Smile Like a Dog » Crissy Field

Odie

Mark — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:56:24 +0000

Sunrise shoots at Crissy Field are among the most dramatic that I do. Between the bay and the bridge catching that morning light just so it’s pretty breathtaking. The light is also a wee bit tricky because it comes up fast and changes by the second. Toss in a little speed demon like Odie — an outrageously cute chihuahua (and I think italian greyhound) mix with an outsized personality — darting around in the wet grass while you’re trying to line up the bridge and the light behind her and you have quite a shoot workout.

Odie’s mom received this shoot as a birthday present and I think Odie delivered. How about you?

Odie

Golden Girl and Golden Bridge

You will believe a dog can fly

Bridge fly-by

Odie's in good hands

Ella & Dolly: Release the Hounds

Mark — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:07:17 +0000

There’s really nothing like an early spring weekend morning at Crissy Field in San Francisco. It’s beautiful, relatively empty and you’re likely to just run into a few folks out with their dogs taking advantage of one of the most beautiful spots in an already-beautiful place. It also tends to be a fairly quiet spot…unless you’re with a couple of hounds.

Enter Ella and Dolly. To be fair, the quiet (or lack thereof) reference is really meant for Ella – younger of the two. Dolly is a senior hound mix who’s really very placid and mellow. Ella tends to be more hound-like at the beach. She loves to play, dig and she especially likes to bay…by the bay.

This is the first of a couple of posts for these two. The second, to follow in a few weeks will be of a more domestic nature as we visit them at home with the two cats they share a place with. Stay tuned for that but, for now, enjoy part 1

Ella

Dolly

Ella, remember to adjust flaps for lift

Ella...well, Ella being Ella

Dolly with Bridge View

Ella continues her morning theme

Bette Davis Eyes?

A dig with a view

Photographer unwittingly becomes part of his own subject

Nothing like following up a rubber toy with a stick chaser!

Lovey and Thurston: Howls at Crissy Field

Mark — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:28:59 +0000

When Lovey and Thurston’s mom emailed me the first time and told me their names I just knew this was going to be a fun shoot. Boxers named after Gilligan’s Island characters — seriously, how can you get better than that? Well, how about the fact that Lovey has a string of pearls she breaks out for special occasions?

We met on a freezing cold morning last week (38 degrees when I got there) at the west end of Crissy Field and tried to keep warm while the dogs did their thing. What’s their thing, you ask? Well, it involves a chuck-it and ball but not in the traditional way. You see, in Thurston and Lovey’s version both the ball and the chuck-it get thrown and retrieved. A lot of the time, in fact, the chuck-it gets retrieved by both of them…at the same time.

And now I present Lovey and Thurston.

Don’t forget, only 4 days left to take advantage of my Team Up and Save holiday special

Lovey (in pearls) and Thurston

Waiting for the games to begin

Laser-like Lovey Focus

Imagine if you could bottle that energy

Are we doing this right?

Lovey and Thurston only play with toys color coordinated with the scenery

Friendly game of tug of war

The ball finally makes an appearance...

...But it takes two to tango with the chuck-it

Cosmo: Life Goes Counterclockwise

Mark — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:07:59 +0000

When Cosmo’s mom told me he was black lab and he liked playing ball on the beach I wasn’t terribly surprised. What did catch my ear, though, was that he liked to go in counterclockwise circles when he was on that beach. This I had to see.

We met at Crissy Field on an overcast January weekend afternoon and Cosmo didn’t disappoint. Three steps onto the beach and Cosmo found a stray tennis ball. Once he’d had a few runs down Crissy Field and into the the surf he brought the ball back to us and immediately began orbiting his mom and in a perfect counterclockwise circle.

You go, Cosmo…

Cosmo

What Sand?

Cosmo and his ball

Shake it, Cosmo!

Before and After

Cosmo in Black & White

Round and Round He Goes

Roxanne on the Beach

Mark — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:52:24 +0000

I’ve known Roxanne since she was a puppy–almost 9 years–and I’ve known her owner, David, since 7th grade when I lived on the east coast (slightly longer than 9 years). Dad is a major music afficionado so Roxie’s namesake is of course the title character from the Police song on Outlandos d’Amour that Eddy Murphy so famously butchered in 48 Hours.

It’s always a lot of fun photographing someone you know and Roxanne is fun to begin with so we all had a blast. She’s what we call in the trade an extremely happy dog — especially around water. This becomes readily apparent in the photos so I’ll let them do the talking. Roxanne, you don’t have to turn on the red light to look at these.

When do we leave for the beach?

This is much better than the couch

No doggie paddle jokes, please

Wheeeeeee!

We dogs really know how to dry off the right way

Life is good

Roxie and the Bridge

Roxanne in Repose

The beach is all mine!

