Today I have the pleasure of introducing one of my two winners from my Studio Session Contest. I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to enter and expressed excitement about my studio announcement and my passion project.
If you’re new here, you can read my announcement here and learn more about the project:
I received almost 60 applications for the contest, and I loved reading through all of your stories and learning about your dogs and why you were excited about the With Love & Dogs Project.
So many of your stories touched my heart and I hope I have the chance to meet all of you and work with all of your dogs someday. Today, I’m introducing sweet Mia the miniature pinscher, who was one of two winners of a free studio session. She was such a sweet girl and I loved getting to know her and cuddle with her. She was awesome during her studio session and I had so much fun working with her and her dad!
MEET MIA
Mia was adopted by a couple in their 60s in the summer of 2012, after they had lost their beloved yellow lab Zeke the previous fall. Her mom came home with her as a puppy, to the complete surprise of her dad, who was still heartbroken over the loss of Zeke. It didn’t take long for her to win not only her new dad over, but also their entire family with her sweet and sassy personality. Sadly, Mia lost her mom less than two years later when cancer took her only 5 days after being diagnosed. Mia couldn’t figure out where her mom had gone, and she and her dad helped each other through the difficult times after she passed. She became the best thing in her dad’s life, and he’d always say “everything happens for a reason and I don’t know what I would do without Mia.”
About a year later her dad also found out that his kidney cancer, that he had battled years prior, had returned. Every day Mia was by his side, giving him a reason to get out of bed and keeping him laughing with her minpin highjinks. He passed away only a few months later, and Mia was once again left without her companion.
A few months before he passed, Mia’s dad had told his son that Mia was a “once in a lifetime dog” and made him promise to take care of her when he was gone. He had never had a doubt that he would take her, and promised to give her an amazing life. So their son Bob took Mia into his home after losing both his parents (and Mia’s) and they were able to comfort each other through such a tough time. Her new dad says she’s the brightest spot in his life, and while she didn’t sign up for it, she’s been one heck of a therapy dog!
She was so much fun during her session and was a star in front of the camera. Congratulations to Mia and her dad for winning the Studio Giveaway!
This little girl can jump! She was so cute jumping for her dad and got some good air, which makes for awesome studio images.
This left photo is so goofy and cute and Mia’s dad thought it would be great for a meme…like what is she thinking?? What would you put in a doggy thought bubble in this image?
We used Mia’s favorite blanket from home that she always sleeps with, and it matches her fur perfectly. It ended up being the perfect addition for her studio session with the gray backdrop and her beautiful coloring. Plus it made her feel more at home :)
Sweet Mia got so relaxed that she laid down and I was able to capture her *almost* sleeping on her favorite blanket. And I always try to capture an image of doggy paws in my sessions, because I really think it’s something nice to have in an image collection. Doggy paws are so sweet and they’re something not often captured. Am I the only one obsessed with paws? Haha maybe. If you’re like me comment below so I know I’m not the only one!
This is Mia’s favorite toy - her “monster.” I told her Dad to bring anything she really loves, as I tell all my clients for studio and outdoor sessions. It can be really fun to capture dogs playing around like they do at home and it gives me a chance to capture their true personality. Mia was quite happy to hang out on her blanket in the studio and play tug with her monster with her dad.
And of course….here’s Mia’s special image for the With Love & Dogs Project! During our Pre-Session Consultation, her dad and I worked together to choose the perfect quote for her. This is one of the quotes I’ve been dying to use, and when I realized it was from the book “The Minpins” I knew it was meant to be for Mia, a minpin herself :) I made a little cape for her and created a simple magician set to have some fun with this image. What do you think?? I loved the way it turned out and it was her dad’s favorite image from our session!
At the end of our session Mia ran over to the other side of the studio space to look outside, and I was just quick enough to change all my camera settings to grab this adorable image. The studio is a beautiful renovated barn that’s full of bright light and provided an interesting contrast to the darker studio photos. Isn’t she so cute looking out at the pond out back?
Congratulations to Bob and Mia on winning my studio session contest! I had so much fun with you both and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to work together and create fun images for you to cherish forever. Plus we created a really awesome image for the With Love & Dogs Project that I’m thrilled to have in the collection. Thank you again to everyone that entered and I’ll be sharing our other winner very soon!
Interested in booking your own studio session and being part of the With Love & Dogs Project? Contact me today and let’s chat about your dogs and how I can help you capture them in photographs that you can cherish forever.
