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.

s

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.