Animal Friends - Wine for Canines Fundraising Event

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working with Kristi of Animal Friends of the Valley, Riverside counties animal shelter. I came into contact with the Shelter in August 2009 when Norman (my 9yr old Lab BFF) had to be put down after fighting cancer for two years.  He was too sick to travel and weighing 80 lbs it wasn't an option for me to lift him into my car. I just remember being so grateful to the lady on the phone that sent someone out right away. The person who arrived at my door was very sympathetic and made Norm very comfortable. She made me feel like I was doing the right thing, which was so hard to do.

Having been raised with dogs all my life, and having had Norman around everyday for 9yrs, since he was 8 weeks old!  I found our home very empty without a four-legged friend.  A return trip to AFOV brought us Charlie... the Chihuahua!  I have never been a small dog person, and I don't even like Chihuahua's, at least the traditional yappy Chihuahua. After consulting with one of the AFOV associates she pleaded with me to just sit with this little brown Chihuahua that she referred to as "Hank". She'd told me that he'd been at AFOV for two months and they'd found him as a stray, but he was her personal favorite and she wanted him to have a loving home.

I was more than skeptical! I had met two other dogs that afternoon and had seriously been considering a Yorkie prior to driving to AFOV because of health issues. Of course there weren't any Yorkie's there! LOL  So dog number three enters the visitors pen with me... yes, the little brown guy!  There were other guests in the pens on each side of me and the dogs in with them were running the length of the pen barking like maniacs.... but Charlie didn't make a peep! In fact, he didn't bark for the following three months after bringing him home! One weekend with my parents Pom's & he was cured of his missing bark!  It's been 8 months of constant love from this new little guy, he's not Norm.... he's Charlie, a very different dog than I've ever had. You can't cuddle a Chihuahua cuz their too small... but he's so full of love and he's definitely a huge part of our family. He loves everyone and every animal, I still have a hard time he's a Chihuahua because he doesn't act like one.

So enough ranting! Wow... I got side tracked. What I'm trying to say is AFOV is such an incredible organization and I was so thrilled to be a part of this event. I hope you enjoy the photos.  There were severaladoptions yesterday as well as tons of raffles and silent auction items donated by so many people in the I.E. It makes my heart warm to know that there are so many good people out there.  My challenge to all of my friends this year is to donate a couple of hours of your busy life to help a great cause. Choose something dear to your heart because the reward is incredible!

Summer school in Las Vegas!

I'm finally home & starting to get rested from my 4 day Vegas adventure. When I think of Vegas I generally think of laying by the pool sipping a cocktail, gambling and the night life. Well let me just tell you... this trip was anything but that! Seminars from 8am - 10pm every night, a short lunch break and miles of walking because the MGM's convention center is in timbucktoo! Needless to say, I got my excercise and tons of knowledge on this trip. In fact, I was so busy that I took only one photo in 4 days and I took it so my kids could see the thunderstorm that was happening there.
I did manage to squeeze in lunch and a couple of quick dinners with my dear friend.  After lunch Sunday she called to tell me that a house eight doors down from her was struck by lighting in the storm! She said that was the first house in four years to be struck, and it happened on her street! Luckily the storm didn't last long.
Keep an eye on my blog for upcoming events!

Engagement Session with Marci & Sean in San Diego...

I had a really fun shoot in San Diego with Marci & Sean at Seaport Village last Saturday. They are such a fun couple! They make me laugh because everytime I talk to them they are always warning me about what "might" happen at their wedding because their friends are unpredictable & fun. The anticipation is killing me! LOL  I'm really looking forward to capturing their special day for them and all of the fantastic memories that their friends happen to surprise them with!
Stay tuned!

Summer fun.... teen style!

Yesterday I went out to shoot three incredible young ladies, Bobbie, Rae & Becca.  Bobbi messaged me a couple of weeks ago saying that she would be moving and she wanted to have a special photo session with her friends. She said, "I don't want snapshots, I want professional photos."  Of course that made me smile :)  It reminded me of my kids and my niece always wanting to get me out to shoot fun photos to update their Facebook pages!  The girls received their parents blessing to hire me and they chose the most fantastic location for their shoot. There were rocks, and trees and gardens, a little bridge. It really was a day to remember, and we had such a fun time.  Even disguising Becca's one missing sock was entertaining.... having to hide one leg behind the other, or pose her in a way that her left foot wouldn't show when they changed into their soccer uniforms! It was so wonderful to be a part of this special time in their lives!  Now I'm wanting to dig up some of my nostalgic photos of my BF's :)   I'll post a couple once I return home.  Cheers to BFF's!

A Fresh New Look!

Summer 2010 has been an absolute adventure for me! Numerous workshops, seminars and thousands of new photos. I've been working hard at expanding my business, new clients and refining my art. Anyone can take pictures, it takes training and creativity to be a good photographer!

I've challenged myself at shooting new locations, new people and incorporating new lighting techniques to enhance my imagery. Hopefully it shows in my photography, that's the end result!

I'll be attending an awesome seminar in Las Vegas this weekend, a four day event focusing on every aspect of photography. They will have the most talented speakers, some coming from as far away as Australia! Weddings, children, senior portraits and of course the ever elusive lighting instruction! Photography is all about light! I am so looking forward to this! Classes from 8am - 9pm... I'll be too exhausted to gamble! LOL

Enjoy the new look of my revised site at http://www.jttpsite.com/ . Refer your friends and book your own family portrait session before the kids head back to school!

Much love,
Dannell