|
It was great to be back at Barkfield Road in East Northport for another holiday photo fundraiser. We didn't do one of these for two years because of the pandemic. This was an event that the former owner Carol loved to do to benefit the Dotty Fund, a charity close to her heart. The new owners Gabriella and Kevin got in touch with me to put on another photo event and I was so excited to be able to do this again. We decided to keep to the tradition of donating proceeds to the Dotty Fund, an organization that helps families who are struggling financially to cover some of their pets' medical bills. Apparently Long Island dog lovers were excited about it too, because the event booked up in a matter of days! We had 12 families join us with their pups and they were all so sweet and adorable. So many people said to me that day that their dog was way too excited and there was no way we were going to be able to get a good shot! This is something I hear all the time, and to that I say "watch me"! I've got so many tricks up my sleeve, (and a huge store of patience), that I'm proud to say I haven't met an animal yet that I can't get a decent photo of. Even the most hyperactive puppy will look at me for a split second, and I've got a trigger finger honed from many many years of experience to catch that split second on camera. Every pup that day did an amazing job and I loved seeing the holidays outfits they came in with. We had two different backdrops and plenty of props that families could choose from. I brought Christmas and Hanukkah props, and one especially adorable Happy Pawlidays banner that my sister Lisa bought me that I was really excited to use for the event. Lots of people chose to incorporate that one and I loved how it photographed. Thank you to Gabriella and Kevin for hosting the event and handling the booking for everyone! And thank you so much to everyone who came and purchased prints and cards and ornaments of their adorable pups. I made a donation to the Dotty Fund on Giving Tuesday this year with the proceeds from the fundraiser and they were very grateful for our help. Here are some of the sweet holiday photos we got that day! Happy Holidays, everyone! To be notified of all the events I’m participating in,
|
 |  |
For the Crazy Cat Mom
1. Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Dog & Cat Fountain Raindrop Design: Dogs will love this too, but cats especially prefer their water to be flowing over still. This one is stainless steel, so most of its parts are machine washable and it's very easy to use. My pets love this fountain. My cat Charlie prefers to drink from the top bubbling part of the fountain, and my dog Gracey likes to drink from the bottom part of the basin.
2. Flopping Fish Cat Toy: At first, my cat Charlie was totally freaked out by this flopping cat toy, but quickly he learned to love it. It looks realistic, is activated by touch so it won't run all day and bother you, and it's rechargeable by a USB.
3. On2Pets 2 ft Mixed Maple Cat Tree: This cat tree and scratching post is fun for kitties and adorable to look at. A lot of cat trees are very basic, but this one is so nice looking it can be a part of your decor!
4. Custom Pet Phone Ring: Another one you could get for dog or cat lovers, this is for the pet obsessed owner. The inside of their phones are filled to the brim with pet photos, so why shouldn't the outside of their phones reflect that too? I get a lot of compliments on this phone ring whenever I'm around other animal lovers.
5. Kitty Face Magnetic Bookmark Set: If you know someone who likes to curl up with their cat and a good book, they'll love this magnetic bookmark set with assorted adorable little kitty faces.
6. Kitty Cape: This cape is just too cute. I know a lot of cats don’t appreciate clothes, but this one is pretty loose and may not bother them too much. If you can get them to wear it for 5 minutes for a photo, I consider that a win!
Bonus Stocking Stuffer Idea:
Cat Shaped Cookie Cutter
Catnip Infused Felted Balls
1. Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Dog & Cat Fountain Raindrop Design: Dogs will love this too, but cats especially prefer their water to be flowing over still. This one is stainless steel, so most of its parts are machine washable and it's very easy to use. My pets love this fountain. My cat Charlie prefers to drink from the top bubbling part of the fountain, and my dog Gracey likes to drink from the bottom part of the basin.
2. Flopping Fish Cat Toy: At first, my cat Charlie was totally freaked out by this flopping cat toy, but quickly he learned to love it. It looks realistic, is activated by touch so it won't run all day and bother you, and it's rechargeable by a USB.
3. On2Pets 2 ft Mixed Maple Cat Tree: This cat tree and scratching post is fun for kitties and adorable to look at. A lot of cat trees are very basic, but this one is so nice looking it can be a part of your decor!
