This post has been sitting in my drafts folder, just waiting for the right time to 'go live' . Since I have been thinking about Jasmine all week (and it looks like we are getting close to having her ready for a new home- vet visit tomorrow!), I thought this would be an appropriate time to prove my love for the feline variety of furbaby.

Most people think that I only photograph dogs. This makes sense as most of the animals on my websites are dogs. However, not only do I shoot cats as well, but I have multiple repeat clients who own multiple kitties.

Although they only make up about 15% of my total shoots, I love photographing cats! It's a totally different ballgame from shooting dogs.

In what way?

Lots of ways.

Cats are much more challenging to shoot than dogs for a variety of different reasons.

Dogs are EASY. Cats- not so much.























A) most aren't super thrilled to have a camera shoved in their face, or anywhere near them for that matter. Especially if you are a stranger. They are pros at turning away with their back/shoulder facing the photographer.

B) they are constantly in motion. Not the start-stop kind of motion dogs do, but more of a constant, fluid, unpredictable motion. Dogs start, then stop. And pause. Then move again, then stop. Cats seem to only be stationary when a) looking out the window while stuck between a potted plant and the back of a chair, making photo-taking difficult at best, b) while half-lidded and nearing naptime and c) sleeping.

C) unlike dogs, they will do whatever they damn well please, thank you very much. It isn't you, the photographer who gets to control how the shoot goes, it is the CAT.

D) many cats require ultimate patience to get really great shots. Great cat shots really do need to happen organically.

E) the same noises that will get the attention and perked ears of a dog will frequently make a cats ears fold back- a very undesirable look for a kitty in a photograph. It takes timing and patience to get the elusive ears up and forward, yet relaxed eyes shots.

However, even given these challenges (or because of them) I love shooting cats!

I tend to be a fairly high-energy person and move quickly and am always thinking and nearly always 'doing'.

When doing a kitty shoot I am forced to slow down. My movements, my speech, my thoughts, even my blood pressure slow down. It's like meditation. The Zen of pet photography.

I love that they control the pace of the shoot, and what happens next. Instead of feeling frustrated by this I feel liberated. I feel like the 'happy accident' shots are just waiting around the corner, which is often true when shooting kitties.

I am merely a bystander, waiting with my camera in hand to capture whatever special moment happens next. It may happen in 5 minutes, it may happen in an hour. It's no matter. Like I said, I have ultimate patience.

I am always excited when I show up to a client's house to shoot their dogs and discover that they have 1 or 2 cats as well that I didn't know about. And you can bet I'll be taking pictures of those kitties before leaving.

The only thing I wish is that more cat owners contacted me! I have had this conversation numerous times with friends who have cats, and the consensus seems to be that most people think their kitties don't make for as interesting photographs because they are less expressive than dogs. I tend to agree with that to a certain degree, although I like to think that the kitties in these photos are pretty darn expressive. Love the cats! :-)

Labels: best cat photographs, cat photographer, cat photos, seattle cat photography, seattle kitty photography

Stumble It!

Back in June I had the pleasure of attending a City Dog Magazine party at a location just a stones throw from me on Queen Anne.

Along with subscribers and other pet industry folks and their 'vip's (very important pooches), a City Dog Magazine partner was there. This was Nichole Smith, owner and operator of Dane & Dane photography, based in West Seattle. Nichole does a lot of photography for City Dog and her terrific images have graced a number of covers, including the current issue.

Any fears I had of meeting one of my direct competitors in my own city quickly dissipated when I met Nichole. We hit it off smashingly!

We ended up drinking and eating and talking for most of the party and it was clear that we had a lot in common.

Since then I have gotten to know Nichole and have developed a deep respect for who she is and what she does. Although we are 10 years apart in age I can relate to her on so many levels, and she is clearly wise beyond her years.

Nichole is one of the hardest working people I know (besides myself of course, lol), and her drive and passion for what she does run as deep as the love she has for animals. She pours her soul into her business, and calls it her 'baby' just like I do.

She has received many accolades, all of which she works very hard for, including a stellar article in this issue of Professional Photographer magazine, where she is featured along with the venerable (and very famous) pet photographer Amanda Jones.




















