Check out the photos of Benny at the new blog:
Nashville Dog Photography
Last Sunday was the Music City Muttfest hosted by Loew's Vanderbilt Hotel. It was a highly successful event and oh so much fun! After the teardown, Loew's was so kind to offer this amazing ice sculpture in the shape of a fire hydrant to us. Brian and I towed it down to Benny's favorite dog park for all pups to enjoy. What better way to bring in the dog days of summer?
Check out the new blog to see these colorful photos:
Late September of last year, I traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico to document the lives, culture, work and children of this great city for the International Mission Board. It was wonderful to get out of the country. It had been several years since my trip to Africa and I was itching to experience a different culture again … this time with camera in hand. The trip was so many things. Met sweet people, caught up with an old friend, cleared customs without a problem, used my very broken spanish, hugged a lot of kids and was starkly reminded that we live in a very broken world. Fortunately, it doesn't end there. We can all work together to improve the lives of those who live in dire situations. A quote by Nelson Mandela illustrates this: Poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Small acts of kindness and love really do make a difference.
Anyway, as you may know, every Friday in July I plan on sharing photographs from this trip. Just something to change things up a bit! I hope you enjoy. Have a safe and relaxing Fourth of July everyone!
How could you ever resist such a face?
Visit the new blog to see a full-size photo!
Happy July! Is anyone getting ready for summer vacation? We've got some great dog-friendly travel resources and tips for traveling with kids to share with you. And, to prepare you for vacation time, here is one of Adrian's photos from a trip to Pensacola Beach, Florida last summer.
Dog Friendly has answers to all dog-travel questions ranging from pet-friendly beaches to restaurants to campgrounds. The website even offers dog city guides and lists places along interstate highways that are dog-friendly. I would definitely check this out before hitting the road with your pup!
If you are looking for a luxury hotel, visit Pet-Friendly Accommodations Worldwide (PAW). This is a website that lists a "curated collection of luxury (3 stars or higher) pet-friendly hotels." PAW also reviews hotels and provides updates on special offers at hotels worldwide.
For those of you whose vacation destinations require flying, Pet Airways is an airline that "flys pets in the main cabin, NOT in cargo!" Don't worry, the pet owners don't fly in the cargo either. This is the first airline exclusively for pets, with dedicated pet attendants who care for your pet the entire flight. The flight cities are limited at the moment, but check back as the company grows. And, if you want to learn more about regular airline pet-travel policies, Trips for Pets has a list of phone numbers to call.
Also, Nashville Paw Magazine has a fantastic article on traveling with dogs. Be sure to pick up a copy!
Although there is not a Kid Airways (just kidding!), we found some websites that suggest cities, hotels, activities, restaurants, and more that are great for kids! Best Kid Friendly Travel offers tips from packing to destinations and has guest posts about specific cities. Travel for Kids is an international trip-planning website that features practical tips, best-bet hotels for families, and book recommendations for destinations all over the world. Definitely worth checking out these sites before your next big adventure!
Also, every Friday in July Adrian is going to share photos from her adventure in Guadalajara, Mexico…be sure to check back on Friday to see some amazing photos!
Have a great day!
Visit the new blog to see this precious photo: Nashville Dog Photography
I had the greatest honor of photographing this sweet, sweet dog family last week. Kristen is one of the kindest, strongest individuals you will ever meet. From our very first phone conversation, I knew we would click well. To give you a back story, five years ago she tragically lost her husband in a single car accident one mile from their home. She was left with her son Will, Labrador Dewey and Golden Retriever Trace. In spite of that great loss, they have made a wonderful life together and the deep bond that her and Will share is so ever evident. Trace and Dewey are fully integrated in their lives and it's simply beautiful. About a week and a half ago, Kristen received news that Trace has cancer behind his right eye and it is too far along and in too rough of a place to perform surgery. As a result, Trace has only been given a few months to live. That is when Kristen called with interest in dog photography, and I'm so glad she did. This was probably one of the hardest dog sessions for me, but the photograph below makes it so incredibly worth it. I hope it is always a reminder to Will as he grows up how much his pups were loved and how much they loved him. Trace has the quietest spirit and the sweetest soul. He has lived a short nine years and I hope these last few months are some of the best for him. Be strong, sweet boy.
To see the photo of Benny, visit the new blog - Nashville Dog Photography
We have been busy bees this past month, but we still made time for the dog park this weekend. I'm so glad we did. Not only does it wear Benny out, but I always have a fun time as well. I love all of the shadows and yummy light in this portrait. Hope your week is off to a refreshing start!
Visit the new blog to see photos of this great family - Nashville Children's Photography
Happy Friday to you. I met this family out at the farm and oh was it humid! We still had a great time. McKenna has recently made this family a family of four so it was time to update the family portraits. This first one is different from my typical photograph, but I love it. There is so much story to know here.