4. Custom Pet Phone Ring: Another one you could get for dog or cat lovers, this is for the pet obsessed owner. The inside of their phones are filled to the brim with pet photos, so why shouldn't the outside of their phones reflect that too? I get a lot of compliments on this phone ring whenever I'm around other animal lovers.
5. Kitty Face Magnetic Bookmark Set: If you know someone who likes to curl up with their cat and a good book, they'll love this magnetic bookmark set with assorted adorable little kitty faces.
6. Kitty Cape: This cape is just too cute. I know a lot of cats don’t appreciate clothes, but this one is pretty loose and may not bother them too much. If you can get them to wear it for 5 minutes for a photo, I consider that a win!
Bonus Stocking Stuffer Idea:
Cat Shaped Cookie Cutter
Catnip Infused Felted Balls
For New Moms and their Beautiful Babies
1. Camera Teether: I often put a camera teether in my newborn clients' packaged orders as a gift. The one I typically buy is no longer available, but this one is very similar. Made of soft food grade silicone, this is a machine washable, nontoxic and absolutely necessary when those poor babes are cutting their first teeth!
2. Baby Shusher: Listen, the voice is creepy at first, but I'm telling you, this thing works. My sister gave me this when my nephew grew out of the need to use it and it's become a staple in my studio. I used to constantly shush the babies to quiet and calm them, and I don't have to utter a peep anymore. The baby shusher does it all for me!
3. Electric Baby Nasal Aspirator: AKA "The Boogie Sucker". This thing is very helpful for stuffed little noses. Machine washable tips make this a sanitary option and very easy to clean. A must for cold and flu season.
4. Flappy the Elephant: This Gund classic is both musical and plays an interactive game of peek-a-boo with babies. My nephew loved this toy!
5. Bath Color Tabs: In my experience, kids never want to get in the bath and once they’re in, they never want to get out. These color tabs will help you convince them to get in, and I usually tell my nephew once we’ve added so many that the bathwater looks like mud, it’s time to get out!
6. Fisher-Price Magical Lights Fishbowl: This was another favorite of my nephews when he was a baby. So much so, that I can still sing the songs to this day. And honestly, not bad tunes!
1. Camera Teether: I often put a camera teether in my newborn clients' packaged orders as a gift. The one I typically buy is no longer available, but this one is very similar. Made of soft food grade silicone, this is a machine washable, nontoxic and absolutely necessary when those poor babes are cutting their first teeth!
2. Baby Shusher: Listen, the voice is creepy at first, but I'm telling you, this thing works. My sister gave me this when my nephew grew out of the need to use it and it's become a staple in my studio. I used to constantly shush the babies to quiet and calm them, and I don't have to utter a peep anymore. The baby shusher does it all for me!
3. Electric Baby Nasal Aspirator: AKA "The Boogie Sucker". This thing is very helpful for stuffed little noses. Machine washable tips make this a sanitary option and very easy to clean. A must for cold and flu season.
4. Flappy the Elephant: This Gund classic is both musical and plays an interactive game of peek-a-boo with babies. My nephew loved this toy!
5. Bath Color Tabs: In my experience, kids never want to get in the bath and once they’re in, they never want to get out. These color tabs will help you convince them to get in, and I usually tell my nephew once we’ve added so many that the bathwater looks like mud, it’s time to get out!
6. Fisher-Price Magical Lights Fishbowl: This was another favorite of my nephews when he was a baby. So much so, that I can still sing the songs to this day. And honestly, not bad tunes!
For your Shutterbug Friend
1. Capturing Couture Camera Straps: I like scarf straps for my camera because it's a little softer and easier on the neck when my camera starts to feel like it's 100 pounds toward the end of a session!
2. Backdrop Clamps: These are great to keep fabric backdrops wrinkle free and in place. They attach to the side of your backdrop holder and clip to your backdrop and can be adjusted to the desired tautness you need.
3. Hot Shoe Level: This sits in the hot shoe of the camera and helps you stay level for horizontal shooting. This is especially helpful for landscape photography. It also serves to protect your hot shoe contacts and keep them in tiptop condition.