Nichole does both studio portraiture and location photography (and editorial as well). Her harlequin great dane Olivia is her business mascot and she is easily recognizable by her 'pink cupcake' nose. Here is her rockin logo, and a gorgeous photo of her mascot Olivia:







































(Side note: in one of my shoots today my client asked if I had photos of Fergie all over my house. I said I didn't have a single one and then realized that she isn't even in my galleries online. Poor girl!).

Back to Nichole. I am thrilled that I have such a talented professional pet photographer I can refer studio portrait shoots to. I know that Nichole will take great care of any client that I refer to her and will produce wonderful imagery, like these great shots.















































But mostly I am just glad that we have become friends. We share so many of the same challenges and although I've got a couple of years on her with my business, she helps me to see things differently than I did before, and makes me want to be a better photographer, which is good for her and me AND all of our clients. Plus we agree that there are enough dogs in Seattle to go around, and if you include the 'burbs of Bellevue, Redmond, Mill Creek, etc, there are enough dogs and cats to shoot to have our hands full forever!

We both are deeply happy with our jobs, and love living and working in the city.

Nichole and I look forward to a long friendship and amicable 'business competitorship' and are excited at the future opportunities that await us both!

Next up for Nichole: the 2nd City Dog Magazine cover model contest in October. Check Nichole's site as the date approaches for more information on how to get your dog on the cover.













Other pet photographers who inspire us are:

Bev Sparks: www.dogphotographer.com. Bev has been shooting dogs for a long, long time, and it clearly shows in her work. Her fabulous photographs were recently featured on the set of Oprah's dog themed show (!). Can't get any bigger than that!

Emily Reiman: Best Friend Photography: Seattle pet photographer. Emily has been shooting dogs and cats for over 10 years and has a very distinct style. She does gorgeous film photos on black backdrops, often with an aged, sepia tone. Sophisticated and striking.

Kendra Luck: Dogumentarian. Kendra is my hero and every time I look at her images I smile, which is exactly what I want to be doing when looking at pet photography. If I lived in SF I would totally have her shoot Fergie.

Sharon Beals: I have owned her book "What Dogs Do", which is filled with Sharon's emotive black and white imagery, for long before I started doing pet photography as a hobby, and it has sat on my bookshelf, inspiring me during my journey from 'hobbiest' to 'professional'.

Kim Levine: LOVE her work. I sense that Kim has the same type of feelings in her shoots that I do in mine- pure joy. She is truly the original 'dog photo book' author, and has been shooting dogs for over a decade.

Labels: best pet photographers

Stumble It!

Just when I thought this week couldn't get any worse, when I took my dearheart Fergie out for her midday walk today I noticed that her tail wasn't working.

Like, limp, dead, blah.

No wagging, no movement, no nothin. Just hung straight down like a limp noodle.

I tried not to freak out but given the way things have gone the last week I was fearing the worst.

After our walk I called the vet right away, figuring I would just make an appointment with them next week whenever they had an opening. After the receptionist told me they were fully booked both today and tomorrow, she asked what the problem was. After I told her she said "hang on a sec" and put me on hold.

She came back a minute later and said "can you come in in a couple of hours? The soonest opening we have is at 3:10". "Sure" I said, feeling a lump welling up in my throat. "Great" she said, "we'll see you then".

To make a long story short this is when I had total meltdown on the sofa. Visions of spinal tumors and life-threatening neurological diseases filled my head. I thought "I can't almost lose my mom and then my dog too in the same week". All of the events of the last week finally caught up to me and I was nearly inconsolable, especially considering I was scheduled to take my mom home from the hospital today at 2. Given that I have not yet mastered the art of time travel there was no way to do both. Do I decide between my mom and my dog? Talk about a life challenge.

After a tearful phone call (me) my sister insisted that I take Fergie in and that she would take care of mom, so that is what we did.

It turns out that Fergie is just fine. (WHEW). She has a case of what is called 'limber tail' or 'limp tail' or 'dead tail'. My vet calls it limber tail.

Limber tail is a mysterious temporary ailment that affects very athletic dogs, especially labs, particularly after they swim in cold water, which Fergie did yesterday afternoon briefly at a client's house on Puget Sound.

For reasons that aren't understood, the tail muscles and nerves stop working a couple of inches down and the tail is essentially lifeless all the way to the tip. This usually lasts for 2-3 days and always resolves on it's own.

