Updated on 3/3/21 for Spring 2021

With spring fast approaching, it’s a great time to start thinking about your spring dog photography session. If you’re considering something unique, you’ll want to book very soon to take advantage of a couple limited-time-only photography opportunities! Book a fun beach session in March or a gorgeous cherry blossom session in April. Both only available for specific dates so don’t wait to book!

March Beach Sessions

You may not want to think about a beach session when it’s still a bit chilly in March, but did you know that in Connecticut, dogs are only allowed on most beaches during the winter months of each year? Hammonasset, Bluff Point and many others will stop allowing dogs on the beaches on April 1st, and they won’t be allowed back again until October. Book your beach session for THIS MONTH if you’d like to have gorgeous memories of your pup playing on the beach and in the water! I am available to travel all over the CT shoreline.

HURRY! Book your March Beach Session by Monday, March 15th for anytime from now through March 31st.

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April Cherry Blossom Sessions

I am thrilled to announce that for the first time, I’ll be offering Limited Edition Cherry Blossom Sessions at Wooster Square in New Haven. The gorgeous pink cherry blossom trees are only in bloom for a very brief period each year, and they are also tricky to find. Wooster Square Park is completely surrounded by them, and is simply stunning when they’re in bloom. The images below were taken last spring at the tail end of the blooming period, so if we hit the peak dates right this year, you’ll like get even more pink than you see below. These limited edition sessions will only be available for one week in April and I will only be able to book a small amount of sessions, so don’t wait!

DATES: Week of April 19th (Monday-Friday)
TIMES: Evenings - Starting at 6:00pm
LOCATION: Historic Wooster Square, New Haven

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March Beach Sessions and April Cherry Blossom Sessions will only be available for a limited time and to a limited number of clients, so they will be booked on a first come, first served basis. Please don’t wait if you’re considering one of these unique sessions this spring! I am also currently booking my normal spring outdoor sessions at locations of your choice, so if you’d love your session at your home or favorite spot, contact me and let’s get started.

Sessions are $250 and artwork pricing begins at $350. Clients typically invest between $700-1500 on heirloom artwork and albums after their session. Click here to learn more about pricing and what’s included with your session fee.

Not sure which type of session is right for you and your dog? Contact me today and let’s chat! I would love to learn more about your dog and help you figure out what’s best for you. I can’t wait to work with you!

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I had so many incredible sessions this past fall season, and I was so busy that I’m just finally sitting down to share them with you! This session took place in early October, when we still had so much beautiful green in the trees with just a hint of yellow starting to pop in. Madison wanted some images of her sweet Sydney, who is such a beautiful and sweet 11 year old pup. She’s a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Saint Bernard, making her gorgeous with some very unique features.

We did Sydney’s session at Bluff Point State Park in Groton, because it’s a place that Madison loves bringing her to play in the water. Sydney is definitely a water dog, and really was happiest once we let her play in the ocean!

Isn’t she just so beautiful? I’m obsessed with the beautiful white and spotted fur on her chest and her hints of white on her face and paws.

We captured lots of fun, playful images of Madison and Sydney playing together on our hike through the park and at the beach. These two are so cute together and Sydney is such a playful girl. Even though she’s starting to slow down a little at age 11, she definitely played like a puppy throughout our whole session.

Definitely my favorite image of the day. It ended up being Madison’s favorite too and it became the center image of her 5-image wall collection! (If you want to see the full collection I’m sharing it at the bottom of this post!)

Images like these make awesome album spreads because they show a cute series of playful images together. In fact, these images in this format are exactly one of the album spreads Madison chose and I love them so much! (Her album video is shared below as well so you can check it out)

This is definitely another of my favorites. Just a beautiful, classic portrait of a happy dog in her happy place :)

And sometimes when you try to take some more posed shots, you get a goofball dog who just wants to bark at her mom, which make for adorable images too!

