MOVED!

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welcome, Arlo!

We've added a new, not-so-small dog to the pack, and he's just terrific. This is Arlo. He was rescued from a shelter on the day he was to be euthanized, and we adopted him from the rescue. He's definitely a handful, but I know he will be worth the training and the patience. You'll be seeing more of Arlo (named after Guthrie, of course) on these pages in the future.

aging so gracefully

I recently shot a wonderful girl named FiFi. She's over 17 years old, and although frail and delicate, was such a love that I wanted to share her.

rest easy, Phil

One of my clients' dogs, the fabulous Phil, passed away on saturday a couple of weeks ago, the same day that Lola left us. I'm so glad I had the chance to photograph her family. Wishing Phil rests easy, and peaceful, happy memories for his family.

sending good thoughts and best wishes

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to photograph the most adorable couple: Mike and Berlinda, and of course their Boxer named Bettie :)

Mike is a Marine, has been to Iraq twice already and is going back in September. I won't hold it against him that he called me "ma'am" (it was actually awfully sweet, because he's this hulking guy).

Please send all your good thoughts and good luck wishes to him so that he can return safely to B & B.

now back to business

It's been a hectic and very sad last couple of weeks. Losing Lola was terribly hard on us, and we had some inbetween dog issues that made it even harder. But losing Ivan and A and D (they're moving tomorrow) is topping off the month, and it's only the 3rd!

But back to business tomorrow!

love, lola

Sadly, we lost another member of our pack today: the lovely Lola, who has been with us 11 years, passed away this afternoon. We miss her terribly already; she was an affectionate, lovely dog and the only dog I've ever known who had perfected the balance between "human" characteristics and dog characteristics. She greeted us every single time we came in the door, and she slept by the front door to guard us. She will be great missed. Especially her kisses. Love you, Lola. Miss you.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

If you were in the Long Beach area yesterday and you didn't check out the Bixby Knolls Dragster Expo and Car Show .... bummer for you. It was a fantastic event that I was lucky enough to shoot. I love car guys; love hanging out with car people. And the finale of the night, a dozen or so dragsters all lighting up at once and showing their flames, topped off a great day.

More photos to come, but this is so far one of my favorites of the almost 1200 shots I took.

natural light portraits

I love the natural light in my studio. My window faces west, so I get great light all day long. Next week I'll be shooting portraits all week with a variety of people, and I can't wait!

As much as I love to play around with strobes and lights, nothing beats a really crisp natural light portrait. They remind me so much of working with film.

I think if more photographers shot their clients with natural light, instead of the seamless and the strobes, etc., their clients would be really pleased with the results.

This is a self-portrait I took last week while waiting for a new client. She's wonderful, and has these great products for her new line, but I'm not posting any shots of them until she's got them onto her website. So look for them!

latest cover shot

The premiere issue of a new local magazine, Senior Class, is out. I was thrilled to be able to shoot the cover, but even more excited to have my husband as one of the models. That's not me with him, although they look pretty close :)

democractize or i'll shoot

This issue of JPG Magazine had me stumped until I saw the correlation between my shirt and my tattoo. Sad, but true.

email out for a bit

while transferring hosting companies, my email will be down for a bit, maybe a day. if you need to reach me, just leave a comment here.

thanks!

moms can be super handy....

...so don't forget that when you're a teenager and you think she's the most uncool person in the world.

1/100

...of a second. that's how long this guy can sit up by himself. i'd like to do a series of shots of his mom putting him in place, taking her hands away, and watching him slowly plop to the left, or right, or forward.

happy birthday little G

this little monkey turns one year old in about a week, so her awesome parents came out for a shoot to celebrate.

she was a fabulous little model, and held up better than I did (or mr susan, my assistant for the day). best part was holding her and getting drooly kisses. :)

adopted!

The best news of all came today. One of the dogs featured in my Shelter & Rescue Dogs exhibit was adopted yesterday from the East Valley Animal Shelter!

I'm so happy to get this news; it makes all the hard work worthwhile. I'm not sure if this dog is the only one to have been adopted as a result of the show (I know that Hearts for Hounds has gotten some referrals), but this is a really happy ending for a lovely dog who had been in that shelter for months.

Thanks to the new parents, and thanks to Javier, shelter manager, for agreeing to keep her available until the end of May.

weddings

I've always been reluctant to shoot weddings, and I've been particular about which weddings I would shoot. That has less to do with my interest in weddings and more to do with the Bridezilla stories I hear from good friends who shoot weddings on a regular basis. :)

But I've given in and am starting to do more. Courthouse weddings are my favorite. Small weddings, civil ceremonies, backyard things, those are the best to shoot. I've got a Berkeley sort of hippie wedding coming up in a few months that I simply cannot wait to do!