Trust me, this is really comfortable

Life of Riley

Mark — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:24:24 +0000

A few months back I had a client purchase a pet photo session for her husband’s birthday of their dog, Riley. Rather than going the gift certificate route she opted to have the session done before the big day so she could actually give the photos to him (pretty cool gift).

We decided to do the shoot down at Crissy Field so we could get Riley in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten about Daylight Savings so at our first meeting it was a little too bright out for a bridge shot. We tried again a few days later in the morning but the San Francisco fog conspired against us and so began a multi-week saga where each and every time we scheduled the follow-up shoot the weather kicked in and forced a fog-check. Finally, less than a week before the birthday, we caught a break and had the sunrise to beat all sunrises. Riley, it was worth the wait…

Riley and the Bridge

Riley

Downward Dog

Riley Up Close

Run, Riley, Run

A new perspective

Lira and Luna – The Official Sneak Peak

Mark — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:17:09 +0000

We occasionally get called back to our roots. Many moons ago when I was on the highschool yearbook staff I shot exclusively in black & white. Kodak Tri-X Pan 400 to be exact. I loved it. The high contrast and grain made everything look dynamic and beautiful. In the last few years with the advent of digital I’ve strayed away from that but with a recent shoot I started venturing into monochromatic land once again. I think I’ll keep dipping in.

For this round, the stars are a pair of Italian Greyhounds whose mugs showed up on this blog last week. This time, instead of a single shot they get the full sneak-peak treatment. Lira and Luna, your agents are waiting…First half is in B&W just like the Wizard of Oz.

Don't be scared, I'm here

Is that a knee or a rock?

Such a face

Elegance

I love my mom

Who cares about Alcatraz, let's play!!

Luna and Lira

Ramming Speed

Lira in Profile

Leaping Lira

On the pathway

Luna

Purple Suits He

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Emma and Daisy – Action Stars

Mark — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:28:58 +0000

My most recent My Mutt shoot was at Crissy Field down near the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marina (very, very popular for my shoots lately). Emma and Daisy are two black lab mixes adopted from the San Francisco SPCA who take their play seriously. Emma’s 9 and Daisy is 1 but watching them bolt around the sand and surf you’d never guess the age difference. Then there’s of course Daisy’s thing with the bubbles. She goes bonkers for soap bubbles. Don’t believe me? Check it out below and let us know which shot you’d pick for Emma and Daisy’s My Mutt poster.

Oh, and I can’t leave this post without mentioning the third shot from the bottom (Daisy caught off guard) which I think bears a striking resemblance to a now-iconic photo of a hilarious dog named Charlie photographed by my friend Jamie up in Seattle. If you haven’t already, stop by her Cowbelly blog – it’s always worth a visit.

Emma and Daisy Playing Hard

Daisy hits the afterburner

Emma bats her baby browns

And bow to your partner...

Daisy pirhouettes

Daisy and her bubbles

Emma and the bridge

Daisy caught off guard

Emma and Daisy - Still at last

Daisy and Emma - Definitely Democrats

Kona

Mark — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:44:02 +0000

As anyone who knows me will attest, I’m a complete and utter sucker for German Shepherds and mixes. So when I got my latest My Mutt Assignment from Pet Food Express for Kona, an elegant shepherd mix, I was thrilled. We met on an uncharacteristically bright and sunny winter morning last weekend down at Crissy Field for our shoot and had a great time. Kona loves playing in the surf and with other dogs but isn’t one for static shots in front of major scenery like the Golden Gate Bridge. No worries, Kona, I think we got you doing what you like doing best. Everyone please let us know what you think the best poster shot will be. Kona’s going to be a start in the Market Street store window sometime soon.

Kona on Patrol

Beach Girl

Surfin’ and Smilin’

Kona Koncerned

Shepherd Smile

Loving the Beach

I never get tired of dog smiles

Beautiful Girl

Pua, you’re a true Beauta

Mark — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:57:35 +0000

When I talked to Pua’s owner a few weeks ago I had a feeling I was going to meet a special dog for this My Mutt poster shoot. I was not disappointed: Pua is truly great pup and boy did she land in the right household. They love her and the feeling is very mutual — They’re never out of her sight.

Pua’s a sweet, beautiful brown-eyed Shepherd mix — seems like there might be a bit of lab, dobie and even border collie in there for good measure. Whatever it is, she loves people, the water and the camera. We had our shoot down at Crissy Field on a classic San Francisco winter day. This is going to be one tough choice for a poster. Everyone, cast your votes…

Pua is Pele

Wheeee!

Drying off is hard work

This ball is mine

It’s good being a dog

Pua and the Bridge

Pensive Pua

Pua on Watch

Pua on Approach

Pua Grinning

Pua..slightly goofy

Pua Pondering