrounding communities in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex and surrounding areas and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Shades of Gray - black and white pet photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 09:00:00 GMT

This week's theme for pet photography is 'shades of gray' - I decided to use Abby for this week's photographs. What better colors of a dog (black and white) to use for this theme? Abby was recently hanging out in the yard and I took these photographs of her.

The first one is black and white - I used an 'infrared' setting which makes the green grass almost white (very light color) and gives a different effect than traditional black and white.

The second one is not black and white, but instead has all colors desaturated and the greens and reds are still there, but also desaturated. By 'official' definition, desaturation of a photograph means that more black and white is added thus making the colors less vibrant.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography with texture

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Texture - it's all about the light on your subject, in this case Tracker - a black dog with golden eyes. The lighting in this photograph was provided by two AD200 lights in 24" softboxes at approximately 45 degree angles in front of Tracker. Since black dogs can often come across as 'dark blobs' it is important to have some type of lighting (the sun works too) on them to light up the fur and show the texture. "For most subjects side lighting works well to bring out texture. If using natural light, this would mean shooting shortly after sunrise or before sunset. If you are using artificial lighting, it just means placing your lighting off to one side from the subject." (https://www.discoverdigitalphotography.com/2012/the-importance-of-texture-in-photography/?fbclid=IwAR1Mk32oPTUQ-21M7ka9vF68cMFRRVitTf8IuEf1ajZGl1Ibkn0pjnNtLGE)

Another example of texture can be seen in the background of this dog - Charity is a beautiful brindle young dog (less than 1 year). The teal colored blanket shows texture based on the nap of the blanket and how the light is bouncing off it.

I often use this off white blanket just because of the wonderful texture - it photographs very nicely and the dogs seem to love snuggling with it. Please note this cutie has already been adopted and is no longer available!

And sometimes it just the senior dogs that bring out all that wonderful texture. He is black with a lot of white mixed in showing so much character in his face.

That's our look at some different options in lighting - For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, capturing special times in the lives of pets and their people in Northeastern PA and surrounding areas and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography in an urban setting

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 09:00:00 GMT

This week's blog features Nana, a hound dog previously used for breeding who is now with the Maxx and Me Pet Rescue. She is a very sweet hound dog who spent a couple of hours modeling for us in downtown Tampa along the Riverwalk. Of course, she was paid (chicken jerkey and other dog treats), chance to smell, investigate and walk - no dog should work and not get some rewards. Course, she got a lot of attention too.

Each time we photograph a new rescue dog (or any animal), we don't know them before starting our photography session. The animal might be seeing a camera for the first time - they might be scared, timid or hey, sometimes they are a total surprise and just know how to work the camera. However, most often that's not the case.

As we photograph more and more rescue dogs, we have learned skills that allow us to photograph dogs that have zero training. Some have not been pets before and some have been outside with little human attention. They might be great on a leash, they might be scared or pull. We don’t expect that any rescue will know how to sit, some do, but many do not. They don’t speak our language and probably don’t know any specific words. That’s ok.

Every dog is different, every dog needs patience, every dog will get great photographs, but they will be different based on the dog - my partners and I have lots of patience to get some great photographs – all pet owners need patience while we work with the dog and get those great photographs. Yes, we do private pet photography sessions too!

This week's featured dog, Nana. Nana has a little boo boo on my forehead, but it will heal just give her a little time.

Nana is standing in the grassy area next to the Children's Museum on Ashley Street in downtown Tampa. The whole urban experience is all new to her as she came from a rural area.

They have a lot of high buildings here! It's a beautiful day, clear skies and in the upper 40's (it's a bit cold for all of us here in Florida).

Here's the river walk - the University of Tampa is just across the river - built by Henry Plant in 1931. Seems like most people take time to get a photograph with the minarets.

Along the river on the river walk (University of Tampa is across the river).

The 'beer can' building - it's a round building near the river in downtown Tampa. Everyone knows this building by it's nickname.

That's all we did - everyone got hungry and we went over to a local pizza place and had lunch before I (Nana) went back to my temporary home at Urban Tailz in South Tampa. That's where Nana is staying until she finds a foster home or a furever home. We found out a lot of things about this girl on our journey through part of the river walk in downtown Tampa. She is sweet and gentle. Never barked or had any issues with cars, people, noises, dogs, or anything else we came across during our stroll. Gentle enough that we could pick her up and put her into the various places we wanted to photograph her. She apparently didn't have much 'car' experience - we picked her up to put her in the car - but she was great during her ride in the car. If you're interested in Nana, please contact Maxx and Me Pet Rescue at maxxandme.org

That's our look at some different options in lighting - For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Jo Lyons Photography, the down-to-earth dog-loving photographer for cherished dogs of the Great Lakes NSW and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Light it up!

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 09:00:00 GMT

This week it's all about light - 'get lit' is the theme! There are all different types of light that can be used for pet photography and they all have different looks. When I first started doing most of my pet photography I used natural light - that which comes from above - the sun. I still use that, especially if I am photographing a dog that is shy, timid and/or scared. It's a wonderful source of light and one that all animals are used to. Knowing how to use that light source is the key and mix that with the various colors of fur - you'll see (black fur isn't the best in bright sunlight). A bright sunny day in the sun isn't the best light, but sometimes it is what you have.

Another option for shooting outdoors is to have an off camera portable flash unit and a trigger on camera to fire the flash. In this case, we looked for shade (even lighting), and used the portable flash unit with a 7" reflector and sock to help soften the light from the flash. Oh, and yes the dog on the left is on a diet now that she came into the rescue!

The standard portable studio setup we take onsite to boarding facilities - a background (in this case a large blanket) lit with two octagon 24" softboxes, each having an AD200. In this photograph of Buster Bo, we had a third light against the background to make it lighter in color. This works really well providing the dog is not afraid of flash - if they are, then we revert to LED lights with higher ISO which hopefully they can handle.

Having said that, sometimes we just have to 'wing it' because in the world of rescue, you just don't know what you're going to get until you meet the dog. This is the same dog, Sawyer, that didn't do so well on his first try with a studio setup (but he blossomed when we took him out on the town!).

That's our look at some different options in lighting - For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Lynda Mowat from Heartstrings Photography, capturing people and their pets around the Waikato and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Telling a story, find a way around the obstacles, just follow me

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 09:00:00 GMT

We recently have been blessed (at least my viewpoint) with some cooler weather! Yay - wearing pants and not sweating! That's prime weather for going out for a walk in the woods. Just one catch, cooler air usually means that we recently had a downpour of rain leaving water puddles and muck to deal with on trails. However, I have been promising Jimbo (my senior well behaved guy) a walk in the woods - so off we went to Lettace Lake Park. After turning off the concrete path and onto the nature trail area - I see this.

