Water Battles at zBonz Dog Park

Posted June 4, 2016 to Dog Parks , dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Fort Worth , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

I headed off with Indigo, my husband [someone has to carry the gear!] and my camera to check out zBonz – a new dog park in Fort Worth, off Camp Bowie Blvd. Since it used to be a golf course, it’s a nice size and the major bonus is the pond on the large dog side. Indigo loves water and so do a lot of the other dogs that go to the park. There were quite a few dogs in the water, some hanging on the edges, others swimming…

These two were going head to head after the float. You can certainly see that the German Short-haired Pointer was a little unsure with the Lab, but it certainly didn’t stop him from challenging the Lab for the float… 🙂 The fun part was capturing the best moments and then cropping and processing so the dogs really popped. And staying far enough away from the edge of the pond so that my camera didn’t get nailed when the inevitable ‘shake’ happened.

At a dog park, you have lots of people and dogs tooling around and sometimes they add to the story and sometimes they’re just a distraction. For these two images, I cropped them so there was nothing else in the image… I had fun with my processing in order to make the dogs pop.

In the image on the bottom, I intentionally blurred the edges so the dogs really were the only things in focus.

If your dog loves water – this dog park is not to be missed…

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Indigo’s Grand Adventures | zBonz Dog Park

Posted May 31, 2016 to Dog Parks , dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Fort Worth , Indigo's Grand Adventures , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

Now this was beyond fun!!!

My mom drives by it and ever since it opened she’s been planning on taking me, and it finally happened! If your human has never taken you, tell them you have to GO!

It is in Fort Worth, and opened a few months ago. There is a side for small dogs and large dogs. I went on the large dog side, and it has water! I’ve told you before that I love water, and this was just a blast…I wasn’t the only one in the water, either…Lots of us were having a great time.

But I digress, both the small dog and large dog sides have agility equipment, and so mom is going to show you an image of me playing around…

It used to be a golf course – I think this is MUCH better!!!!

It is really clean, and the grass is great [between you and me I’ve been to some dog parks that are mostly mud] and there are lots of places for your people to sit down while they watch you. But, make sure you tell your people to keep an eye out and clean up after you – we almost stepped in a big pile because somebody didn’t do that. bummer.

Anyway, here’s the address: 6950 Camp Bowie W Blvd. Fort Worth

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Indigo’s Grand Adventures | Not So Grand…

Posted May 28, 2016 to dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Indigo's Grand Adventures , Musicians , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

So, do you remember how I mentioned that I really like to have my full two day weekend with my people? Well, it didn’t happen last weekend. My mom told me she had received a media pass to photograph all 6 bands at the Toyota Texas Fest in Frisco, so she and my Dad went to watch Big & Rich Friday night. And then, she was gone Saturday evening and Sunday evening too! But, at least I had my dad to hang out with…

She said I could post a pic of me and my dad and one of the images she took with all the shooting she did at the event. And yes, she said there are more images in her gallery of the bands – in case you want to check them out or anything.

And I really like bonding with my dad – when he asks me if I want to bond I know he means hang out in our lounge chair together. And I guess, sometimes it is nice to have a low-key weekend. BUT, my mom has promised me that next weekend will be a 3-day weekend since it’s Memorial Day. Looking forward to that!

I’m sure I’ll have real adventures to tell you about soon…I better…

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Indigo’s Grand Adventures | Fort Worth Nature Center & Reserve

Posted May 25, 2016 to dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Fort Worth , Hiking with your Dog , Indigo's Grand Adventures , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

I’m going to tell you something…when my mom first took me to the Nature Center I was a bit skittish…the trails were surrounded by trees and there was rustling all around me. NOW, I know it’s probably just birds, squirrels and maybe an armadillo or two. But I kept stopping and looking behind me to make sure nothing was sneaking up on me. But, that was several years ago and now I love to go.

We don’t go as much in late spring and summer as we used to, because my mom and I are tick magnets, but we go a lot in late fall and early winter. There are all sorts of different trails…short ones, long ones, hilly ones, flat ones…But if you and your people aren’t tick magnets – go now! Oh, in case you don’t know where it is…it’s in Lake Worth off Confederate Parkway. It’s not too far from 820, and it’s off Hwy 199. Mom said I should give you the address too, so here it is: 9601 Fossil Ridge Rd. Fort Worth. TX. It has over 25 miles of trails on 3000 acres, and we’ve done a lot of them!

Did I mention I’ve seen deer and turtles and even once I came pretty close to two wild hogs…My mom and I turned around and went back the way we came – the trail was single track and they were pretty close to the trail. They smell weird and make really strange noises, so I was happy to protect my mom and turn around and check out another trail.

Oh, oh, oh, how did I forget? They have buffalo – I saw a baby once…they look really bizarre! And prairie dogs – they make funny noises too…Both the buffalo and the prairie dogs are behind fences, so no worries. Although, I think it would probably be really fun to chase the prairie dogs!

