Vintage Photo Finds

I’m a sucker for antiques. If it’s old, a little dusty, a lot musty, and has loads of history, I’ll probably dig it.

So naturally, I got excited when I saw these photos. And when I realized there were DOGS in these photos? Oh, I was done. I had to have them.

I love guessing the stories in each photo. Like this one, for example. I’m imagining this boy just got home from church and couldn’t wait to play with his puppy. He’d much rather play with his dog than pose for silly pictures for his mother (don’t we all?).

“Just sit still for one more second, Rover. She’ll be done soon, and then we can go run and play!”

Here are a couple shepards (German Shepards, maybe? I can’t be sure) just chilling in the sunshine. But you can see the party’s almost over – their owner’s coming to put them back to work.

“Psst… just pretend you don’t hear him. Look like you’re totally engrossed in those flowers over there.”

“Right. How’s this?”

Elmer: “It was Fido.”

Bertha: “Elmer! For pete’s sake, go crack a window!”

Fido: “Yeah, Elmer. And take your fart cloud with you! You can’t blame that one on me!”

This last one is my FAVORITE. I can’t tell you how much I love it. It reminds me so much of my own sessions with all the hounds I’ve worked with, especially my own. At the end of the shoot, you just want to shower them with praise and love after doing such a good job. 

“You’re a good dog, Spot. Let’s load up the camera and go get some grub.”

The Tale of Two Tobes

Happy

Not happy

Goin’ to the Getty

The Getty Museum is a $1.3 Billion (yes, with a B) museum campus here in Los Angeles. It overlooks the city, the 405 Freeway, and on a clear day, you can see to the Pacific. The evening we were there, it wasn’t that clear, but we plan on going back sometime to check it out again.

Looking south toward Santa Monica. The darker grey is that pesky marine layer I’m always talking about.

Looking north at the 405 heading back toward the Valley.

Things I’ve learned about California

1. There is no “Fast Lane” on the freeway. The “Fast Lane” is whichever of the 4-5 lanes is moving fastest. Could be the inner-most lane, could be the far right lane. But it’s almost never the lane you’re occupying.

2. An earthquake feels more like swaying and rocking than the trembly vibration I imagined it would be.*

3. Brat buns do not exist out here. I’ve lost minutes of my life that I’ll never get back trying to explain to a grocery clerk what exactly a “brat bun” is.

4. The weather really is that fantastic out here. It’s always sunny, always warm. And the rare days it’s gloomy are perfect for running errands and outdoors because everyone else is inside.

5. Also, if the temperature dips below 70, it’s not uncommon to see jackets, hoodies, and people talking about how chilly they are.

6. There are coffee shops on every.single.corner. It’s not unheard of for there to be four coffee shops at one intersection.

7. It’s incredible to see the differences in climate in just a 50 mile radius from Los Angeles. You have mountains that get snow, deserts that never get any precip, valleys that get tons of sun and smog, and the beach that maintains a low layer of cooling clouds day after day.

8. Celebrities I’ve seen so far: Eric Estrada, Donnie Wahlberg, Cree Summer, Mark Paul Gosselar, Eddie Murphy, and Jay Leno. 

9. (Almost) everyone has a gardener and a fabulously lush lawn. But you can only water twice/week. For 15 minutes. Before 9am or after 7pm. I think there’s some covert watering going on because there’s no way for a lawn to look that good on a minimal amount of water.

10. Toby hates the water. H.A.T.E.S. The first time we took him to the beach, he at us like we were trying to drown him. The second (and last) time, we had to drag him down the sand. There will be no third time. 😉

11. Speaking of him hating water, and adding insult to injury, he now has to have twice-weekly baths AND a daily dose of steroids to keep his allergies under control. Poor pup. 

To prove my point – this is as close as he’ll get to the water. Not one inch more. 😉

* I base this off of the one 5.4 magnitude earthquake I’ve felt. Let’s hope this rings true for future quakes.

Houndstooth’s Back!

Hey, strangers!

I’ll spare you the usual “I’ve been a bad blogger. Please forgive me.” 