Another favorite! There were so many beautiful ones from this session. This was actually the first time Sydney sat down since we arrived at the beach part of the park to finally give us a seated image! She just wanted to play too much. Even in this spot she only stayed like this for about 20 seconds. Being a dog photographer is basically all patience, patience, patience and then being very quick at the perfect moment.

Once we had a bunch of adorable portraits of Sydney alone and with Madison, we finally let her swim. When I do beach or lake sessions I typically try to get some portraits before letting the pup swim, so that if clients want photos with their dog (which I highly encourage) they don’t get soaked, plus then we have a few dry images of the dog alone! We all know how long it takes dogs to dry off, so I try to save swimming for later in the sessions.

I think she was trying to tell me to stop taking photos of her and throw the damn stick already.

I had Madison play casually with her and throw the stick so we could get some cute candids of them playing together.

It’s important for me to capture your dog’s personality, so I spend a lot of time at sessions just letting them play and be themselves. This usually means I’ll have my clients play with them and I’ll capture lots of candid images in the process. It also allows me to get some action shots as they’re running (or swimming!) back towards us.

Wait or maybe this is my favorite image? Since I make the rules here I’m saying it’s totally fine to have 10 favorites. There’s never a need to pick just one!

I love a good shake-shot image series! Whenever I do swimming sessions, these are a MUST. They are so funny and make perfect album spreads. Plus, most of my clients have never seen a still shot of their dog’s face mid-shake and they are hilarious.

A few more action photos before we ended our session. Sydney would’ve kept swimming all day if we’d let her.

One final shot and then she was done. We definitely exhausted this girl between the hike and all the swimming. I think it’s safe to say she was living her best life that day :)

Thank you so much Madison, for trusting me to capture these precious memories of you and your sweet girl. I had SOOOO much fun with the two of you!

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Heirloom Artwork

This set of 5 canvases is quickly becoming my most popular client wall collection. It’s so hard to pick just one favorite (obviously I have this problem too), so choosing this collection, plus an album, means you don’t have to! Madison chose her 5 favorite images to turn into canvases for her home. At her Viewing Session I helped her narrow down her favorites and then used a special pro software to show her various options with different images to see what she liked best. I typically spend a couple hours with each client at this Viewing Session to make sure their wall collections and album designs are perfect. I want you to LOVE your heirlooms because they are made to last forever! This album cover is the “Sand” linen and perfectly compliments our beach session.

Here’s a little video to show you what’s inside her album if you’d like to see how I typically design them. Every one is customized to best tell the story of you and your dog, and I work with each client to make sure they love every single spread and the overall story the album tells. This one is filled with so much cuteness!

Do you have questions about albums, artwork, my photography experience or how to get started with booking your own session? Contact me today and let’s chat about your dogs and how I can help you capture them in photographs and heirloom artwork that you can cherish forever.

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I am so excited for the new year and to continue work on my studio passion project, With Love & Dogs. My business saw its busiest quarter ever this past fall and holiday season (thank you!!) so my project was temporarily put on hold. This winter and spring I will be working hard on this project, and I’d love to work with you and YOUR DOG!

THE WITH LOVE & DOGS PROJECT

This project will aim to share messages of love, hope, kindness and equality using chalkboard signs and a simple studio set up, with dogs as the main subjects. There will be focuses on human and animal rights, environmental awareness, friendship, inclusion and more.

The simplicity allows the focus to be on the dog and the message, and combines two of my favorite things: dogs and quotes. I have big dreams for this project, including an exhibition and possibly *a book!* and I would love for you to be a part of it.

I am looking for confident, friendly, well-trained dogs in a variety of colors and breeds for specific images for this project. Below I’ll show you some of the images I’m currently working to create, as well as information on how participate in the model call. Please complete the application to be considered and thank you for your interest in the With Love & Dogs Project!

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WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE PROJECT

I have so many ideas in my head for this project and the images I want to create, but I’d been struggling with how to get other people excited about certain visions that are only living in my brain! So I finally just sharpened a pencil and sat down and did a type of artwork that I NEVER do: drawing.