My favorite trail is the Canyon Ridge Trail. It’s 6 1/2 miles long – it’s not a loop so you go out and come back the same way. The first time I did it, I got pretty warm, so mom let me get in the Trinity to cool off. Did I mention I love water? It felt so good to get in the water and cool off! I highly recommend it…just keep an eye out for critters. There’s this one section of the trail with really steep wooden stairs and I love to run up it!!! I think my mom is going to show you a picture…

So, anyway this is a fun place for dogs to take their humans out and enjoy being outside. Oh, and you need to keep your people on a leash. You never know what trouble they might get into…

Before I forget, they’ve changed the rules and dogs can’t go in the Interpretive Center anymore, so tell your human…

See you later – I’ve got things to go do!

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Indigo’s Grand Adventures…SSD strikes…

Posted May 23, 2016 to dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Indigo's Grand Adventures , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

So, as often as we can, I get my mom to take me for a walk in our local park. I L O V E it – there are so many great smells! My mom is missing out though because she just doesn’t understand why I want to stop and smell the trash cans…If only she knew…

There might be people around to tell me how pretty I am, and then of course, I have to go over so they can pet me.

And I have a friend who is a half Heeler-half German Shepherd mix and when I get to see him, it’s awesome. My mom lets me off the leash and I run straight to him and body slam him and bark so he knows I want to play. But, he doesn’t want to play for long, so then I’m ready to get back to the walk with my mom.

I’ve seen raccoons, possums, turtles, snakes, wild cats and vultures! I have personal air space, thank you very much – so I bark and jump up at the vultures when they get too close.

But the best, the absolute best – is when I get to see squirrels.

Sometimes they’re on the ground and I go into stealth doggie approach. I drop my head and neck down and I very carefully and quietly pick up each foot very slowly and put it down very slowly so I can sneak up on them. But, my mom ruins it – she keeps me on the leash, AND she doesn’t make ANY attempt to follow my stealthy approach. So, I never get to chase them like I want.

Except for this one time…I was off leash as my mom was taking some pretty cool photos of me jumping over this log in the woods. But then, SSD struck. Well, that’s what my mom calls it – I call it FUN! So, what is SSD? She says it means ‘sudden squirrel deafness’. I guess because when I’m chasing squirrels I don’t hear her calling me…LOL.

Once she caught up to me, she started taking pictures of me going ballistic. And, boy was I mad! That squirrel just sat up in that tree and wouldn’t come down no matter how I jumped or barked. It just sat there, fussing at me from the tree limb. I mean, how wrong was that?

Sometimes we don’t see ANY squirrels on our walk, but I’m always looking. My mom has told me more than once how amazed she is that I can spot them in the strangest places. I am pretty amazing – I mean, she usually has to look hard to see what I see so easily. But, I love her anyway…

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Indigo’s Grand Adventures…Cowtown Canines Daycare

Posted May 18, 2016 to dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Fort Worth , Indigo's Grand Adventures , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

Like I said earlier, I was a bit nervous around people and commotion and even other dogs…My mom and I learned to do Agility together and as I got more comfortable, I loved to play with other dogs, so my mom decided to start taking me to Day Care so I could play all day with other dogs.

Oh, by the way, I’m an Australian Cattle Dog, and I weigh about 50 pounds. We were bred in Australia to run cattle, so I’m pretty hard-core if I say so myself. We even have a little Dingo in us too…which my mom says she can see when I drop my head and neck down when I’m scoping things out. Anyway, some people call us by our color, Blue Heeler or Red Heeler. As you can see, I’m a Blue Heeler.

I kinda hate to admit it now, but I was so scared I was shaking when my mom took me for my trial visit. And then, since I was good with the other dogs and I listened to what the people asked me to do, I was allowed to come back. And, at the time, I wasn’t too happy. Every time we’d go, I’d pull back at the door and shiver a little. Later, my mom told she felt really bad that I was so scared, but that she knew I’d enjoy it once I relaxed…

But now! I L O V E Brittany [she’s the owner of Cowtown Canines Daycare and the first person I met there]. And I go all the time now, and my mom likes it because they’re open from 6:30 to 6:30 during the week, and now they’re open on Saturday’s too. But the thing she likes the most – is she knows they take GREAT care of me and she doesn’t have to worry about me. And she says she’s really picky…Maybe sometime I’ll even share our little ritual when she comes to pick me up at night.

But just between you and me, I don’t really like going on Saturdays because I want to have the weekend to be with my people.

Sometimes, my people have to go somewhere I can’t go, so I get to go home with Brittany and stay with her while they’re gone. And I really like that! I wouldn’t like being crated, and I get to play with the dogs at her place all day…

So, if you’re a dog too, and your people are looking for a great Daycare for really cool dogs, check out Cowtown Canine Daycare and ask about a trial visit. It’s great having Kayla meet me in the morning, and Lilly and Lesley who always tell my mom that I’ve had a good day, and I’ve been a good girl. But seriously, how could I be anything else???

p.s. Now, this is S O wrong, but my mom insisted on putting this picture they took of me at Daycare for Christmas one year. I was NOT amused. My mom laughed really hard though when she saw my expression, and she tells me she shared it with her friends and they were kind enough to feel sorry for me. My expression says it all…

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Boyfriend…in early morning light

Posted May 15, 2016 to Details about Images in Gallery , dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

Believe it or not, Boyfriend was only about 6 months old when this image was made. He is a Bull Mastiff and just a sweetheart! As a puppy, he was bigger than many full grown dogs!

