Leila and Colin have quickly become two of our favorite people, and they’re so stupidly easy to work with that our job looks/seems/feels like the easiest job ever when we’re with them. They’re giggly and laugh a lot and look really good and also have a dog named Bobby (Mr. B/Chicken Boy). Bobby is from Bulgaria (we had a cat from Russia last month, and now are looking forward to our stint of foreign pets), and also appeared at their wedding in Asheville last year. Bobby wasn’t sure how he felt about Leila at that point. He is very close with Colin, and was, perhaps, somewhat jealous when Leila entered the picture, holding a truly cat-like grudge in a totally benign situation. However, we are proud to announce that since the wedding, Leila and Bobby’s relationship has turned a corner when Colin had to travel for work, leaving Bobby alone with Leila for a week. Bobby then realized that Leila was ALSO nice, and would ALSO feed him and walk him and cuddle with him, and now Bobby has truly accepted both of his parents and is 100% supportive of their marriage (thank goodness). This photo session was a celebration of Leila and Colin’s love for each other and also their enduring and endearing relationship with Bulgarian Bobby. All three of them are moving to Boston shortly, which I think should inspire a new sitcom called Bulgarian Bobby in Boston, which I would surely watch. We’re so glad to have photographed this crew yet again, and glad that Leila hasn’t texted us to tell us that Bobby got sick after eating a chicken bone found on the roof of a garage during the session, so we’re going to assume he’s okay.
We have had a truly amazing amount of adorable doggos lately, so when we heard that we were going to be photographing little Finn, a Cockapoo Extraordinaire, we were sure that he’d be pretty great. And he was! And what makes Finn so great, you might ask? Well, Finn has a wide variety of adorable quirks, mostly involving the fact that he loves to chase toys but hasn’t yet mastered the concept of bringing them back to you, so rather he exchanges one toy for another. All games must involve multiple toys. You go out in the yard and throw something, and he runs at sound-barrier speed to go get it, and then chooses whether or not it’s worth dropping his current toy (which he brought over with him in his mouth) for this one that you just threw. His favorite is a little pink tennis ball and a frisbee, which he carries in such a way where it adorably gets stuck a bit on his head. He also has a stuffed log in which plush squirrels are hidden, which is also currently a big hit.
Finn’s beloved owners are Robin and Bob, who are incredibly lovely people who adore their family and wanted to have photographic evidence of this point in time in their lives with each other and Finn. They were really wonderful and easy to work with despite it being a particularly freezing morning and shooting outside. They were also capable of interacting in an endearing and beloved way with each other, regardless of the fact that zero out of the four people present were morning people. We had such a great time getting to know these guys and witnessing their dog put a frisbee on his head. We’re happy to have captured their family together having a good old time in their neighborhood!
Wilma is one of the most charismatic and amusing furry creatures we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She is incredibly happy at all times, and quirky and ridiculous 90% of the time. Words can’t really explain the adorably ridiculous vibe that she gives off, but I can try. Mostly, she’s just really obsessed with the couch. Like, super obsessed. When Jessica wrote me to ask for pictures of Wilma for her 5 year adoptiversary, she told me about the couch (she also told me about her fantastically awesome airbrushed and glitter WILMA shirt from the State Fair that I forced her to wear for a few pictures because there’s no way you can tell me that you got an airbrushed shirt with your dog’s name on it at the fair and expect me not to make you wear it… and she also told me about the custom Wilma beer koozies in her and Dustin’s possession. Wilma, clearly, is very much loved and for good reason). But I had no idea how much the couch was truly, truly loved until we visited and saw her expression of pure delight being anywhere near it, but mostly sitting on it, sprawling on it, and relaxing over a variety of throw pillows.
In addition to loving her couch and not wanting to ever get off the couch, she also enjoys walking outside to simply stand in the lawn (heavy coaxing was needed to play because Wilma is exceedingly lazy in the most wonderful way), laying on her back for belly rubs, and licking Jessica and Dustin (who have the most amazing old Volkswagen but also the most amazing kitchen appliances I’ve ever seen [not pictured here] in their amazing house). But one of the best things that happened was Jessica telling me she bought Wilma a pink dinosaur to destroy, and then Jessica proceeded to drag out this HUGE ass dinosaur from a spare room… the size of which is the large and giant type which your boyfriend would win for you at a carnival and you wouldn’t know what to do with it because you really can’t be expected to carry that around all night. I was expecting, you know, a dog toy. But apparently, in another highly amusing trait she has, Wilma enjoys opening a hole in each of these stuffed creatures and ripping out the stuffing like she’s disemboweling prey in the Serengeti. I can’t explain Wilma, but I do love her. And I love the love her people exhibit for her. So happy to take these pictures for Jessica+Dustin of their lovely little girl!