These are amateur sketches so go easy on me, but I just wanted to attempt to convey the thoughts in my brain onto paper so that you can see my vision. I’m going to explain each image below in more detail, so if one jumps out at you, you can read more about it below. I am looking for confident, friendly and WELL-TRAINED model dogs to help me create these images. For some, I will be looking for specific breeds, colors, sizes, etc. For others, I just need a sweet, well-trained pup that’s willing to pose with a chalkboard (and maybe sunglasses)! If you think your dog would be a great fit for one of these images, continue reading below for more information about my MODEL CALL and the different options for you, and complete the Model Call Application to be considered. Please also feel free to share this post with your friends, if you know someone who might be interested!

Here are sketches of the images I’m looking to turn into photographs for the next phase of the project:

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1) All Colors Are Beautiful

(6 Dog Image)

This is the image that most excites me and I absolutely cannot wait to create it. I am looking for 6 dogs of different breeds, but the same height (around 30-35” tall when sitting) that can all pose together with a giant chalkboard in front of them. I am looking to showcase the variety of colors of human ethnicities, but using dogs, as a reminder that we are ALL beautiful. I will need dogs of various breeds that are fully black, brown, red, yellow and white, and then I am hoping to also include a multi-colored dog, such as a Dalmatian or a brindle Australian Shepherd. Due to the nature of the photograph and how large the chalkboard will be, I am looking for 6 dogs that are all about the same height, and fully one color (with the exception of the multi-colored pup). For this image it will be a requirement that all dogs are extremely friendly (especially with other, new dogs), confident, calm and very well-trained.

Needed:

• Fully black dog, any breed, 30-35” tall when sitting, well-trained and friendly

• Fully brown dog, any breed, 30-35” tall when sitting, well-trained and friendly

• Preferably looking for a Dalmation or brindle Australian Shepherd, 30-35” tall when sitting, well-trained and friendly

• Preferably looking for an Irish Setter, 30-35” tall when sitting, well-trained and friendly

• Fully yellow dog, any breed, 30-35” tall when sitting, well-trained and friendly

• Fully white dog, any breed but possibly Great Pyrenees or Samoyed, 30-35” tall when sitting, well-trained and friendly

*Please note that I will be looking for certain breeds and looks to compliment each other in this image, certain shades of colors, and very specific temperaments and training levels. If your dog doesn’t get chosen for this image you may still be able to participate in another image :)

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2) trying to see your perspective

(2 Dog Image)

For this image I am looking for a great dane and a very small breed (if you have both of these dogs in your family, please let me know!) that are looking at each other, with the smaller dog on a stool to be at eye level with the larger dog. I know there are many other large breeds, but to start off I’d really love to try and get a Great Dane because they are famously the tallest. The breed of the smaller dog is open, as long as they are comfortable sitting on a stool and being in a studio space and with a larger dog.

Needed:

• Great Dane, well-trained and friendly

• Small dog, any breed, well-trained, friendly, who would be okay sitting on a stool

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3) You Can Sit With Us

(3-4 Dog Image)

I love this idea - which aims to send a message of kindness, inclusion and anti-bullying. I am looking for 2-3 dogs of one breed, preferably golden retrievers. Then I will need 1 other dog of a different breed, hopefully shorter and much different looking, to show that we can include those who are different from us.

Needed:

• Ideally 3 Golden Retrievers, all about the same height, well-trained and friendly

• Smaller dog, any breed, well-trained and friendly

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4) Kindness is so Gangster

(1 Dog Image)

I am so excited to create this simple, fun image and I’m looking for a rottweiler specifically (at this time) who would be able to wear sunglasses for a few minutes to get a cute “gangster” looking image. Please contact me if you think your rottie would be great for this image!

Needed:

• Rottweiler, well-trained and willing to wear sunglasses :)

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5) Admire someone else’s beauty

(2 Dog Image)

This image focuses on inclusion and love, and I really love this quote. I am looking for two similar breed dogs that look slightly different for this image, so f you have two dogs in your family that get along well and would be able to look at each other, I’d love to work with you!