We were out at my local park in a mostly wooded area. It was early morning and the light was filtering in beautifully through the trees. His left side was in this gorgeous light and his right was a little darker. We were able to get him to sit in the spot I wanted while I shot some images…and then, of course, we moved on!

I love light coming in from the side, and early morning and late afternoon are lovely times of day to shoot outside. In the middle of the day is actually when the light is at it’s most harsh, so while there are things professional photographers do to make shooting this time of day work, for your typical snapshots it doesn’t make for very appealing photographs.

Something to keep in mind when you’re taking pictures yourself…whether of people or your four legged kiddo.

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Indigo’s Grand Adventures

Posted May 15, 2016 to Colorado , dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , Hiking with your Dog , Indigo's Grand Adventures , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

Hi everyone…my name is Indigo. My mom named her business after me and another Australian Cattle Dog she rescued.

Yesterday, she went with a friend to do a photo walk at Bishop Arts District and while she was there she ran into a man with his standard poodle who had done a 5k as part of Strut Your Mutt put on by the local SPCA. And since she knew I would have LOVED to do that, she decided I can have some time to share what’s going on in my life.

And she PROMISED that next year, we’ll go to Strut Your Mutt!

We think I’m about 6 years old, but we’re not entirely sure since my mom and dad rescued me from the shelter in Nacogdoches Texas. I was there for 6 weeks, AND I was even featured in the local paper, but no one called to ask about me, or come look at me. But, my mom found me on Petfinder, and made the drive out from DFW to come get me. And boy, am I ever glad…

I was nervous around people, I’d never been on a leash, in a house, or had only been in a car to go to/from the shelter. And let me tell you, when I first came home and we went out for a walk in the winter at the local park, the people in coats and hats really scared me. And once I got used to that, going out in public was still a bit much, because everyone seems to want to touch me…but now, I’m used to that too, and when my mom and dad can tell when I’m ‘peopled’ out, they give me a break.

But now, I l o v e going out for walks and meeting people. And I can tell when someone says I’m pretty; so of course, I head over to say ‘hi’ so they know I understood.

My mom says I’m too sexy for my shirt, and while I’m not quite sure what she means by that – it sounds good to me.

So anyway, I’ll be checking out local dog parks, places that are thrilled when dogs come around, hotels that let me stay with my people and I’ll let you know about other things I do too!

Because I want to go where my people go!

I’ll check in as often as I can, but it won’t be every day, because really, I have things to do too, you know…

p.s. This photo is during one of our trips when we were on a hike; we were in Colorado in late August, and up about 11,000 feet near Silverton and that was a blast! It was my first time camping, and when we got back to camp I was so tired I crawled in my bed, my mom covered me, and I didn’t move for the rest of the night…

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Daisy…what a doll!

Posted May 8, 2016 to Details about Images in Gallery , dog photographer , dog photography , Dogs , pet photographer by: Cheryl.

I ran into Daisy and her mom out for a walk at our local park. This was Daisy’s first time out in the big, bad world…and she wasn’t entirely sure this was a good place to be… Indigo and I just stopped and I chatted with her mom for a bit so that Daisy could decide other dogs were just fine, thank you very much!

She is a German Shepherd mix and I’m sure she’s going to grow into those big feet…

I just adore ‘puppy sit’ when front legs go one way and hind legs the other, and that head drops down suspiciously…

I hope you enjoy her as much as I did.

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Wow…the first post…

Posted March 27, 2016 to Musicians by: Cheryl.

So, confession time.

I have a LONG history of loving being behind the camera and despising being in front of it.

Rather shocking for a photographer, isn’t it?

It’s not that all photos of me are bad, but most were. To prove that I’m not exaggerating, I was getting a photo taken for my driver’s license in Arizona, and the woman taking the picture took one look at it, and said “Oh honey, let’s take another one…”. She wouldn’t even let me see it, it was that bad.

So, the point of sharing this is two-fold:

I’ve learned the tricks of the trade so that images of me are better as I’ve learned how to position myself, and I’ll use that same knowledge when I work with you, and
I absolutely GET the intimidation factor of being in front of a camera, and we will have fun and I’ll only share the most flattering photos

We all have ‘bad’ photos – the camera freezes moments our naked eye can’t see, and since we all have awkward moments – that is what the ‘delete’ button is for!

In addition to my custom portraits of dogs, cats & horses, I really enjoy capturing musicians while they’re performing. I used to sing in our church band, and music really speaks to me. The best part for me is the moment when the musician is lost in their music.

Musicians have many moments where the picture isn’t flattering – and while I may love the energy that created the moment – I’m not going to publish it. I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me, so I’m not going to do it to someone else.

Here are a few of my favs…