My first reaction is to turn back, if there is all this water at the beginning, it's probably going to be worse as we walk along. Jimbo's first reaction is "Nope, we are going this way - and I'll show you how".

A younger dog might have either considered going through the middle of this or looking back at me to ask how one should proceed - but Jimbo is experienced, he knows what to do.

Are you coming?

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Out takes

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 09:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme gives a 'behind the scenes' look at what happens when rescue dogs have different ideas than we do. I recently reviewed our photos from this year, 2019. We have shared almost 600 photographs of over 45 dogs and 20 puppies this year alone! That's definitely a lot of future pets being photographed. My partners, Jim Vargas and Greg Turner, have helped with each shoot along this way and without them, I would not be able to have such great success - thank you.

Now let's look at some of the out takes.

When the dog doesn't want to have their photo taken and you now realize how strong they are!

Then they get into position - you know they are looking at something over your shoulder - but are they about to spring into action? Somehow, everything looks good except the legs just don't look right!

I know I am a big dog, but maybe if I hide behind Jim he can protect me from those things aimed at me!

You think you have just about everything right - and something gets their attention that you don't see because you're looking through the camera lens...

Ok, maybe the bubbles idea is not going to work - but it was worth a try!

I'm tired - are you guys done yet?

When you're trying to get a litter of puppies to stay put - they were all tired and almost asleep before we moved them into the chest....go figure.

This rescue dog was so scared, I think he was figuring if I slide out of here on my belly.....maybe it will work.

but all he really wanted was...so people time with Jim.

This little girl wanted nothing but to sit right next to me - and I was told to kiss her - not sure if she liked that or not.

And sometimes we just enjoy our moments with the rescue dogs.

Just in case you're curious, they all came around and we got great photographs of each.

Each dog is unique.

Each dog has different experiences in previous home

Each dog might have preferences on female vs male (we have both on our team)

Their stories are unique, their past is unique and their future is hopefully brighter than it was before they joined the rescue world.

Thank you for the opportunity to meet each of you and have fun while we created beautiful photographs of you!

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area, and destinations nationwide and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Monochrome - black and white

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week has been busy - we photographed 9 dogs on Monday for the rescue (Maxx and Me Pet Rescue - www.maxxandme.org). What a wonderful group of dogs - all with different personalities. Some outgoing and wanting to play, some timid and wondering what the whole photo session was about. Then others that just wanted to snuggle - it was a fulfilling, tiring day.

Here's a few photographs turned to monochrome - black and white (turning them to some other color - blue, red, green, etc just didn't seem right).

First, it's Dippy - a little worried about the whole modeling job - but eventually rose to the occasion and gave us a few great photographs.

Next is Hershel - he is beautiful. They say he is part border collie - he loves his treats. He was the first of 9 we photographed - easy one - but some were much tougher!

Last, is Oreo - with his dark brown fur giving him patch work over the eyes, he is full of energy and ready to go. This guy loved to play ball - so we used that as a way to get some energy out before we started with photographs - it worked!

After finishing the photographs of all these wonderful dogs - we realized the variety of things that we had to come up with in order to get what we wanted. All they wanted was to play or have human attention - but they knew we wanted more. Some we played with, some we snuggled with, others we made weird noises and some we pretended to bark. Along the way, we also realized that sometimes it was just sitting down and hanging out until they were ready. A wonderful day and hoping that each finds it's foster home or forever home so they can enjoy home life instead of just a boarding facility with lots of dogs to play with during day care (which they really seemed to like, so maybe that's not so bad after all).

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Terri J Photography, photographing pets and their people in Toronto and Ontario and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Paint it black

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography blog theme is "Paint it black" - and for me, this is a look inside what happens when we go to photograph a rescue dog. As we started our setting up to photograph Trooper, his foster was busy taking photographs of us and was kind enough to share them with me so I can in turn share with you our experience. Just in case you were curious - it seems that many of the people we meet and take photograph of their foster dogs really enjoy watching and being a part of the entire experience.

So, without further discussion, let's get a look at how this all happens for us. First, let me introduce our model for this photograph session, Trooper. Trooper came to us from the Pasco County Animal Shelter (hope I got this correct) after being hit by a car. Unfortunately for Trooper, he took the majority of that hit in his face and more specifically his mouth area. Lucky for Trooper, Maxx and Me Pet Rescue stepped in to help save his life (for more information on Maxx and Me visit their facebook page or maxxandme.org). When we met Trooper we had all these great ideas as we stepped into his backyard and saw the possibilities - of course, it was up to Trooper, was he willing?

Most all the shoots start with a little bit of attention, loving, and letting the dog(s) greet us. It's always better if they have a little time to get to know us before we start trying to work with them. Trooper getting ready to give Jim some love!

Here we are setting up our gear. Greg is setting up the softbox and lighting. I'm getting my camera ready and Jim is getting our model ready (Trooper).

Depending on the dog and their personality, we may choose different lighting. In this case, Trooper was being very good so we set up a softbox beauty dish on a light stand with the Flashpoint AD200. This provided some nice lighting for Trooper since the background was much lighter than where Trooper was sitting. That's Linda (me) holding the camera taking photos of Trooper.

Greg is shooting photographs of Trooper while Jim is holding a squeaky toy (little alligator) to get Trooper's attention. I'm hidden behind the guys, but still there!

Just in case, we always look at the photos after we have done a good group to make sure that we are leaving the shoot with several good ones to help the rescue dog find their forever homes. Here I am showing the foster mom one of the photographs - blow it up to make sure it is sharp on the face.

Hanging out with our model, everyone gets to take a short break!

And here's a few of the final photographs that are helping Trooper to find his forever home. UPDATE: Trooper has a new family! He was adopted just over two weeks after we photographed him.

And with that, our photo session is wrapping up, one last photo with all of us for Trooper's foster mom.

