“My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet.”  ~Edith Wharton

Meet Harry. Harry is a gorgeous little dog who just totally adores his ‘mother’ Susan and it was obvious from the moment I met him that he only had eyes for her. He has an ear for fine music and a fondness for Susan’s bed to curl up and take a nap (although don’t go near his side of the couch either, he keeps it just for himself.)

Posted by Alicia

Meet Gypsy (13) and Kaiser (11), two very gorgeous Standard Schnauzers I had the pleasure to meet and photograph. We took them down to their local park and to my delight the grass was in need of a mow but perfect for photo’s. They both romped around in the long grass and gave me some fantastic expressions. Gypsy wanted me to work hard for her photo where Kaiser well, he was quite the professional model and couldn’t get enough of the camera. Thank you to Suzanne for this wonderful opportunity of two very special dogs.

~ Posted by Serena

We had a scary few days here with our studio and also our home (which is just behind the studio). The expected flood peak accompanied by rain would have meant the studio would likely get a little wet.

Lucky for us the flood peaked lower than expected and we had a break in the weather; enough that the water didn’t even come close in our area. We counted our blessings here however there are still many people in Brisbane suffering great losses.

Normally I would stay well away from devastated areas however yesterday was a strange day. The water peaked in the morning and the weather was quite beautiful. I felt as though I needed to get outside and find out what had happened just five minutes from my front door – I didn’t want to sight see but I became one of ‘those’ people. I became a rubber necker for a few hours and while I hated myself while doing it, I also now have such an immense appreciation for the recovery effort that is ahead of my beautiful city. I think it’s also important to note that I stuck to main roads and parked far away and walked to the areas where I took the photos. If roads looked busy, I turned away (except for Kangaroo Point, I ended up there by accident when I got stuck in the left lane by traffic who wouldn’t let me move to the right and I had no choice but to turn up the street). The emergency services still need to do their job and driving and congesting the roads they need to use is not a good idea.

Hearing it on the radio and seeing it on the news doesn’t prepare you for the shock you experience when you see places that you drive through every single day so devastated. I spent my teenage years and many of my adult years living in Yeronga and Moorooka and the surrounding areas of Rocklea, Fairfield, Woolloongabba and even South Brisbane and West End are other places that are close to my heart. Places that are familiar had become alien inland oceans. Seeing it first hand gives you such an appreciation for the power of nature and also survival. I was also filled with a great sadness knowing that in the days to come there is going to be much grief as people return to their homes, the missing people are found and others share stories of trials they have overcome.

And that’s an important point, I think we all need to know this is something that we can overcome if we all work together and help each other. The one thing I loved about my walk yesterday (yes, there was something to love) was seeing so many people from all races, religions and walks of life coming together and talking and saying hello to each other. I came across a group of young guys who were all suddenly homeless who were working out who they were going to go and help first. There was no ego, there was no race to be won, these young men couldn’t do anything for their own homes so they wanted to go and try and help others and this is how it should be.

As for us, we have plans to go and physically help. I’ll be heading to homes in Yeronga and Fairfield with my older sons in about an hour and helping wherever we can. Alex will be heading out one day next week to help one of our wonderful suppliers whose business went completely under the water in Sherwood. However there is another way that we have decided to help.

OUR FUNDRAISING OFFER:

For Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th, we will have the doors open all day for mini-studio sessions. These sessions are just $89 each and it will include you receiving 5 images on a disc. 100% of the money from these sessions will be donated to the flood appeal.

Usually for something like this you would be looking at around $800, so why is it so cheap? Because these are sessions that are limited to 20 minutes each and the images will only have the absolute bare basics of editing. However they will be photographed using a professional lighting set up and studio and of course the photographer makes a big difference also. We will do our best to ensure your families are beautifully captured.

We have had a really wonderful offer from hair and make-up artist Deanna Spataro to be on hand on Tuesday donating her time and services for basic hair and make-up for shoots and Serena (our other wonderful photographer) is donating her time and efforts for on Wednesday. (Pets are still welcome on Tuesday, family/couples/individuals still welcome on Wednesday).

Due to the time limits of the shoots and because we want to photograph as many of you as we can to raise as much money as possible there may be a small extra fee (that we will also donate) if it looks like it’s going to be a longer shoot. If you bring 5 dogs and 6 family members down, this is a little hard to shoot in 20 minutes so you may end up paying for two sessions. We will be able to let you know prior to your shoot though if this looks like it’s going to be the case.

We appreciate if you can call and book ahead for a time, but if you just turn up, we will do our very best to fit everyone in. We will also do our best to give you a cup of tea or coffee.

The studio is located at SAVVY STUDIOS  86b Juliette Street, Greenslopes. The best parking is on Marquis Street (we also have a carpark that is accessible from Marquis street). If you’re using a GPS to find us, use 34 Marquis Street, Greenslopes and this will take you to our carpark. If you’re using a map or street directory, please check it carefully as we are on the corner of two one way streets.

Please let as many people as possible know about this offer and share this web link on your facebook page or twitter. We really want to work hard to raise as much money as possible for the flood appeal and help those affected get their lives back together. If you’re thinking of donating money, this is a great way to do it!

Start at 9am and finish at 8pm both days if this is what we need to do.

Stay safe everyone. xo

Here are some of my images from yesterday’s walk…

These earthworms were trying to take refuge under the leaf litter in the middle of the road. I moved them to the footpath before they became lunch for a hungry bird. There are LOTS of earthworms around the streets as you walk around.

In this next image you can see Fairfield Shopping Centre in the distance.

These next few images are the area surrounding the RSPCA.

The image below gives an idea of the scale. That is water at the bottom of the hill and that is Brisbane City off in the distance. This carpark is extremely deceptive. Take a closer look in the next images…Everyone is moving to higher ground…Even though we are all saddened, there is a great sense of community all around. These guys yelled a, “hello”, so I took their photo.

