inspiration in unexpected places • nashville, tn dog photographer

as an artist, i'm always searching for new things to inspire me. one group that never fails is coldplay. so completely innovative with every little thing they do. this is THE coolest music video i have ever seen. take a few minutes to watch it ... i'll think you'll find a new appreciation for them as well. and if you've never seen them live, you're missing out!

on another note, i am doing some traveling over the next week or so. i am in las vegas for the next couple of days and will then be heading to sunny los angeles. i am searching for a couple of dogs to model for me for a project in both locations. email me if you are interested!

happy monday to you!

happy 2009! • nashville, tn lifestyle photographer

happy 2009 everyone! i hope you enjoyed time with close friends and family over the past couple of weeks. we had a nice visit with our families and friends in oklahoma and arkansas. lots of food, silly board games, reminiscing and even a little singing of christmas carols around the piano. perfect! as i get older, i come to appreciate these times more because they seem to get fewer and farther between. it especially was a nice christmas for my family as this will be the last time we'll all be together for a couple of years. my older brother and his family are preparing to move to hungary (can you say trip to europe? :) ) and my younger brother has recently moved to los angeles. even though it may be a while, we're all excited to meet again as my sister and her husband should have their baby from ethiopia the next time we see them. so excited!

i also just got back from the pittsburgh area. it was the 1st annual roomie reunion with two of my best friends. the three of us got together to celebrate the new year and hitting our quarter-life. we haven't been together in three years and it was a blast. we plan to reunite every five years and are hoping for somewhere tropical next time! :)

i am back in the office today returning emails. we'll be back in full swing on monday after a wedding on saturday. have a great (and restful!) weekend. happy new year!

Here's a photograph from the holidays: My younger brother, Aaron and myself!

posts coming your way …

oh dear blogger, how i have missed thee;
i promise more faithful to you i will be!

okay, okay so maybe i should stick to my day job :) we have gotten more settled and my office is up and running. so, that means there will be a new blog post every day this week to make up for the slacker of a job i have been doing. i've had a few people ask how benny is adjusting. here's a little visual to let you know:



he loves his new place. it took him a bit to get used to living here, but he is crazy about the back yard. he gets to terrorize squirrels and chipmunks all day long. i think he enjoys chasing them more than lazying around the sofa in my office.

also, i will be in oklahoma city later this week and have room for one more session. email studio[at]adrianhitt[dot]com if you would like the spot!

update!

so we've lived in our new digs for 6 days and to be honest, i feel like i'm about to fall over from sleep deprivation! moving.is.a.big.job. fortunately we've had a few great friends help us pack, unpack, clean and paint. i really don't want to do this again anytime soon : ) we love the new place and can't get over how close we are to everything. it's sublime.

the office is still without internet, but the friendly comcast folks are headed here late on friday afternoon to get everything running. i'll be out this weekend for a wedding in lexington, but will be back in full swing on monday. thanks for hanging around and once the internet is up i'll have a slew of blog posts! have a great rest of the week!

moving on up...

yes, you read that correctly … we finally sold our house and are moving to nashville tomorrow! to say this past month has been a whirlwind is a large understatement. our offices will be closed for the next few days as we're packing up and getting set up at the new house. stay tuned as i have several weddings from the past month, dog sessions and dog days and my trip to mexico to blog!

happy fall!
adrian

viva la mexico!

just a quick note to say that i'll be out of the office until october 1. i'm venturing to mexico to document the work that the international mission board is doing there. this a project that brings much hope, fulfillment and joy to my heart. i look forward to sharing it with you. i am going to try my best to blog while i'm gone, so stay tuned! also, a quick note to let you know that my website is going through some changes this week and it may be down in the process. everyone have a wonderful week!

peace.
adrian

dog photographer nashville, tn • benny day

friday marked the anniversary of benny's adoption. since benny isn't spoiled or anything, i knew i needed to pick him up a few things in celebration! ;)

here he is anxiously awaiting his treats …


i got everything at lucky pup boutique in edgehill village. super cool place! be sure to take your lucky pup by and tell kristen i sent you. she's great!


a doggy cupcake


and the most beautiful bone benny has laid eyes on!


