Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm grateful for friendship of all kinds!

Back to DC and a fall afternoon with Bert

Hello everyone! I am back from Peru and happy to report that it was a wonderful trip that feed my spirit and made me remember how much I love that country. Thank you to Adam for helping Houndstooth  run in my absence and to everyone's patience. You guys are the best! Upon my return, I spent the weekend doing back-to-back mini-portrait sessions at Wagtime and Wylie Wagg on Saturday and Sunday. Thank you to everyone who came out! We took so many awesome photographs which I am excited to post here soon.

In the meantime, I took these photographs of Bert and his lovely owners, whom I met last year at Wagtime, one week before I left for Peru. The forecast called for rain so we carefully watched the forecast all morning.  Luckily the sun stayed out and we met at Rock Creek Park for the most beautiful and unexpected fall afternoon.  Bert, who is a complete sweetheart, has great energy so we were lucky to find a horse corral at the edge of the park where he could run his heart out. It was one of those days that made me feel so happy to live in Washington DC and get to do the work that I do.  Thanks for that Bert!

Holiday pet store shoots and traveling

Happy October everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying this great fall weather with lots of trips to the dog park and time to roll around in the leaves.  

This fall will be a traveling one for me as I'm getting ready to embark on a trip to Peru tomorrow.  For those who don't know, I did the Peace Corps there from 2005-07, working as a youth development volunteer in a small Andean town.  I haven't been back for two years, and I am so excited to reconnect with the wonderful people that I lived with for two really important years in my life.  This time next week, I'll be stuffing myself full of potatoes and milking cows and wishing there were a way to more successfully bring these two worlds of mine together.

Before I go, I want to invite you all to schedule a holiday photography session. This my fourth year doing these sessions at Wylie Wagg in Tysons, VA and Wagtime in Washington, DC.  They are my absolute favorite pet stores, run by wonderful people who truly honor the immense bond between owner and pet.  They helped me to start Houndstooth Photography and supported me as it's flourished over the years.  For this, I have nothing but appreciation for all that they do.

So I'd love for you guys to sign up! I am holding portrait sessions at Wagtime in Washington, DC on Saturday, November 10th and at  Wylie Wagg in Tysons, VA on Sunday, November 11th (both from 12-5pm). Sessions are $65 ($15 for each additional pet) and include photographs with owners for free and $25 toward purchasing prints or two of the high-resolution digital images from the shoot. At both locations I am donating a portion of my proceeds to pet rescue in the DC metro area. I am starting to fill my schedule out so let me know soon if you are interested.

Also, I wanted to introduce you all to Adam.  He is my wonderful boyfriend/partner-in-crime/fellow animal lover (I think this picture says it all :).  He works by day in international diplomacy, and for the next month by night he will be answering the email for Houndstooth Photography and helping you all schedule sessions and find out pricing, order prints and gift certificates.  I've given him a good training, but please be patient with him as he figures out the ropes.  

I'll be back on November 7th and ready for some great holiday photo shoots!  I'm already excited to see you guys. 

The many faces of Ophelia

I've known dear Ophelia since my friends Adam and Cassandra rescued her two years ago.  I knew she was sweet, calm, and loved to have her belly rubbed, but I had no idea how photogenic she would be!  Looking through them, I joked with my boyfriend about "the many faces of Ophelia."  Within minutes she is playful, wise, demure, joyful, and of course, always quite assured of how much we all love her.    

Fabulous pig intelligence

Love Lincoln

Isn't Lincoln a beautiful dog?  We did his shoot behind Dumbarton Oaks and it was magical morning July morning, aside from the mugginess, and Lincoln, despite all that fur, just shone.

It's been a beautiful summer of travel. What have you been up to? Believe it or not, I'm already starting to look at holiday 2013 shoot dates.  Let me know if you are interested in scheduling one before things get too full.  I'm thinking it's going to be a great end of the year. :)

With love,
Gracy 

Royal, Abby and Chris in Chicago!

A little help....

This spring has been so busy and I was shocked to see that my last post was two months ago. Woah! Does anyone else ever feel like they can get so behind without even noticing it?  It's easy to get caught up in the details of doing everything right and on-time, but harder to remember to stop, enjoy life and focus on the important things.  So in short, I'm a blog procrastinator but I love you and your dogs and cats (and all of your other animals) and this YouTube video of a bulldog herding boar piglets and I'm really looking forward to a wonderful summer.  Let me know if you are itching for some pet photography! My end of May/June is pretty darn busy but I'll squeeze you in just because you are you.  Have a beautiful day! XOXO

Adopt Tony!

Tony and Ophelia

Pondering life...

Adopt him!

This just in from my friends Adam and Cassandra who are super dog foster parents! I featured their last foster, Lola, on the blog a few months ago and someone scooped her up after seeing her adorable face. Now they are fostering Tony, who is also a great dog in need of a good home. Any takers?

"If you're looking to bring some puppy love to your life but you're not really sure a high energy dog would be the perfect match for you, Tony is your guy! Originally from South Carolina, Tony has recently brought his loving personality to DC. He loves meeting new K9s and has a very gentle disposition: he's the pup for whom people at the dog park give you compliments. He's very curious and never says no to the chance of playing or going for a walk, but he's also very content to just follow you around the house or take a nap. He truly is a wonderful dog; he looks tough but is sweet silly goose. He LOVES to snuggle with people and other dogs. He bonded immediately with his K9 foster sister and they've been great napping companions, sharing the dog bed (and the futon, and the rug, and the backseat of the car). He is also very good on walks in the woods, and is now working on feeling more relaxed when going for strolls in the noisy neighborhood. This pup is great with people and kids. We don't think he's cool with cats, they surely look yummy. Tony would do great in a family with other dogs, but would probably also shine on his own. If you'd like to adopt or meet Tony, please contact Noris, his adoption coordinator, at nwm823@yahoo.com and visit his page here."

Unlikely milk drinking partnership

Izzy and Cooper! Valentine's Day Photo shoots!

I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoying the beginning of 2012. My holiday travels took me to Orlando to visit my mom and to Deep Creek Lake to visit my boyfriend Adam's family. After a busy holiday season photographing so many great dogs (and their owners) I soaked up the relaxation and emerged feeling refreshed for the new year.

So now my work is to post the loveliest of the photographs we took. This series is of Izzy and Cooper, two Vizslas that spent a chilly, sunny morning in December on the Capitol lawn. They are both sweet and exotic and oh my, how they can run! I had to really turn up my shutter speed so I could get more than caramel-colored streaks running across the frame. We got great shot of everyone, including a the quintessential DC portrait in front of the Capitol building.

I also wanted to let you all know that I am organizing mini-portrait sessions at Wylie Wagg in Tyson's on Saturday, February 11th from 12-5pm. Come and get your sweet one photographed! It will work just like before where sessions are $65 (plus $15 for each additional pet) and include either two high-res digital images or $25 to purchase prints. As always owners are photographed for free! Email me at houndstoothphotography@gmail.com for more information or to schedule your appointment.

Also, I am part of a fundraiser for Lucky Dog animal rescue at Wagtime in DC on February 12th. I'll have my studio set up from 10-1pm. Sessions are $35 (100% of which goes to Lucky Dog). You don't have to make an appointment--just show up!

Photographs from Wagtime's 10th Anniversary!