So there. I've even added a wedding gallery to my website, in a gallery called "a very big deal." Check it out.

Bandit Brand catalog shoot

I'm starting to go through my shots from last month's catalog shoot in Ojai, CA. Great clothes, awesome models. Here's a couple of quick shots; there's a slideshow on my website, in a gallery called "on location: bandit brand."

love love courthouse weddings

photo essay on shelter dogs

I've submitted a photo essay on this project to JPG Magazine. Click on over there to read it, and vote if you like.

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shelter dog exhibit prints for sale

thanks for everyone who stopped by and showed their support last friday night. it was great talking with so many different people who are into the efforts to help shelter and rescue dogs.

in case you haven't heard, the exhibit (in a smaller form) has moved down the street from the opening to the It's a Grind Coffee House at 4245 Atlantic Blvd., Long Beach.

all of the prints are now for sale in limited edition (20 of each will be sold), and 50% of all sales from the prints go right back to the shelter. so if you couldn't make the show, there is still time to show your support and help these little monkeys find a home :)

the prints are featured on my Esty shop. although they are not all up there yet, i'm going to be finished uploading them by tomorrow night.

and in a few weeks, there will be a small book with these shots and many more for sale. again, 50% of the proceeds of those will go the rescues.

thanks again for the support, but thanks most of all for loving the animals that seem to think nobody loves them.

s

she-devils on bikes

Sounds suspiciously like a movie I once saw in the 70s, but it's actually the nickname of this past weekend's catalog shoot that I did in Ojai, CA. Six great looking, inked up models and a kick-ass new line of shirts and vests for men and women. More to come later, but here's a sneak peek.

you're invited

NOTE: The exhibit will possibly move to a more convenient location after opening night. Keep an eye on this page for details. But opening night is still at the location listed below! If you have any questions, drop me a line.





This is going to be a big night for the animals! I'll be showing 20-30 prints of dogs who are in need of homes right now! There will be lots of volunteers and employees from various shelters to provide information on specific dogs, or just general info.

Framed and unframed prints will be for sale (with proceeds going to participating shelters), and there's going to be an "opportunity drawing" to benefit the shelters, with 3 winning tickets drawn. Top prize is a free private photo session for the winner and his/her animal(s).

Photographs will be up the entire month of May, but the reception/opening night is Friday, May 2nd, from 7-10pm. Please attend if you can.

This Is Who We Are: Photography by Susan Sabo
Reception: Friday, May 2nd, 7-10 pm.
4313 Atlantic Blvd., Long Beach CA

admission is free; no invite needed.

make someone's day, adopt a shelter animal

Shelters & rescues have always been close to my heart; years ago I started and ran a blanket program for the dogs at the East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys. Jen and I often adopted out older, sick dogs who had been left for dead by their owners and kept them so that they could live out their remaining years in a loving home and with dignity.

So when it came time to think of a theme for my upcoming show in May, it was clear: Dogs that need homes now! This is going to be a very crunched project, because the show opens Friday, May 2nd. But I can't think of a better reason to work long hours and lose a lot of sleep.

All the dogs featured in the show are dogs that are currently being fostered and need a permanent home. We'll also have some volunteers from local rescues to provide information to interested people. AND, I'll have a special on portrait packages for dogs running for those who do adopt a dog during the month of May.

If you're in the LA area, please come to the show, invite all your animal-loving friends. Maybe you could be responsible for a dog finding his or her way into a loving home.

More details on the location and time will be coming, but for now, pencil the date into your planner. And if you can't wait till then, by all means, head down to your local shelter and give some love to a needy dog (or cat)!

upcoming photo project: T & J

Before finishing my first Project April, I did a quick shoot with T and her boyfriend in a Long Beach laundromat. I love their chemistry so much I'm putting up a preview for them.

project

I've been working on a photo project for a couple of weeks now, and I'm getting pretty excited about unveiling it. But I shot over a thousand images, and this week I'm sifting through them and making my final choices. I hope to have the final project up on my site within two weeks. But I wanted to give everyone a preview of it, and also, wanted to thank all the models and actors who participated. They were all outstanding and each of them made such an individual and unique contribution.

