Kili | Portland, ME

I have been so terrible about blogging my shoots, but on a more positive note it’s due to being so busy! That being said, Kili is up on the blog today!

Kili is a rescue who resides on the Eastern Prom part time and spends the rest of her time in Rockport, Maine. I received an email subject line, “Dog seeking Xmas gift for owner.” I instantaneously thought, ha that is cute and creative! I instantly wanted to work with Shawna (Kili’s mom). They were looking to do a surprise photo shoot for Shawna’s boyfriend/dog dad, Evan.

The email continued, “A country girl at heart, she enjoys camping, hiking, and swimming. She loves long rides on open roads, boats, a good stick and is equally as passionate about the snow as she is about long walks on the beach. Kili is wise beyond her years, incredibly sweet, well mannered, eager to please, and outright hilarious.
We would be interested in talking with you further.”
Sincerely,
Shawna & Kili

I fell in love with the way Shawna described Kili and we booked a date right away. Below is a sampling of some of my favorite images from from the shoot. On Christmas morning Evan found his gift under the tree, a url link to a gallery off the sit.stay.snaps website filled with images of his girls.

It’s going to be a white wedding!

I received an email right before Christmas that read: ” We want to use a picture of our dogs in wedding costumes for our save the dates.” I had to reread the email a couple times to make sure I read this correctly. It is not every day one gets an email like this. The email continued, “We have the costumes and they are good about being in them as well as natural posers (see attached).”

That being said, I responded to Jenn to learn more about what she had in mind. After talking with Jenn on the phone, I quickly determined this was a legitimate shoot and that she and her fiance, Adam are crazy for their pups. These little Boston Terriers are their world and what better way for them to be a part of their big day.

Jenn and Adam have recently moved to Portland Maine from NYC so we quickly had something in common outside of love for the doggies. They had set their date and needed to move quickly on getting their Save the Dates out the door. I scheduled a sit.stay.snaps Mini Shoot with the notion we would just be shooting to get THE SHOT. Christmas was around the corner and the temperatures were dropping, but we booked the shoot for the beginning of January with the idea that these would be indoor pictures.

The more I thought about the shoot, the more I wanted these pictures to look as good and as creative as possible. I met Jenn and Adam at their apartment in downtown Portland’s Old Port to see what kind of lighting they had in their apartment. As cool and lofty as their apartment was, the lighting was sub par for photography. Here I met Guinness (female doggy bride to be) and Edward (male doggy groom to be). These adorable Boston’s where super personable, little peanuts! I thought instantly we needed a plan B, outdoors, natural light.

After brainstorming for this shoot I came up with the idea of shooting on Wharf Street, in the Old Port. It was a protected little street that still had the Christmas greenery up. To me, Wharf Street is the classic Portland, Maine backdrop, minus the ocean. However, these little peanuts where not going to do well in the cold. In fact, I learned that they hate the cold and curl up looking pretty pathetic. Despite this, Jenn and Adam loved the Wharf Street idea and we were booked, crossing all fingers and toes for a “balmy” 30 degrees for this shoot!

The time came and it was one of the coldest days it had been all winter. However, we pushed forward with this shoot, working as quickly as we could. Guinness and Edward showed up dressed to impress in their wedding attire. Snatched from the warmth of the car the shoot began. While Jenn fluffed the dress, Adam kept Edward on point, and I quickly assessed the light and said it’s go time with these two.

Jenn and Adam were a great couple to work with during this shoot. They did not take themselves too seriously, were very open minded to how the shoot should work, laughing at the idea, yet thinking it was priceless.

With the temperatures being what they were, this was the definition of a “mini shoot”. But we nailed it, leaving them with a perfect Save the Date designed by Jenn’s brother.

Here are a few pictures I wanted to share as well as the final product.

To book a photo shoot with sit.stay.snaps email: info@sitstaysnaps.com
http://www.sitstaysnaps.com

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Dogs Are Family

Fact: Saving a Dog Won’t Change the World.
Truth: But for the Dogs, the World Changes Forever.

People, specifically my Dad, thinks I’m nuts, nuts for my dogs. “I can’t believe you let them sit on the couch! You let them sleep in the guest bedroom? Under the covers!!”

Since moving back to Maine, family members, specifically my Dad, have gotten a first hand glimpse of what it means to have dogs as “part of the family.” The year I rescued my two brindle “mutts” (Boxer Lab? Boxer, Lab, Pit? Pit Boxer? Boxer, Lab, Mastiff some Great Dane? The list could go on) my life has changed forever. Atticus (the Boxer, Lab, Mastiff, Dane mix) was my first rescue. He was born into one of those disgusting puppy mill factory-like environments. For those of you who are not aware of such a thing, puppy mills are large-scale puppy breeding operations where profit is given priority over everything, including the well-being of the dogs. Puppy mills treat dogs like products, not living beings and usually house them in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate veterinary care, socialization or even food and water. Here are some photos of puppy mill conditions (I did not want to subject you to the horrid conditions frequently found in puppy mills, so here are some “tame” images. A simple Google search can reveal the horrific conditions puppies face in puppy mills).

Atticus arrived covered in fleas, but as little and as sweet as could be. He was perfect aside from being neutered way to young as well as tattooed on his belly! The newest addition to our family had arrived.