Trooper, Linda (sitting with Trooper), Jim on the left, Greg on the right. That's a wrap for this session - it was a pleasure meeting and working with Trooper and his foster mom - he was such a great dog and has been through a lot in his short life.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, capturing pets and their people in Northeastern PA and surrounding areas and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Into the Woods

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography blog circle theme is "Into the Woods". For us, that's a wonderful way to spend our time - we love it, the dogs love it and we have spent time up on the Suwannee River in the 'woods' for a couple of decades. Here Abby is posing on the property just above where the cove is that leads down to the river (the cove is actually where the river floods when the water is high). A rare luxury that she is allowed to run free without a leash - but she finally earned it and now is allowed providing she has a parental chaperone to keep a watchful eye and make sure she doesn't go running after some form of wildlife she just saw. Everyone tells me that is the hound in dogs like her and to be careful, but she is definitely bonded and very good at listening now (course, we didn't see a deer or other wild animal so she didn't get tested).

We let the grass grow high, and Ollie almost disappeared in the high grass when they were running around and playing in it. Here she took a short break to sun herself.

That's it for this week - two gals enjoying the woods at the river.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme "Orange"

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "orange" - oranges (hey, it's Florida!), Gators (hey, it's Florida), or perhaps a pumpkin - it's fall. Well, I decided on getting a pumpkin and I had this wonderful idea that maybe I could get little Ollie to stand behind the pumpkin, put her front legs on the pumpkin and stand up a little bit taller. Dreaming...yep, I was dreaming (maybe tomorrow, but not today). First asking Ollie to come out by herself without her sister must have made her think she was in trouble. So, I took her out by the pumpkin (I bought a large one, that may have been my first mistake.

Ollie looked at the pumpkin and wanted to run and hide. Not much for new things apparently. Eventually she figured out it wasn't going to hurt her, but the pumpkin was to close to her size and well, she wasn't sure. Maybe I should have taken her with me to the pumpkin patch?

Needless to say, I realized that I wasn't going to get the photo I had in mind and the deadline for turning in my photography blog was looming....so at this point, I figured I had to settle for a little less than what I was hoping for and perhaps try another day with Ollie (but that would probably be after the deadline).

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Season Change

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week the theme is Season Change for our Pet Photography blog - and well, since I live in central Florida, the only change we are seeing is more activity in the tropics making us watch the weather more to ensure we don't need to go into storm watch mode. Very rarely do we see a season change here - it's hot, hotter or nice - we don't hardly have freezes anymore - maybe its climate change, but I am mowing the lawn in December and I didn't as a child (and I live in the same 3 block area!).

Any way, I injured my hand over the weekend and haven't been able to do much photography. Abby was kind enough to pose for this one shot that was my idea for 'season change' and it's all I managed to do before this little mishap. Hopefully I'll be shooting again next week.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Water

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week the theme for our pet photography blog circle is "water" so I went back into the archives to find one of the photographs of Jimbo hanging out when we are busy taking photographs - Jimbo is probably among the best behaved dogs I've seen - and certainly the best behaved, gentle boy I've ever had. As we remember the recent destruction of the Bahamas with Hurricane Dorian, I can't tell you how many times I hugged Jimbo and told him how happy I was that he was with us and not still in the Bahamas. Jimbo is a 'potcake' which is a common name for the street dogs in the Bahamas - it is not a particular breed, but rather a name they were given because they were 'scraping' for whatever the people scraped from the bottom of the pans after cooking. (That's what I believe I have been told anyway). So in celebration of Jimbo, here's our sweet boy enjoying his vacation in North Carolina mountains a couple of years ago.

If I recall correctly, Jim was standing on a rock above Jimbo in the direction that he is currently looking. He enjoyed walking about the various rocks as we were the only one there at the time and since he will stay when told - it's not an issue to have him standing close by.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Digital Photos....are you preserving them?

(VP Shoots Photography) — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 00:28:28 GMT

This week I am writing a short blog to ask you a question - think about this - with all the digital photographs, how are you preserving them for future generations? In the 'old days' we printed photographs. Today, we have them as a digital form - whether that is social media, website, instagram, cloud, your hard drive - and I'm sure I have missed a few. But, will they be around when you want to see them in 20 years? or even 10 years? This particular topic came up recently in a weekly photography meeting that I attend most weeks with fellow photographers.

After thinking about the discussion that we had on how we are creating photographs and what we are doing with them, I decided that the suggestion I like the best is to start creating books that contain photographs that I want to keep - those that are family, vacations, etc - not so much about what is my best 'photography' work - but the ones that will mean something to me or someone else in the future.

What are you thinking? How will you share your photographs? Are you getting them printed? or are they simply stored on some electronic device somewhere with hopes that we will always have access to them?

In writing this blog post, I decided to do what everyone seems to do today - Ask Google. What are some of the places to get the best photo books in 2019? Among the entries that came back from that search are: Shutterfly, Snapfish, Amazon prints, Picaboo and Mixbook. In looking at the details of the information in the reviews, this one little part caught my eye. "This way you’ll be 100% sure that your book won’t fade or get damaged due to bad ink or poor print quality." And guess what, this company was writing about "Mixbook". Mixbook was the last company listed for the photo books, but it is a well known website for designing photo books. Mixbook is one of the best but definitely not one of the cheapest. However, if you want excellent quality and vivid images, you could save some money and choose Mixbook. Since I personally want to be sure that the images aren't going to fade due to poor print quality - I will be creating my second book with some of my images using Mixbook (hopefully the quality is the same as it was 2 years ago when I did a book to see how the quality was - I'll let you know what I think after I get my book created and printed! In case you're curious, here's the link for Mixbook - https://www.mixbook.com and it looks like they are having a sale, so I'll have to get moving on this if I want to catch this sale!

Linda

VPShoots Photography

Pet Photography - Theme Soft

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "soft" - and our models this week are 'soft young girls' about 5 months of age - meet Opal and Odette - sisters looking for their forever home (preferably together if that's possible). These two girls were a lot of fun to photograph and just loved playing in the blanket and hammock during our photo session.

Meet Opal taking a short break hanging in the hammock.

Meet Odette hanging out from the hammock (they were playing pretty hard and having a blast!).

Oh where you trying to get our attention?

After a good amount of playing and having fun, the girls posed on the soft blanket. I'm sure the next thing they did was curl up and take a nap after all that hard playing.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Poe Springs Park, High Springs, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 21:00:00 GMT

Poe Springs Park is located in High Springs, Florida not to far from the well known Ginnie Springs on Highway 340 west of Gainesville. The official address is 28800 NW 182nd Ave, High Springs, FL 32643. The park has an entrance fee of $5.00 (as of this writing, August 2019) and if the spring reaches a capacity of 100 people the park may close to limit the number of people in the spring. The park is open 7 days a week from dawn to dusk - with the spring and boat ramp closing about 30 minutes before.