We’re settled here in sunny California and I’m finally getting back into the swing of all things photographic. I’ve decided to focus solely on pet photography, and I’m so excited to see what I can do with all these California dogs. 

To start things off, this is adorable ball of energy and goofiness is Drifter the Golden Retriever puppy. He has some of the best expressions – I was cracking up the entire time I was shooting.

Bottom line: It feels really good to be back behind the camera. Especially if it’s pointed at a four-legged boy like Drifter. 🙂

"They wish they all could be California girls…"

She sighed when I asked her to tell the story again. This was only the second time I’d heard her tell it, and I wanted to hear it one more time so I was sure I had the details right.

It was at the start of the War. She (fresh out of high school), her oldest sister, and her sister’s husband packed up and moved to Hollywood. He was to be shipped out of Los Angeles, and the two girls found jobs working at a local cafeteria.

They worked during the day, surrounded by cute soldiers, and at night they had fun with their friends. Many a friend slept on their floor, and all were under strict instructions from the management that there was to be “no hanky-panky,” she said with a laugh.

In their free time, they went dancing at the Palladium and saw Rita Hayworth movies. I asked her if she ever hob-nobbed with celebrities, and she didn’t think she had, but she couldn’t remember for sure. She was sure, however, that there weren’t any of those pesky papparazzi like there are today.

They stayed in Los Angeles for three months and she loved every minute of it. She said half-jokingly that she wished she’d never left and come back to Iowa, but obviously I wouldn’t be writing this if she hadn’t.

She is my grandma. My dad’s mother. The coolest grandma I know. I loved hearing this story, especially since that’s where we’re heading in less than a month.

That’s right. The Hubs, the Tobes and I are packing up and moving out to sunny, snow-free California. We’re moving out of the only state we’ve ever called home and going on our new adventure. We’re a little scared, a little nervous, but mostly very excited and anxious to hit the road.

At this point, I don’t know what will happen to Houndstooth Photography. I’d love to jump head-first into a full-time photography business, but we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I have my grandma’s stories stuck in my head, and I’m determined to see if the California cafeteria where she worked is still there.

If it is, you can bet I’ll be posting the pictures on here, so stay tuned. 😉

Happy Howlidays!

Toby and I had a holiday session last month, and I can finally unveil the results.

He was stylin’ in his jammies.

And was totally cooperative (as always).

And we loved the result. I hope you do, too!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Mr. B is Three!

Well, almost. 😉

I’ve been taking pictures of Mr. B since he was a baby. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s about to be THREE. He’ll always be one of my favorite kids to photograph; he’s so laid-back and easy to work with, as you can see.

Happy Birthday, Mr. B!

What I’m Thankful For (2009 Version)

In no particular order…

– My husband. We’ve been on an amazing roller coaster ride this year and there’s no one I’d rather have crammed in the seat next to me.

– Toby, my wingman. He reminds me daily to stop and enjoy the little things in life.

– My parents. They’re amazing. Period.

– My sister. She’s a dork.

– My brother. He’s an even bigger dork.

– My trusty camera

– Simply Orange pulp-free orange juice (with mango!)

– Good health

– Our Dyson vacuum. I never thought I’d enjoy looking at all the crap a vacuum sucks up, but you just can’t help it.

– Spanx

– My job and all the wacky characters I get to see every day.

– Adobe Lightroom

– The Animal Rescue League of Iowa – Every pet deserves a loving home, and rescue animals have a special place in my heart.

– The adventure that lies ahead of us, and the fact that we’re able to experience it at all.

– Friends and family who love and care about us.

– And finally, I’ll be really thankful when Thanksgiving is over and I haven’t poisoned anyone.

I just love when I’m productive.

This chair belonged to my husband’s late grandfather, who got it from his mother. It’s about 85 years old. When we got it, it had a lovely golden orange velour seat cushion. It was so lovely, that I felt it was just too nice for our house. 😉 So I bought some funky fabric and have been waiting for time to finish the cushion. I finally found that time today, and I’m in LOVE with how it turned out.

Toby loves it, too. Really.