P.L.A.Y (Pet Lifestyle and You) is a new San Francisco-based company that is re-defining the pet bed experience.  They are in the market of dog beds that are stylish, planet-friendly, comfortable for your dog AND believe it or not, affordable. Earlier this year I met P.L.A.Y founder William when he hired me to photograph his pug puppy at his home in San Francisco (remember Momo?).  Shortly thereafter he commissioned me to consult with him in his branding/launch process – this lead to him hiring me to design the P.L.A.Y. logo (which I personally, love) – meanwhile he was hustling to get all the many pieces into place.

Summer came around and with it the prototypes of the first-ever P.L.A.Y. beds.

Last week Will, his lovely girlfriend Deb (who has long wanted to visit Seattle) and of course, Momo the pug, came up to Seattle for an intensive 3-day photo shoot which spanned several zip codes, included 10 dogs, dozens of products and ultimately, hundreds of great lifestyle shots of P.L.A.Y. beds in-use.

I can’t share too much with you as the P.L.A.Y. story is still unfolding and their big launch is expected this Fall… but here are some of our favorite shots:

The most difficult part of a shoot like this is typically rounding-up the models and scouting locations. Here’s a huge thank-you to our co-operative dog models and of course their humans, who shared with us their time, patience and in several cases, their lovely homes. Thank you Dave, Mieshka and Rosie, Ann, Henry and Max, Hillary, Alice, Mark and Waldo, Jos, Jen, Ollie and Cocoa and last but definitely not least, Ruth, Matthew and the majestic Henri.

{Oh and I can’t forget Momo and Charlie who were dragged along and had a great time dirtying the product and escaping when no one was watching – I think a love story has officially begun!}

You’ll definitely be hearing and seeing more from me about P.L.A.Y. and its FANTASTIC new line of products.

All I can say, is there’s not better way to immortalize the acquisition of a new puppy family member than to see them on the cover of a magazine!

Somewhat impulsively Olivia, Charleston, Colin and I ended up in Mt.Vernon on a Sunday afternoon – between tulips – in the dirt – working for the perfect shot.

Here’s some shots that were cover contenders… {Dog bless string cheese – without which, these shots would not be possible.  Oh, and also Charlie’s FANTASTIC “Old School” collar by Mascot, which I adore.}

Ok so as a photographer, contrary to popular belief, I don’t carry around my camera at all times. I don’t photograph my dogs daily and I don’t think it’s interesting or engaging to post constant blogs about my own pets.

However, watching the evolution of the relationship between my 6 yr. old Great Dane and our brand new French Bulldog puppy has been fascinating. He (Charlie the baby) is gregarious and fearless and persistent – while also quite laid back and patient. She (Olivia the Dane) is needy, barky, somewhat aloof and really would be perfectly content to be up on the couch or bed, alone with mom for her entire life. Charleston took and immediate liking to Olivia – her fondness for him is more of an acquired taste.

I have discovered that when I put Charlie up on things (bed, couch, chair) he stays there. He doesn’t even attempt to jump off. So I’ve used this to my advantage when trying to complete household activities that are easier accomplished without a puppy underfoot. One of these such days I was putting away laundry and plopped the pup on the bed (Olivia followed – she can’t stand the idea of him getting a privilege she has not been granted.)

During the half an hour or so that followed I absolutely HAD to get my camera. The light was soft and lovely, the colors in the room suited their spots and pinky skin and they were both in a fine mood to be documented. Here are some of my favorites… I love the “barky” ones because it really seems as if they are having a lengthy conversation

Then Olivia got bored and disappeared so I took the opportunity to make my bed and plopped Charlie back up there for a nap…

And of course, because a self-indulgent blog post about your own dogs is ALWAYS better with video… we have for you a fun little moment in our typical evening at home: Olivia and Charleston havin’ it out. They love each other, we promise

So, upon waltzing into my living room to see that not only had Charleston somehow managed to get himself up onto Olivia’s couch (this is the sacred Great Dane drooling and napping spot) but she let him stay there – I had to act.

My camera was conveniently resting on the counter (right where I left it after my shoot on Monday) so, armed with my trusty 50 mm 1.4 lens, I rolled around on my embarrassingly messy carpet (think new puppy + shedding great dane…. Yeah) to capture some shots of my two unlikely compadres.

Don’t you just want to eat them up??

I end up writing basically this same post each year… It always happens around the same time too – the sun peeks out in late February or early March, after a long winter of dreary, sloppy wet weather and my inner-sun goddess goes giddy with excitement and inspiration.

Well folks – it happened again. On a whim I decided to take my camera with me one day to the “Dane Meetup” on Sundays at Marymoor. In all honesty this is a practice I try to avoid (bringing the camera, not meeting up with the Danes) – primarily because once I am behind that lens I suddenly slip into “pet photographer” role and out of “doggy mommy” role. Olivia has a great time either way, but sometimes I can be a little conversationally absent when I have my camera with me – so I try not to bring it.