This is Daisi, one of my fabulous subjects. I could have shot her all day, but my camera couldn't keep up with her moves.

spazz attack

Dot met Ivan for the first time last week, and she had a 2-hour long spazz attack. Both she and Lola simply adore him and are constantly creeping their way closer to him for sneaky ear licks. I'm glad the dogs and he have bonded. It's nice when you are able to bring another dog person into the world.

a guest came to the studio today...

... and the usual "welcome to the studio" dance ensued.

the perfect candid

This is my husband and his first grandson. This is the picture I've been wanting to snag since Ivan was born (just over a month ago). It's a personal favorite.

Ink & Iron 2007

Heads up that I'll be shooting at Ink & Iron this June at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. If you're going to be there and would like some shots for yourself or your shop, drop me a line.

grand opening

So this was the Grand Opening of my new studio space in the fashion district (downtown LA). I moved some gear in today (gear is heavy, assistants would be good) and set up a couple of quick self portraits. I'll be slammed with work for the next week or so, then I hope to get some friends up there for some shooting.

Can. Not. Wait.

when it's too late to talk to your kids about birth control

More of the adorable addition to our family, baby Ivan. This is a real family portrait; Ivan, his mother Amanda, her father and her mother. I was really glad to get this shot of all of them together. There are lots more "normal" looking shots of them all, but I just love this one from the expression on Amanda's face. It's like, "so that's how it happens!

how to make an exit

I think I'm one of the last people on earth (with tattoos) who doesn't know Kat Von D or LA Ink, but since my daughter was getting some ink work done at her tattoo show (musink) this weekend, I got a chance to get some cool shots.

If you've never been to a tattoo convention, go! Even if you're not a photographer, or not getting a tattoo, you're guaranteed hours of the most entertaining people watching, even if it's only a bit of someone, like this shot :)

dog love

there's nothing like it.

i had the best shoot today with this rad family of people and dogs. the house was full of dog love, which is always the best.

welcome to our world

Big week around the house. I'm a grandma (yay) and that overshadows everything else that's going on at the moment. I think the studio opening will be delayed a few days, but I leave you with Ivan William in the meantime.

inked at last!

I love photographing people with tattoos, but i like to do it in the studio, in a more classic way. Photographing my daughter's tattoos has always been my favorite, but now that my husband has finally gotten his first, I'm so excited to be able to capture his expressions now that he's "one" of us.

POW!

That's all. Just...POW!!

Getting ready for the new studio opening (2nd studio for me) next week. Stay tuned. Much fun to come.

tattoo you

We have a new tattoo in the family; the first for my husband! It was a wonderful experience that I took hundreds of photos of. Luckily, not only was Trevor (the artist) a great guy, he was great looking :)

out of commission

Just as I'm getting excited about opening the new studio downtown, this flu that's been going around hits me and hits me hard. 10 days in bed. I hope you don't get it, it's a killer.

speaking of unconventional

This is one of my favorite shots from a recent dog shoot; possibly one of my all-time favorite dog shots. There are a dozen reasons why nobody would choose a shot like this, why it doesn't work, but there's really only one that someone would choose it: because they love it. It strikes me very viscerally; for me, it's that elusive essence of my subject that I managed to capture in a split second: the essence of this dog and her lanky discomfort at being photographed.

If I were looking for a cover image for a book about dogs, I might not choose this. But if I were just browsing images and came upon this on, I might write an entire novel around it.

don't put too much trust in conventionality

My fashion shoots are a bit unconventional. I do shoot traditional look books and straight models shots, but when I'm on a fashion shoot I always make time for a few shots of my own. Sometimes, the client flips over them. Sometimes, the client doesn't understand them :) But one thing is certain, unconventional will always help you stand out, one way or another.

This shot is from a model shoot I did last Sunday with a local agency. Of all the shots I took (many very traditional), this is by far my favorite.

Why we love Los Angeles

It's sunny, it's 75 degrees and Spring is almost here. Ooof.

space coming soon

I'll soon be opening a small studio in downtown LA; which means regular commutes again and no more working in my pajamas (unless I keep a stash in the studio).

I'll let you know when it's open, and I'll post pictures, and if you're in the area, you can stop by and say hello and get shot. By me!

Chloe

I had a chance to shoot my neighbor's two bulldogs yesterday and it was a gas. The more I shoot dogs, the more I enjoy shooting them in their own environment. Studio portraits have a certain appeal, but dogs in their own digs are much more entertaining. I never would have gotten such a candid moment from Chloe if she were sitting in front of my lights.