As you know Savvy Studios were running a fundraiser to donate money to the victim of the Brisbane floods. We had a fantastic response of some wonderful pet owners. This was my first experience in a studio and I had an absolute ball. We had such a variety of breeds from Bullmastiffs, Pointers, French Bulldogs, Japanese’s Spitz and Staffies. I thought I would show some of my favs and it was very hard to number it down to this handful. These shots were a combination of the awesome Savvy Studio team.

~ Posted by Serena

Meet 15 month old Basil the Cocker Spaniel and Louis the Springer Spaniel. I have a serious soft spot for Spaniels and when I locked eyes on these two my jaw dropped. Just stunning the both of them. They definitely kept me on my toes the entire session. Both having energy to burn with no time to sit and pose for the camera – they wanted to explore as Spaniels do. After the park we headed to their favourite swimming spot and what a glorious spot this is. The light was gorgeous and made for some great photo’s. Thank you to Dave and Anthea for this wonderful opportunity to photograph your beautiful dogs.

~ Posted by Serena

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” ~ Unknown

If there were every two dogs where this quote was true, it’s Rosy and Cha-cha. Rosy is a lovely young poodle who is openly loving and devoted to her owner Akiko. She’s exuberant and full of life and happy to put on a show for the camera. Cha-cha is a stunning little Shiba Inu. For those who have never met a Shiba Inu, gaining their love can be a challenge as they are independent dogs that can be quite aloof in nature much like a cat. Even after you have gained their hearts, they can still be reluctant to come for a pat or a cuddle the way that other dogs do. Cha-cha had me hooked though. She was still a typical Shiba in that she was aloof but she was every watchful of Akiko and amazingly, she was trained and happy to work for the cameras!

I’ve owned a Shiba in the past and as much as I adored him, he trained me to live his lifestyle (smart little dog that he was). Watching Akiko work with Cha-Cha and Rosy at the same time was just amazing and I’ll never forget it. Seeing two dogs who were so in tune and devoted to their owner was a total pleasure.

~Posted by Alicia

My sunshine doesn’t come from the skies,
It comes from the love in my dog’s eyes ~ Unknown

When I arrived at this photo session, I was greeted at the front door by one of the happiest and most gentle little Schnauzers I had ever met. I think Pepper could melt any heart with her beautiful liquid brown eyes and cheeky but loving nature.

- posted by Alicia

We haven’t posted many sessions but it doesn’t mean we aren’t busy here at, The Pet Project.

Serena has been busy behind the scenes successfully marketing her creative pet photography to greeting card companies in Australia and the United States. Keep an eye out at local vet surgeries in Australia for her work and also on greeting card stands throughout the US and in some places in Europe.

I’ve been busy also with a few personal projects that have been close to my heart. I had my first big overseas trip ever and went to Canada and America. While in the US, I entered just one of my dog images in the Pet/Animal category at the annual Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) awards held in Las Vegas and not only managed to attain the equal highest score for the category but also won FIRST PLACE and was awarded, 2012 WPPI Pet and Animal Photographer of the Year. I couldn’t believe it when my name was called. To stand in a room with a few hundred fellow photographers applauding to collect the award was astounding.

However I haven’t stopped there, other non-animal related images of mine were judged at the Queensland Professional Photography Awards over the past weekend and I was lucky enough to be awarded, 2012 Qld Illustrative Photographer of the Year and also 2012 Qld Landscape Photographer of the Year. Usually awards don’t make me nervous but this year I was quietly rocking away in a corner biting my nails while my images were judged as they were all images that were intensely personal experiences for me. They were scenes that I had either physically experienced their beauty and their awe, or they were images that I had longed to construct for many years and this was the year that all the pieces fell together perfectly.

I’m just lucky Serena decided to not enter either of those awards this year because she would seriously have kicked my butt.

Because no post is complete without images, here is one of Serena’s amazing shots with her lovely British Bulldog, Simon, and below that my shot of my own Jack Russell Terrier, Myf, that was awarded first place at the WPPI awards.

~ Posted by Alicia

This blog has been a bit neglected while Serena and I have been busy on other projects so I thought I better make an update and post photos of some gorgeous dogs while I’m at it.

The first change
I am proud to announce that Serena has left The Pet Project to pursue bigger and better things. So why am I proud? Because I have been a big believer in Serena and her awesome abilities since the very first time I saw her photos and I’m now one of her biggest fans and supporters. She has grown from strength to strength and I can’t wait to see the next step that she takes with her work. If you’re not already a fan of Serena’s own page, go and visit her website and also like her page on facebook (I’ll add some links down the bottom).

The second change
I’ve had a move to the Gold Coast! I’m still taking bookings for sessions in Brisbane but now included are also the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales. I’d love to shoot your pets so please get in touch if you’re looking for a pet photographer in any of these areas.

So I guess now it’s time to post some photos. As I said at the start, the blog has been a bit neglected but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been shooting. Here are a few shots I have pulled from the archives.

Presenting Gnocchi and Haggis

Serena’s website – www.serenahphotography.com.au
Serena’s facebook 

Sunni is my own dog and my heart and back in October she blessed us with a litter of six gorgeous Pointer babies. Dora, Georgie and Lucy have already headed off to their new homes, my older sons adopted Geoff – the only black and white puppy in the litter – and I am keeping Boss who is a big and beautiful but somewhat dopey orange and white puppy. Miss Boots is the cheekiest pup out of the whole litter and heads off to a new family in a few days. I want to take as many photos of the little family as I can while Boots is still here.

Here are a few images from yesterday morning. If there is one thing that Pointers love, it’s playing with feathers. These babies had so much fun but not as much as I did while shooting them.