Visit the new blog to see photos of Trace - Nashville Dog Photography
Meet Trace the farm dog. He lives a life that I believe the majority of dogs would be quite jealous of. Numerous acres of land to roam and chase down wildlife, a barn to nap in and this great tree to seek shade under. His puppy-like face immediately stole my heart.
Visit the new blog for the full post - Nashville Children's Photography
Movies, movies, movies–Oh My!
Wow! I am definitely a bit late on this one, but I just checked out some still photos from Tim Burton's remake of Alice in Wonderland. Can we please fast-forward to March 2010? The characters from Walt Disney's 1951 version are wonderful, but Mr. Burton has, yet again, created a twisted masterpiece with the likes of Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (The White Queen), Michael Sheen (The White Rabbit), and Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen). Alice Kingsley will be played by upcoming Australian actor Mia Wasikowska–I'm sure she'll be quite the star after this movie. Many thanks to Lewis Carroll for his sharing his imagination and to Tim Burton for taking us back to Wonderland 10 years after Alice's first visit.Check out the photo of Shirley here:
I met this little gal this past weekend. She is only a few weeks old and is looking for her new family. If you are wanting to adopt, you won't be able to resist this cute face. Be sure to drop by Nashville Humane Association and check her out in the puppy room. Also, the dogs at Bonaparte's Retreat are still looking to join their families. Please note that Shirley was adopted!
Visit the new blog to see photos of Sage and Coco - Nashville Dog Photography
The dog session with Sage and Coco was a special one as I grew up with a black Labrador Retriever. His name was Splash and he was full of so much life and energy right up until he passed. Because of him, I have a soft spot for Labs. Anyway, as you'll see, Sage and Coco make quite the lovely family. Their dog parents, Jimmy and Seema own a delightful French restaurant in Sylvan Park, called Miel. If you haven't eaten there yet, click here to find out more. They are two very passionate people who practice cooking as an art and I'm sure you will greatly enjoy your dining experience. Thanks so much for having me.
Visit the new blog to see photos from the creek adventure - Nashville Dog Photography
Happy Friday everyone! This week I've shared a wedding and photographs of my brother - it's time to take it back to the dogs! Meet Gus and Folley. Sharing part of the same fence with Benny, I've known these two for a few months now. Our session had a few surprises - trip to the creek, finding a stray dog at the creek and heading back to Haley's house with 3, yes THREE, wet dogs. Fortunately, Lilly the stray had tags on and we were able to quickly reunite her with her parents that evening. Thanks to Haley for being willing to bring her back. It was quite the team effort!
Photographing dogs is always an adventure and as you might guess requires an extra dose of patience - not just from me, but from the pet parent as well. Haley was no exception - she did so great with her dogs. I really am so fortunate to get to do this for a living. I couldn't be happier! Haley thanks for choosing me and I'll see you soon!
To see the photos of my brother, visit the new blog - Nashville Photography
Today, 23 years ago my younger brother entered the world. In addition, his birth happens to be my first memory in life and even though he was a brat growing up, I'm okay with that. He now lives in Los Angeles and is pursuing a career in acting. I'm so proud of what he has accomplished already and can't wait to see what the next year holds for him. Great things await you, Aaron! Hope you have a fun day celebrating at Disneyland.
Brian and I visited him earlier this year so I thought it only fitting to photograph a few headshots. Here's the birthday boy!
Thunder, lightning and rain–oh my! Good thing I'm inside researching gifts for Father's Day. My dad is a minimalist, not in the aesthetic meaning of the word, but in the sense that he just doesn't like or feel the need to have stuff. Lucky for me–I only have to send a card, but I wanted to share some great ideas for those of you who are looking for the perfect gift.
I'll start off with a couple of gifts recommended by the Woof Report for dog dad's who love their wine. This "Leader of the Pack" custom wine label allows you to feature a photo of your favorite pup on twelve bottles of Sonoma County red wine. You could give all twelve to dad, or just six and distribute the rest to other family members. Just be sure to keep one empty bottle!
I'm sure you've all seen the Tennis Ball Throwers, but now there is a launcher that involves golf. Hyper Products has developed the Doggie Driver. This is a great way for your dad to get exercise and practice his golf swing (we know he needs to!) while also allowing the dogs to train and get exercise. Of course, you'll need a big backyard or dog park because I don't think there will be Doggie Driver golf courses anytime soon…
For the environmental and energy-conscious or traveling dads, check out the Voltaic Solar Messenger Bag. This padded bag has three solar panels that charge up to 4 watts of power and can charge cell phones, sat phones, PDAs, GPSs, iPods, cameras, etc. The bag is also available as a day pack and for something less expensive, check out the Solstice 2.5 Solar Charger. I wouldn't mind having one of those for myself!