Have you heard of it? It is a beautiful county park, well maintained and a great way to spend several hours - whether you want to have a picnic, walk your dog, play on the playground, do a little walking or enjoy the beautiful spring. On a Saturday morning we stopped in to check out this park and see what the spring located on the Santa Fe River offered. We were pleasantly surprised - this is a beautiful spring and not to crowded at the time we visited.

When we arrived, our little pack all leashed up and water with us, we headed from the parking lot to see what was nearby (picnic tables, restrooms, playground) and eventually we found this path. Please note that dogs are allowed in the park, but must be kept out of the springs to preserve this natural Florida resource - please respect this so we can preserve it for future visitors.

The dogs are familiar with this, and off down the little pathway we went. Eventually, we noticed more people and the walkway changed to boardwalk. There were many people carry their supplies along this well maintained boardwalk to the spring in a wagon - some with coolers on wheels. If you're taking any amount of things, definitely plan to have some method to carry it all as the walk to the spring does involve a bit of walking.

After a fair amount of walking (about 1000 feet on the boardwalk). Dogs are not allowed in the spring area, so we stopped short of that and sat in a small area that allows a view of the spring. This is the area the families were carrying all their belongings to.

The spring is a good size and the water was clear - I could see a turtle swimming around in the water below. This spring has a lot of shallow areas that make it ideal for small children. You can see several people standing in the water and it's knee high on adults in some areas. The spring is accessible from the Santa Fe River if you have a boat - the photograph below is facing to the west and just beyond the trees the Santa Fe River flows. We did not swim in this spring, but there is an area that appears to be where the water flows out of the vent which is about 2' by 3' with a cave about 13 feet long (per another website). Poe Springs pumps an average of 45 million gallons of cool, refreshing water daily.

They have a map that shows the many different springs located along the Santa Fe river - this map has the famous "You Are Here" that we have all become used to seeing - the map was a bit large for a single photograph ( if you want to be able to read it ), so here's a portion of the map. On the far left of the map is the Suwannee River which the Santa Fe River flows into.

If you're in the area, or perhaps Ginnie Springs is full, this might be a nice alternative - no scuba diving, just snorkeling and swimming.

Pet Photography - Theme "Wood"

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's photography blog has us joining our pack at Poe Springs Park located in High Springs, Florida. The dogs and I are all thinking, well that's Dad's nickname, 'Poe' that is - so we should check out this park. First, I will say the park itself (entrance fee required) is very nice. The dogs all enjoyed walking around, smelling mostly and taking care of business. Then we found a trail and started walking on it to see where it lead (didn't see any maps to help us).

After a short asphalt walk, it switch over to a nice wooden boardwalk - we watched other people go down the path, most with wagons of swimming gear and food - so this must be the way to the spring. It had been raining earlier in the morning, the boardwalk was wet and slippery - so caution was definitely necessary. Here we all are with one human in tow behind us - Ollie, Rue, Abby and Jimbo. All being good and staying on the path. Leashes are required in the park.

Dogs are not allowed in the spring area to help protect this natural resource and keep the water clean. There is a nice little area that we can sit and watch people swimming in the spring without being to close. All the dogs are on leashes (removed in photoshop). Jimbo has become camera shy and declined to have a photo taken.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit https://www.terrijphotography.com/toronto-dog-pet-photographer-blog/tips-for-photographing-small-dogs?fbclid=IwAR1SBSEMyvCaVyf3btnq0Irc1mV7tQwPr1j6vqPADLXKI7IcH_NtXetExSE and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Fill the Frame (with dog!)

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's theme is 'Fill the Frame' for our pet photography blog circle. We met Axle this week - he is a rescue that is looking for a new home - and the only issue I saw Axle has is he is a big fella! This big fella looks a lot like a brown labradoodle - probably weighing in around 100-120 pounds - but it's all fur and love! He was very happy to see us and was happy to have attention - and did very well with instruction when it came time to model for his photographs. I am thinking that Axle is probably the biggest dog I have photographed thus far, but he is perfect for 'filling the frame'. Often when I do my pet photography, I like to fill the frame with the pet - no other distractions, just look at your beautiful pet.

Meet Axle - available for adoption with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue in Tampa Bay, Florida - he is currently looking for a foster and/or a forever home.

Sitting tall with those beautiful light brown eyes.

Laying down was a challenge for Axle - he would lay down and then almost immediately roll over. This time we were able to get him to lay down and look over his shoulder.

And in case you wanted to see his entire body he did a great job of sitting for us. It's hot here in Florida and Axle was hanging his tongue out for more of our photo session.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Floppy Ears Photography is the home of cheeky and cheerful Sydney pet photography by Lyndall Hord and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Doors

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's Pet Photography theme is "Doors" and I took a little different approach than I originally planned. While visiting a friend that is currently fostering a dog, one of her dogs came out and is shy around new people. She almost immediately ran out the doggie door - hence these photographs are Valerie looking at us from outside the doggie door. The frame of the doggie door is showing in this photograph as Valerie stands outside wondering exactly what that is aimed at her (the camera scared her almost as much as people she didn't know in her house).

Eventually Valerie got a little closer to the doggie door (and came in after I put the camera down).

So this is Valerie - a rescue that was adopted by her foster parents - she is now a Maxx and Me Pet Rescue alumni. (www.maxxandme.org) . A little more cropping and we have a wonderful portrait of Valerie that was taken through the doggie door of her home.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Floppy Ears Photography by Lyndall Hord is the home of cheeky and cheerful pet photography in Sydney and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Blue sky

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is "Blue Sky" and it comes when we here in central Florida have had a ton of rain. No kidding, we have had enough rain to fill a 5 gallon bucket in about 10 days - that's probably about 15 inches of rain - and no idea when it's going to rain - not like the normal late afternoon rains we usually have. Of course that came on the end of a month long dry spell - so we needed it. But, with rain, there is no blue sky. It's either gray, overcast, stormy or anything you can imagine but blue sky!

Since it rained most of the night, we managed to get some sunny skies that gave us a little blue sky mixed with clouds. A lot of places are under water, or at least mud which don't make for good photographs particularly if you want a mud free dog. I took Ollie and Rue to the playground in the middle of the day when the children are not out playing and got a few photographs of them with blue skies.

Rue decided that she would join Ollie - so we got a little sister photograph here of the 'twins' as all the people seeing us walk together have started calling them (we call them the 'puppies' because they are smaller than our big dogs even thought they are fast closing in on their 2nd birthday).

