Posted on December 31, 2010 in Animals, Pet Photography
Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy new year!
– Betsy, Sebastian & Tara
Posted on December 30, 2010 in Animals, Pet Photography
One of my most favorite breeds is the Sussex Spaniel. If you’re like me and watch The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show each February, you may recall “Stump”, the 10-year old Sussex that won Best in Show at Westminster in 2009. He was a crowd favorite who came out of retirement just to compete at Westminster…and he won! How cool is THAT?! Stump was the oldest dog to ever win BIS at Westminster and the only Sussex Spaniel to ever win Westminster! I haven’t seen all that many Sussex Spaniels at the dog shows I’ve attended, so I was happy to finally have a chance to photograph one at the Lehigh Valley Kennel Club Show in Allentown a few weeks ago. The ears of many breeds are wrapped as shown in the photo above [top left] to protect them before going into the ring. Dogs with long ears like Spaniels, Afghan Hounds, etc. have their ears wrapped after grooming to help keep them clean, out of their food and water bowls, etc. The Sussex Spaniel is noted for their great gopher impersonation where they sit on their haunches like in the lower left photo above – so cute! I just love this breed – they have so much charisma!
Posted on December 29, 2010 in Black and White, HDR
I ventured into the Peirce-du Pont House at Longwood Gardens to warm up on a very cold day. The elegant staircase was decorated for the holidays and so I photographed not the staircase itself, but the reflection of the staircase in the adjacent mirrored wall. The mirror makes for an optical illusion – creating the impression of 2 staircases and a much larger room. The Peirce-du Pont House was built in 1730 by Joshua Peirce, a Quaker Farmer. It was later purchased by Pierre du Pont in 1906 in order to save the property and the amazing trees from being harvested. Thus, the building is now known as the Peirce-du Pont House.
Posted on December 28, 2010 in Animals, Pet Photography
The Cane Corso is a native of Italy and has been recognized by the American Kennel Club for the first time in 2010. The breed was known only in Italy prior to 1988 and was considered very rare. This is a working breed that is a very good watch dog and hunter. I saw the Cane Corso for the first time at the Lehigh Valley Kennel Club dog show this month. They are very strong, muscular and powerful and they require a good bit of exercise. It’s always nice to see a newer breed recognized at the dog show.
Posted on December 27, 2010 in Animals, Pet Photography
“Hey! Watch where you’re walking! I’m down here! Don’t step on me! Won’t somebody stop and pet me?”
This little dog was as cute as can be in his holiday collar and in the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve, no one was paying any attention to him! Everyone was so wrapped up in getting to their destination, finishing their shopping, or just getting out of the cold that they didn’t notice this sweet little dog who wanted to play. They just walked on by, nearly stepping on him in the process. Of course the dog was on a leash and with his owner, but no one seemed to notice him. And so it seems that this has, sadly, become the way of Christmas. People exhaust themselves with shopping, decorating, cleaning, baking, etc. and often they totally overlook the reason for the holiday just like people were overlooking this little dog on Christmas Eve. If I could wave a magic wand I would change that so the holidays were kept simple and without expectation.