Needed:

• 2 Dogs of a similar breed with slightly different looks (preferably from the same family), well-trained

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6) Wake Up Humans

(1 Dog Image)

As I mentioned above, there will be a focus on a variety of timely, important topics, including environmental awareness. I love this image, especially from the perspective of an animal. Since I can’t use a polar bear, a dog will be the next best thing :)

Needed:

• Any breed, any size, well-trained

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7) My Human’s Rights

(1 Dog Image)

Human rights and equality have always been one of my main objectives of this project, and again I think these type of messages are very timely and important. I am looking for any well-behaved, confident dog for this image (breed and color are open) but if you have a special connection to human rights issues, please let me know! I would love to have people participate who love the messages and find them personally meaningful.

Needed:

• Any breed, any size, well-trained

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8) F*ck Society’s Idea of Beauty

(1 Dog Image)

This image again focuses on inclusion and love. I used Maggie the Wunderdog for my sketch, and if you’re unfamiliar with Maggie’s heartbreaking and inspiring story, I invite you to check her out. (You can find her on Instagram @maggiethewunderdog.) Maggie lost her eyes and one ear to severe abuse, but now spreads so much joy and love to everyone shes meets (and many of us that just follow her online!). I used Maggie as an example, but I am looking for a dog model with a similarly difficult story to feature in this image. I would love to tell your dog’s story if they have suffered a difficult past, and perhaps do not look like the “traditional dog.” I am also open to working with a dog that is up for adoption and meets these criteria! Please contact me if this speaks to you and you have a dog that would be a great match for this quote.

Needed:

• Blind, injured, disfigured dog that had a tough past and has had a second chance at life, or that is currently up for adoption! :)

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9) Don’t Just Be Sorry, Do Something

(1 Dog Image - open to also including a cat and/or rabbit)

Ok please don’t judge this sketch too hard! I know it’s awful but I am not a sketch artist :) This images aims to focus on animal rights, environmental awareness and kindness in general. I am looking for 1-2 dogs, or possibly a cat and/or rabbit can be included as well. If you have one dog or a variety of animals that would be able to sit for this image, please let me know!

Needed:

• Any breed, any size, well-trained

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Want to See more??

Check out the studio video!

Check out this video from my studio announcement to see what studio sessions look like, the gorgeous space I work in, and to see more images from the With Love & Dogs Project. I invite you and your dog to join me in this amazing space to create meaningful images and fun memories that you can cherish forever!

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Model Call!

I am offering two different types of Model Calls for participation in the With Love & Dogs Project.

Option 1 - Book a Full Session & Get $100 off Artwork & a digital image

Book a full Studio Session at $250 and receive a $100 Print Credit for participation in the project, plus the digital copy of your project image! You will get the full With Love & Oats Photography Experience, with the print credit and an image as a thank you for participation in the project.

See a full studio session HERE.

What's included:

• Pre-Session Planning / Consultation

• Welcome Packet with treats!

• 40-60 minute session for 1-2 pets (and human family members!)

• Studio location in Killingworth (typically held on Fridays but can be flexible)

• Viewing of a minimum of 15-20 professionally edited & enhanced proofs

• Personal Viewing & Ordering Appointment

• Selection of beautiful print and art products*

• Web-sized digital files of all purchased images

• Delicious, healthy pet treats

• Lifetime memories!

• **$100 Print Credit for Artwork

• **Complimentary web-sized (non-watermarked) digital copy of your image for the project (A $50 Value!)

*Customized art, prints and digital files are available for purchase at the Viewing & Ordering Appointment, and are not included in the session price. Small charges may apply for additional pets and extra studio time.

Option 2 - free 15 minute mini session for project image only

If a full session is not currently in your budget, but you would really love to have your dog participate in the project, I will be hosting one or two “Mini Session” Days where you can bring your dog in to be photographed for the project image only. You will receive a web-sized, watermarked digital image of your dog’s project image to share on social media. You may upgrade to a non-watermarked image, artwork or prints for an additional fee. These dates will likely take place in late February or early March, and will be set days on either a Friday or Saturday. A $50 refundable deposit will be required to hold your spot, but will be refunded after you complete your mini session, or can be applied toward artwork or digital upgrades.

