The S Family [North Liberty, IA Family Photography]

I met Andrea after perusing Etsy one day and noticing that the newborn headband I was looking at was made by someone in North Liberty. I contacted her, we met for coffee, and the rest is history! :) Since then, Andrea has been a great friend to me, and is very talented as well (check out her work at her Etsy shop Forever Handmade - you can also buy her items at Itsy Bitsy Boutique!). I was so excited that she and her husband Jake chose me to photograph their little family this fall, these two are so sweet together. Their dog Rowdy was nothing less than a perfect model during the entire session at Kent Park, and I saw later on Facebook that he slept quite well that evening!

Andrea and Jake - thanks for allowing me to photograph your family! I hope you enjoy the sneak peek.

My favorite!











Handsome pup!

National Puppy Day!

To be honest, I didn't even know there was a National Puppy Day until I saw it on Boo's (World's Cutest Dog...*however, I beg to differ*) Facebook status. Why do I follow a dog on Facebook you ask? Well someone has to keep eyes on the competition (and Einstein hasn't really mastered the internet, or a keyboard - no thumbs)!

So, to celebrate National Puppy Day, I thought it was only appropriate to post a new photo of Einstein. Hope you guys are having a great Friday, have a fabulous weekend!

Extreme Makeover: Einstein Edition

Although I love the shaggy look on my little Bubba, he always seems a lot more comfortable after a visit to the groomer. It's always such a huge difference between his two looks, that he almost doesn't look like the same puppy! I thought it would be funny to take a before and after shot this time since his last grooming appointment was right around Thanksgiving. Which version of Ein do you prefer?

All You Need is Love...and a Dog

When it came time to start thinking about Valentine's Day this year, I decided I wanted to do a session with Einstein (surprise, surprise!). He had such a great time back in October when our gorgeous little neighbor Avery modeled with him for a Halloween session, that we decided to see if she'd like to join us again. We had so much fun with this session, especially the part where we threw heart confetti everywhere! A huge thanks goes out to super cute Avery (and the lovely Tanya!) for helping me out, and of course to Einstein for being the cutest dog ever. Hope your Valentine's Day is happy!!











Einstein got tired of modeling, so Josh showed Avery Ein's body double. We all laughed pretty hard when Avery said (and I quote), "This fake Einstein is so calm!".














Love these two!

Oh the places you'll go...

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
- Dr. Suess
Last week I attended two graduations - one high school and one college. The high school graduation was especially poignant for me, as the young man I've been lucky enough to work with for the past 9 years graduated from high school (not to discount Andrew - whom I've also known for 9 years graduating college - congrats!!). I was so incredibly proud of Dan as he walked across the stage to accept his diploma. I can't help but tear up now as I think of that moment.

So, in honor of Dan's graduation I took this photo of his (incredibly patient, although confused) dog Chester. I'm not sure I would recommend doing this, as it tested my patience on an entirely new level, but it made a cute graduation card (and Dan loved it). Plus, there's nothing like a cute dog picture on a Wednesday afternoon...

I hope you all are having a great 4 day week! I have a fantastic engagement session coming up this weekend and I can't wait. :)

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous??

I once read a book (I believe it was titled "What the Dog Did") that described what it was like to be a dog owner in the most interesting, and truthful way. The author comments that since becoming a dog owner, she now knows what it's like to be married to a celebrity (and I'm not talking about dual celebrity unions like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt...I'm talking about celebrity + regular person marriages like Matt Damon and his wife ...not sure what her name is...*and that just proves my point right there*). I find this quote to be SO TRUE, and when I read it I laughed out loud and could totally relate. Everyone in my neighborhood (and some people who aren't in my neighborhood) knows Einstein. Even people who have never met Einstein, will ask "is that Einstein??" when they come across him for the first time. It's hilarious! Everybody is all "oh, he's SO cute!" and "I love him!!" or even the occasional "I want to take him home with me!" (now go back and read those statements substituting Brad Pitt's name in for Einstein and you'll see exactly what I mean). He even gets heckled (as I'm sure some celebrities do) by people who can't resist the "where's the rest of your dog?" or "is he an ankle biter?".

The author goes on to explain that she knows what it's like because everyone seems to know who her dog is, yet no one knows her name. As a fellow dog owner, I can absolutely relate! There are often times when I'll be walking Einstein and people we've never met before will greet him by name, then ask for mine. Every time this happens, I remember that book and just have to laugh. Has anyone else out there experienced life as a "celebrity wife"?

So, to further add to the growing membership of the imaginary Einstein fan club, here's yet another cute pic of him living the pampered life of a celebrity, surrounded by his fuzzy blankets. This pic could so be in Doggie InStyle....

I will name him George, and I will hug him, and pet him, and squeeze him....

You may be wondering what the title of this post is all about, but if you watched Bugs Bunny as a kid, you probably remember the Abominable Snowman (and if not, check out the video below - at around 22 seconds you'll see what I'm talking about).


My husband Josh was a big fan of Bugs Bunny growing up (oh, who am I kidding...he still is!) and has told me on more than one occasion that when I talk to Einstein I remind him of the (oh so loving) Abominable Snowman featured in the video above. At first I was offended - how dare he compare me to a cartoon snowman!! However, once I watched it, I really couldn't deny that I totally do that to Einstein. Can you blame me? Look at this face - don't you just want to hug him and pet him and squeeze him??


Unfortunately, despite my coaxing, my little fuzzy model wasn't in the picture taking mood yesterday and his posing mostly consisted of this:


What's a girl to do when her model won't cooperate? Offer treats, that always gets the little guy's attention!

Einstein + Molly Mutt

Sorry for the lack of actual photo shoots, but with the freezing temps and the recent holidays, I don't think many people are thinking about photos at the moment (but just an FYI, I can do indoor photos, just email me for more info!). I did take some photos this weekend though and wanted to share this photo that I took of Einstein on his Molly Mutt bed.


If you've never heard of Molly Mutt beds, they're actually duvet covers for dog beds and come in a few different prints. I like them because you can put in old blankets, towels, clothes, pillows...whatever you aren't using anymore (and the dogs like them because they smell like you!). Einstein doesn't sleep on his at night (as I'm sure you assumed, he's so spoiled he gets to sleep in our bed) but he does perch on it often during the day while doing his neighborhood watch thing.

This is only a test...

I have my first indoor shoot today so of course I had to practice the set up on my favorite subject, Einstein! He was a little scared of the bamboo rug, so I had him sit in his old bed (although he didn't like that much either). I finally got a good shot when I asked him if he wanted a treat!

(He got paid in treats...)

Welcome!