Photos with Animals. We see them all the time, but rarely do we think to bring them along when it’s time for a family portrait session. The thing is, they ARE family to us. And with dogs, more than any other pets we may have, there is a special bond. They love us unconditionally and would stop at nothing to protect us, or to be by our side. Our dogs keep our secrets, are our friends and even our guardians when duty calls.
That’s why I was so happy when Tully greeted us at the door with his Mommy in tow. I love taking pictures of people with their pets – most of the time they’re impossible to pose, but that’s part of the fun. Some of my favorites can be found in my portfolio. Each of those photos was selected for display on that page because the candid moments we share with our pets are much like those we share with our kids. Uninhibited and loaded with personality. That’s why photos with animals are among my favorites to take.
Photos with Animals | Erin & Tully
As much as I talk about the pets and love photos with animals, usually, they are at their happiest when they are with their families. We’re just as important to them as they are to us. So I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there is also a person in this picture.
Erin is the better half of Eddie, who was featured in the previous 52 Portraits entry. In fact, I knew Erin before she went off to college, where she met Eddie. Erin was also in our wedding party.
See, Erin and Eddie are part of this small group of our friends that have been together since high school. As life has gone on, we’ve become more and more spread out. Jobs have moved many out of state, families take priority over evenings at the Cavalier Diner (which is gone now, anyway), early mornings at work trump late weeknights. But without fail, we gather on the 23rd of December every year to celebrate and catch up. It’s still up for debate, but we believe this has been going on for 20 years now. Not everyone can make it every time, but we have been blessed that more often than not, we are all able to be together for at least that one night. And now, another generation is taking over, as the gathering has become as much about our children as it is about our friendships, that can now be measured in decades.
Some of the fondest memories any of us have, were created together with this extended family. And as I was writing this, a very funny moment came back to me.
A large group of us were out enjoying dinner together. This was a fairly regular?occurrence?for us – anywhere from 8-16 people. Anyway, on this night we were at TGI Fridays in Watchung, NJ and there seemed to be a LOT of birthdays happening. With every single one, Erin got excited – clapping, maybe even singing along. And if you know Erin, you know that’s just her nature. Always smiling, always positive. Genuinely happy to see joy in the lives of others, whether she knows them or not. Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that it needed to be Erin’s birthday. I spoke to a friend of mine who happened to be our waiter and asked him to deliver a birthday dessert to Erin.
As they came out, chanting their birthday tune, Erin was clapping and singing along, getting even more excited as they headed into our area. I will never forget the look on her face! Erin turned bright red when she realized they were coming right to her. I find myself laughing out loud over that memory, 15-16 years later. But that night, I couldn’t breathe, I was laughing so hard. To her credit, it didn’t even phase Erin. She blew out the candle and had a good time with it. I wouldn’t have expected any less.
After writing all of this and memories started flooding back, I realize that I’m going to have to feature each of the people involved in those memories in this project. It just has to happen.
So for those of you implicated…and you know who you are…consider this your warning. I’m coming for you.
Location:? ??Cranford, NJ
Camera: ???? ?Canon EOS T4i
Lens:? ? ? ? ? ? ?Sigma?17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light: ??? ? ? ? Natural
Settings:
ISO 400; f/4.5; 1/640 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering
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