Because there is some pain and inflammation associated with limber tail the vet prescribed doggy painkillers which Fergie gets to start taking tomorrow (wonder if they work on humans too, lol).

I swear the sigh of relief that I breathed when I left the vet office could be heard across the entirety of the Greenlake neighborhood. Just to give you an idea of how upset I was taking her in, I had my dad come with me.

The other (very, very) good news is that my mom is doing very well. My sister got her home and she is now relaxing in her own environment which sure beats a sterile hospital room. She is incredibly happy to be home and is now firmly on the road to recovery.

My sister is staying with her until Sunday morning when I will take over. All is good. Quite good. Early next week we will take Jasmine in for her vet appointment before re-homing her.

These outcomes are really great because it means I can devote my full attention to my clients tomorrow at our Urban Beast photography event, which I am very much looking forward to.

No matter how complicated or difficult life gets, I will always, always take immense pleasure in taking photos of dogs (and cats!). I really, really love my job.

Here is a photo of a lab with limber tail. I would have gotten a shot of Fergie but she is so zonked from the day I can't get her to stand long enough, lol.

But basically, this is exactly what she looks like right now, only brown. :-)


















YAY for happy endings!!! Stumble It!

First off, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of my clients and friends who have expressed their sympathy and well-wishes during this difficult time. It means so much to me and my sister.

You see, last Friday my mom had a serious accident and is now in the hospital. My world (and my family's) has been turned upside down in the last week and it would be fair to say that we are devastated.

My mom is going to be ok (we think) in the long run, although it is still somewhat early to tell. She is in a lot of pain which just tears me apart because she and I, and my whole family, are very close.

She is an artist like me, and sensitive and creative like me, and like me in so many other ways, and has been my #1 supporter of my business and listened to my joys and tears and frustrations as I have gone through the journey of the lat 4 years of starting and running my business.

She has taught me about art concepts such as balance and negative space and color. She critiques my art and her opinions mean a lot to me considering she has had her paintings in the Frye Art Museum!

As a result of the accident, and for a variety of other reasons, we are needing to re-home her kitty Jasmine. It is a very complicated story but ultimately it is my mom's decision and something she has thought about for a long time. My sister and I have tried everything we can (and I do mean everything) to get her to change her mind and keep them together, and my mom is firm in her decision to re-home Jasmine, which, as deeply painful as it is, we do respect.

The (very) good news is that it looks like Michelle (my sister) and I have found a new home for Jasmine! It has taken us several days of nearly constant work and many, many emails and a handful of phone calls, and the help of many people, both pet rescuers and non, and we now have an elderly widow who is very interested in taking her. Once Jasmine's vet visit is complete we will plan for the trip from Kirkland to Arlington to bring Jasmine to her new home. It is truly an ideal situation and we are filled with joy at the thought of having an good outcome to a very painful part of this experience.

We are so incredibly grateful for all of the help and concern from friends and clients and local rescue groups. Words just cannot express how we feel about the love we have received from the animal lovers in our community. It makes me feel so fortunate to have the job that I do and be able to work with pet owners every day, who, IMO are truly a cut above.

I also feel very fortunate right now to be doing what I love for work. The photo shoots and art I have done this week have been very therapeutic and have helped me take my mind off of the situation at hand. When I get lost in the process, and feel the bliss that is always reliably there during a shoot or creating art, it reminds me that I am exactly where I need to be. I love animals more than anything else in life and to be able to be around them for my job is really incredible. I did a shoot on Monday for 3 rats that was just awesome, and met a darling 'odd couple' yesterday; a 90 pound American Bulldog and his 9 pound Boston Terrier girl buddy, and looking at their shots later just filled me with joy. I will post photos from both shoots when I have more time to dedicate to blogging.

For those reading this, please say your prayers or do your little healing dance or send positive energy my mom's way (her name is Karen). She has had an incredibly difficult last few months and to be where she is now is devastating. She is going to need the strength to move mountains to get through this. She is one of the most loving, caring, compassionate, kind, gentle souls I have ever met, and I am going to fight like hell to keep her around. She is the best mom I can imagine and is the reason why I am who I am today. She is only 64 and has the rest of her life to live and I am going to see to it that happens!