Ollie laying on top of a picnic table while I got low to the ground to include blue skies behind her.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Operation War Dog at Advantage Pet Center, Largo, Florida

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 23:30:08 GMT

On Saturday, Jim and I had the pleasure of photographing this event at a local pet center, Advantage Pet Center. We met MWD Damon - he is a retired German Shepherd who served several tours before retiring after being injured (he was not injured in the line of duty). Damon was born on 15 August 2009 and began active duty on 10 August 2011. His specialty while serving is Detection. Oh, in case you're wondering, Damon was in the Air Force. He has been retired for a couple of years and now lives with his human, "Dog".

Damon received a number of medals during his service, but only wore one to this event because it would have been to hot and heavy to wear all of them. He saved many human lives by sniffing out explosives during his service.

Damon loves his ball, he found it at the event in the play yard and was very protective keeping it close by.

Another member of the K9 Heroes is this young lady poodle. She visited and represented the K9 Heroes.

Thank you for serving our country Damon - we appreciate it!

Thank you Dog for adopting Damon after he completed his years of service.

Thank you Barbara and your supporters at the event for supporting the war dogs through K9 Rescue.

If you're interested in more information about these organizations please take a few minutes to look at these links.

http://www.uswardogs.org/ <-- US War Dog Association

http://www.k9wardogadvocates.com/ <-- K-9 War Dog Advocates - Bring them home too!

or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/k9wardogadvocates/

Pet Photography with the color Yellow

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 31 May 2019 08:00:00 GMT

Wow, we have been busy doing a lot of dog photography lately as we head into the 'dog days of summer' when a lot of outdoors in hot and we watch the temperatures for our furry friends to make sure they don't overheat. This week, I had Rue snuggle with my yellow hoodie sweatshirt and she actually stayed put! That's an accomplishment for Rue - she is the one that always says "Nope, not staying!".

We started out with a simple, let's snuggle in the color yellow....it's the middle of a hot Florida afternoon, all the dogs are into snoozing inside in the air conditioning. Rue appears to be wondering what I am doing and why she is snuggled with my hoodie.

Rolling over, she is getting sleepy in the middle of my photo shoot....

Well, she's asleep - I guess the middle of the afternoon is NOT the time to ask my dogs to do anything other than snooze.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photography and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Photographer's Choice

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 10 May 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This past week we hosted our first fundraiser for Maxx and Me Pet Rescue (https://www.maxxandme.org) at Advantage Pet Center in Largo, Florida (http://advantagepetcenter.com) and it was a wonderful experience meeting so many dogs - all different - and all fun bundles of fur to photograph.

Today, we photographed another group of dogs for Maxx and Me Pet Rescue - and we met some wonderful dogs. This sweet little girl is a medium size dog, very friendly and very interested in food - I told her we like to work with one simple rule. In exchange for a little modelling, we will give you some yummy food (and if you don't like that, we can give you a bunch of attention!).

As you can tell from her photographs, she was very willing to do a little modeling for us. Over the years of photographing dogs, I have learned several different sounds that often times will give the 'head tilt' that so many people find cute.

Most of the time when I make the 'weird noises' it's just the dog and us photographers - there aren't foster parents, teachers, and others watching - but this time I had a few watching us work with the dogs. One person actually asked what class taught all the noises to attract the dogs - that's the point when you realize that you're really working with the dog and not really paying attention to those around you!

If you're interested in adopting Coco, contact Maxx and Me Pet Rescue at maxxandme.org - you never know if a share on facebook or on some other social media might just be the ticket for a dog getting their forever home.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Dogs with People - behind the scenes of a photo shoot

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 03 May 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's theme for Pet Photography is "Dogs with People". In my blog this week, I took a different approach than many people might take - I am showing photographs that show how a person (in this case, my other half) handles the dog while I am doing the photographs. I'll admit that he is much better at handling our dogs for photos than I am - so it works better this way - they just listen to him better (or maybe they just know they can't get away with as much). Either way, here's some photographs that show you the before (with a person) and the after (without the person).

Initially out of the camera, Abby is standing on the bottom of a slide with leash and Jim hanging onto her. We pull the leash up and away from the body to make it easier to remove the leash. Often times I also take a photograph of the scene without anything in it to make an easier removal job of objects not wanted in the final photograph.

Without a person.

The final photograph cropped in and final adjustments have been made.

Now Abby is the best when it comes to doing various things for photographs - it's like she knew that was going to be her role in our dog family. We have several other dogs as well - Ollie is the next best model. Rue is definitely the one that just doesn't want to do it - it shows in her 'dog with person' photographs.

It's a rainy week day up on the Suwannee River - no one is around. Let's see if we can get Rue to do a "Sit - Stay" command (Rue has a mind of her own and doesn't want to work for the treats). Jim is simply bending over Rue and Rue is sitting there like she has been disciplined.

Jim steps away just outside the frame. Well, she still doesn't look relaxed, but at least we got something!

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Play Time

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week the theme is "play time" and with that said, these types of photographs are typically snapshots when I take them. They are the times that perhaps you want to remember, but they aren't the posed portrait type photographs. I believe that for our dogs, happy time is anytime that they are with us - it doesn't matter if they are laying at my feet on the floor while I am on the computer, snuggled up with us in the bed or out playing - just being with us makes them happy. Having said that, there are a few other times I know they are happy! Play time is when they are free to run around and do what they want.

Jimbo is my senior dog and as a former Bahamas street dog trying to survive, he didn't learn a lot of 'play' skills. He still will run some with other dogs, but now just prefers to hang with the humans. Jimbo when he was a bit younger and still loved running with other dogs.

A game of chase is always fun.

When Abby was younger, she played well with other dogs - now, as she matured she mostly plays with her pack at home. Loved the pool at the dog park, but can't get her to play in one at home!

If you tell Abby it's time to go before she is ready.....

Abby loves running (with her 'cousin' Korra).

Most recently, I think they all find 'play time' when we go up to the Suwannee river property and they can run free on the acre of property. Jimbo has had that privilege for a number of years having shown that he is a responsible senior dog. Abby, Ollie and Rue just got this privilege earlier this year after having shown they will stay close and return immediately when called. What does this amount to? Play time without leashes, fences, etc.

So there you have it, happy time with the 'Perdue-Vargas' clan of dogs!

