Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography & Art

I recently had the pleasure of meeting and working with Kelly Willette of  Willette Designs. She is a Norfolk based children’s photographer who was named as Nickelodeon’s Parent Choice Award winner for best family photographer in 2009. Kelly also offers online workshops on children’s photography, as well as other helpful hints for the aspiring photographer.

Kelly came by my booth at the Stockley Gardens Art Show a few weeks ago, picked up a card and decided to email me about having her sons picture made into a collage. I was so excited when I received her photo because it was the most adorable shot I have seen in a long time…I looked at her email and noticed she was another local photographer, so I emailed back and asked if she would like to do a trade…Trade is a lost art in today’s culture and I find it interesting how artists seem to be the ones who are most open to it nowadays…I LOVE to do trades with other artists….9 times out of 10 I would rather have a new piece of art that someone made than a few bucks in my pocket.

We have been in desperate need of a family photo for a long time, so I asked Kelly if she would mind photographing my family. Kelly is a children’s portrait photographer and she usually does not photograph entire families…she made an exception for us and I am so grateful. We are so happy with our pictures and I know we will cherish them for a lifetime. It is really easy as a photographer to get caught up taking everyone else’s photos and neglect your own family, not to mention the fact that it is nearly impossible to get out from behind the camera to actually be in the shot!

Here are a few photos I wanted to share with you…The first shot is Kelly’s image that she emailed me of her son and the second image is of her completed collage that I made from that picture. I love the way it turned out…it shows you how important it is to start off with a really great image when you comission a collage. The rest of the pictures were taken by Kelly of my family. I could have posted many more images, but I thought this was enough to give you a general idea. Thanks again Kelly!

A  few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing these two amazing dogs…Gator & Shadow. Gator is a shepherd mix and Shadow is a lab mix of some Heinz 57 variety. Gator reminds me so much of my dog Wiley and proved to be as smart and well mannered as my own boy. Gator loved checking out the chickens at Stoney’s and lounging around on my antique sofa….Shadow was a little bit more timid, but she loosened up when she realized food was involved! I love the shots with the azalea’s blooming in the background…what great color and texture for photography.

I will be  trying out some new blog frames for my photos over the next few weeks….let me know what you think…

Here are a few new art pieces…two are commissions and the others are just for shows…The “Bad to the Bone” piece has been very popular and I have posted two different versions for  you to see. I am having so much fun creating these collages…I just crack up while I am creating them.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. I am looking forward to doing nothing, maybe hitting the beach if the weather holds up.

These two pitt bulls came out to Stoney’s for a photoshoot a few weeks ago and man did they have a good time. They were so well behaved…neither one tried to chase the chickens (see, not all pitt bulls are crazed killers) and Vito looked especially at home in this junk yard dog kind of environment…Stoney’s is in full swing right now with lots of color and texture which I love and they are always so good to me over there…thanks Lynn, Carolyn & Mr. Hudgins. Here are my favorites from the day and I have also posted two of the the digital pet portraits that their owner commissioned….

Here are some of my favorite shots from the annual VBSPCA Spring Pet Portrait day that I held this past weekend. I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Bob & Kathy Carter for allowing us to set up camp at their beautiful home. The gardens were absolutely amazing and the breeze off the water helped keep humans and pets alike from having heat stroke on a really hot day. Everyone had a great time and we raised some money for a really good cause…thanks to everyone who participated. Your support is what makes our local shelter the best in the area!

While in Paris a few weeks ago, we made a point to visit the oldest known public cemetery in the world, Cimetiere Des Chiens. As some of you may know…I love graveyards. Whenever we travel we make a point of visiting a local graveyard so I can take pictures and learn more about the history of the places we are visiting. Most people who go to Paris probably visit the much more famous Pere’-Lachaise Cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried, but after reading a recent article in Bark magazine ( and a suggestion from a friend)…I really wanted to visit this one. Two of my favorite things in the world in one place…perfect.

Some people may find graveyards depressing, but personally, I find them facinating. This cemetery sits right on the Seine River and has tons of old world charm. There were some newer, tacky monuments like you see in most graveyards, but there were also older graves with beautiful statuary and tombstones fit for a queen. It warmed my heart to see how so many of these pets had touched their owners lives and spirits. The cemetery’s most famous resident is film star Rin Tin Tin, but the largest monument is for a heroic St. Bernard named Barry who was a famed rescue dog. He rescued 40 people during his life from being trapped in the snow and he died trying to rescue the 41st. That one brought tears to my eyes…

It is hard to explain how I felt being in this cemetery…It was such a beautiful, peaceful place. Stray cats live there and seem to be watching over their fallen friends. I felt sad and at the same time happy to see such a display of love for animals. It was definitely the most moving experience I have had photographing a graveyard.

If you would like to learn more about this cemetery, click here. This article gives a little bit more information and directions to the site.