So thank you all for your support and here is a photo of my mom and Jasmine, taking recently during brighter times.















I will post an update when Jasmine has gone to her new home. :-)

Jamie Stumble It!

I am super short on time so I just pulled this from my website:

NEW: Seattle area 'special screenings' photography events

The first of it's kind offered by Cowbelly Pet Photography: special photography events starting in Seattle in the summer of 2007, called 'Special Screenings'.

Special Screenings 'mini-shoots' for $35 will be provided to a set number of lucky customers at Seattle-area Cowbelly partners and local pet-supply stores. Discounted print packages and other fun products will be available to those who book a sitting. Advanced registration will be required.

First Date and Location for 'Special Screenings' photography event:

Location: Urban Beast pet boutique: 217 Yale Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: (206) 324-4400

Date: Saturday August 28th from 10-5

Cost: $35 per client for up to 2 dogs. (1 client per session).

Includes: 30-minute documentary-style photo session at nearby Cascade Park, private online photo gallery for 14 days and access to discounted print packages

Sign-up: Max 10 people for this event. Pre-registration and a $20 deposit are required to sign up. Please call or stop by the store to register. 206.324.4400.

Spaces are filling up VERY fast so call or stop by soon! A waiting list will be held once this event fills. Future dates will be posted as soon as they are planned.

labels: seattle dog photographer, seattle dog photography, seattle pet photography, pet photography, dog photos Stumble It!

some of you may have noticed a little hit tracker at the bottom of this blog.

I chart the numbers of hits the site gets, not in actual page loads or 'hits', but in the number of unique users (called unique IP addresses- with one IP address representing one computer).

I don't chart the number of total hits because it doesn't help me to know how many people have visited the blog, it only indicates how many pages, images, links, etc have been clicked. One person alone can generate a lot of hits.

So I record the # of people instead.

And right now I am 41 people shy of 2,000 people who have visited this blog since it's inception last October- woohoo! And that's without the use of RSS feeds!

(Side note: I can't do RSS with blogger because I am using an external server and blogger doesn't support us FTP people).

I am sure this is nothing compared to many (if not most) blogs but to me it means a lot to me, and makes me a very happy girl. :-)

Thanks for following me!!

Jamie

P.S. I had an incredible weekend with the Pike Place Market shoot and the Dane Outreach event and as soon as I am recovered (and after I reply to the 29 flagged emails in my inbox) I will post pictures! Stumble It!

Don't get me wrong, I love my new camera, I really do.

Canon EOS 5d 12 megapixel, full-frame sensor, top 1600 iso, f/2.8, great shots, $3 thousand body only- what's not to love?

I can tell you.

It doesn't and can't, take shots like my Fuji can.

You see, the Fuji is what is called a 'prosumer' camera, meaning it has the fixed lens of a point and shoot but all of the manual settings of a DSLR, as well as the option to use auxillary screw-on lenses like a wide-angle and telephoto.

It also has a macro and super-macro setting on the camera.

Because of this, I was able to take shots with a slightly wide angle lens IN macro mode, and zoom in and out at the same time.

This gave some interesting effects.

Fist- the bog nose shots. The fuji has a close-fucusing distance of about a centimeter in macro mode (just millimeters in super-macro). Couple that with the wide-angle lens and you get some awesome sharp focus super close up shots of dog noses sniffing the camera. All at f/2.8.

Like this shot of Bella Luna, one of my all-time faves:
























Also, when zoomed all the way out it produces an awesome bokeh effect- the edges of the frame get soft and the center remains in focus. Makes really pretty gentle dogs and cats look, well- pretty.

Like this shot of Gretchen:

BTW: both of these shots are straight from the camera, meaning that they haven't been fussed with in photoshop or other graphics program, something I am trying to do less and less of these days. Meaning, that I am striving hard to make the images that come straight from the camera what I call print-worthy 'as-is', with the exception of cropping to the print size. I take the picture, I print it. No fixing, no futzing. And certainly no filters or actions applied.

I think the most honest way to do photography is as pure as possible- you take the photo- you print it- with minimal to no post-shoot processing. I agree with the film purists in that if you have to spend time doctoring your images in photoshop to get them to look better you probably should be working on your photo-taking skills instead.

Photoshop is for making art, cameras are for making great photos.

