The Bostons: Peep and Chelsea

I love the story of why Peeps and Chelsea got their portraits taken. Today, Joe [the bostons uncle] will be marrying the Lovely Anne. Joe's sister will be in the wedding as an attendant.

So, last week Joe snuck these two little charmers in for a portrait to give his sister as a thank you for being in the wedding. Is Joe the sweetest brother/guy ever? Anne, I think you got a good one.

Congratulations Joe and Anne!

I am a sucker for a sweet story AND Chelsea's sweet smile [really adorable!]

We are so flattered!

We were nominated for "Best Pet Photography Studio in San Diego" by the A-List. This is so cool.


We have voted for and commented about businesses that we like in the past. We had no idea that it would be so wonderful to hear people saying those nice things about us. [link]

We want every client to leave our studio feeling like the photographs are even better than they expected.We have been pushing ourselves lately to streamline our ordering and delivery process as well as raise the bar on our portraits. We are always on the look out for ways to improve every aspect of our customers experience. It is great to know our efforts are appreciated.

So to all the folks that have taken the time to sign-up and vote we want to say thanks! It really means a lot. [boy, you would think we just won an Oscar!]

THOR... Archer's Little [?] Brother

Thor is the little brother of Archer. He is anything BUT little. Thor is an Italian Mastiff. He is big, cuddly and has a really beautiful coat. I can't decide which is my favorite part of Thor, the swirly fur on his neck or the amazing color of his eyes.

You will see Thor as one of the dogs featured on the new OMD splash page.

Okay, so this brings me to an age old question. Why don't I have a dog named after a Norse God? [although besides THOR, most of the Norse God names sound more like Elf names]

The point being, why is it so hard to think of great dog names when you get a new dog?

This week has been a treasure trove of wonderful dog names. My personal favorite being a pug named Meatball! Meatball, really genius. [We should be caught up enough to blog him by Thursday]

Now, I don't really see our Gus living up to a name like Thor, but we might have gone a bit further afield. One fine feature of the canine class is that you can always give them nicknames.

Gus' Nicknames [in no particular order]

Gusmus P. YumYumHead [Mike and I argue over what the P. stands for]
Augustus [when he is in trouble]
Gustav
Merry Gusmas [seasonal]
Baby Shnooks [Mike uses this, Me...not so much]
and of course....Bug

That is the great thing about dogs, they are very flexible. They just want to hear you call their name, whatever it is.

Tina

What a charming dog! She super model material ALL THE WAY!

Dachshunds come in a variety of sizes and coats and an even larger variety of dispositions. Well, Miss Tina is the "lovely disposition" variety, to my delight.

I had a very, very difficult time selecting just one pictures from this shoot. Here it is.








Okay, So I picked 2. It was hard to decide!

Archer aka #J507

This is Archer. She is a Belgian Shepard. Similar to a German Shepard but a bit smaller and sleeker [is that a word?] Archer was originally bred to be a military dog. This is why she has a "Tough Girl" Tattoo J507 in her left ear. She was Adopted by Trainers Rob and Erin Jewell of Sit Means Sit. So in addition to being gorgeous she is stunningly well trained.

Charity Kickball!

the OH MY DOG! Free Agents

BIG NEWS!!!! This year OH MY DOG! Photography will be sponsoring a fund raising coed kickball team. Not just any team either, we will be sponsoring the Encinitas Free Agents.

This will be the team's fourth illustrious season and this time playing for a good cause. Each run will raise money to benefit The Rancho Coastal Humane Society!

When
Monday Nights starting August 25th [Download Complete Schedule]

Monday August 25th 6:15
Monday September 8th 6:15
Monday September 15th 7:15
Monday September 22th 7:15
Monday September 29th 8:15
Monday October 6th 7:15 *
Monday October 13th BYE Week *
Monday October 20th 8:15
Monday October 27th 6:15 [Halloween Costume Game! You won't want to miss this]
{*NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGES!}

November 3rd & 10th Championship TBA

Where
Paul Ecke Sports Park | 278 Saxony Road Encinitas , CA 92024.
Right off the Encinitas Blvd Exit [Map Link]
Pets welcome!

How can you help?

Pledge: We will be accepting pledges for each run the team scores. You can pledge a little as a dollar per run. Last year the team scored about 20 runs. Any amount will help.