This particular Sunday, however, the light was incredible and I was thanking my lucky stars that I had a way (other than my cell phone) to document it.

Yay for Spring!

There is so much I could say about our awesome outing at Marymoor yesterday (Olivia even submitted to a bath at Wash Spot,) but I am going to let this incredible little Harl pup say it for me… The day was gorgeous, the grasses were tall, the glee was tangible.

He looks nearly identical to my Olivia at that age ( 4 mo.) – I couldn’t get enough of sir Omar and his floppy romping.

Notice in this first one…. miss Olivia’s pink nose in the upper right…

He’s got two different colored eyes as well, just opposite of my Liv

Look at those ginormous ears!!!

Olivia thought Mr. Omar was great fun – “Mini-Me”

Oh and that pink, pink nose — YUMMY!!

Just for fun, another Dane friend we met and adored, look at those floppy lips — Totally Dane!

To see more of our Marymoor friends, watch the slideshow…

To buy prints, visit our Pet Photography Gallery on Zenfolio

]]> http://dane-dane.com/blog/my-favorite-sundays-dane-style/feed/ 1 http://dane-dane.com/blog/allie-opie-and-charley-continued/ http://dane-dane.com/blog/allie-opie-and-charley-continued/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:05:07 +0000 admin http://dane-dane.com/blog/?p=274 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Every once in a while, I meet a certain combination of dogs, mixed with a certain combination of humans, complete with just the perfect combination of aesthetic and personality to create an incredibly dynamic photo shoot.  I like to think that every single pet portrait sitting is dynamic in its own way, but sometimes it just happens without effort… with ease and laughter and what feels like a little bit of magic… everything just falls into place.

My friends I would like to share with you to one of those portrait sittings…

When I finished proofing Allie, Opie and Charley’s photo shoot from a couple weeks ago I felt that there was something missing.  We did get great shots (even one that ended up in as a full page in CityDog Magazine see page 34) But, on the day of our first sitting it was pouring down rain. Without the opportunity to photograph them outside, I didn’t feel like I had totally told the story of these three amigos.

So, I called up Luke and Mareth and invited them out for more shooting at Lincoln Park (which, I am convinced, is one of the most beautiful places on earth.)

Yesterday we finally got our day with sun and a whole blanket of incredible clouds. Fresh from work, the crew arrived ready to rumble and we got right to business.

One of the many perks about this trio is their size differential. Small, medium and large canines, all of whom, have gigantic personalities. I really do think I could photograph these characters all day long and not get bored, it’s all I can do to keep up with their individual and combined antics.

We started with one of my favorite places – daisies + clover. This was especially meant for little Opie, who was just the right size to frolic amidst the flora.

Next stop, picnic tables.  I love to put a dog on a table and see what he does… these three did not disappoint. Allie, in typical Dane fashion, lept right onto her dad’s shoulders – to be as tall as possible – and let me tell you, a Great Dane standing on a picnic table is pretty dern tall!

From here we rambled down to the beach. I was determined to find cherry blossoms: they are my very favorite bloom.. I am pretty sure that Great Dane + cherry tree= true love.

{I am suddenly hearing the lyrics… Big black horse and a cherry tree…. if this Dane were black that would be too perfect!}

The trees I happened to find, of course, were on a dangerously steep incline (we’re talkin’ nearly vertical) so my plans didn’t exactly turn out the way I had hoped, but when editing I found I had been given one awesome little gift, and as it turns out,  floppy Great Dane face + cherry tree does indeed = truest love.

and this little arty moment…

After that we decided to wander towards the water. Charley, of course, was all atwitter with the idea of plowing head-long into the lapping waves. It was all his patient parents could do to keep him occupied with sticks on the dry land. For the time being… Opie had a nibble too:

Now I will admit, I am a sucker for a silouhuette “dog on the beach” shot (check out Olivia in Ocean Shores at sunset,) but a silouhuette, dog leaping on the beach with a magnificent sky, a departing ferry, incredible golden side lighting AND little tiny water droplets is more than I ever could have asked for. Thank you, thank you, thank you universe.

So now, we have WAYYYY too many photos (just the way I like it) and I can’t wait to help M+ J pick out the perfect portraits for their new designated “dog wall” at home and to design their epic book. The choosing will now, most certainly, be tough.

In my mind, this was the quintessential Pacific Northwest three dog shoot and I fell asleep very, VERY satisfied last night.

Woof!

Thank you all and I will keep you posted!! For now, enjoy the cover mock-up featuring the one and only, “Henri” {who is now GIGANTIC by the way- check and his proud papa Bainbridge Island Architect Matthew Coates out in the upcoming fall issue of CityDog Magazine in the “Living the Vida Verde” Living feature}