Back to why I loved the Fuji.

I want to produce the same shots with the Canon, I just don't know how.

I'd like to shoot with a wide angle macro lens and be able to zoom, all at f/2.0 or faster. Hmmmm.....

So why did I get a new camera you ask?

Because the Fuji is on it's last legs and, although it takes some really great shots in some situations it doesn't do very well in others. It has a hard time with exposure, even in fully manual mode (which I always use with that camera; I use aperture-priority with the Canon), and is only has a 3.2 megapixel standard (6.0 interpolated) sensor.

Plus after shooting with it for over 3 years it was time for an upgrade.

The Canon is faaaarrr superior in most respects. I just need to figure out a way to get some of the same kinds of shots with it that I get with the Fuji. Looks like a trip to Glazer's is in order. :-) Stumble It!

Dane Outreach will be holding it's annual All-Breed Fun Day THIS Sunday July 15th at Marymoore Park in Redmond.

Time: Early (8am-ish) to late afternoon.

Location: by the velodrome/climbing rock

Happenings: contests, raffles, parade, doggy games, and fun, fun fun!

They contacted me about donating an art piece for the event, and I said yes and offered to donate my photography services for the event as well and they said yes, woohoo!

So I will show up with my art and camera in hand and shoot all of the canine attendees, both dane and non-dane alike.

As my dane owning clients can attest I love Great Danes and any chance to spend some time with them is like bliss for me. I haven't been to one of their events in several years so it is going to be fun. I just have to decide if I will bring Fergie with. I have a feeling she'll probably do better at home on the couch, lol.

Here is the piece that I will be donating as a 11x14 framed print, to the raffle:
(the pink on the print is slightly lighter than what you see here)

'Belle Pink'




















Go here for more information on this fun event: http://www.daneoutreach.org/index2.html

Hope to see some of you there! :-)

Jamie Stumble It!

I have been having so much FUN shooting doggies lately!

Last weekend I took over 2,000 photos. Two- thousand! WOOF!

I had barely recovered from Friday's Whidbey Island trip when on Sunday I did the first Dog Names shoot for craigslist respondees, including the unbelievably adorable shepherd mix puppy 'Riot' below.

Riot










Let me explain. I have been working on a book project since early 2006. It's a small hardcover gift book of dog photos, with a 'Dog Names' theme. The book is about 75% of the way done, and in fact the book proposal is done as well, I just need to get the last few images for it. The book is filled with super cool and unusual dog names and no less than 85 photos of 85 different dogs who also have super cool and unusual names.

However, since many of the dogs I have shot over the years have fairly common names, and hence don't qualify to be in the book (so sad!), and I don't believe in giving real dogs fake names, I was still in need of dogs whose names start with 'rare' letters, like 'z' and 'x' for example.

So I put an ad on craigslist a couple of months ago and got over 45 responses!

I did the first of several 'craigslist' shoots for the book this past weekend at Westlake Park (and Freeway Park) in downtown Seattle. The reason why I chose downtown to shoot is because after talking to a friend who writes for The Bark magazine and CityDog and Seattle Magazines, and also has a couple of dog-themed books published, she suggested I have a good (and wide) variety of shots, with varying backgrounds of varying breeds.

So that is exactly what I set out to do last weekend.

It was crazy to shoot dogs in the middle of downtown but it was a blast!!

Here are some of my favorite shots of each of my Dog Names subjects from Sunday. How awesome are these dogs!? :-)

Mancha










Yoshi










Booger










Dudley










Xana-Dew










I will post more as the project continues. :-)

Jamie Cowbelly



labels: dog names book, unique dog names, unique dog names book, fun dog names, cool dog names, cool names for your dog, pet photographer's dog names book, 2007 cowbelly pet photography dog names book, jamie pflughoeft's 2007 dog names book, Stumble It!

The question I get asked most frequently of my business is "Where did the name Cowbelly come from?".

Well, I can tell you!

'Cowbelly' is my nickname for a dog I know. Not just any dog, but a very special dog. A dog named Gypsy, an english staffordshire bullterrier that has a very large spot in my heart.

Gypsy:












I used to be Gypsy's dog walker many ages ago and we had so much fun together. We'd hoof it around her neighborhood when the weather was nice, and when it was raining, which she hated, we'd stay inside and lay on the couch and get belly rubs (her- not me).