when brian and i adopted benny, we didn't realize how much our lives would be enriched because of it. he's my son, co-worker, carpooler and best friend all rolled into one! thanks for letting me share his life here.

nashville, tn dog photographer • sleepy, sleepy

last night i was working late and ended up falling asleep on the sofa in my office. when i woke up this morning, benny was laying on me in a sweet, curled up position. i wish i had my camera in my hand when i first awoke, but no such luck. i have no idea how long he was there, but he was out! and i felt ... perfect. i love this sweet boy. so this evening, brian was taking a quick nap before dinner and when i went to wake him, this is what i saw. fortunately, i did have time to grab my camera for these.

dog photographer - nashville, tn - it's a ruff life…

so yesterday afternoon, i walk into our bedroom and this is what i see…

benny sprawled across our entire bed!


can't get enough of this face!




hope everyone has a relaxing weekend!

dog photographer - franklin, tn - benny has a boo boo

two days before we left for the beach, benny cut his leg. we were worried that he would have to have stitches, but the vet sent us away with antibiotics, bandages and gauze. here he is sporting his blue bandage.





also, i got an email from a client looking for a home for a 3-year-old female labrador. contact me if you are interested in giving her a good home!

last day to vote

things have been quiet around here. sorry about that! we've had a lot going on and i haven't had a chance to blog. i have a few blog posts lined up for this week from recent sessions so stay close for those!

today is the last day to vote for benny! be sure to drop by as this is a contest judged by popular vote.

click here!

many thanks and i'll keep everyone updated on the results!
~adrian

labrador needs adopting - dog photographer - nashville, tn

happy monday everyone! i am hanging out and learning from some great photographers in the small town of washington, il (2 hours south of chicago). it's a quaint little town where the entire square is not open for business on sundays and still pretty quiet on mondays. it's a nice change of pace. we're staying at a charming bed and breakfast with the sweetest innkeeper. i really enjoy talking shop with new friends and bouncing ideas off of each other. we will be back in the office on friday and will be answering emails this week as we're able. thanks for being patient as we're away! i'm going to try to pop in with some photos throughout the week. i have a wedding from this weekend that i look forward to sharing!

i had a client email me and let me know that there is a one-year-old female yellow lab that needs adopting. her current home doesn't have a fenced-in backyard so she is limited on how much time she can spend outside. shoot me an email if you are interested in giving her a loving home with room to roam! : )

have a fabulous week!
adrian

time in san diego

a couple of weeks ago i was in san diego for a workshop. as a photographer, it's important to invest in continuing education and i'm so thankful for all of the opportunities available. even though it rained the majority of my time there, i had a fabulous trip. i met several other photographers and i always love hearing about their businesses and lives. it's great to bounce ideas off of each other and have friends to create with. as i was leaving, i grabbed a couple of photos of little italy, the downtown district in san diego where we stayed. enjoy!


the best part of my stay... being greeted by this one every morning in the hotel lobby.

so many colors …


because of the weather, i wasn't able to get to ocean beach until i was leaving for the airport. here's a friend i made : )

ingrid michaelson - nashville, tn - exit/in

so, i'm trying to catch up on much needed blogging tonight. thanks to everyone who checks in. i always love hearing from you!

blog catching-up 101 here we go...

last week a friend and i ventured out to see the very talented ingrid michaelson at exit/in. there were 4 other performers and ingrid was our favorite by far. her album girls and boys is a happy mix of folk and pop ... very lovely. i can't seem to stop playing the tunes.

here is part of the song that made me buy her album...


while there, i was introduced to joshua radin. his ep is definitely worth a listen and ingrid sings on a couple of the songs, which in my opinion is plenty of reason to take a listen : )

here's a fun photo … brian has a couple of mopeds that he likes to work and scoot around on. we have a good time with them! he wanted some pictures of him and friends riding around on them, so i thought i'd share one!

lovely day

oh, it's so beautiful outside! i was able to move my work out yesterday and soak in some vitamin d. it was magnificent. today is no exception! be sure to get out and enjoy this while it's here.

here's a fun photo from my time in san diego. i'll share more later!

being green

this was a post i meant to put up yesterday in honor of st. patrick's day, but time got away. i hope everyone had a fun st. paddy's day!