*Please note that an upgrade to a full session will be $250 but you will receive $100 back toward your artwork purchase. If you are unsure which option is best for you, please contact me and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you!

How To Apply:

• Complete the questionnaire in full by clicking the green button below (be sure to specify which image you’re applying for)

• Follow With Love & Oats on Instagram by clicking here (thank you!)

• Like With Love & Oats on Facebook by clicking here (thank you!)

Timeline:

• Model applications will be received until all spots are filled for all images

• Sessions will likely take place in Spring/Summer 2020

• Full Studio Sessions can be scheduled anytime (coordination will be needed for multiple dog sessions)

• Mini Session Day(s) - if needed - will take place on a rolling basis

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I’m thrilled to continue work on this exciting passion project and I’m looking forward to working with you and your dogs to create meaningful images, fun memories and heirloom artwork that you can cherish forever.

I am also currently offering my Signature Outdoor Sessions, so if you don’t feel that a studio session is right for your dog but would still love to work together, please click below to contact me about an outdoor session! I also offer studio sessions year round, even if you’d prefer not to participate in the project. If you’re considering either, let’s chat!

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I’m so excited to introduce the second 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:

Blog Post: Now Booking! Studio Dog Photography Sessions!

And if you’d like to read about my first studio contest winner click here.

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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 Sadie, 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 amazing during her studio session and I had so much fun working with her and her parents!

MEET SADIE

Sadie’s story touched my heart so much that I knew I had to meet her and photograph her for her family. She was rescued from a life of abuse and neglect in San Antonio, TX. When she arrived in Connecticut she was pregnant, had mange, and was scared of men. Her puppies all got adopted quickly and she was the last one left. Amy saw her online and convinced her husband Jason to go and see her. Amy said that when Sadie’s beautiful brown eyes met hers it was love and first sight, and they brought her home the next day. Since her adoption four years ago, she’s warmed up to men and gives love to everyone she meets. When Amy’s mom passed away unexpectedly, she wouldn’t leave Amy’s side and got her through the toughest days. She continues to sense when her mom is sad and comfort her through the difficult moments. Even after all see went through as a young pup, she exudes so much joy and love and is truly one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. She plays like a puppy, loves giving paw and kisses, and poses perfectly for treats!

She was so much fun during her session and was a star in front of the camera. Congratulations to Sadie, Amy and Jason for winning the Studio Giveaway!

Sadie had so many adorable, happy and goofy expressions and was just a star in front of the camera!

I was so excited that Amy and Jason were game for a whole bunch of family photos. They even coordinated their outfits perfectly! I love including dog owners in images, and these ended up being some of my favorite family photos ever.

It’s nice to do both family photos and individual ones with each parent. If you’re considering a pet portrait session, I hope you’ll also consider joining in on the action! Aren’t these just so adorable? Sadie really loves her parents :)

Honestly I couldn’t choose between these so I had to include them all. Sadie was so cute and perfect - she looked at each parent, at me, and kissed their hands. Is this girl not the sweetest little thing?!?

I love to capture images of your dog’s tails and paws if possible. As a dog photographer, these are my version of what wedding photographers call “detail shots.” They make wonderful additions to an album and if you’re anything like me (and like Sadie’s owners) you absolutely love every little feature of your pup. Someday you may really love to have a close up image of those things you don’t ever want to forget.

Sadie’s dad Jason is in the military so we ended our session by taking some photos of Sadie posing with his uniform and the flag. Thank you so much Jason for your service to our country!

