What does that mean for a pet photo session? When dogs come to the studio or we meet at a park, I watch. I want to know how your dog reacts. Most dogs will come to either location and start sniffing & smelling. So many smells no matter the location! I often say, in studio, turn them loose and let them smell. Why is this important at a photo session? · Let them take their time and absorb all the smells around them · I am watching body language and getting an

I read this quote recently, " The amazing thing about having a dog is even though neither of you speak the same language, you develop this deep connection that you will never share with a human" (author unknown) How true is that quote? I know with my own dogs we have a relationship that others would not understand. Each one is special in their own way. This chocolate (gray, white) Goldendoodle (Ziggy) has had my whole heart his whole life. He turned twelve (12) years old in

If you live in Tn or you have passed through, you know we have some well known people living here. (or previously, like Elvis) We stopped at Loretta Lynn's. Her place is beautiful! I have been here many times and I think it gets prettier each time. #sandrafergusonphotography #memphisphotographer #memphispetphotographer #memphisdogphotographer #tennesseepetphotographer #vaca #vacation #vacation2022 #vaca2022 #tennessee #roadtrip #lorettalynn #hurricanemills #middletennessee

When we arrived in Pigeon Forge, we headed straight to Parrot Mountain. If you are in the Smoky Mountain area you should go. We had so much fun. Birds are free flying. There are some in cages. But there is an area where you can pet and hold some birds. Be warned. It is not called Parrot Mountain for nothing. It is a mountain! I am glad I was driving my Jeep to get up that steep road. After you arrive in the parking lot, it is also on a slope. Going into the exhibit

I am asked so many times, "how do you get the dogs to look at you" or "how do you get the dogs to pose"? The only magic formula is "patience". I have an abundance of patience working with animals. I love seeing them transform in front of my lens. I love seeing pets respond to me and look straight into my camera lens. Did you know, you can act a fool around a dog? They do not care. If you act goofy, make noises, dance around, toss some treats and tell them GOOD DOG. It's

I have booked a session, now what? What if my pet won't sit still? Can my family be in the photo? How long do sessions last? When will I get my photos? These questions and much more are answered in my new magazine. My own, Pet Portrait Session Guide, is now available in print. I give you tips and ideas about your session. You may want to incorporate a few of the poses from previous sessions. I have included previous client and rescue sessions to give you ideas. You can

My dogs got together with some friends and wrote out their New Years Pawsolutions for dogs everywhere. (Pawsolutions = Resolutions.) Lets see how far into 2022 they will make it! Pawsolution #1 I will become friends with the mail person & the mail truck. Pawsolution #2 I will become friends with the UPS, FedEx and Amazon “person”. They need to leave more Chewy boxes though! Pawsolution #3 I will stop barking out the window when I see squirrel, cat or a person four blocks

You all know I have worked with rescues, shelters and foster parents for a long time! I love what I do. I love being a part of the process of the animals finding their forever home. My part is small in the grand scheme of "rescue". But being a small part does not make it less valuable. Rescue photography is different than any other photography you will ever do. Some of the larger animal shelters have photographer programs and routine schedules of photographing the animal

Look all around you. Listen to everyone talking. Its in the air. Christmas! I wander what our pets think. Once a year they see us haul in a real or a fake tree. Put decorations on it. And all the shiny balls we tell them, don't touch. We start wearing all these ugly sweaters. Jingle bells are everywhere. They watch us. They know its the most wonderful time of the year because we are happy and excited. They know when we are stressed and rush. They will stick by you so c

Every animal that I photograph is unique. In each photo I love to capture the pets personality. Sometimes the photos are serious, goofy or perfect. My goldendoodle Ziggy is a very laid back & goofy boy. I usually like his mouth open in photos. Otherwise he looks serious or unhappy. Today I was asked if I could create a photo with a pup to look like Elvis. This is Elvis week in Memphis. Well, we can try! The dog Elvis on the pink backdrop - there were 2 people assisting wi

