Courtney was wearing a beautiful flowing white outfit with flowers in her hair, and had given Red a matching flower collar – I was so excited when they stepped out of the car, and I think it looks fantastic in the photos (Courtney told me she had also considered a pink tutu for Red, but decided against it – cue a very relieved look from Liam…).

All three of them were fantastic models and up for anything despite the high-30s temperature, and when we wrapped up the shoot after an hour and a half, I knew we had managed to capture beautiful memories for Courtney and Liam to enjoy for a long time to come. I would like to say that Red will enjoy them too, but I have a feeling she’ll mostly remember the afternoon as “the one with the lady that kept making weird noises at me but also fed me treats”…

Would you love to have photos like this yourself? Check out my Valentine’s Day Special for couples and their pet!

This beautiful girl is Lumi, a one-year-old Siberian Husky girl. She was surrendered by her previous family, and thanks to SHAMROQ is now looking for a new home.

Lumi is quite tiny for a Siberian Husky, but comes with a big personality. Her new family will ideally have an easygoing medium to large male doggy friend for her, but she will also consider being a solo dog as long as there’s someone home more often than not. Lumi is happiest with company and lots of attention, pats and cuddles.

Let me tell you, this little lady is an absolute superstar. While I was getting ready and setting up my camera for her photos, a small mob gathered around Lumi and her foster carer, to admire and ask questions about the beautiful “wolf”. I think it’s the closest I’ve ever come to photographing a celebrity! And as you can see from the photos, she has her Blue Steel look down pat.

Bonita, her partner Kurt and their boys met me in a beautiful park on a Sunday afternoon, having just rushed back from a getaway weekend in Bryon Bay. And they had big news: Kurt popped the question over the weekend, Bonita said yes, and so I got to photograph Nixon and Cash with their newly engaged parents. Congratulations and all the best, Bonita and Kurt! (You might even be able to spot the ring in a few photos!)

Nixon and Cash are German Shepherd Dogs, and don’t they have the coolest names ever? Nixon is two, and a proud big brother to baby Cash, who is 6 months old and is only just growing into his big ears and paws. As soon as I met them in the parking lot, they greeted me enthusiastically and then went straight for my treat pouch – no wonder GSDs are the preferred bomb and drug sniffing dogs in a K9 unit!

Bonita and Kurt moved to Brisbane from Adelaide not too long ago. In Adelaide, Kurt worked with police dogs, so it’s not a mystery why he loves German Shepherds. And he also clearly picked up some training tips, as Nixon and Cash are very well behaved and adore their parents. Cash did get distracted and dashed off to join a football game that was in progress nearby at one point, but come on! He’s only little, and concentrating is hard work, so surely he deserved a little break, right? ;)

By the end of the afternoon, both the dogs and humans were thoroughly exhausted, which is always a sign of a successful photo session!

Cash has not quite figured out yet that he’s got back legs, so it was hilarious to watch him try to scramble up on the block I asked him to hop on. But look how proud he looks when he finally made it! (Erm.. we might have helped a bit!)

I love how you can see both of their matching tags in this one:

Next up in the blog circle is Pavlina Sanborn Photography, go check out what she has come up with for this theme, and then keep clicking the links until you end up back here.

Next up in the blog circle is Black Newf Photography, Portland, Oregon, check out what she has come up with for this week’s theme and keep clicking through until you end up back here :)

His mom Anya had the good sense to wear him out a bit before I got there, so when I started to take photos, he had burnt off some of the crazy kitten energy and was a beautiful and cooperative model. Jax is playful and cuddly and sweet and even lets you pet his soft spotty belly for a little while before trapping you in what I call the “Kitty Death Grip” ;)

The Sunday of the photo shoot was a particularly hot day in sunny Queensland, too hot even for Jax and us to go outside for fear of burning his paws (and our feet) on the patio. So we did the photos inside the house and kept Jax cool with lots of water, cold wet paper towels and even a short exploration in the open fridge (psst, don’t tell Dad!).