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Sugar Sand Festival - Clearwater Beach (Pier 60) 2019

(VP Shoots Photography) — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 13:25:37 GMT

The Sugar Sand Festival is currently happening at Clearwater Beach! The sculptures created by a talented team of artists are quite amazing - the event ends on April 28th - so you still have time to go - but beware that the traffic getting to Clearwater beach will make for a slow ride and a search for parking. The sculptures themselves are under a tent (protected from wind, rain, and sun). It's bright out there - sunglasses will make the trek on the beach more enjoyable for sure (I forgot mine) - once under the tent, no issues.

Clearwater Beach has soft, sugary and white sand, hence the name "Sugar Sand" - the festival is officially called the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival. The sand is made primarily of quartz crystal and contains minimal shells and/or coral which gives the sugary feel to the sand. The sand sculptors are varied - some coming from Clearwater/Tampa while others come from Russia and Belguim. The sign at the event indicates 17 artists created these sculptures (minus those on 'college wall').

As you enter the covered tent, you begin to see sculptures that are larger than you! The amazing detail, the hours put into their creation, its a bit overwhelming.

A portion of the Australia sculpture.

Closeup of the penguins in the Antarctica sculpture.

A huge alligator! The head alone is probably 2-3 feet long.

Tribute to Notre Dame.

Near the end of all the sculpture, this sculpture artist (looks like the one that lives in Clearwater, Florida) is quietly working with the sand. Tools include brushes, dry wall tools, dental tools - things for the large details as well as the small details.

That's it for this blog post. For more photos, click this link to view the gallery. Sand Festival Photo Gallery

Paying the model - Snack time in Pet Photography

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's theme is 'snack time' which can be rather fun at my household of four dogs. I've taught them all they must sit - but they all know the door those snacks are hiding behind. Sometimes Jimbo will go to the cabinet door and look at you, other times you sit in the chair closest to the snack cabinet and he tries to get you to give him a snack - and heaven forbid you use the words "Do you want a snack?" and they all four come running! Abby is the best, sits right away, the girls will sit as long as it takes to get a snack and they are off running with their stack - Jimbo waits for his, gently takes it and goes to his spot - Abby has inhaled hers and is trying to see if she can get seconds! Without photos, that's what the snack time routine is at our house - but what about a dog photo session?

I almost always carry some snacks (dog snacks) with me when photographing dogs. One time I actually forgot them and stopped on the way to the shoot to buy some. I used to keep them in my camera backpack all the time, that way either my dog (Jimbo) or the dog being photographed would have snacks when out shooting. Then along came Abby with her hound nose and that habit had to stop for fear of having my camera backpack chewed up while she happily got the dog snacks.

While some dogs are not food motivated, I have found that they like rewards for their part of the hard work. My little Ollie started modeling at the age of about 10 weeks and now she is so good at it that when I set up the studio, she is waiting to jump in and be the perfect model (Abby is willing, but you gotta ask - with snacks of course!).

I met Landon this past week - he is a beautiful dog, but has a lot of energy, loves to jump 4' fences and in general is a great dog but he keeps trying to get a senior dog involved in activities, and well - it's not going that good, so he is looking for a new home. Landon was very happy to be at a new park with lots of smells - at first, he was all ready to walk that trail, check out the park, but not much interest in having photos taken. One glance at the camera and Landon backed away - not sure what to think of this whole thing. Out come the snacks. Landon was won over by putting a snack on the lens hood of my camera. He at least thought that the camera was ok, while still leary, after getting a couple of snacks off it.

Now for a head tilt, it required a noise, snacks didn't work - yep, those really goofy noises we learn to make to attract dogs.

Now, after I get the head tilt photo, I give the snack. And the next photo he almost looks like he is about to say something and got stopped? Or maybe he just didn't expect what was happening and it caught him off guard.

It didn't take long before Landon's desire to check out his surroundings over powered any snacks or noises I could make and we called it a wrap on this photo shoot - but he was a great boy and loved the little jerky snacks while posing.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Bluebirds at the community garden

(VP Shoots Photography) — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 13:05:19 GMT

Bluebirds are a common site in our neighborhood now - I don't recall seeing them a decade ago, but in the last few years they are everywhere - you just have to take the time to look. Our community garden seems to be a favorite for them - perhaps the vegetables help to provide a source of critters they like to eat. I had a couple of baby bluebirds in my bird house and the parents were busy feeding them on a 10-15 minute schedule - perfect time to set up the camera and hang out waiting for them to return with the goods for the little ones.

It was interesting that the female bird (not as bright blue as the male) would come in from the east side, kept an eye on me, then flew into the birdhouse. While the male (brighter blue) would come in from the west side, more leary of me than she was, and flew into the birdhouse. Perhaps they had different areas they went to find food, but for the time period I watched (about 2 hours), they were pretty consistent. It was interesting to see what kinds of animals they brought back - each time appeared to be something different - the female brought back a spider the first time.

Flying into the bird house purchased at Wild birds unlimited on Dale Mabry in Carrollwood (suburb of Tampa, Florida).

The male came in next landing on top of the bird house and eyeing me to see if that camera was a issue or not. Looks like he brought back a cricket.

In the house we go to drop off the food for the hungry little ones (there were two in the house).

Time to go back out again and find another insect.

Missed the female coming back (got distracted) so I caught the male coming back again. He again landed on top of the bird house, this time with a caterpillar of some type. Circled around to the front of the house.

A quick stop to look at where the noise was coming from (the camera shutter).

And then into the house to feed the little ones. This goes on for hours when the young are just about to leave the nest. I was there watching for the better part of two hours. These little birds have now left the nest and I'll have to wait for this cycle to start again. Usually they build about 2 to 3 nests each season and this is the first one this year - so I'll see when they return to start it over again - in the mean time I'll clean it up nicely so they can start again with a new nest as that's what I hear they prefer (no used nests for these birds).

Pet Photography - Removing the Leash

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's pet photography theme is about removing the leash from the final photograph. As a good portion of my dog photography is with rescue dogs, often they are on leashes - either to keep them from running away or to help keep them in a specific area for purposes of photographing. I always try to have an assistant when the dogs are leashed as it helps to have the leash held such that it does not cross the dog's body. My preference is to have the leash held above the head away from the body, not tight such that it pulls on the collar - and if possible, no harness (more to remove and sometimes left on the dog in the final photograph).

These two handsome dogs were fostered by a friend of ours and eventually became part of their household. Finding someone to adopt a 'bonded pair' is not an easy task and in this case, Nic and Cord were bonded.

Here's the original photograph with leashes. The dog on the left has his leash pretty tight, pulling the little metal ring straight out. Notice that the leashes are away from the dog's body and does not cross the body or legs/feet.