Gypsy is a shorthaired white dog with dark freckles on her skin. However, the freckles turn into more of a mottled pattern on her belly, reminiscent of a Holstein cow. So I gave her the name 'Cowbelly'.

Gypsy is notoriously impossible to photograph. She hates the camera so much she hides under the bed when the camera bag is pulled from the closet. The shot above I got a few years ago from using a half-pound bag of stinky treats.

Since I love a challenge I thought it would be fun if I named my new photography business after her.

Last night while digging through old (old) film photos I stumbled on this shot of the 'original Cowbelly'














REVISION 7/11/07:

I realized while reading the above that I had completely forgotten that I recently shot Gypsy, and she did great! No fear of the camera, no hiding under the bed. I was able to get very close to her with no problems, like in the shots on the bed below. Perhaps it was that last fun experience of eating a half-pound bag of treats (Gypsy is very food motivated, lol) that conditioned her to realize that the camera is a good thing.











Here is the link to the recent gallery of shots of Gypsy:
http://www.cowbellyproofs.smugmug.com/gallery/2663154

Hope you love my little buddy Gypsy as much as I do! :-)

Jamie Stumble It!

Ok Linda, this one's for you! And I promise to reply to your email this week! ;-)

I have been tagged by Linda O'Neill, the illustrious pet portrait painter, owner of Abby Creek Studios, to name 8 random facts about myself.

The Rules: Each person posts the rules before their list, and then they list eight things about themselves. At the end of the post, that person tags and links to 8 other people; then visits those people's sites and comments, letting them know that they have been tagged, and for them to come read your post so they will know what to do

8 random facts about me:

1. If I wasn't a pet photographer and artist I would be an interior designer. Not a decorator as in one who selects chintz fabric, but an interior designer who creates space plans and determines the design of the room, including finishings. When I feel like slacking on work you can find me browsing many home design stores online. My favorites are westelm.com, sprout home, z gallerie, wrapables, velocity art and design, oh my gosh the list goes on! My favorite wall paint is the Aura line by Benjamin Moore- fabulous!

2. I have been snowboarding for 14 years and can race by you so fast it'll make your head spin (and you'll probably swear at me). I have received not one but two concussions from falling while riding. Next season a helmet is in order.

3. I once spent a summer in France and fell in love with a wonderful frenchman named Jean Phillippe. I would have married him had I not been required to leave the country due to a lack of a visa. It was heartbreaking! We are still in touch now 10 years later.

4. My favorite drink is Lindeman's raspberry (framboise) lambic. It is unparalleled in flavor by anything else. If you haven't tried it you totally need to!

5. My life's dream is to travel the world, starting with a US roadtrip in a new Airstream International 25 RV with my dog Fergie of course.
6. I was punched in the stomach by the school bully on my first day of 2nd grade at a new school. I still highly dislike that town.

7. My idea of the most relaxing evening is laying on the couch with my favorite candy in hand and reading a girly magazine. Heaven.
8. I was born on March 13th, 1972, a pisces. According to astrologists that explains the artist in me. Although I take that kind of thing with a sizeable grain of salt, I like to think I am one of those fish that is swimming upstream. :-)

Now I get to tag my friends below. Go check 'em out!

KathyWeller
CityDogMagazine
MedinaPhotography
PartyVolcano
PamperedPuppyMerryLog
Dane&DaneBlogspot
UneekDogs

Jamie Cowbelly


Stumble It!

Have you ever been to a place- on vacation, on a weekend away, on a day trip, that for the rest of your life you can remember with all senses- sight, smell, sound, feel, just by closing your eyes? Just thinking about the place transports you back there in the most wonderful and satisfying way?

Well, Fergie's 2nd birthday on Friday on Whidbey Island was just that for me and my sister (and hopefully Fergie too).

The people we met everywhere we went were so incredibly friendly and wonderful- everyone seemed to be in a good mood and welcomed us to their island. And talk about dog Friendly! There were dogs everywhere! Many people stopped to talk to Fergie, including a super sweet couple in Langley who also own a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and thought Fergie was great. They and all of the folks we ran into at the dog parks confirmed what I already guessed- Whidbey residents love their dogs.