Email us with your pledge | info@ohmydogphoto.com

Your donation is tax deductible. You will receive a Donation receipt directly from RCHS. 100% of your pledge amount goes to Rancho Coastal Humane Society.

Please forward this blog to anyone you think might want to donate.
Our goal is $5000, one run at a time!

Call | 760.479.0553
Email | info@ohmydogphoto.com
Mail or Stop by the Studio | 766 South Coast Highway Encinitas, CA 92024 [Map]

Cheer: We love the support. Come out and cheer for the team and the dogs. The beautiful late summer nights at the ball park are wonderful. And it's pet friendly free!

We are so excited about this charity all we can say is....Go FREE AGENTS!!!!!!!!!!!

Benefiting the Rancho Coastal Humane Society

And the winner is...

We are ready to announce who won the drawing for a free portrait session. We had such an overwhelming response that we have decided to select 3 lucky winners.

They are....



Becca Pelton
Kelley Mcallister
Amy Carnahan

Congratulations! We will be contacting you to schedule your session and receive your free portrait.

Remember, portrait sessions start at $75 and include a FREE matted 8x10. So, even if you didn't win you can't lose getting precious memories of your pet!


Gus was disappointed to learn that a lack of opposable thumbs made drawing the names virtually impossible. We stepped in and drew for him.

Cardiff Doggie Days

What a busy weekend! We spent Saturday in our booth at the Cardiff Dog Days of Summer. We we out there promoting Our Kickball Charity. We met so many nice people and amazing dogs!

We did a little shopping too. I skipped the Paul Mitchell Dog Wipes however.

We met Hazel the Boston. I won't lie, we are a tad partial to Boston Terriers. Hazel is a real doll!

We enjoyed the dog contests. I can't wait to meet the winners, each of whom won a portrait session from us!



Gus spent most of the day acting like a stubborn toddler refusing to sleep because there was too much fun going on. He finally fell asleep on the fuzzy table cloth on the table in our booth.



Long day for a little guy.

Stay tuned for tomorrow. We will be announcing the winner of the portrait drawing.

Good luck everyone!

Instant

I love Polaroids.


I was saddened earlier this year to learn that Polaroid will suspend manufacturing of the instant film.

I remember the first time I saw a Polaroid picture. I was at Lake Tahoe as a little girl and a friend of my Mom's had a new camera. This was the type of Polaroid you pulled, peeled and then shook [whether it needed it or not]. I was smitten!

I am sorry that my kids will never really appreciate the magic of an instant picture. They have never known anything but instant pictures, instant everything in fact. They could not conceive a world where you call someone and if they are not home, you must wait and call back later. No text, no cell phones, no answering machines, you must simply wait. This "waiting for things" is what made instant film so exciting.

Now, I am admittedly pretty easily amused. Cellphones, Remote controls and GPS all seem like miracles to me. So it is little wonder that I am still so enamored with spectacle of Polaroid.

Mike and I decided on Polaroid pictures for our wedding. I have pictures of the kids, my childhood friends and crazy teenage parties all recorded in that distinctive, strangely contrasty and off color style. A few years ago I took and then taught a class on different techniques to elevate the Polaroid to an art form. There are some amazing artist doing unbelievably beautiful artwork with Polaroids. For me though, the draw was the instant gratification.

So, yesterday when I excavated an unopened pack of film from the studio while cleaning up, I could not resist a last chance to add our newest family member to our not so instant life.

Faita

Faita a stunningly beautiful dog. We seem to have had a lot of bull breeds and shaggy dogs lately it was fun to have a sleek and streamlined dog. What a beautiful color! She is still quite young and she did such a great job during the shoot. Take a look. She has a wonderful smile!

3 "dog days of summer" vacation ideas

As the dog days of summer drag on and the heat increases, we started looking for some cool getaways. There are many dog friendly locations and accommodations available, here are some ideas.

1. Peace and Natural Beauty - Sea Ranch

Summer is the perfect time to visit the north coast of California. Most of the year this beautiful landscape and rugged coastline can be a bit chilly. Summer days, however drift between the high 60s and low 70s, perfect! Sea Ranch is 30 miles north of Jenner on the Sonoma Coast.

They offer dog beds, homemade dog treats, filtered water and miles of dog friendly beaches and trails. I must admit that the lawn and Adirondack chairs look about perfect for Mike, Gus, Myself and a glass of wine.