And, as usual, I browsed Etsy for gifts and wanted to share these two fun items. You can customize a Dad Tag keychain with your own words or change it to Daddio or Grandpa.
And, if your father is the handy-man, suit-wearing type who appreciates a funky accessory, he might want to don these classy cuff-links.
Good luck on your search and let's hope Sunday brings sunshine!
To see these great wedding photos, visit the new blog -- Nashville Lifestyle Photography
Just to change things up a bit, I wanted to share my last wedding from 2008. Even though I specialize in children's and dog photography, I do photograph a few weddings a year. I have been wanting to share the art from their fall wedding for a while, but am just now getting to it! The Maple's are one extremely loving, deeply affectionate and caring couple. (If you check out Hannah's blog, you will get a taste of what I mean!) Their wedding day was filled with gorgeous sunlight, fall weather, friends, family and a contagious love. Their relationship is one that I admire - I can't be around them without longing to be with my Brian. Thanks, you two, for letting me into your lives and sharing your day with me. Here's to a lifetime of contagious love!
This is a bigger post than normal. Hope you enjoy!
Visit the new blog to see a great photo of Toby!
Happy Friday everyone! I've had a long week and am looking forward to relaxing this weekend! Brian and I had our third wedding anniversary this past week but didn't get to really celebrate. So, we're looking forward to hanging out and hopefully spending a lot of time outdoors if the weather cooperates.
I wanted to leave you with one of my favorites from the French Bulldog photo session. Toby is something else … I like this photo because of the context. We took this on a farm, a farm that Toby felt at home at, pulled in his dad's cowboy boots and Corona in the background. Enjoy.
Visit our blog to see some highlights from the Coronation Pawty:
As you know, this past weekend was Brown Dog Foundation's Top Dog and Top Cat Competition. Benny was a contestant, but sadly didn't take the crown. However, through the wonderful clients of Adrian Hitt Photography, he raised right under $1100! All of that directly benefits the foundation. Thank you for playing a part in saving animals' lives.
Nashville Children's Photography
Beginning tomorrow, downtown Nashville will be saturated with country music. The CMA Music Fest has already taken over the waterfront and several locations throughout the downtown vicinity. If you plan on attending and bringing your children along for the festivities, we wanted to make sure to highlight all the wonderful children's activities taking place this weekend. The CMA has organized a plethora of FREE activities at the Family Zone Mainstage, located at the Hall of Fame Park at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Demonbreun. There will be arts and crafts, face painting, balloon art, cupcake decorating, and of course a fantastic line-up of musicians and comedians. Visit the website for full schedule.
If the CMA Fest is a bit overwhelming for your family, today and tonight you can celebrate at Happy Tales Humane's fourth annual One Big Wag. The all-day-and-night event features food, art, music, and dog and cat competitions! Kids can enjoy the Animal Gambill Show, participate in the Bow-Wow Boogie, and enjoy live music by O'Shea, Marcel, Kristi Rose and Fats Caplin, Hank Williams III and more. All proceeds from the event benefit Happy Tales Humane, an organization that rescues, cares for, and finds healthy homes for unwanted pets.
The event takes place at The Factory at Franklin located at 230 Franklin Road from 12 to 10 pm. Tickets are $20 (adults), $5 (ages 6 - 15), and free for children 5 and younger. Friendly, leashed pets are welcome.
And, finally, if you interested in a low-key activity for your family, be sure to check out the Movies in the Park. Every Wednesday evening at sunset (usually around 7 pm) there is a movie at Centennial Park. Tonight (depending on the weather) is Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. For additional information, check out the listing on Nashvillest.
Whatever you decide to do, have a safe and fun time!
Visit our new blog to see the photos:
Nashville Baby Photographer
Meet sweet Paisley's family. This was her first photo shoot, but she did exceptionally well. She is now seven months old and has quite the blooming personality. Her parents are the cutest and are pretty crazy about her. Enjoy the sneak peek!
Visit our new blog to check out the family photos:
Nashville Family Photographer
Rick and his family are very special people in my life. We met only four years ago, but they quickly became a second family to me. His kids were all in my wedding and they're growing up too fast. Since they live in Oklahoma City, I don't get to see them nearly as often as I would like — I miss them. I wanted to share a few favorites from the last time I visited. This was shortly after he married Stephanie, so new family portraits were in order!
Visit our new blog to see photos of Benny!
Nashville Dog Photography
Tomorrow night is the Coronation Pawty for Nashville's Top Dog and Top Cat Competition! It is an annual fundraiser for the fantastic organization, Brown Dog Foundation. Brown Dog provides financial assistance with vet bills as an alternative to euthanasia. You can click here to see the dog photography I did for Carol Smock, founder of Brown Dog. As you may remember, any sessions that were booked during April and May had $50 donated to the foundation to help raise money for Benny's campaign. All of the proceeds go to Brown Dog to help dogs across Tennessee who have fallen ill.