4. Photo Prism: This prism can be shot through, held in front of the lens and used to create interesting colors and reflections in your composition.
5. Flex Tilt Tripod Attachment: This gives you more flexibility with the angles you can shoot from when your camera is attached to a tripod!
6. Dust Blower: This blows air to gently clean the camera's very sensitive components. A special valve keeps dust from being redeposited onto your camera.
I hope that helps you check off a little bit more of your holiday shopping list this year. Thanks for reading and happy holidays!
If you’d like more blog posts like this hitting your inbox, sign up for my email list here!
Happy Shopping!
I’m so excited to be coming back to Barkfield Road in East Northport for the first time since the pandemic started! I’ve missed doing photo events there so much. It’s such an amazing pet store! You need to visit if you're a Long Island dog lover! They’re putting on a Fall puppy parade around the square they're located in and a costume contest. The winner will receive a gift basket with goodies from the store and a gift certificate for a free half hour session and a $50 print credit from me. The event will be on Sunday, October 16th from 10am-1pm and will be sponsored by Primal Pet Foods! Look out for PSLs for the pups made with their pumpkin spice goat milk!
After the costume contest, I’ll be taking photos of pets inside the store! Fall or Halloween props and a backdrop will be available. Photo appointments will start at 10:30am!
These will be quick 10 minute sessions where we take a few photos and pet parents can choose their favorite ones and order 4x6s, 5x7s and 8x10s. There won’t be any sitting fee and product prices will be as follows:
4x6s: $10
5x7s: $15
8x10s: $20
You can be in the photo with your pet or it can be their time to shine on their own. Spots may go quickly so call Barkfield Road at (631)651-9292 to sign up!
Here are some Fall pet photos I've shot in the past!
After the costume contest, I’ll be taking photos of pets inside the store! Fall or Halloween props and a backdrop will be available. Photo appointments will start at 10:30am!
These will be quick 10 minute sessions where we take a few photos and pet parents can choose their favorite ones and order 4x6s, 5x7s and 8x10s. There won’t be any sitting fee and product prices will be as follows:
4x6s: $10
5x7s: $15
8x10s: $20
You can be in the photo with your pet or it can be their time to shine on their own. Spots may go quickly so call Barkfield Road at (631)651-9292 to sign up!
Here are some Fall pet photos I've shot in the past!
Call (631)651-9292 to reserve your spot today!
I love every opportunity to take photos of my adorable little nephew Seth (if you've read my blog before, you probably know that haha). So when my sister bought this super cute Easter outfit for him and asked me to take some shots of him in the studio, of course I obliged.
Now, Seth is almost 4, and not a dog, so he's a little outside of my expertise. I'm so used to photographing newborns and pets, that I almost got dizzy with the little ball of energy that was bouncing around my studio. Three and a half year olds don't fall asleep if you give them milk and they don't sit and stay for jerky treats, but I did have some luck promising him he'd get a present if he'd sit still for more than 1/4 of a second. If all else fails, I'm not above bribery.
Even though it was a chaotic session, we got some beautiful shots. He can be such a ham. Like in the first shot below, I didn't even ask him to do that with his hands. I guess being my constant model since the first hour of his life has taught him a few things! Here are my favorites from Seth's session!
Now, Seth is almost 4, and not a dog, so he's a little outside of my expertise. I'm so used to photographing newborns and pets, that I almost got dizzy with the little ball of energy that was bouncing around my studio. Three and a half year olds don't fall asleep if you give them milk and they don't sit and stay for jerky treats, but I did have some luck promising him he'd get a present if he'd sit still for more than 1/4 of a second. If all else fails, I'm not above bribery.
Even though it was a chaotic session, we got some beautiful shots. He can be such a ham. Like in the first shot below, I didn't even ask him to do that with his hands. I guess being my constant model since the first hour of his life has taught him a few things! Here are my favorites from Seth's session!
Have a Happy Easter, everyone!
