The Motley Crew of Trail BC

Merry Christmas to my BC gals...and their little dogs too!  Well, ok, three little dogs and one gi-normous 5 month old puppy! I am so glad to have finally had the chance to do a mini-shoot of sorts and snap a few pics of this crazy crew that I hear about all the time.

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring, it was peace." - Milan Kundera


A piece of my heart belongs in Trail forever ~ Thank you for your friendship and thanks for the lovely visit!

New Beginnings



This Calgary family has had their share of loss recently, having to say goodbye to two of their dogs within the last year. It is true that a dogs only shortcoming is that they will not live as long as us. And no matter what age they do live to, it is never long enough.

I was happy to hear that Dexter recently found his way to this family, to once again bring friendship, companionship, and that pure unbridled canine joy to their home. It became clear to me that this puppy already adores these boys, though I believe the feeling was pretty mutual :)

It was a great day to get out and do a shoot in the snowfall! It got a bit cold near the end of the session, however these kids hung in there and were troopers! The cold toes have long since warmed up, and the wet feet are nice and dry...the only things that will last from this day are the photographs. I hope that I have served them well and captured sweet little Dexter beginning his life with his boys.

Thank you Barb, Riley, Quinn and of course... Dexter!!!
...more to follow on the website!

In the Spirit of Giving

I am so thrilled to help out with the Santa photos for Okotoks Pound Rescue this year. Come and see us and contribute to a wonderful charity!!!! Giving is FAR better than receiving. Bring your pup and your wallet ;) See you there!!!!

Okotoks Pound Rescue Link

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Starting to book into 2011! Still some sessions happening over the next few weeks before Christmas that I am excited about. We also have our very own Gift Certificates now too...cool!  Check them out on the website.

Georgia On My Mind...

It is so cool that, even though this is a city of a million people, the fresh air and peacefulness of the prairies lies just a short drive from home. Today we left what is the urban sprawl of Calgary and headed just south of the city to see about a sweet girl named Georgia. She wanted us to come over and take a few pictures of her and her life on the farm. I think the pictures may be Christmas present to her parents... though what she does with them is up to her ;) Beautiful dog, beautiful day, beautiful Alberta!

Thank you for the lovely day Georgia (and Georgia's mom)!

More pictures to follow soon on the website!

A Tank and a Gentleman..... A tale of 2 BC boys

I was sooooo happy to get back to the Kootenays this past weekend.  I was fortunate to add a session into my trip to see family and friends. Besides being around all the dogs, what I love most about doing dog photography is that I get to be around dog people like myself. The kind that value them just as much, and who would describe their life as incomplete without their dog(s). I know this is true for Jessamie and her babies as well.

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This bulldog and pug family was a riot! I have a little soft spot for puggies, and Riley is no exception. What a sweet, sweet gentle boy. His sidekick Beau won me over too, what a ham!!  I am pretty sure he enjoyed all the attention too :)   Stay tuned for Riley and Beau's website gallery coming soon!

Thanks again Jessamie, Riley and Beau!!

Happy Labs

Another great weekend spent outside in this fantastic Calgary fall season. Next up: 2 sweet girls Sage and Raven...and their people mom Audrey (and new people baby William!) It is true about labs isn’t it....they will retrieve FOREVER! And they indeed ARE crazy for water [Insert Lab owners nodding in agreement here]. Thanks for making the trip down south for the shoot Audrey and girls :)
And a shout out to my Eddie who once again was a fabulous photography assistant/baby entertainer!!


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Ohhhh......I love this picture....

...some might think "what the..?", but I love it!  To me it represents change and growth of a family. I remember not too long ago when Sage was the only baby to Audrey and Jim! I love the unison of the tails, the baby shoe sticking out and the Louis Vuitton purse. It screams urban motherhood ~ that women can do it all and look fabulous just walking the dogs too! Everything about it makes me happy for William, Sage and Raven... that they all belong to such committed and loving parents... And that even though families grow and change, these dogs will always have parents who fulfill their needs in life and who treat them as true family members.

Little Girls and Puppy Dogs

Marin’s first dog was a Basset Hound named Bentley. He passed away when she was only two, though from what her parents tell me, even at that young age, Marin would tell them that she missed Bentley... and she would ask her parents if she could go visit him :( So so sweet.

Two years have gone by since Bentley passed, and a new furry friend named Sandy has just recently made her way into Marin's life. I believe that Sandy is the dog that will be woven through Marin’s childhood memories. Hopefully, Sandy will still be here when little Marin learns how to drive years from now!! One thing is for certain, Sandy will be present in all those birthday and Christmas photos over the years... she will be part of family camping trips...she will wait for Marin to come home from school for the next 13 years.