When you invite a kitten into your home, you bring indoors something slightly wild, often unpredictable and always entertaining. – Barbara L. Diamond

For the last week, I’ve been racking my brain and trying to think of something clever for this topic. After a while, I came up with the idea of photographing Chase in midst of all his toys (trust me, he has LOTS) – toys are fun, right? So I gathered all his balls and ropes and stuffed toys, sat him down in the middle, and took a few photos. But somehow, the concept of joy didn’t really come across at all. So I thought about it a bit more – what IS joy to me?

The answer was ridiculously easy. Chase’s big smile. His furry ears that flop as he walks next to me.

A lot of the time, the simplest solution is the best one, and the little things matter most. Not to get philosophical, but while I was trying to think of ways to be clever and incorporate lots of props, I missed what was actually important and the truest interpretation of joy. So I just put Chase in front of the sunshine-yellow wall in my dining room, promised him yoghurt and liver treats, and there you go. You gotta admit, those ears are stinking cute.

And again, please visit the other amazing photographers participating. Next up in the blog circle is For the Love Pet Photography in Portland, Oregon. Go have a look!

Of the two, Winston is the relaxed one (as you can see from photo of him by the pool). Due to his habit of sitting in the kitchen while you cook and giving you judgmental looks, his family also suspects that he might have been a French chef named Phillipe in a previous life – A+ for imagination! ;) Abbey is very energetic and quick (…as you can see from her running shots!). She’s also very lucky to be here, having had a life-saving operation when she was a puppy to fix a twisted stomach that meant she couldn’t digest food.

With their fun personalities, adorable squashy faces and willingness to sit still for treats, they made for very good models! And I think their hilarious facial expressions could fill an entire outtakes blog post.

This week’s theme is “Introductions”. So I’d like to introduce you to the dog I will be photographing – my Sheltie, Chase!

Here are some random facts about him:

• Chase is a Shetland Sheepdog, or Sheltie. Never a Lassie dog or a Mini Collie ;)
• Food is everything. When I’m cooking, I always have a furry shadow waiting for bits to fall down.
• He is the biggest sook you will ever meet. Once an ant bit his paw, so he laid down in the middle of the street and refused to go on. I had to carry him home.
• Chase has had a very bad skin condition since he was about 6 months old – probably perivascular dermatitis – and at one point, he had lost almost half his fur. It took a long time, hard work and many different approaches, but he is much better now! He is only missing a bit of fur on his paws now.
• He know lots of tricks, including Bow, Play Dead, Sit Pretty, Spin and Speak. I even taught him to open cabinets. That seems like a good idea, right?

Anyway, here are the photos, taken at the beautiful Woorim Beach on Bribie Island:

And this is me. Hi!

Another cool thing about this weekly project is that we create a blog circle of participating photographers – meaning we all link to each other, so you can see all the photos and the different takes on the theme. So now, head on over to Cahlean of St. Cloud MN based About A Dog Photography and keep clicking the links until you end up back here!

“Lovely horse, how much was he?” “Absolutely nothing.”

The only thing I know about my beloved boy is he’s had a rough life. Started off, as many Thoroughbreds, with a career in racing – not as glamorous as it might sound! With many injuries (mostly in and around his mouth) and quite a bit of attitude, he was no one’s dream horse and was left to rot in a paddock. Along came a woman with a heart of gold and took poor starved Toby into her care, all the while looking for a person to give Toby a home. It started off as a 6 month lease, slowly building up a relationship and bond – I fell in love immediately! (despite his “why should I?” attitude). The 6 month lease quickly came to an end, with me begging to renew it. Instead of renewing the lease, 3 weeks before my birthday, the ownership of Toby was signed over to me.

Now, my loyal friend and soul mate; you will never have to experience hardship again, and will spend the rest of your days with me right by your side.