A Day In the Life - 52 Week Project

Ugh! It's still super mega cold out here. Whoever ordered this winter weather must have picked the wrong option for cold!

Being that it is so cold outside, the dogs and I have been cooped up in the house. Luckily this week's challenge is a day in the life so being inside works well! Here are some day to day things Icey, Axle and Bender do!

Waiting to go outside and go potty.

After potty breaks, its time for breakfast! Icey, Axle & Bender's bowls. Why the cups in them? Because each dog is a vacuum when it comes to food! Most days they don't even chew it!

Time to lounge! Bender likes to lay in bed and watch me at my desk (he usually jumps down when I grab my camera so these are staged!) while Icey chills on the couch. Axle is in his crate because he and Bender don't always get along the best. 

And treats!!!!! These are the best part of the day! 

Next up vista Patricia I Corl of Field and Ranch Photography in Dallas, Texas!

Product Spotlight: Image Blocks!

Hello gang! I wanted to introduce Image Blocks to you! What the heck are they?!

Image Blocks are wooden blocks with a metallic image wrapped around them (think a canvas gallery wrap). They feature sharp corners and edges (which can be customized with a pattern or wrapped with the image) as well as a special lamination on the image that helps protect the final image and makes it easy to clean.

Image Blocks are also crazy easy to hang! Seriously! Each block comes with a french cleat mount that has predrilled holes in it. Pick the wall to hang the Image Block on, level the french cleat, screw in place (the screws are not included) and the Image Block "clips" into place. Not only will it be perfectly level (as long as the french cleat is level) but it will be hard to knock off the wall! Which is super nice if you have a knack for wildly tossing a tennis ball in the house. 

To clean, wipe down with a damp cloth. To remove, slide the Image Block up out of the cleat. Replace with a different Image Block (larger Image Blocks will "clip" into a smaller french cleat!) or remove entirely!

Below are some popular sizes of Image Blocks. I love pairing horizontal 12x18s with vertical 8x12s for a collection display (this works really well with 2 dogs - a portrait of each dog in an 8x12 and a portrait of the two together set between the two!). And if you are curious, yes my couch is rust orange!

Why I love Image Blocks - sharp edges, metallic images, and easy to hang and care for! What do you think of Image Blocks? If you need a first hand opinion, contact me and I'd love to show you a real live Image Block!

Shadows - 52 Week Project

The theme for this week was shadows. The weather warmed up and I took Icey and Bender out to snag some pictures with shadows. Turns out the sunny day was more of a filtered light day so the shadows were super weak. But I did get some snowball pictures...

The next morning there was a nice touch of sunshine that crept into the windows and created some interesting shadows. 

Next up is Susannah of Suzi Pix Photography! I can't wait to see what she and the others did for shadows!

Belle's Session

The weather wasn't sure what it wanted to do the day of Belle's session in late October at Quarry Park in Waite Park. It was cold, with a blustery wind and a touch of rain and snow that threatened to take root. Belle must be a good luck charm, because the wind and rain stayed at bay throughout the session!

Belle is a total charmer, though she was easily distracted by just about everything. Luckily there were plenty of treats on hand!

Belle has some of the silliest faces...

We even managed to get a little bit of a sunset at the end of her session!

 By the end, we were chilly but it was worth it to capture Miss Belle's personality!

Introductions - 52 Week Project

Hello and welcome to the new year! Anyone want to take any wagers on how long their resolutions are going to last? I'm thinking I might make a month or two before they fall to wayside!

But anyhoo enough of thoughts of failed resolutions, this week's theme is introductions! What a great way to start 2014!

First up, my 7 year old rottweiler, Icey! I've had her since she was a 10 month old pup and she's still my big baby! She is an awesome ambassador for the rottweiler breed! Not to mention she has perfected the head tilt and is a massive bed hog! (95lbs worth of dog will do that!)

Next is the 2.5 year old, tons of non stop energy boxer/pointer (guessing) mix, Axle! I adopted him 3 years ago the day after Christmas as a big, bouncy 6 month old pup and he's gotten taller since! He weighs in at a lean 65 lbs, is fast like a greyhound, retrieves like a lab and has one of the best underbites around!

Finally is the pitbull terrier, Bender! This guy is a loveable lughead who enjoys shredding ALL the toys, ropes and bones he can get his jaws on. He's smart and food motivated, though it seems to only work when we are indoors! He also snores like an old man and snorts like a pig when he begs!

And dog treats make him drool...

Then there's me! I'm a Minnesotan girlie who loves dogs, photography, classic cars, zombies and a strong coffee to kick me in the pants for the morning. My favorite color is blue (or lime green or rust orange depending on the day), southern Colorado is my favorite place and I enjoy eating steak, bacon and spaghetti with a chaser of a hard cider.  I've got a half sleeve tattoo that features my camera, pictures of my rottie, my late shepherd mix, a zombie, a zombie hand and a skull with "faux" blood spatters on the edges :)

I typically wear contacts, but alas I had "terminator eye" (aka pink eye) which just so happened on my last pair of contacts so I've been rocking the glasses for now!

Visit the awesome Orange County, California Pet Photographer Mary Siani Photography and get to know her and her gang!