Mastiff - Meet Tulip. Let me tell you ... you have not had shuuggggahhh unless you have had Mastiff kisses!! She is a lovebug. Tulip had her photo session with her family of K9's but she also entered the Model Call for Giant Breeds. You will most definitely see this face again... she makes me smile! (her expressions are priceless!) Our model call ends on Saturday July 17th. We have all breeds entered ...except GIANT SCHNAUZER !! I have contacted a few people and never

Model Call – Please read before responding!! We are working on a project {{ on location }} in the Memphis Area. (location & time will be disclosed later) We need the following models: (pictured Nigel - Wolfhound Mix) ***Giant Schnauzer – adult, full grown, purebred ** very important to get this breed!** **Great Pyrenees - adult, full grown, purebred **Great Dane – adult, full grown, preference to Mantle Great Dane **Irish Wolfhound – adult, full grown, purebred **Afghan Hound

Happy 14th Birthday Harry!!! Harry came to my studio in Memphis for his birthday bash!!! Harry is a social media influencer and has won hearts all over the world! His Mom brought his cake & balloons ... together we had the best time with Harry. Don't forget to celebrate your pups birthday! Celebrate every year starting with one year old! They deserve it! They know its a special day because they are getting tons of attention and oh my... a cake or birthday cookies. If you

Many years ago, a very well meaning woman said something to me. When I showed her family photos and dog photos hanging on my walls... she said ~ "Well those are cute and all but should not be hanging in your living room" At first I thought ... how rude. But then I took my photos down and just put up artwork. My photos were confined to our bedroom, desk and in our offices. Did this lady know what she was talking about ? Many years later we were selling our home and the rea

If walls could talk! Look at the items hanging on your walls. You may have a clock, candle holders, metal art and all that word art. What else hangs on your walls? You have photographs of special people, special moments and special places. We photograph and print the images that mean the *most* to us. We want to look at them and remember!!! We want to see them everyday!! We LOVE the people and places we have been. What about your pets? Do you have images hanging on yo

So we have all our paperwork completed and the session is booked! Things you can do to prepare your pet for the session: Grooming - Okay... photos do not smell. So bath is not always necessary. But brushing that fur - getting mattes out, eye boogies, eye stains, dirt, grass...clean em' up a bit! Location of Session - Its a good idea to take your pet to the location of the session. It could be at a park they have never been at or they have never been around walkers

Rescue photography can be a challenge and it can be very rewarding. Animals that are in foster homes are usually very easy to photograph. But I actually prefer the foster parent to not be in studio. Its just a personal preference. Multiple people, noises & distractions for them. So I just prefer foster parents to not be there. You do everything you can to get the shot. The dog above was just not having it. I finally decided to have the dog handler hold him to get his fa

This is the fanciest birthday cake my Ziggy dog has ever had !!!! Well he deserves it. As you can see .... he turned ELEVEN YEARS OLD... yes * 11 * ! He is my baby doodle dog and always will be. But I wanted to share some photos and give a shout out to Woof Gang Bakery in Cordova, TN. Our groomer has been at Woof Gang and Ziggy has been going to her most of his life! But Woof Gang is not just the spa. The owner makes the fabulous cakes! I have bought other cookies, cupc

Its time to address... copyright and usage rights. I have some clients who prefer I not post their images on Facebook and Instagram. I respect and honor their wishes! But .... a big but !! I still own copyright and usage rights for every single photograph I create! It is on the metadata of my cameras, I watermark images or with ©Copyright symbol. Every single image I create, I maintain the copyright and/or usage rights of each photo. Unless you have purchased the un-water

Ok...lets get gross. The eye boogies and eye gunk. It CAN be a ton of photoshop involved in this. I never ever ever ever guarantee I can remove the eye boogies and gunk. Or stains for that matter. It is TONS of photoshop involved and I do charge extra for that and its still not guaranteed. The black dog above is a rescue. The big hunk of (FOR LACK OF BETTER WORDS) boogers.... are easy to remove.... it gets to smaller ones or where its wrapped all around the eyes... ughhhh