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the making of art-worthy images: composites

For Sadie’s image for the With Love & Dogs Project, we chose this beautiful quote that had special meaning to Sadie’s mom, whose own mom passed away recently and this was a quote she had hanging up in her home. I wanted to incorporate confetti, but it’s usually a tricky element for most dogs because they often want to eat it or are confused by what it is! I took some photos without the confetti first to get a cute look, and then used several confetti images to create the one final image for the project! The “blooper” images ended up serving a dual purpose. I used the confetti from the various images to create a composite that became the beautiful final image, but Sadie’s parents also loved the blooper images so much that we made an entire album spread out of them!

Here’s the final image of Sadie for the With Love & Dogs Project! Her parents were thrilled about how it came out and ordered a large print of it for their home. I’m really excited about how it came out. Sadie was such an amazing studio model!

Sadie is an incredible dog. I had so much fun working with her and her parents and creating beautiful images, prints and an album for them. It was truly such a pleasure and I hope to work with all of you again!

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hEIRLOOM aRTWORK

Sadie’s parents ordered some beautiful prints and my Signature Album, which is an absolutely gorgeous 10x10 album with thick pages and stunning cover options, plus it comes with its own album box. Amy is a graphic designer and was really excited to design a cover for her album, so she created this lovely paw print with a heart and Sadie’s full name. They chose the Plum linen cover with Silk pages, and I am OBSESSED with how this album came out (like I really had a hard time giving it to them and not keeping it for myself!). This is the upgraded option of my two albums and I love creating these for clients. I also offer a less expensive Signature Book (a great option if you’re also investing in wall art), but the Signature Album is truly a gorgeous heirloom to cherish forever, and I love creating these for clients. If you’d like to learn more about artwork options, click here to view my artwork page, or click here to contact me with questions!

Check out the video below to watch me flip through Sadie’s full album!

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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. I would love to work with you!

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This year I introduced holiday mini sessions in the studio and it was a huge success! I had 8 dogs in the studio and we had so much fun creating fun and festive holiday images for holiday cards, Christmas ornaments, holiday decorations and prints. I only offered a limited number of time slots and they all filled up within three days, so I can’t wait to offer even more next year.

Thank you to everyone who came to the studio to be a part of my first ever Holiday Session Day. It was such a pleasure working with all of you and your sweet pups. Check out some of the cutie patootie photos of these sweet dogs and their families.

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This handsome boy is Enzo - he’s only 1 year old but he did amazing posing with a Santa hat and with his sweet parents for a lovely family photo - perfect for Christmas cards. This was my first time working with Enzo and I can’t wait to work with him again for a future outdoor session because he is the sweetest!!

I was so honored to have three former clients (with five awesome doggos) attend my Holiday Mini Session Day. Here’s the adorable George and Gracie, who you may remember from this summer and their fun session that was featured on my blog. Click here to check it out! George is a total goofball while Gracie is much more sophisticated and serious, so these photos capture their personalities perfectly.

Honey and Baby are sweet sisters who did so great modeling for the camera, and their family got in on the action too! Baby is very tiny and has some medical conditions that make being around other dogs tough, so we put her in a little blanket filled basket so she wouldn’t be at risk. I think it fit her perfectly and looked adorable!

Champ and Carrie were 2018 With Love & Oats clients and they were just as wonderful as always! Carrie wasn’t a big fan of wearing any of the props but she definitely wowed with some beautiful smiles. Her big brother Champ rocked the Christmas wreath though! I always love working with these two pups and their dad.

Sweet little Mia also came back for her second studio session of the year! She was one of two winners of my Studio Session Giveaway and she’s also on the blog! Click here to check out her last studio session and her image for the With Love & Dogs Project. She was very fashionable in a number of outfits, including adorable Burberry and Santa coats and a tiny Santa hat!

Everybody did a wonderful job with their photo sessions and I loved having all these sweet pups and their families in the studio for my first Holiday Mini Session Day. I can’t wait for next year’s holiday sessions, and I may be announcing more themed mini session days in 2020! If you’re interested in being a part of the holiday ones or other themed session days, click the button to join my email list and be the first to know about what’s new!

I hope everyone has a joyful and peaceful holiday - however you celebrate - and a Happy New Year! Thank you all for an amazing 2019.

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