Merrylog

The pug did NOT want to get up this morning. I know JUST how she felt. Wait, where did the weekend go? Hope yours was slower and more sleep-filled than ours!

Isn’t she pretty? This was taken with my new camera – I have a number of balls in the air with my portrait and pet photography business that required me to upgrade cameras, and so I share with you the first processed Merry photo taken with a Canon 5D Mark II.

It’s really a lovely camera. It’s not a rank amateur camera, not at that price, but if you’re a photography enthusiast or hoping to go pro, well then yum. Allow me to tell you that it’s just a fabulous piece of equipment and I’m looking forward to exploring its nooks and crannies for many years to come.

To those of you who commented on my artistic abilities in yesterday’s post: you’re crazy, I love you, and thank you.

You’re crazy, because I LOVE Diane Arbus (have one of her books but would really like this one – I am SUCH a geek for phtoography monographs, I have a ton of them) and would die a happy death to be even as talented as Annie Leibovitz’ toenails, I love her work so much. I am not close to either of these ladies’ talents but then, as with most people, I’m my own harshest critic.

I love you, because you make me feel fantastic about this portion of my photographic career, when so many others denigrate or put down pet photography. You all make me feel like perhaps, just MAYBE, I manage to create something that’s a little more than “just pet photos”. Which is, of course, what I try to do… sometimes. (And sometimes, “just pet photos” is OK with me, too.)

And thank you, because all of your support and kind comments and regular visits have helped spur me to keep this blog going for FIVE crazy years: over 1100 photos posted!

For those of you who are into photography and art: I, like most creatives, keep an inspiration folder. I use Tumblr for mine because it’s fast and easy and creates back links for me seamlessly. I don’t post links to this very often because it’s also private, but it might help you to see what inspires me to pick up a camera every day, and maybe find something that inspires you as well. Enjoy: angie’s inspiration file.

One last photo from the puglet’s birthday: a more typical “Angie McKaig Photography” portrait of the pug on the “beach house” building at Cherry Beach. I thought her expression here was priceless! Such an expressive little pooch.

I love some of these pug-in-a-scene photos I’ve been getting over the past year. I’d love to do a whole wall of them in large prints: this one, and this one, and this one, and this one, and this one, and of course this one from a few days ago.

Love it? See it bigger on Flickr.

For the second half of Merry’s birthday-palooza last Friday, my fiance and I took the pug to Cherry Beach, a lovely smaller beach in Toronto. It was a chillier evening, so we started her off with a light hoodie but before long we were warmed up and running around so off the shirt came.

I love, love, love the rabbit hop legs in the third shot. She’s SO funny.

She had a great deal of fun, got a great deal of sand everywhere (note the sandy mug in the 4th shot) and hopefully, a happy 8th birthday.

If you missed the earlier birthday festivities, check out her birthday feast and official birthday pet portrait.

The princess’s birthday feast was a huge success. The lovely pug in pink dined on a feast of rare steak bits, sliced apple and crumbled goat cheese. Her birthday “cake” was a hollowed-out muffin top (banana) with a yogurt and parmesan “frosting” on top.

As you can see, her exact words were: Nom. Lick. More please.

And as with every year, we had a heck of a time keeping her birthday hat on her head during the meal. However, it also makes an adorable ear cover, as you can see!

Tomorrow, I’ll post photos from the 2nd half of the birthday bash: a trip to Cherry Beach!

Love the photo? Me too. :) See it larger on Flickr.

Tomorrow, believe it or not, is the princess’s 8th birthday. I cannot believe how the time has flown. She was just a puppy yesterday! I beg and plead with one of our vets every visit to regale me with stories of 30 and 40 year old pugs he’s heard of – and he obliges, because he knows I’m just too crazy about this girl to even grasp the idea that she’s middle aged.

I had hoped to have a retrospective book ready for her birthday for all of you, but it’s been a very hectic spring. Keep your eyes peeled as this is still on the list for this year.

In lieu of that, I share links to a few of my favorite photos from the past FIVE years of Merrylog:

• no pictures, please
• introducing: the princess
• very spoiled and very pink
• peekaboo (this one sits on my desk)
• making her mother laugh
• fabulousness (eventually painted for charity by Paul Boddum)
• pooped punkin
• introducing… merry
• glow
• wild child
• merry christmas
• scramble
• lazy days of summer
• are we gonna play?
• and of course, last year’s birthday photos

Will post photos from tonight’s birthday celebration (we’re celebrating tonight, since we are having a BBQ with friends tomorrow night) next Monday! Enjoy the weekend, all!

I love her in this little walking harness. It’s SO much more comfortable than most, because it’s roomy and made of soft denim, but secure enough that I never have to worry about walking her in high traffic or crowded areas.

Plus, she’s cute. ;) See that tongue?

Because seriously, look at those little legs. Look at that cute tail! How can you not love pants on pugs. Yes, I know it’s crazy and I used to think the same way but then I saw them on the princess and I’m like overcome with the cute. Overflowing with the cute. The cute is taking over my life and suddenly I’m okay with it. :)

Cute pants part of a pant suit set from Wooflink. Review here, buy it here.

I loved the way the light caught her here. She looks like she’s stalking something! Treats, probably. :)

(If you close your eyes halfway, you can hear the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom theme music. God, I’m old.)