Here's the final photograph. Notice that the leash and the metal ring were removed from the photo.

Here's another example. First, the photograph as it was taken.

The final photograph.

In order to make these post processing changes, I use Adobe Photoshop. Within Photoshop, I use the 'content aware' to remove a good portion of the leash and then some of the clone stamp to remove the remainder portions that are close to the dog.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Colleen of Simply Col Photography - for the love of photography and pound pups and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme Bridge

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 15:56:58 GMT

This week's post is a little late - we have been away in rural Florida where internet isn't very 'available'. Go figure - yes, there are places you can go and except for your phone, you don't have internet and even then - well, it's sketchy as to whether or not you will have cell phone service. Sometimes that's just what you need - get away! Needless to say, I was able to take the photographs for this post, but I wasn't able to write the blog and share them with anyone - so, I'm late and didn't make the 'blog circle' this week.

We visited Ivey Memorial Park in Brandford, Florida on a rainy, overcast day - but we were all itching to get out and do something - so off we went. This bridge in the background is Highway 27 going over the Suwannee River in Branford, Florida.

The entire 'pack' was with us travelling and each took a turn. First up was Abby. Abby is definitely pretty good at the whole modelling thing of sitting where you want and paying attention - but of course, there is a little snack (treat/cookie) that I am holding just above the camera lens. It always helps to 'pay' your models!

Next up was Rue. This isn't my favorite photograph of her - but I have to say that she is difficult! I have more photos of her trying to sneak away, walk away, crawl away (thankfully not run away) but not any that really do this little girl who is always of the mindset "I am going to do what I want to do". As a result, we will be working a lot more on the "Sit - Stay" commands as that's something she definitely fails at. Nipped her paw off, but it's the best I was able to get of her.

Our easiest model is Ollie - some how, she just gets it. If you ask her to 'stand here' it's like "Ok, right here?". Of these three dogs, I had to clone out the leash on Abby and Rue. Ollie, well, she is good and there was no leash on her (we also had this park to ourselves on this rainy week day).

Our senior dog, Jimbo, was there as well but he wasn't about to go out on the rock. He did however take a minute to look at the camera for me - here's a headshot of Jimbo. He doesn't seem to like his photo taken anymore - so I couldn't get him to perk up his ears but at least I can remember that he sat there patiently waiting while we got photos of the rest of the gang.

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Lynda Mowat from Heartstrings Photography, based in Hamilton New Zealand and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme Portraits

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 08:00:00 GMT

This week's theme for Pet Photography is 'portraits'. If I google the 'official' definition of the word portrait, this is what it says: "a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders". A portrait is defined as essentially being the head and shoulders. A head portrait for a dog will usually include to just below the collar or maybe a little more/less depending on your individual preference.

For the 'techies' out there here's a little information on the studio setup used for this portrait. The background is a fluffy white blanket hanging from a couple of background stands. The lighting on my left (the dog's right) is provided by an AD200 strobe inside of a 34" beauty dish (both purchased at Adorama). I also have a gold/silver reflector on my right (the dog's left) to fill in some of the shadows by bouncing some of the light back into the dog.

Same lighting as above, just allowing the left side of Ollie's face to be more in shadow.

In my household, when Ollie decides she will do the modeling job, Rue (her sister) always gets jealous. Rue is a hard one to get good photographs of - she was like that the day I met her at about 10 weeks old and she is just a few months shy of 2 years old now - same little girl with a mind of her own. Rue did finally listen and 'stay' allowing this photograph to be captured. This isn't true to the definition of a 'portrait'.

However, cropping this photograph to be 'just a head portrait' doesn't look as good (to me) because her hind legs are still partially in the photograph. Perhaps you have some thoughts?

For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to visit Terri J Photography, Creating images that capture the unique spirit and personality of your pets and the people that love them, serving Toronto and Southeast Florida and then head around the rest of the blog circle.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Theme 'Green'

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 08:00:00 GMT

As we approach St. Patrick's Day, this week's Pet Photography theme is "Green". This weekend they will do the annual 'river of green' in downtown Tampa - it's a sight to see for sure (but will occur to late for this blog post). We have a nearby park that is a sea of green ferns growing wild. It was the perfect opportunity to let Abby pose and show off her many different 'dog faces'.

Here's a few photographs from this shoot - I've since learned that Abby has a lot of different faces to share, just look at her ears and you'll see a wonder of expressions of which a few are captured here.

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

Pet Photography - Depth of Field - to blur or not to blur the background

(VP Shoots Photography) — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT

This week's Pet Photography theme is "Depth of Field". That's a photography term, not necessarily a term that everyone is familiar with. You know that wonderful soft blur of color that is behind your subject? That's created by choosing the correct 'depth of field'. Wikipedia defines 'depth of field' as "the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image".

The depth of field is determined several different factors - the focal length, the distance to your subject, and aperture (f-stop). Let's take a quick look at each of these. The focal length is determined by the lens on your camera. The wider the angle (say 12mm) the more depth of field - in the case of 12mm, just about everything will be in focus regardless of your aperture. The more telephoto the angle (say 200mm) the less depth of field - in the case of 200mm, a small percentage of everything in your viewfinder (or lcd) will be in focus regardless of your aperture.

ISO 200, 56mm, f/5.6, 1/160s - Fergie with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue

The distance to your subject - the closer you are to your subject, the more blur will occur outside of your focal point. This is why often it is hard to get the entire flower in focus if you are filling the frame with the flower. The same holds true if you are filling the frame with your pet's face - you'll have to decide - do I focus on the eye? or the nose? because they won't both be in focus.

ISO 200, 32mm, f/5.6, 1/160s - really close! shooting down on a fairly large dog and I'm only 5'5" - Fergie with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue

The last part of this triangle is the aperture (f-stop). If the background behind your subject is a soft blur, then a shallow (wide open) depth of field was used by the photographer. If everything is in focus - subject and background - that's usually an indication of a large (stop down) depth of field. Now, this particular concept often throws new photographers into a confused state. If I use a depth of field of 2.8, that's a wide open (shallow) depth of field - right? And if I use a depth of field of 8, that's 'average' and a depth of field of 22, that's called 'stopping down' for a large depth of field - right? That seems backwards....2.8 is wide open? but 22 is stopped down?

