Nine months isn't much of a milestone for either people or dogs but if you show dogs, it marks the passage from the 6-9 month class into the 9-12. Moxie and the rest of our Blue Suede litter just recently turned 9 months of age so today, I thought it was time to take my first formal portraits of dear Ms. Moxie. I set up the studio somewhat informally so as not to psyche her out too much, put her favorite overstuffed chair in it and covered it with my backdrop. She initially wasn't thrilled about climbing into the chair and then she realized it was "her" chair and climbed up and got real comfortable. Here are two of my favorites from today's shoot.
We worked for about 30 minutes and she never tried to get up. She baits for photos the same way Sundance does and the way Rowdy used to: I shoot with the right hand and hold a Milkbone in my left. She'll follow that Milkbone wherever I move it. It's great because you can move her head and eyes as much or as little as you want. I was very proud of my little model. All 80+ lbs. of her!
Enjoy,
Jim