Giving Back

Recently on my facebook page I asked people to suggest a rescue that was deserving of a donation this year.  I had several suggestions but one stood out to me.  Anita Elias suggested I donate to Mayday Pit Bull Rescue.  This was what Anita had to say:

Amy, I am partial to Mayday pitbull rescue because they take in the pits that have severe problems that most rescues would turn away. I have seen several dogs they have taken in that were severely neglected or abused who other rescues just don't want. They have done a great job with finding home for these hard to place dogs. I am partial to pits of course but these guys really touched me.

As many of you know I am huge football fan and the story about the Vick Pit Bull's has really touched me.  I am the first to say people deserve a second chance and I was impressed recently when Michael Vick was honest with a child that asked him if had not been caught and punished would he still be fighting dogs and Vick honestly replied that he thought he would be.  Maybe Vick has learned a lesson, it took a lot to admit that; then again if he said no would anybody believe him?  Still the dogs that he had control over tell the story and it is a very sad one coming from a breed that normally stands and walks with such a grand presence.  Those dogs will probably never fully recover and the sad fact is that many more are treated as badly if not worse and they don't have coverage on the news.  They have everyday average people that are responsible for their fear and we hardly ever hear their stories..hopefully a small donation will help a bit.  Thanks Anita for mentioning the Mayday Pit Bull Rescue to me!  A donation of $250 will be made to Mayday Pit Bull Rescue.

This is Anita's Pit Bull Zack.

Gift Cards

The perfect holiday gift for any animal lover is here!  I will be offering gift cards for purchase in any amount you want.  Gift cards can be used to purchase a photo session or to order prints.  Visit my website to order: Amy Gayle Photography under 'online ordering' or email me directly at info@amygaylephotography.com

Display idea for photos

Display photos above and below a horizontal line like this.  This is a great idea for a long hallway or entry wall for displaying a variety of sizes of photos.  Pottery Barn has a great collection of float style frames that you can use and make rotating the pictures from frame to frame very easy.  One idea would be to use the same photos just change the wall placement every so often for a different visual, frequent house guests will be amazed at how often you decorate will even realizing!

Holiday cards are here.....

Check out these holiday card designs I will be offering this year.  I still have a few holiday sessions available so book yours now!  Other designs are available.  Feel free to leave a message here or contact me through my website for more details.  Contact here.

 

Great weekend at the Rainbow Festival

The Rainbow Festival was fantastic!  I met some fantastic people with some very beautiful dogs!  You can visit my website here.  The web address is www.amygaylephotography.com.


Also please check out my facebook fan page here for specials only advertised on facebook.

Treats you can make from scratch for your doggie

Whip up this easy homemade doggie treat with simple ingredients you have in your kitchen.

Cheesy Carrot Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated carrot
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line it with paper baking cups.
Combine the flours and baking powder and mix well. Add the cheese and carrots, and use your fingers to mix them into the flour until they are well distributed.

In another bowl, beat the eggs. Then whisk in the milk and vegetable oil. Pour this over the flour mixture, and stir gently until just combined.

Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full with the mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins feel springy. Be sure to let the muffins cool before letting your dog do any taste-testing. If he’s a medium to large dog, one muffin will be a great snack. Make it half a muffin for a toy or small dog.

Recipe reprinted with permission from: DOGS: The Ultimate Care Guide, edited by Matthew Hoffman. Copyright (c) 1998 by Weldon Owen. By arrangement with Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.

Coronado Surfing Academy

Mint was the first to ride solo!

                                                                                                 
Coronado Surfing Academy or CSA has two location on Coronado Island, one just south of the Hotel Del Coronado and the other across from Loews Coronado Bay Resort.  They have been in business since 2003, and offer private and group lessons for people and DOG LESSONS!  CSA is dedicated to providing the ultimate surfing experience through our professional knowledge and unparalleled customer service.  Teevan worked with my three Border Collies and was amazing!  He even got grumpy Miss Zoe to surf and my little shadow (AKA Mint) was the first to ride the board by herself.  For the most part, it was Mason and Zoe surfing together on the same board!  They had a blast!  When they finally got tired they did what anybody smart Border Collie would do and headed to the life guard station!

L to R is Zoe, Mint, & Mason

Crazy Pet Ownership Facts

 

Many home owners treat their pets as if they were their own children. And even though the economy isn’t at it’s greatest, pet ownership is on the rise as well as the amount of money people spend on their pets. But who can blame them? They make great companions.

 

 

I photographed a Tank this weekend.