As mentioned, there is a great Pawty going on tomorrow night at The Farm at Natchez Trace to celebrate the work of Brown Dog and to crown Nashville's Top Dog and Top Cat. The party is from 6-8p and will have BBQ, live music, doggie treats and kissing booth and a silent auction. If you'd like to purchase tickets, click here to get them in advance. Of course, we're hoping Benny raises enough votes to take the crown! They are still taking last minute votes (each vote is $1) until midnight tonight. Here is Benny's page if you are interested! If you can't make it tomorrow night, but would like to know whether or not Benny gets the crown, follow me on Twitter as I will be updating from the event. Okay, enough about that - time to see some recent photos of the dog of the hour!Visit our new blog to see photos of Toby:
Nashville Dog Photography
To say that I had a good time with Toby and his parents would be a complete understatement! We met up late in the afternoon, hit several locations and shot for a few hours. Toby kept us laughing the entire time with his typical Frenchie antics. He's still a puppy but is such a little lover boy. Before this dog session, I had never photographed a French Bulldog but am absolutely in love with this breed. I wanted to dognap him and leave with him in my camera bag. 
(One of these days I just might actually do that, especially if we don't get a second dog soon!)
Visit our new blog to see the full post:
Animal Awareness
In follow up to Adrian's post about the amazing work of Bonaparte's Retreat, we wanted to share information about other animal issues and products that our caught our attention this week.
As the summer days encroach on the lovely spring weather, it is important to make sure your dog stays cool too. Woof Report, an informative daily newsletter, just sent out information about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars. "When it's 85° outside, the temperature inside a car – even with the windows left slightly open – can soar to 102° in 10 minutes, and reach 120° in just a half an hour." And dogs can not withstand these temperatures, even for more than a minute. The United Animal Nations has a great website, My Dog Is Cool, with additional information and safety posters you can download and print to post in your community.
For fun, here are a few doggie products that we couldn't resist sharing!
If you're not into doggie doors or don't have one, check into the Ultimate Dog Door, an instant screen door that works for people and dogs! This easy-to-install screen has a magnetic closure that hooks at the bottom to stay in place.
It might take some time to get used to wearing a ring with "spay" or "neuter" engraved on it, but it shouldn't be too difficult knowing that the ring carries a strong message. The artist, Metalsmitten, creates these rings to encourage people to spay and neuter their pets and adopt from animal shelters. "Spaying and neutering are important steps in ending the cycle of companion animal overpopulation that results in the euthanasia of millions of unwanted pets." Thank you Metalsmitten for your creativity and dedication to such an important cause!
If you haven't checked out Mod-Dog, you are missing out on some fabulous modern dog art. There are prints, cards, jewelry and much more. We were particularly drawn to the French Bulldog print below…which is also a hint for Adrian's upcoming dog post. Enjoy!
Visit our new blog to see photos of these wonderful pups!
Nashville Dog Photography
In yesterday's post I shared photographs from the cover shoot with Emmylou Harris and the dogs of Bonaparte's Retreat. As mentioned, all of those dogs are seeking adoption into their forever home. I wanted to share more about them and highlight this ever important work that Emmylou and Bonaparte's are engaged in.
Did you know that just in the first two months of this year, Nashville Metro Animal Control had to euthanize 949 dogs? That boggles my mind and leaves me with a heavy heart. That's only one facility in one city. Fortunately, rescues like Bonaparte's take in the dogs that are on "death row" at Metro. And they are committed to those dogs. They seek to find new homes with loving families. But, they can only take in so many dogs at a time. Once a dog is adopted, that frees up a space for another to join the team at Bonaparte's Retreat.
Visit our new blog to check out the photos of Emmylou and Bonaparte's Retreat!
Nashville Commercial Photographer
I am very excited to kick off June with this post! A couple of weeks ago I had the great honor of photographing Country Music Hall-of-Famer, Emmylou Harris with her adoptable dogs from Bonaparte's Retreats. Bonaparte's was founded in memory of Emmylou's beloved dog, Bonaparte, to rescue dogs whose time had expired at Metro Animal Control. By rescuing these dogs, they not only save the lives of numerous dogs but are committed to finding them loving, forever homes. The team at Bonaparte's is incredibly compassionate and Heather, the editor of Nashville Paw Magazine, and I had such a great time with them and the adoptable pups. I just feel so fortunate to get to work with those who lead such inspiring lives and everyone at Bonaparte's Retreat and Nashville Paw do just that. If you are looking to add a furry companion to your family, please contact Kate at Bonaparte's. All of these dogs are looking for their family.