ISO 100, 36mm f/16, 1/160s - Snow with Maxx and Me Pet Rescue - wide angle on focal length and small depth of field (f/16)

I always like to think of the numbers related to depth of field as a piece of pie (or a fraction). If I have 1/8 of the pie, then I have more of the pie than if I get 1/22 of the pie right? So, if the aperture is set to 8, then more light is coming into the camera lens than if the aperture is set to 22. But, enough of the technical stuff - you can read about this all over the internet and there are many great articles out there that explain this. In fact, you might have others in this Pet Photography blog circle that will give great information on what depth of field is all about. What does it really mean when you take a photograph? It all comes down to - what's in focus or not in your photograph. Historically, the cameras on phones have not been able to do this (or not well), but I see that they are making strides in this area - so soon.....

Let's say you're ready to take some photographs of your dog - some decisions need to be considered as you approach this. How much of the dog do I want in focus? How sharp (or blurred) do I want the background? And the last decision is probably how close will you be to your dog?

This week I met several dogs looking for their forever homes. Chip was the first of four dogs we photographed.

Chip is a high energy, possibly Australian shepherd mix who was absolutely a joy to spend time photographing. This photograph was taken at f/8, 62mm - with Chip about 10-12 feet from the fence behind him and I am standing a few feet from Chip. See that wonderful blur behind Chip? That's all about depth of field.

In the next photograph, Chip is much closer to the fence, I am further away from Chip to get his entire body. This photograph taken at f/10, 70mm does not have the same soft blur because the aperture is in the 'average' range (f/8-f/14) and Chip is sitting closer to the fence (4-5 feet) - less distance between dog and fence coupled with an average aperture gives us more details behind the dog.

When taking action photographs, I find it is best to have at least an average depth of field because this helps to ensure that if you are slightly off on the focus spot, hopefully I'll still have a sharp dog. Also, action photos of animals require a faster shutter speed and often I don't get to close but rather crop in on the final photograph to give more depth of field by not being close to the subject. This photo was taken at 70mm, f/7.1, 1/2000s and was cropped.

Our second dog, is Perdita - a short legged momma dog who was a little shy during her photography session. Perdita didn't know what to make of all these people in the play yard with her (4 people, 3 new ones with cameras!). This shy lady gave us some wonderful expressions, but many were all about "Who are these people?" and what exactly is going on. Her portrait shows a wonderful blur of grass in the background (no blades are sharp, just a sea of blurry green). Getting in close using your feet, the camera lens set at 52mm, f/10 (average aperture, but getting close to the subject is another way to create a blurry background).

This photograph is at f/14 - showing a lot more detail in the grass surrounding Perdita as she poses for her photo.

Our third dog is Prince - Prince is a purebreed Pit Bull - and we won him over with snacks (treats/cookies). Once Prince knew all the new people had goodies, it was all about - what do you want me to do? I often see people shoot down on dogs like this image - while not my favorite pose, it's often done since that is how people 'see' their dogs. 56mm, f/5.6, 1/250s - this is a slightly shallower depth of field than some of the other photographs - you can see that Prince's head (eyes) are in focus, yet his nose and body are softer and the ground around him is a gentle blur of grass and leaves. Since I am pointing the camera down at Prince, the camera to subject distance is pretty close (a couple of feet at best) causing less of the overall subject to be in focus. Poor Prince was dropped off for boarding and his family never came back for him - that was 2 years ago - he has been looking for a new home for a long time. In the meantime, the wonderful people at Advantage Pet Center in Largo, Florida have given him a home at their facility - hopefully soon, Prince will find that perfect person to bring him home!

Our last dog, Cindy, is a muscular, playful bull dog mix - all white with pink ears - she was full of energy to share with us. This photograph shows Cindy running along the steps with beautiful blurred grass behind her created by a combination of focal length and average aperture. 82mm (short telephoto), f/6.7 and to stop the action, 1/1500s shutter speed. Cindy is available from Advantage Pet Center in Largo, Florida. Hopefully this beautiful girl will find a home soon!

That's it for this week's depth of field blog - keep in mind these basics when photographing your dog (cat, or pet).

If you would like to book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call/text at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Florida).

VP Shoots Photography: Blog

Waterrock Knob Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway

Letting go, memories after your dog (pet) crosses the Rainbow Bridge

Losing your best friend - Find a support group

Create a memorial, print photographs and put them on your wall

Animal Communication - after you lose your pet

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Happiness is....spending time with your fur kids (aka, dogs)

Blogging with Pet Photographers

What kind of dogs are they?

What Kind of dog do you have?

Meet Abby

Meet Ollie (formerly known as Irma) and Rue

Rue - the toughest puppy of all 4 to photograph!

Ollie - the easiest of the puppies to photograph

Growing up - Abby became a beautiful hound dog

Growing up - Rue and Ollie remain very close

DNA Results for my dogs

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Tampa's Riverwalk is dog friendly!

Rescue dogs enjoying a day out on the Tampa Riverwalk

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Photography session with a large dog named Buck

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Dog friendly lakes, Western North Carolina

Tsali Trailhead - Bike, Hiking, Horse Trails

Jack rabbit Trailhead - Hiking and Bicycling

Jack Rabbit Bicycle Trails locationJack Rabbit Bicycle Trails location

Blogging with Pet Photographers

A walk at dog-friendly Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida

More about Lettuce Lake Park:

Blogging with Pet Photographers

St. Patrick's day dress up for the dogs

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Photographing for local pet rescue

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Number one reason to have photographs taken with your pet

#1 Reason to have a photograph with your pets

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Dog Photography, People Photography, Wedding Photography - a look back at the year 2021

Meet Honey

More Photography

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Holiday Pet Portraits with dogs

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Fall Pet Photographs with two special dogs looking for their forever home

Salem

Smokey

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Silhouettes in dog photography

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Memories of your pet - whether it be when they are young or a senior

MAGGIE

DOLLY

JIMBO

So – what are YOUR special memories?

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

A walk in Eureka Springs Park, Tampa, Florida

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

What to expect at your Pet Photography session

Step 1 - Introductions

Step 2 - Dog meets camera

Step 3 - Dog becomes model

A couple of key points to keep in mind

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Thinking about professional pet photographs?

Initial Inquiry

Dogs

Inquiry and Consultation Example

Blogging with Pet Photographers

Interested in a Pet Photography Session?

Photographing big mutts (those large mixed breed dogs we all love)

Blogging with Pet Photographers

How I pick a location to photograph dogs

Key Point #1 - The location must be dog friendly!

Key Point #2 - Accessibility

Key Point #3 - Shaded areas

The boardwalk

Fall Color along the water's edge