Make that I photographed Sir Tanky Tankinton a registered Pembroke Welsh Corgi!  Tank for short to all that know and love him!  Tank was surrender to the Cactus Corgi Rescue by a breeder.  The director of that organization is Vicki Combs and she found a Tank a fantastic forever home.  Tank is going to be one of the models for the upcoming Cactus Corgi 2011 Calendar.  Tank was not really into having his photo taken, but he tolerated me just long enough for some great shots.  He was quite interested in all the activity happening in the horse barn, that's what he is checking out so intently in the first photo below.  So here you go, introducing Tank:

New studio prop is a replica of a pedal car from the 1950's

Amy Gayle Photography: Border Collie in the studio today....

Amy Gayle Photography: Border Collie in the studio today....

Border Collie in the studio today....

This lovely model is a Border Collie named Zoe.  Zoe is very camera shy but I was fortunate enough to capture these wonderful images of this gorgeous girl.  Having her favorite treats on hand didn't hurt!

My Pool has gone to the DOGS!

Several people have asked about my home studio package, specifically the pool options.  Well here is a fantastic shot showing you what it looks like.  We have a rock waterfall that can be used as a launch pad as shown below or the cave under the rocks has a seat and captures the sunlight perfectly!  The privacy wall is painted "Chili Pepper" and creates a wonderfully dramatic background against the Arizona sky.  Monsoon season is the perfect time for this location, the clouds build and create the amazing sky backgrounds!  See for yourself:

Furniture for photo shoots? What do you think?

Z Gallerie has this stunning chaise lounger and I think it is the perfect piece for my desert photography!  This photo does not even come close to reproducing the color which is called Pool.  'Pool' is a medium turquoise hue.  The style is somewhat contemporary but adds slight western charm with shiny chrome nail heads.  I love it, what do you think?

See the entire collection here: http://www.zgallerie.com/images/product/tearsheets/roomview_pauline_pool.jpg

Girls Night Out!

Girls Night Out is more like an all day girls day out!  This is a fun event that revolves around one of my favorite things to do: SHOPPING!  Girls Night Out happens about four times a year at various locations around the valley.  I bought some great jewelry and the cutest flip flops with some bling that you have ever seen!  This was my first event and I went to help out my friend Annie.  Annie is a professional make-up artist and she has developed a fantastic make-up line, Advanced Minerals.  I took some studio lights and my camera and we did some before/after shots.  Annie started her career working as a makeup artist in Hollywood doing film and television work.  Her makeup line is used on the television show NCIS!  All I can say is after a full day of working, my makeup still looks fresh at 11pm!

Come see Annie at the next event November 18 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Resort.  I am going to be there promoting Amy Gayle Photography as well. That may be the perfect place to give away one of those Gina Alexander Bags I have been raving about......

What's in that pet food?

http://doggybytes.ca/pet-food-dogs-breakfast-cbc-doc-zone/5183/

This is a nice article that links to a video about commercial pet foods.  I found it interesting and thought I would share it.  Like most things you have to listen and draw your own conclusions.

Desert Driving

There is nothing better than a drive in the desert to remind me why I love living here.  The colors are amazing this time of year!  Scoping out sites for fall shoots, I can't wait!

My new website is up and running!

http://www.amygaylephotography.com/

It's official, I finally chose a format for my website that I think I can live with for awhile, and I must say it is about time!  I really like the colors on the flash version....go check them out and leave me a message here telling me what you think!

Dining with the Dogs...literally

What a great evening I had tonight!  I attended a fundraiser for a local animal sanctuary, Mingus Manor.  This sanctuary has a great mission:

Mingus Manor Animal Sanctuary exists to provide lifetime care and a safe, loving and secure home for senior and special needs dogs and cats. While still able to lead quality lives, they are unable to find a permanent home due to their age, illness or handicaps. These wonderful creatures will receive food, shelter, medical treatment and all the love and attention they need and deserve for the rest of their lives.

What a wonderful and thoughtful expression of compassion that statement is and when you meet the lady running the show, you know it is from the heart!    That's Karen (the lady running the show) holding the ultimate in cuteness, Gumby. 

Gumby is 6 years old. A local shelter decided Gumby was un-adoptable because of birth defects to his legs. Defects of front and back legs on his right side force him to hop on his 2 left legs. He has 1 leg that is about 2" longer than all his other legs. His defects do not slow him down at all as he runs, jumps and plays like a normal dog - he loves his new toys! But Karen has taken him in and the little guy seemed to have a blast at the event tonight.

The highlight of tonights event was a silent auction, which I contributed to and of course had to participate in by winning an auction item or two.  I offered up a free photo session AND a canvas gallery wrap!  I cant wait to meet the winner and schedule their session.

 I also offered up one additional chance for auction attendees to help out this wonderful cause...at each table were cards with a special offer.  Book a session and 25% of your total print order will be donated back to the sanctuary.  Now that is a WIN WIN for everybody!  You get a beautiful portrait of your best friend while still helping out the fantastic people at Mingus Manor!