our weather has been absolutely sublime recently! i'm trying to be outside as much as i can in order to take advantage of these gorgeous days. even now, i have my window open and i can hear the distant songs of birds and the wind rustling through neighboring trees. oh how i love this time of year! during spring, when the earth comes back to life, i can't help but think of ways to take better care of it. so, i thought i'd share ways we do that. once every 3-4 weeks, brian and i load up our car and head to the recycling place. we recycle just about everything that can be, and as nerdy as i am, this is a natural high for me! :) i always get so excited to see how much of our trash is going to be reused and not thrown in a land-fill. we feel that it is each our own responsibility to take care of our earth the best we can. recycling is one thing that we can all do to be greener and kinder to the earth.



to cut down on plastic use, we use these cute, durable grocery bags. you can pick up a couple at whole foods for only $1 a piece!



when we first started recycling, we put back plastic bottles, aluminum cans and plastic bags. now we recycle everything our local plant will take and we've cut our actual trash down to only 1-2 bags a week. (yes, i am a nerd, but this is very exciting to me!)

in thinking green, i thought these resources might be helpful for parents as well:

think baby bottles: addresses the growing concerns over toxic chemicals leaching from plastic baby products.


the safe sippy: it's a clean, non-leaching stainless steel cup


shaklee: keep your home safe with these non-toxic products. i haven't converted over to these yet, but am looking into it. does anyone use these or similar products? if so, leave a comment below! i'd love to hear from those who have tried them out.


well, folks, there's your green minute for the day! hope you enjoyed it :)

dreaming again

for the past couple of weeks, i have found it difficult to fall asleep before 2, 3 and 4 am. my mind is racing with all the things that must be done, but more importantly i am dreaming again. i am gaining a new sense of purpose and exploring the road ahead of me. my thoughts are burgeoning with ideas. even with the loss of sleep, i welcome this. it's a wonderful place to be.

also, yesterday brian and i wrote a children's song. this was a first for me. i hope to share it later!

and here's a photo of my lovely friend, amanda with a dog we tried to convince her of rescuing :) (she wasn't able to, but he was quickly adopted by another family)

michael buble - nashville, tn - somet center

last night, my friend amanda and i enjoyed sweet melodies from the ever-so-talented michael buble. fortunately, we had better seats than we realized…unfortunately i only brought my p+s with me :( if you have not seen him in concert before, it's a must! great entertainer, fantastic artist and a funny man. his pitch is incredible…that alone is worth it.

of course a photo…


a great perk to having great seats! a little video… btw, the trombone player in this video hails from nashville! :)


a nice surprise for the nashville audience! blake shelton sang a duet on home

let it snow - dog photography - nashville, tn

one of my favorite things - snow falling at night time. everything becomes quiet and for those few moments the world seems to be at peace. living in middle tennessee i don't get to experience this very often. fortunately, it happened friday night and we were able to play in it for a bit on saturday morning. benny absolutely loved it! he couldn't stop running... but his favorite part was eating it. yes, he would just lay down in the middle of the yard and munch away.




i was just interrupted and i have to tell this story. benny has an interesting relationship with pappy, the dog who lives behind us. because our bedroom is on the 2nd floor, benny can watch pappy quite often. occassionally, pappy will come and lay down in our backyard and call out to benny. by benny's frantic running around, we immediately know that we should let him outside. benny blazes out the back door and pappy takes off back to his yard. benny is then chased back into our yard and chases pappy back to his. keiko, another neighbor's dog then joins the frenzy. this is quite amusing for brian and me to watch from the back door. i'll have to photograph or video it sometime :)

here's one last photo from the snow: benny getting pelted with a snowball :)

good music

tonight, i'm enjoying long overdue good music. you must check out this soundtrack. "falling slowly" and "when your mind's made up" will be instant favorites.

also, i'm a lover of folk/americana music. elizabeth mitchell is brilliant in her renderings of children's music.

i leave for san diego in a few hours. i haven't been before, so i'm hoping for a fun trip! it's a workshop that i have been anticipating for months. i'll be sure to share upon my return! our offices will reopen on tuesday, february 26.

have a great weekend. lots of love. thanks for stopping by.