Puppy Week!

 

Can I just say that I don't think there is any such thing as a crazy dog lady.  At least not in the same sense as a crazy cat lady.  Which is a good thing as I'm well into puppy week here at Say Cheese.  Puppies, puppies and more puppies! And everyone is happy.  Even my friends (ahem Rosa and Heather, I'm looking at you) who have been teasing me about my recent obsession with puppies. Because who really can not help but melt when you look at these cute rascals and their cute tails?

(Puppies in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Papa Bear

I briefly (very briefly) considered posting some other photos from New Mexico, you know, like of the desert or a cactus plant or something.  But then I remembered this is supposed to puppy week.  Much like shark week but with less teeth and more cute furriness. Yay, puppy week.

So, in honor of the bestest week ever, meet Headlights, aka Papa Bear, the father of the six little britches. He is a strong, protective, spirit dog. The kind you want by you on a dark night or during a solitary walk.  I would love to find a good boy like him when I'm ready to adopt a dog of my own.

(Headlights, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

A puppy a day...

I have a confession.  Well, maybe I shouldn't call it that, since I alluded to it in my last post.  No, it's really no secreat that I have a lot of puppy photos from my trip to New Mexico.  How could I not with six adorable little puppies running arund the ranch? I'd have no soul if I didn't fall in love with these buggers, who came running to say hello whenever I walked outside.  As someone who never had a dog, let alone a puppy, when I was growing up, I was euphoric at the thought of sharing a home with six little ones.  I played with them, petted them and, of course, took lots of photos of them.  You might as well call my trip a puppy-cation.

So I'm thinking that I might just do a "puppy a day" post for this week to share some of these great shots.  And you know what they say... a puppy a day keeps the doctor away!  Enjoy!

And in case you were wondering, this beautiful dog is the mama dog of the pack.  Wait till you see the papa bear dog in a later post. They make a good looking pair. No wonder their puppies are so dang cute!

(Mama and puppy, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Puppy Love

I'm baaaaaaack!

I had an amazing experience in New Mexico, which words cannot describe.  You can bet that in the near future I'll be sharing photos from my journey and perhaps a few reflections.  But I'll also be sharing photos of PUPPIES!  Lots of puppies.  There were four amazing dogs (well, some would say three amazing dogs and one very rambunctious dog) and six puppies at the farm where I had the great honor to stay.  Yes, you read that right  SIX PUPPIES!  I'm going through such puppy withdrawal right now.  But more on that later.  Right now, I'm just exhausted.  I think I've been up for about eighteen hours, traveling for about twelve of those...  Which means that it must be bed time.  Sweet (puppy filled) dreams to everyone.

(P.S.  This lil' one is named Cheii, which is the Navajo word for grandfather.  Doesn't he look like such the little old man? The name is perfect.)

(Cheii, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Puppy Eyes

This dog would very much like to get out of the car.  Wish I could have taken him with me.

(Sorry for the short post - been too busy, but trying to keep posting regularly).

(Dog in Eagle River, WI, photographed December 2010)

Purring with Delight (B&W)

Meow.

Back-to-back posting on cats.  I wasn't going to do this.  Because I'm not a crazy cat lady.  

But it's been a while since I've participated in Black and White Wednesday, hosted by the Long Road to China.  I've been lax in posting to my little blog, thanks (unfortunately) to work and life obligations.  In November, I managed to scrape together three posts.  Three.  In the entire month.  No wonder I've been so grumpy and uninspired lately.  So now I'm making a concerted effort to keep these creative juices flowing.  And, in doing so, found these great black and white photos I took of my dad and stepmom's cats and thought these would be perfect for black and white Wednesday.

And that's how I got to back-to-back postings on cats.  Not because I am a crazy cat lady.  These aren't even my cats.

You have to admit, though, that these are cute cats.  Even if you are not a crazy cat person yourself.  Little Isaiah -- the one with the stripes -- was very perplexed at what I was doing, following him around on hands and knees, taking photos.  I think you can see the curiosity written on his face  in a couple of these photographs.  Luckily for my parents, however, curiosity did not, in fact, kill the cat.

(Noah & Isaiah, photographed October 2010)

Cat in the Hat (or Sack)

"We looked!
Then we saw him
step in on the track!
We looked!
And we saw him!
The Cat in the Sack!"

“I know it is wet
And the sun is not sunny.
But we can have
Lots of good fun
that is funny!”

“Look at me!

  Look at me!

  Look at me NOW!

  It is fun to have fun

  But you have 

  to know how.”*

Whether it be a bag or a box, my sister's cat knows how to have fun.  She was very entertaining (and photogenic) when I visited during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

*quotes (slightly adapted) from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess

(Kim Gordon, photographed November 2010)

Falling for New York

Today was a beautiful day in New York.  Although it is (gasp) already mid-November, it was unseasonably warm, with temperatures reaching the mid-sixties.  My friend from high school was visiting for the weekend (hi Meghan!), so we took full advantage of the great weather and strolled through the streets of Brooklyn.

And I, of course, took my camera with me.  But I didn't want to be a pain and make my dear friend wait while I switched lens and played around with my camera.  Nor did I feel like lugging my big camera bag around during our stroll.  So instead I took just my camera, upon which I mounted my new 85mm prime lens.  I have been so busy lately (maybe you could tell by the lack of recent posts) that I haven't really had a chance to break it in.  Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with it.

(NYC, photographed November 2010)

Prime Time

Lately I've been asked to take a bunch of portraits for my friends.  My friends' engagement photos, another friend's wedding, some more baby shots...  I'm super excited and honored (thanks, guys!).  But this also got me thinking that maybe it's about time that I invested in another prime lens for these portraits.  I really wanted a prime lens that would give a sublime bokeh - photographer-speak for that dreamy blurry background effect in photos.  I did my research and I found that an 85mm / 1.8 was exactly what I was looking for.  And I bought it.

I had a chance to play with it this weekend while doing another fashion shoot for my friend Katy at Sugarlaws.  I really think some of the portraits turned out quite lovely.  But those photos aren't ready to be posted yet.  So instead, I'm sharing with you the other portraits that I took this weekend.  Of my favorite cat model Bella and Katy's adorable puppies.

As usual, Bella was not as cooperative of a witness as I would like.  See below.  Haha.  The puppies were better behaved.

(Bella and Coco & Calvin, photographed October 2010)

Wiscaaaaahnsin

I can't wait.

One more day and I'll be on my way back to Wisconsin.  I'm headed to my very first Packers game and will get some quality family time to boot.  It's only for a weekend, but it will be good to be home.  Especially after the long days I've been having lately at work (which you may have figured out from my mentions in recent posts and well, to be frank, my lack of recent posts).  I need some quality R and R.  

Thinking about Wisconsin made me go through some of my photographs from my last trip to Wisconsin, when I went home for a family reunion.  My dad and I went to Merrill and Tomahawk, two small towns in Wisconsin, and visited the Lincoln County Fair.  And I gathered an interesting collection of photographs from those adventures.  This time, I hope to come back from with some great ones from Lambeau Field....

And I almost forgot that it is Wednesday! The days have blurred a bit lately.  But it being Wednesday means that it is Black & White Wednesday, hosted by The Long Road to China.  Although this post is more colorful than most of my B&W Wednesday posts (sorry!), I did specifically choose that top shot of the clover field and this bottom shot of my gin and tonic as my B&W shots from my last trip to Wisconsin.  And as a side note, that was just not any gin and tonic... It was a very special gin and tonic.  It brought much comfort after a long day of socializing at the family reunion with a hundred relatives I hadn't met before.  

(Wisconsin, photographed July 2010)