Smile Like a Dog » labrador retriever

Cookie: A Girl and Her Toy

Mark — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:08:55 +0000

When Cookie’s owner said she loved her squeaky toy and we’d probably need it for her photo shoot she wasn’t kidding. She absolutely adores the thing — a crazy ice cream cone/hedgehog combo — and it was hard to get a shot of her without it.

Cookie is a beautiful old girl – a senior labrador retriever and a retired search and rescue dog. This photo session is for a My Mutt poster done in her honor for the Hearing Dog Program. Cookie, the honor is all mine.

Folks, let us know what you think the poster shot should be…

Cookie and Friend

You can't have it...it's mine

Running and smiling

Action Heroine

Wow, no toy and a smile to boot

Two minutes without a toy=protest

I'd better hide this so they don't take it again

I wonder if they make this in green?

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

Bailey & Kula: Beating the Heat in Walnut Creek

Mark — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:54:28 +0000

Living in San Francisco we’re blessed with cool, foggy summers and I sometimes forget that the rest of the Bay Area can get rather warm in July. Last week, with the thermometer pegged at 100+ in the East Bay, I journeyed to Walnut Creek to photograph two labs named. Kula and Bailey. Black dogs and heat don’t go really go together so we opted to stay inside with the AC for much of the shoot.

Kula, a sweet senior dog, is 14 and has a great dog smile as well as a predilection for ice cubes. Bailey is 6, an adoptee from ARF, and likes to sit in laps even though he weighs 80 pounds. Kula and Bailey, enjoy your sneak peak…

Bailey

Kula

Bailey on the stairs

Practicing the guilty look

I wasn't kidding about Kula's dog smile

Bailey up close

This modeling stuff is tiring

Ok, we got the outdoor shot. Can we go back inside?

Foraging for ice cubes

Bailey cools off

Call my agent, I'm done for the day

Charlie – Kind of Free…Kind of Wow!

Mark — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:33:30 +0000

Charlie’s mom forwarned me that she’d be a little difficult to photograph (Charlie, not her mom). She explained Charlie was recently rescued earlier this year and extremely camera shy. I’m used to to dogs sometimes being a bit scared of the camera–particularly when I’m using a big zoom lens –but generally it’s not a a problem once everyone gets used to each other. Charlie proved to be the exception. Every time the camera came out her head went down or she hid behind her mom’s legs.

I finally resorted to hiding behind trees and bushes and then to furtively (and quickly) grabbing quick snaps whenever I could. In the end it worked out just fine and the very last shot was one taken up close with her pretty much looking right at me (though a wee bit distrusfully). My bet is that after she has another few months under her belt and is a bit more sure she’s in her forever home she’ll be ready for a second shoot. For now, Charlier, enjoy the results of your first…

Meet Charlie

Staying Close to Mom

Camera Radar is On

Almost Posing

Could that be a smile?

Communing with Mom

Such a face

Yep, that's definitely a smile

Quintessential Charlie

Three Dog Morning with Rocky, Rookie & Haley

Mark — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:53:27 +0000

Man did I have fun last Saturday morning. I met with three great dogs and their owner at Fort Funston on an uncharacteristically clear and beautiful November day. Rocky is a feisty little French Bulldog who pretty much rules the roost. Haley and Rookie are both labs who just love playing ball and jumping in the water. I spent the morning pretty much watching them be dogs and play in the surf–it really doesn’t get much better than that. My favorite thing about Ft Funston is that you never see anyone leaving the beach with their dog without a smile on their face. Everyone has a great time.

My Mutt Posters

Mark Rogers — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:44:38 +0000

I just got the word that my first three My Mutt Posters are in production. You can see the proofs below. These include shots of Emma, Sammy Darby, jr and Jake. They should be hanging in the Walnut Creek, Novato and San Francisco Market Street Petfood Express stores in the next few weeks