And a little bit of winter, too.

“Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.”
~Wilbur D. Nesbit

It’s that time of year again where we all (hopefully) stop and take a moment to remember the things in life we’re most grateful for. Last year, I listed several things, but my list this year focuses more on the people I’m most grateful to know.

First and foremost, I’m incredibly grateful for my husband. The last year has brought a unique set of challenges and opportunities, and I’m so glad that we were able to tackle them together. It’s so clichéd, but he really is my rock. I’m so fortunate to have him in my life (and he’s pretty lucky to have me too ).

Of course, there’s no way I could talk about what I’m grateful for without mentioning the stinky hound who’s currently sitting next to me and *sigh* licking himself. (Note to self: He needs a bath. Pronto.) He makes me laugh a dozen times a day, he’s my snuggle buddy in the mornings, and I’m so grateful to have him in my life.

To say that I appreciate our families – especially our parents – is a huge understatement. Their love and support this past year has been overwhelming and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

I’ve got some pretty amazing friends who’ve given great words of encouragement and a kick in the pants (okay, several) when I’ve needed it. We’ve banded together through some pretty tough times this year, and I truly cherish each and every one of them.

Man, I love my kid sister. I see her growing up and going through all the things I did when I was her age and I have to remind myself daily that she’s no longer an obnoxious eight year-old. She’s an obnoxious 18 year-old!

I’ve become very, very grateful for GPS this year. It’s helped through many tough spots and rough neighborhoods (kidding, Moms, kidding…).

I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving, full of good times with family, friends, and plenty of good eats!

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”  ~Thornton Wilder

Photography literally means “written with light.” A photographer needs light in order to create an image.

I’ll admit that lighting is an intimidating thing for me. I have a flash that I use on very rare occasions, and I never use my on-camera flash. When you’re working with animals, I’ve found that some of them are already wary of a camera in their face, and they sometimes get downright skittish when you start flashing a light at them. I admire the pet photographers out there who not only use studio lighting, but do it so effortlessly that you barely even realize it. My favorite studio pet photographer is Andy Stolarek at Furtographs. His images are amazing.

Personally, I much prefer working with natural sunlight. I love sitting in the shade and figuring out at which angle the sun hits your subject the best and which shadows I want to highlight. For example, here’s a shot of Buster the Puggle.

We were standing in full shade underneath a footbridge, and the light was awesome. There’s some great light catching in his eyes. Much better than standing in full sun and having him squint to try and see the squeaky ball I had in my hand!

I took the following picture in my living room at about 3:00 in the afternoon. The sun was starting to set and the light reflecting off my neighbor’s house was nice and cool.

Catch lights in the eyes? Check!

If your dog is pretty mellow (and not a fraidy-cat like Toby), you could use a reflector to add even more light to his left (darker) side. If you don’t have a reflector, you could use something as simple as a paper plate or piece of white paper.

(Gah, my boy is so stinkin’ cute.)

Whether you love using your flash or utilizing whatever the sun gives you, get out there and play with light and see what sort of results you come up with!

Buster is just a doll. Full of spunk and sass, and a touch of stubbornness (not too hard to imagine since he *is* part beagle). He was so much fun to photograph, and it’s evident how much his mama loves him. I could’ve played with him all day!

This was shortly after he realized I had TREATS.

Frog legs! Adorable, adorable frog legs!

Buster’s mom just loves him. She got him when he was just a puppy and he’s definitely stolen her heart!

I just had to show this picture. She took my advice and took Buster on a nice, long walk before our session to get some of his energy out. By the end of the shoot, he could hardly keep his eyes open. He’s totally starting to glaze over here!

What a tired puppy!

I just loved meeting, shooting, and playing with Buster and his mom! What a great session!

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