Birthday Boy

A few nights ago I decided to give this little guy a birthday celebration.  I can’t believe he’s 12.  If I’m completely honest, I don't know the exact date of his birth...I didn't realize at the time how important he would become to me, that he would really become my best friend.  But I do remember the day he was born! It was my senior year of high school when our family dog had puppies, and Little Bit was the runt. Much smaller than his brother and sister, he easily fit into the palm of my hand for a good while. I gave him lots of attention and less than a year after his birth had to go off to college. That was long enough I guess to form a strong bond, as every time I went back home to visit he was very happy and stuck to me like glue. Four years later after seeing him only over summer breaks and brief visits during the school year, I finally brought him to live with us and he's been by my side ever since! He's helped me get through some really tough times, and I’m very thankful for him!  If you've met him you know how sweet he is :)

Here’s the birthday boy with a few treats I bought him from a local dog bakery– Pumpkin Pie bites, and bacon cheese bites.  To my surprise, Mr. Picky loved them both!

I can’t say the same about the hat. He wasn’t much of a fan at first.  It took a while to get it positioned right, but I think he looked very handsome when we got it right. 

I finally convinced him it wasn’t so bad by putting mine on with him.

With the pictures were out of the way, he was ready for the cake. 

Yummy!

It does look kind of tasty. If I didn’t know it was specifically for dogs, I might like to try a piece.

And after the birthday celebration, he got a much needed haircut.  I think the new look makes him look like a younger man. 

Here’s hoping we have many more years together. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Experiments with Silhouettes

These photos were all taken a while back, inspired by the tookapic silhouette theme. (You can see my tookapic page here https://tookapic.com/jenniferfaye) I thought I would post them now to provide a little contrast to the recent wildlife. 

This tower isn’t necessarily interesting to look at, but I really liked the sky for this shot. 

The following two shots are experiments with forced perspective.  For a first attempt at this, I was pretty happy with how they turned out.

I really enjoy photographing birds, so I had to include a few in my silhouettes.

Below is the only one I managed to snap with sunset colors.  I saw this sky on my way home from work and pulled over just in time to catch it before the sun went completely down. 

And possibly my favorite below.  Unlike all the others, however, this wasn’t taken as a silhouette.  I was playing around with settings and the puppy and I came out underexposed.  I used this type of edit to try and save it and actually really like the way it turned out.

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You are My Sunshine

This little guy is the sweetest, most loveable dog I’ve ever met.  And I’m not just saying that because he’s mine.  He has brought so much joy to me and I’m glad I’ve had him by my side.  I hope these pictures give a glimpse into his sweet personality.  

Thanks for looking!

Photo shoot: Little Bit

 I put Little Bit in his cute Christmas sweater and we had a little photo shoot in front of the tree.  He didn’t seem to enjoy it too much, but didn’t really mind either.  He was a very good boy and sat very still for me!  I made sure to give him lots of treats after.  Here are a few of my favorites.  







Just look at this face!  Isn’t it the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?  He’s my baby boy (I say baby even though he’s somewhere around 11 years old) and I am so lucky to have such a loving little guy to brighten my life!  I hope his pictures send a little happiness to you! 

Thanks for visiting!

Welcome Fall!

Or so the sign says… I absolutely love the fall.  Cool weather perfect for being outside, and so many beautiful colors!  However these photos were taken on a day many places would consider quite summer-like.  Little Bit was skeptical about the sign too, as he sunbathed while I had a nice lunch at the cafe.

Nevertheless, the sign said so and my calendar agreed, so we set out to find some evidence of fall.  If the cool weather hadn’t made it yet, maybe at least we could find the colors. 

These vibrant flowers showcased the signature orange and yellow we were looking for! 

These decorations were also beautiful, but still not quite the proof we needed.

Now we’re getting closer!  Little Bit found this colorful leaf above while playing in the dirt, which unfortunately for him meant another bath.  Meanwhile, I stepped right over the one below on the sidewalk.

Continuing on our journey, we saw this bridge and of course I had to cross it!

Little Bit was a little unsure considering all the wind...

But I convinced him he would be okay as it wasn’t a very high bridge.  And it’s a good thing too, because just on the other side we found this beautiful fall foliage deep in cluster of trees. 

Now he is convinced, and so am I.  Fall is indeed here.  And I”m so very very excited that tomorrow the temperature is actually supposed to be in the 60s, so it will actually feel a little like fall. 

A Walk in the Park

A while back I took Little Bit for a walk in the park.  The sunset was really beautiful, and as I often am I was easily distracted.  I thought the way the sun was glowing through this tiny plant along the sidewalk was pretty neat. 

This is the first quick glimpse that made me stop and take a second look.  

It’s not necessarily a masterpiece, but I saw possibilities.  I actually took this picture, continued on with the walk and then decided to turn around and try looking at it more closely and from some different angles.

Close ups of the leaves

And for these I decided to play around with angles, shooting from the ground. 

Golden and backlit by the sun.

It was definitely worth the time spent laying on the ground to finally get this one!

 

So, you never know what can come about, if you stop and really look at something.  Find a better angle, you may surprise yourself with where you end up :) 

Little Bit lost interest somewhere during the time I was laying in the dirt. (I guess I was taking too much time for his taste)  I looked up to realize he had decided to continue walking himself.  He’s a good boy though, and came back as soon as I called him.  Caught this shot of him as he was walking back to me.  What a happy boy!

Love and Kisses!

I haven’t posted in a while, but only because I am just returning from a wonderful trip up to North Carolina!  I took so many pictures of my family, and just looking through them makes me smile.  It was the first time in four or five years that my two sisters and I have been home with my mom at the same time, and she was pretty excited!  These are only a few photos I was able to capture, and some of my favorites from the trip.

Kisses for mom from the girls!  She doesn’t really like the camera but we managed to get a few little smiles out of her.

The closest we’ve come in years to a family portrait.  My little brother really wanted to be here but couldn’t make it.  Maybe I’ll try to Photoshop him in there somewhere!

My sister has the most well behaved children I have ever met.  And in my line of work, I see a lot of children.  For the most part, they did everything in their power to keep me from getting good photos of them.  I got lucky a few times though, and caught their precious faces on camera. Here are a few of them showing mom a little love.

My niece is six, and her little brother three. 

I’ve only gotten to see him about twice a year since he was born, but he had no trouble remembering who I was and stuck with me the whole time I was visiting. 

Sweet Nephew: “Jennifer”

Me:  “Yes Sir?”

Sweet Nephew:  “I Love You, Jennifer”

This was a conversation we had about once every ten minutes.  Not even kidding.

Though cute as a button, the little guy did not want to look at the camera.  I have so many shots of him sticking his tongue out, covering his face with his hands, or staring at the sky.  He isn’t quite looking at me here but I’ll take it!

My cousin’s boys stopped playing long enough to give mom a kiss on the cheek before returning to their mischief.

And now all of these photos of moms and kids has made me want to post a few of my sweet little one, so here he is giving mommy some love. (These were taken before my trip, he stayed by the pool in Florida while I was away)

Love him.

And I’m pretty sure he loves me too!