Sandy will be a part of many great memories for Marin. I remember all my dogs, and I believe Marin will always remember Bentley and Sandy. I hope that Marin is blessed with a wonderful life and that she always has the true love of a dog beside her.

A Man and his dog

While rain put a stop to our original session date, this past Saturday Calgary caught a rare glimpse of a *slightly sunny* day and I was finally able to get out with Trigger and Randal for their session! Calgary fall colours are stunning, though the season does not seem to last long enough. Randal was given a photo session as a gift by his girlfriend... which I think was a fabulous idea, though I guess I am biased ;)   Trigger is a great happy-go-lucky guy, and was in perfect goofy Boxer form for the session.  Stay tuned for his own gallery on the website!

“The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.”
~ K Lorenz

The Dash Man...

Run Dash Run!!!


I love this City and I love meeting other great dog people! Today I did a shoot with an *oh so handsome* Whippet named Dash, in Calgary’s Marda Loop District. I was excited to get the opportunity to include indoor photos in this session. Thanks guys for allowing us to come and photograph Dash at home too!  I have yet to go through all the pictures, but I can officially report that I captured many of Dash running (something both of his parents wanted!)         

And man, can he run :)

~ The Fab Five ~

September 10th, 2010



Another beautiful evening spent with dogs in tow! The stars finally aligned (as did our schedules) for Colleen and I to get out and do a shoot with her 4 legged children. Colleen is an amazing Creature Teacher here in Calgary, and without her, I may have very well accepted my lifetime fate of cleaning up bits of chewed shoes and blankets!

In all seriousness though, I have learned a lot about dog behaviour and training through Colleen, and seeing her with her own dogs was a great experience. Her dedication to enhancing the lives of dogs and their humans is inspiring. It was a privilege to do a shoot for this gang!

Thank you Colleen, Sophie, Lola, Amos and Tinker!!


http://www.diamondintheruffcalgary.com/index.html

OH Baby!

Last night I finally got to do a shoot with Little Baby..... It was a beautiful Calgary Evening!
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I knew waking up yesterday that it would be a bittersweet day. August 28th marks the anniversary of our sweet Kirby passing away. I cannot believe it has been three years already. It is amazing to me the impact that these dogs we love so much have on our lives... even after they are gone.

To me, capturing the simple moments of these furry creatures is the best way that I can pay tribute to them. What better way to celebrate all the memories I have of my own dogs, then to get out and be happy creating memories for this lovely couple and their baby, Baby.

Stay tuned for Baby’s own gallery on the website soon!

Beautiful City

Calgary is such a beautiful city!  Moving here 5 years ago, I had no idea that Calgary was home to Fish Creek Park... one of the largest urban provincial parks in North America.  Now, I spend most evenings there with my guys.  I thought it was time to get a few new pictures of them there last week. Can’t wait to get back down to this spot for some booked shoots in September!

Calgary, Alberta

I think the horses are calling me...

During the last weekend of the Calgary Stampede, I was asked to go down and photograph the Stewart Family (The Hearts of the West) as they performed their last event of the stampede this season. This four sister and one brother team are such talented and amazing entertainers! I have never seen trick riding up close, and was absolutely stoked to get to go in the ring WITH them as they performed. It was a serious rush being that close to them as those horses thundered by me and I was amazed at not only the tricks, but the speed at which these kids performed them!!  Everything was alive and palpable.... the sound of the hooves, the dust of the ring, the music.... the smell of those horses. It was, quite frankly, fantastic.

From a photography perspective, it was challenging for sure, but I didn’t want to disappoint them! The photo’s are being used for a gift for the family in the near future and I am looking forward to hearing what they think of the pictures. Hopefully I will get invited back to photograph more next year!!

Thank you to the Stewart Family!

check out their website:

The Hearts of the West

Lethbridge, Alberta

I recently was able to get down to Lethbridge to do a shoot for a good friend. The catch?  It was with horses!  They are such beautiful, soulful animals... it was a lot of fun and as usual, a fabulous learning experience for me.  Mmm, the smell of horses, the fresh air and great people around me.  It was an awesome day! We were able to sneak in a short photo shoot with her labs Hunter and Champ, but unfortunately it was cut short due to the post-flood mosquito invasion. I would love to go back and do a full shoot with the boys someday!

PS.....The irony of my first blog post being about 'Horses and Lethbridge' and not 'Dogs in Calgary'... pretty funny stuff! 

Thanks Lethbridge Ladies and one Gentleman named Gus!!