On Sunday, we had a shoot set up in the studio for a friend of ours whose 5-year-old daughter, Serenity, had recently had a birthday. Mom had promised her a photo shoot to help her start her modeling portfolio. Serenity is a very active, effusive young lady and is quite photogenic so we all agreed it was not a bad idea to see just how much the camera loves her.

My two "assistants" Linda and her sister RoseAnn, put together a wide variety of costumes, make-up, wigs and hats and also volunteered to be cheerleaders. To top it off, we had one of Cassidy's puppies here from the last litter and Serenity had visited them often so she was excited about seeing him and he was very happy to see her.

Once we got into the studio, Serenity suddenly decided that it was all too much for her. She started to cry and said she really didn't want her picture taken. Her mother talked with her and her grandmother talked with her but she was just frightened by everything. So, I had an idea and I put my arm around her and asked if she would do me a favor. I wanted to get some new pictures of Rowdy but he hadn't been in the mood lately so I was wondering if she would pose with him for a few shots. Serenity seemed pretty excited about that idea and she agreed to pose with one of her favorite guys: Rowdy.

Here's one of the first pictures we took of them with Serenity in her Rock Star outfit and playing guitar for Mr. R.



Well, 3.5 hours, 8 costume changes and 420 frames later, we were done with the shoot. Serenity really got into the costume changes and make-up and was fabulous to work with. Occasionally, she'd get a little uptight and asked if Rowdy could join her and he'd leave my side and pose for a few photos until she was relaxed again and then he'd come back to me for some head-scratching. Here's one of those times.



When we had finally wrapped things up, Serenity came over to me and asked me for a favor -- would I mind taking one more picture of her with Rowdy for her wall. I told her I would be delighted. Here it is.



I photograph people as well as dogs and the Rotties can sometimes be an issue for folks coming into the home studio. Not everyone is comfortable with 120 lb. black & tan dogs! We usually keep everyone out of sight (and, hopefully, out of sound) but with some people who know our guys and love them, just having them around can be calming. In Rowdy's case, since he's the consummate doggie model, he makes it easy for people and especially young children to feel comfortable in front of the camera. If it weren't for him, the entire session would have been a bust.

Instead, we filled out a portfolio with over 100 final images. Good job, Rowdy!

Jim

Too cute, I love dogs and kids together

Awesome. In the second one, Rowdy looks a bit concerned that he is about to be turned into a rabbit by the magician

Very nice shots Jim. Like you told me once, making that connection makes all the difference! Nice job. (Rowdy too)

Thanks Bob. Yup, as I enter my "Santa Claus" phase of life, I seem to be relating to small children far more than ever before . Actually, Serenity is a wonderful little girl and she's a joy to photograph. She just needed to get comfortable with the situation. After that, she was hell on wheels.

BTW, my local lens rental company just got in one of the first 50D's and I'm thinking of taking it for a 10-day, whirlwind trip to Michigan, Ohio and points in between in a week. If I do, I'll share some shots, especially some high-ISO stuff indoors, under stadium lighting at the Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio. Stay tuned.

Jim

Cool on the 50D, I look forward to the samples. I found I really entered the "Santa Claus" phase of my life with the introduction of my grandson. He is now 4 and boy oh boy is it fun spoiling that kid!

By the way, update on our little Chihuahua Rocky. Unfortunately yesterday he had his follow up ultrasound and the mass on his liver has in fact grown over the past 30 days. We really must have the surgery now. He is scheduled to have the surgery tomorrow and we are very nervous. Like I said, he has Addisons so the stress is a very dangerous situation. Anyway, we'll keep you posted on how he does.

Bob,
good luck with Rocky. Liver masses are very scary. I hope it's a benign mass. That would still cause the Addisons symptoms. I don't like the fast growth, however.

You do what you can do and then you make the decisions you need to make. I'll say a little prayer for the Rockster. I'm sorry you guys have to go through this.

With concern,

Jim

Thanks Jim. The Addisons was actually diagnosed 8 1/2 years ago but he has done extremely well up until now. This liver mass did show benign in the microscopic analysis of the original biopsy. The concern is typically these masses do not grow that rapidly unless they are malignant so the sample taken on the initial biopsy may have just been a fluke. We are praying it is benign and they get the entire monster out. The other good news is that it is located on an outer lobe. It started at roughly 4cm and is now 6cm. The oncologist said typically this will not even require follow on chemo but we'll have to see. He has been, and is being treated at an absolutely incredible Specialty Hospital where they have specialists from all over the world with amazing credentials so the little guy is in the best of hands. The name of the place is Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas and their website is here if interested: http://www.vshcarolinas.com/index.html

Thanks for the prayer and the support. It means a lot! I'll keep ya posted. We take him in at 8am tomorrow.

Hey Bob,
what's the report? Fingers crossed.

Jim

Just posted another post on here with an update on our Rocky Jim. I won't tie up the board repeating it all. Thank you so much for checking.