Not tired yet.

Yesterday morning before our walk, before the gym and before truly being awake I was being entertained by Elsa.  I am today, still amazed by the purity of the interaction that you can have with a dog.  It doesn't have to be your dog; it can be a dog that you run into at the park, a friends dog or another family members dog.  The old saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words,' is especially true in the context of dogs.  I have been shooting dogs for a long time now.  Am I tired of shooting our four legged friends?  Bored of following a dog around to capture a moment that we might otherwise miss if it is not captured?  Do I grow weary of working up the hundreds of images shot at a single shoot?  Not even close.

So there I was, enjoying the antics of my young'n.  She was at her best and had energy to burn.  As I was not yet ready for a walk she thought that she might expend some of her excess on me.  When Elsa has some overflow energy, stand back and watch the show.  I try to capture personality when I shoot a dog, any dog. For me a shot of a dog sitting just looking at the camera leaves much to be desired.  It lacks emotion.  Of course this is why I am regularly crawling around to get a shot instead of working in a nice tidy studio.

Although I have used Elsa as an example for this blog (sheer laziness of not wanting to look through thousands of photos), the same thing goes for all of the dogs that I have shot and will shoot.   When you take a photo of your dog; are you capturing your dog or simply an image?  Would someone looking at your photo get a feel for who your dog is?

Elsa began her silly behavior when I told her to "wait," as I ran to get my camera.  This was the bored face she had on when I got back with my camera.  

She most definitely has a plan here and it is to pounce Mom.

A sneak attack preparation look.

The full on "let's brawl" face.

At only 22 months old, I have enough photos of Elsa to line the walls of my house and a couple others on the street.  Tired of shooting dogs?  Not a chance.  If I'm not shooting a client's dog, dogs for a magazine or random dogs on the street or beach then I'm shooting mine.  A picture is worth a thousand words, most definitely.  I think that most you now have a very good understanding of who Elsa is; and Luke of course.  It is all about emotion, a photo must contain something to feel or it is simply ink on paper.  My shoot with Elsa yesterday was very fulfilling; she gave me so much of herself to capture and show to you.  How can I not share the sheer joy of Elsa with others?  It just would not be right.  :)

No words needed here.

What a flirt she is.

Her approach to play with Luke is full of meaning, very respectful but to the point.

Any attention from Luke is good attention.  She LOVES when he bites her face.  Notice her ear placement and closed eyes in submission.

This is what my husband and I lovingly call the blank stare.  It is a look that Elsa gets often and I believe a ponder moment between thoughts or emotions.  

 The photos below are from previous shoots, we have one just about everyday.

A new toy, happy girl. 

The common "get off the computer" display.

Begging eyes.

This is very clearly an invitation and sheer joy.  

Elsa is very much a toothy girl.  She adores showing everyone her teeth in play.  This shot is purely Elsa.

This is a beautiful shot I used at Christmas.  It looks very angelic but holds a great deal more information than  a simple angel looking to the skies.  She was a tad concerned here as a plane had just dropped some weird stuff in our yard.  Tail down, ears slightly raised trying to figure out what just happened.   

Also one of the most affectionate dogs that I know; this is Elsa's google face.  Here she is trying to reach over with her tongue to lick my arm.  A shared moment.