It is with great love and enthusiasm that we induct Claudia, Ron, and Layla into the CSP 3rd Timers Club! We’ve had three sessions with these two amazing dog parents and their pups. Layla, the golden Golden Retriever, has been with us from the beginning with her brother Canela. When Canela passed away, Layla and her parents adopted Reagan, the white Golden Retriever, who is now being inducted into the CSP 2nd Timers Club. ;) The dogs are so excited when they greet us that I’d like to think they remember us, which I think also might be true because Layla is very good at posing for us at this point. She sits where she’s supposed to, looks at the camera, kind of dog-smiles, and then either looks like she’s falling asleep standing, or it’s her version of the Tyra Banks “smize,” I can’t really tell. Reagan is still learning about cameras and modeling, but he can tell you all about his purple dragon toy, and repeatedly give you his paw when his parents go out of reach for reassurance (either for himself or for me, I also can’t tell).

Claudia and Ron, the humans in this story, are two of the most wonderful and gracious people we’ve had the pleasure of working with. And it is truly an honor to photograph them for the third time. That means so much to us and is such a huge compliment that I can’t even adequately describe it. It’s just nice to see the same people over and over again and to have our work trusted and appreciated. We really love these guys, and we love their dogs, and we love how kind and gentle they are to their dogs (and to us!). Also, we love Claudia’s accent, so that doesn’t hurt either. Happy 10th wedding anniversary, Claudia+Ron! And here’s to many, many more. :)

Claudia+Ron+Layla+Reagan

There’s no bigger compliment than having a client return to you for more pictures, and it’s certainly no exception with this amazing group. Claudia and Ron are some of my favorite people. I took their portraits last April in their backyard with their two Goldens, Layla and Canela. At the time, Canela was undergoing chemotherapy for treatment of cancer and was doing quite well, but he unfortunately lost his battle last November and passed away. This was incredibly devastating for all of us and he is very much missed to this day.

Claudia and Ron adopted another retriever pal for Layla and Canela shortly before Canela passed away (so Canela got to teach him the ropes!) and named him Reagan. He was so tiny then, and is so giant now (Reagan is white, Layla is golden). Due to Reagan lovingly destroying his parents’ garden, we decided to move off the homefront for the portraits this year. Reagan and Layla are adorable together (and so are their parents!) and were quite good on location (thanks goes to Geoff for puppy wrangling on this shoot and occasionally snapping a shot when not tangled in leashes and toys). We missed Canela terribly but we’re sure he was with us during the shoot and approves of the pictures! Thanks to Claudia and Ron for being amazing clients and amazing dog parents… the love with which they treat these dogs is awesome.