2. Luxury Resort - Loews Resort Coronado

Located on beautiful Coronado Island just across the bay from San Diego is the wonderful resort that brings us the Loews Coronado Bay Surf Dog Competition each June. The resort is lovely. It is surrounded by water with sweeping views. They offer loads of pet extras, including pet room service.

My favorite feature is the onsite Coronado Surf Academy that offers Doggie Surfing Lessons. How cool is that?!

3. Casual Adventure - The Russian River

The russian river has long been a summer get away destination. Towns like Monte Rio, Guerneville and Rio Nido offer vacation cabins, many of which are dog friendly.

Canoeing on the river in late summer is a mellow, wonderful way to spend a day. The river is reasonably shallow and slow moving in most spots. Perfect for Fido. Much of the year you will find wild blackberries growing along the shore. A great exuse to make stop on the river edge and have a picnic.

Wine Tasting. Online lists of dog friendly wineries in the Sonoma, Napa, Russian River and Alexander Valleys abound. I recommend calling ahead to see exactly what "pet friendly" means at each winery. Some wineries offer cool, green lawn areas for enjoying cheese platters and sipping wines in the shade. Yes please! [golly, we sound like winos]

Hiking. A leisurely nature walk is more my speed than a real "hike" [Gus agrees with me]. Either way bring a backpack so you can pack some local wine and lunch then head down to the river or up into the redwoods. You can't go wrong. Don't miss the Armstrong Redwoods State Park.

Be sure to let us know if you take any of these trips or have good doggie trippin' ideas of your own.

We love to hear reader reviews!

Happy Campers

Remember those great summer days at camp? Playing in the water, running around with friends and ropes and obstacle courses. Now your dog can enjoy all this at Camp Run a Mutt.

Camp Run a Mutt is a doggie daycamp Located near downtown in San Diego.

We had the opportunity to to take Gus [our Bostontaius Terrier] to the camp to attend a Doggie Birthday Party and he had SO MUCH FUN! He ran and played and played and played. The folks at the Camp were wonderful, really knowledgeable and it was clear they truly love dogs.

Gus isn't much of a water dog, but he did enjoy sitting next to the the lovely waterfall by the dog pond. I'm not joking here. This place is NICE! Very clean with loads of shade, toys, obstacle courses. You don't have to take my word for it, though. Check out their 4 Camp Cams.

And they offer grooming. What camper comes home smelling better than when they left?!

Gus joins us at the office each day but I see us signing him up for a camp day soon.

Fave Five

Or should I say "Phave Phive" phor the Candid Campers?

It is Photo Phinish Phriday Phiesta at Camp Candid Carrie and I am happy to oblige a request for a favorites gallery. It has been great hearing from the folks on the field trip.

I have picked out five photographs that make me smile every time I see them. That is the litmus test for me. When I see a client smiling as they watch the presentation sideshow after a shoot or I find myself smiling as I edit the images, I know I have given my clients what they came for, a lasting bit of the joy.

Slider
I love this picture. It looks like slider is the the first Australian Shepard to win the British Open. It was done for Interior designers Tim and Linda Arbogast who own Jett Modern.
They had this amazing Union Jack Rug and I think the effect is striking.

Nougat
Nougat lives on a ranch with horses. The saddle was brought in with him from the ranch [the dust is real]. The proud and direct way that Nougat approached the shoot speaks volumes. Something in his wonderful eyes.

Ace
Okay, this is one tough cat! At the time of this shoot he was recovering from a run in with a skunk that involved stitches! I am not going to lie, I was scared of this little kitty. I was told by Alicia, his owner, that he is a mean cat and he will attack anything. So I took a deep breath and faced Ace. This is the first picture from the shoot and I think it represents Ace's feeling about the shoot fairly well. The images came out great and I came away with out a scratch. In this cat fight it is photographers 1/cats 0.

Faita
I am a sucker for a smiling dog. This photo has it all for me. A bold composition, lovely fur, great color and a happy dog. Faita looks like she is just about to say something complimentary. "have you lost weight?" or "is that handbag new? I just love it". In fact, feel free to email or comment your captions.


Gus
I had to include a picture of our very own Gus. This photograph may not have all of the technical merit of most of my photography but I shot it on our daily walk to work and it makes me smile. This image captures the joyful prancing that Gus does all the way to the studio each morning.

And like I said, it's about lasting memories and joy.