We spent ample time at two of their best off-leash dog parks. The first was Margeurite Brons Memorial park, which is a beautiful park inland in the woods. As if the large grassy field wasn't enough, there are 13 acres of off-leash trails through the woods, FULLY FENCED. Fergie had the time of her life blazing through the trails with her two new buddies. And their owner was just one of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

After playing in the woods for a couple of hours we headed into Langley, where we ate lunch at the Useless Bay Coffee company and had one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. It was a beef and blue cheese and red onion and spinach panini, with gooey cheese and a buttery crisp crust. Thomas Kemper cream soda and mediterranean olives rounded out the meal. Yumm! They have a huge dog friendly patio area in front surrounded by stunning flowers and gorgeous landscaping. It is the prettiest of places to have a delectable and relaxing lunch.

After we ate to our hearts content, and Fergie had her fill of lunch treats and h20, we headed over to Double Bluff beach, on the southwest side of the island.

Double Bluff beach has miles of off-leash beach, with acres of sand from the bluff out to the water. Fergie chased her tennis ball out into the crashing surf (waves from passing cruiseships), until she was shaking and panting. As an urban dog owner, it was really incredible to watch my dog run free as nature intended. And not in the few acres of off-leash park like you find in and near Seattle, but in MILES of park, with so much land your dog can't possible cover it all. So much to sniff, so many things to explore. It was heaven for all of us.

And words can't describe the beauty of the scenery on the island. From mossy woods and rolling green fields to wide open blue sky and sandy beaches, the island is just gorgeous. As a photographer I was in heaven being there and photographing my pooch. It makes me VERY excited about the photography event I have planned for the exact same itinerary on August 18th. If you read my blog and haven't had your dogs shot yet I strongly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity. Please contact me at 206-335-8096 for details.

Here are some of my favorite shots from Friday:


















































































































I truly believe this was the best day's of Fergie's young life so far, and without a doubt I will take her back there again.

It was truly one of the best days I have had in a long time, and in fact my sister loved it so much she even sent me an email thanking me later that night and telling me what an incredible time she had.

As for Fergie, well she has been pretty much horizontal for the past two days, dreaming the best of doggy dreams she could possibly have. :-)

Whidbey Island we will be back!

Jamie Cowbelly Stumble It!

There are still a couple of spaces left in the July 14th Pike Place Market shoot.

100 bucks for awesome photography services AND 3 5x7 archival prints AND private online gallery AND custom screensaver AND bragging rights. What a deal!

If you or anyone you know is interested have them contact me soon- the shoot is next weekend!

206-335-8096 or info@cowbelly.com

Jamie Stumble It!

So sad to be so behind on my blogging!

I caught a nasty head cold/cough thingy after my arist's reception that I swear was trying to kill me. For 10 days I envisioned the little buggers that were causing my misery, just partying it on down inside my head. I tried to rid the little suckers with regular doses of theraflu but they hung on. Even now 11 days after getting sick I still have to carry a large box of kleenex everywhere I go! (Damn those bugs).

BUT, I am feeling well enough to give my darling 'dog-ter' a birthday tomorrow she will never forget.

Fergie turns 2 tomorrow (yay Fergie!!), and we are spending the day up on Whidbey Island, one of Washington State's finest in the San Juan Islands. And pretty? Oh my goodness is it pretty! I am totally bringing my camera!

We will spend the day at two different dog parks and have lunch at a dog friendly cafe halfway between.

The first dog park, Margeurite Brons, is inland, and along with a large field to romp in, contains trails that go through no less than 13 acres of woods. Off-leash!! Woohoo!

The 2nd OLA is Double-Bluff park, which is right on Puget Sound facing West. After heading north on the beach a ways (past all of the signs saying 'not to the off-leash part yet!'), you get to the off-leash part of the beach, which stretches on for 1 mile. Sand, surf, crabs, more sand, more crabs. Doggy paradise!

We will split the day in half with lunch and doggy biscuits a dog-friendly cafe in Langley.

I am sooo excited and just know this will be the best day of Fergie's whole year. I really need a mini-break as well so am very (very) much looking forward to it.

Here is my girl looking as happy as I know she will be tomorrow:




















I promise to post the pictures from the trip here after I get back!

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend! :-)

Jamie Cowbelly Stumble It!