Now I can't wait until the 2nd Annual Dining w/ the Dogs happens so I can place some more of those silent bids!

I'm published!

I had a recent photo used in a newspaper article about agility!  This dog is 9 years old and acts like a pup!  She is truly amazing!  Thanks Debbie for submitting my photo with the story.  Gypsy competes in agility and fly-ball dog sports.  She recently completed her MEX (Merit of Excellence Award) which is one of the highest achievements in agility competition.  Congratulations to Debbie and Gypsy on their fantastic achievement!

The pond-ness monster in Pinetop, AZ stalks ducks....

oh wait, that is Zoe, Mason, & Junior Mint.

Ready to dive in...

Phoenix Area Agility Training

My Border Collie Zoe has been learning agility for two years now and has come a very long way, except for the weave poles.  I have tried it all and one thing I have learned, is there is no quick fix in weave pole training.  So tonight I visited a new facility in Scottsdale, Arizona Dog Sports and participated in a weave pole class with Zoe.  This is a 3000 square foot facility that is indoors, air conditioned and has a fabulous padded floor for traction and helps to soften the dogs landings.  There were eight dog/handler teams and the facility was really nice, we all had plenty of room to spread out and practice without getting in the way of each other.  The place is very well lit and has great parking.  All of the equipment appears to be brand new.  They offered channel weaves, gates, & two-by-two's so everybody could see the benefits each style offered to their dog.  In my case, I need Zoe to be faster running through the weaves and we used the unique system of gates to getting her revved up and running through the weaves.  I came away with some great ideas and a renewed sense of what I needed to accomplish in weave pole training.  I am truly excited about this new training location and hope to be a regular visitor over the summer.


For those of you who don't know, Zoe is a rescue dog from Arizona Border Collie Rescue.  The rescue is flooded with dogs at the moment and they have two new momma dogs with 15 puppies between them.  I saw seven of the puppies tonight and all I can say is cute, cute, cute!  They are all about three weeks old. If you know of anybody looking for a great dog, possibly for dog sports....contact AZBCR for details on these little guys.

Zoe, competing at a recent trial:

New Friend

What a great day it turned into!  After a cloudy morning sky we had an amazing mixture of blue sky and huge fluffy clouds later in the afternoon.   I met up with a very active volunteer for AZ Border Collie Rescue (AZBCR) and photographed her two rescue dogs, Indy & Jake.  We went to an area known to locals as the "Jewel of the Desert" or officially Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area.  What a beautiful area!  I can't wait to go back and explore it when I have time.  Indy and Jake were two of the best models I have had the pleasure of working with and both take amazing photographs.  I wanted to bring both of them home with me!  AZBCR saves the most spectacular dogs you will ever meet and today, I met two of the best!  We even met a new friend...Mr Frog and he posed for a few shots as well, hopefully he did not venture into my camera bag and travel home with me.

The handstand contact...

and then there are the dogs that have extra special ways of doing agility such as this lovely handstand contact.  A skill unique to Border Collies.

Gypsy, A fantastic agility dog!

Gypsy practices agility at First Dog Sports in Show Low, Arizona.

Check out this beautiful female Border Collie in need of a home.....

I recently participated in a wonderful photography workshop and met a great pet photographer based in Las Vegas.  Check out her site and all the rescue work Claudine does in the Vegas area.
Unleashed Pet Photography

Hello! Welcome to my photography blog space! My name is Amy Gayle and I am a photographer in the Phoenix, Arizona area. But not just any photographer, I am a pet photographer! I can't remember a time when I didn't have a pet in my life and today I have three dogs, two cats, and three horses! They sure keep me busy. Several years ago I had a beautiful Siberian Husky that was thirteen years old...talk about a handful! Her name was Kiwi and I knew at 13 she wasn't going to be around forever so I hired a photographer to do some "family" photos of me, my husband, and our three dogs on the beach in Florida. All I can say is I was not impressed and the photographer just said "sorry." By this time Kiwi was really slowing down, I could see daily changes to her and I knew time was running out. So I contacted another photographer, Addison Fitzgerald in Saint Augustine Florida (http://www.addfitz.com/) for another shoot. Luckily for me these were fantastic! But sadly Kiwi passed away about six weeks after the wonderful photo session on the beach.

I had always had an "eye" for photography and this experience has eventually led me to develop a passion for photography, especially pet photography. I hope you will follow my blog and enjoy the images I place here and if you do, feel free to contact me for a photo session with your beloved pet! I promise to take the time to work with you and your pet so one day you tell somebody about the fantastic prints you have of your best friend!