Ava, our sweet Pit Lab, was rescued on a whim at a very disgusting Kill Shelter in Denver, CO. She was emaciated, malnourished, scared, covered in her own feces, and had a sign on her cage that indicated she was up next to be killed. If her conditions were not bad enough, I had learned that she had been left by her previous family in their foreclosed home to die. I was not in a position or looking to rescue a second dog but I could not leave such a face behind. Her sweet little eyes looked up at me and pleaded for me to take her home. Her little paw was wrapped around my ankle and I knew in my heart she was supposed to be mine.

At this point I had rescued Atticus a little over a year ago so I was hoping he might find room in our life to accept Ava and share his toys. Atticus was a mama’s boy coming to work with me daily, playing in the park and lounging on me while watching TV. He was my first “fur baby” whom I loved more than I thought possible. He was part of the family.

The night I brought Ava home he was so sweet to her, he licked her face and shared his food, he let her play with his favorite toy and made room on his fluffy bed for her. She was home. To this day Atticus and Ava are the best of friends. They are two peas in a pod, that were rescued in Colorado, trekked across the country with me to NYC where we resided for about 3 and a half years until we made our last and final move back to my roots, Portland, Maine.

Still sharing toys, Atticus and Ava have a life full of love, warmth and a place they know is a forever home.

When deciding to get a pet, I strongly encourage you to think about rescuing and changing a life. There are puppies, as well as older dogs, available to be rescued, that need better situations and homes. Dogs go homeless everyday, dogs are abused everyday. Make a difference, change a life and adopt.

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If you have an adopted or rescued pet sit.stay.snaps gives away a free print in your shoot package. Tell us your story: we would love to capture it for you.

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sit.stay and snapping through the New Year

This has been a great year for sit.stay.snaps, with many transitions, new faces and most importantly, lots of wags. We feel very lucky to now be based out of Portland Maine, “the way a dog’s life should be.”

I have to admit, I have really dropped the ball in the Blog Department since this summer. We have many new sneak peak blog posts to share in 2014! Due to such a busy year, many of the shoots will be posted in the beginning of 2014, so stay tuned!

From our family to yours, Happy New Year! We look forward to new romps and licks next year!

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8th Annual Woofminster Cover Dog Challenge

Planet Dog hired sit.stay.snaps to photograph their 8th Annual Woofminster dog show and cover dog challenge. This Planet Dog Foundation fundraiser supports service dogs helping people in need. It’s held yearly at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough, ME.

Planet Dog’s Foundation has given away more than $1million in financial and in-kind support, awarding 101 grants to 65 of the country’s most innovative and effective canine-service non-profit organizations.

sit.stay.snaps proudly works alongside Planet Dog in many endeavors. We believe in what they do and what they stand for. If you have not checked out the Planet Dog Retail store here in Portland, ME it’s a must see pet haven. 2% of EVERY sale goes to the Planet Dog Foundation (PDF).  I’d like to share some of our favorites from the event.
If you attended the event, chances are your pooch is on the sit.stay.snaps site. Photography can be purchased here, CLICK TO SEE EVENT IMAGES.

To book a shoot in the Greater Portland or Boston area contact us! info@sitstaysnaps.com
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Upper East Side Gerbil Shoot, Only in NYC

Yes, it’s true, sit.stay.snaps had a very eventful shoot with a trio of gerbils on NYC’s Upper East Side. These gerbils are loved by a younger couple who live very busy lives. They wanted a pet but were not sure they could care for a dog or cat. So gerbils it was.

Butterscotch, Fiona and Binky live on the Upper East Side and live a posh little life. Their loving parents care for them and speak to them like most families would their cat or dog.

When I was approached to do a Gerbil shoot I must admit, I was not sure what to expect. I went into this shoot thinking it would be easier than a typical dog or cat shoot but I was wrong. These scampering little buggers are all over the place! They are never still and were not comfortable anywhere but in their cage nesting in their shredded newspaper. Of course we had to shoot in the apt so lighting was tough as well as background.

I set up some sheets and we got creative with a “Gerbil Sweatshirt” no joke, a sweatshirt Marilina (Gerbil Mom) wears when playing with all 3 Gerbils. They climb all over her and poke out of the many holes of the sweatshirt. It was priceless.

The shoot was a success and I was confident I could get a few great shots, but there were more shots than expected. I wanted to share a few of my favorites.

By the way, Gerbils do not sit nor do they stay, and my snaps were barely quick enough!

See more work at http://www.sitstaysnaps.com contact us at info@sitstaysnaps.com
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Planet Dog Summer Shoot | Cousins Island, ME

Celebrate Dogs on National Dog Day

Planet Dog Summer shoot, 2013, Ava

sit.stay.snaps has relocated!

sit.stay.snaps has relocated to what we believe “the way a pet’s life should be.” That being said we are still doing photo shoots throughout New England and NYC.

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Glam in the City with Otis | Denver CO

This was a very special shoot for me for many reasons. I spent many years out in Colorado where my passion for photography, specifically dog photography began. Throughout those many years in Denver, I spent a lot of time with Otis, a 10 year old Boston Terrier who has quite the personality. Otis and his Mom (my good friend) live in downtown Denver, CO. In this shoot I wanted to capture the personalities of both Otis and his Mom, Sarah enjoying all of the sun and vibrant colors that Denver had to offer.

Otis is a lover to both dogs and humans, he is playful, snugly and a girl’s best friend. He was such a handsome and fun guy to photograph, we had to put him on the sitstaysnaps.com website. This blog post is a bit long but I could not pick just a few favorites! Denver is one of my new favorite spots to photograph! Amazing color and light.