The first time we visited Waterdrinker Family Farm this year for their Winter Wonderland Festival, it was a beautiful temperate day. My sister and I decided we’d do her family Christmas photos there. The day we went there for our photos turned out to be FREEZING. The wind was brutal and we were wishing we’d done them much earlier! Even though it was super cold, my
nephew Seth did really well posing! He’s so used to me taking photos of him by now! In fact, he routinely tells me “take a picture, Aunt Laura!” at random points each day.
He was excited to explore the gingerbread houses and the Airstream village most of all. After we finished up with family shots, we let Seth have some time on the jump pad, the part of the farm he likes the best! Because we went during the week and it was such a chilly day, he had the whole thing to himself! When we got home that day, he indulged me by taking one last shot in front of their Christmas tree!
Here are some of my favorite shots from the day! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!
nephew Seth did really well posing! He’s so used to me taking photos of him by now! In fact, he routinely tells me “take a picture, Aunt Laura!” at random points each day.
He was excited to explore the gingerbread houses and the Airstream village most of all. After we finished up with family shots, we let Seth have some time on the jump pad, the part of the farm he likes the best! Because we went during the week and it was such a chilly day, he had the whole thing to himself! When we got home that day, he indulged me by taking one last shot in front of their Christmas tree!
Here are some of my favorite shots from the day! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!
Get in touch to book your session today!
Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com
or call (631)256-7476.
This was the first Christmas session I shot this year. If you can believe it, we got it done at the end of August! Laci and Luci's mom Kelly likes to get her Christmas photos done very early so she can get a jump on sending cards. As a photographer who is routinely swamped in November with so many sessions I can't keep up, I LOVED that! I often tell clients to get their sessions with me booked early to make sure they get into my schedule. I hate having to turn people away, so booking early is always the best option, and everyone is usually much more comfortable in the photos when it's a little warmer!
Laci and Luci were such sweethearts, both well-dressed and well-behaved! They loved wearing their adorable dresses, pajamas and bows and they did so great posing for the camera! It was pretty interesting to be shooting Christmas photos on a hot day, but the dogs didn't mind at all. They were already practicing being nice and I have a good idea that Santa (AKA Mom and Dad) are going to spoil them come Christmas day!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our shoot!
Laci and Luci were such sweethearts, both well-dressed and well-behaved! They loved wearing their adorable dresses, pajamas and bows and they did so great posing for the camera! It was pretty interesting to be shooting Christmas photos on a hot day, but the dogs didn't mind at all. They were already practicing being nice and I have a good idea that Santa (AKA Mom and Dad) are going to spoil them come Christmas day!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our shoot!
Get in touch to book your pet session today! Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or call (631)256-7476.
Spring has sprung here on Long Island, even though most days it doesn't feel like it temperature-wise! I've been feeling more and more hopeful these days about the state of the world, even though we aren't out of the woods with this pandemic yet. I hope you're all staying safe and healthy and enjoying your Spring holidays! We're celebrating Easter here at Laura Pea Photography, so I brought my nephew Seth into the studio for some Easter photos. We didn't get around to taking them last year with everything so crazy at the beginning of the quarantine, so we were eager to do them this year!
I love photographing Seth, but as he gets older, I'm reminded more and more why I chose to specialize in newborns and pets. 2 and a half year olds are crazy little balls of energy and they don't fall asleep like newborns and they don't sit and stay like dogs! Luckily he still finds it funny when I pretend to sneeze a stuffed animal off of my head, so I was able to get some beautiful smiles out of him.
Here are my favorite photos from Seth's Easter shoot! (Wait until the end to see a behind the scenes shot of how the studio looked after Seth was done with it! 😂)
I love photographing Seth, but as he gets older, I'm reminded more and more why I chose to specialize in newborns and pets. 2 and a half year olds are crazy little balls of energy and they don't fall asleep like newborns and they don't sit and stay like dogs! Luckily he still finds it funny when I pretend to sneeze a stuffed animal off of my head, so I was able to get some beautiful smiles out of him.
Here are my favorite photos from Seth's Easter shoot! (Wait until the end to see a behind the scenes shot of how the studio looked after Seth was done with it! 😂)
Happy Easter!
My sister, brother in law and my nephew accompanied me on my shoot at Prosser Pines with our friend Lauren this year. When they were there they took a walk around the preserve and afterwards said "Ok, can we do our Christmas photos here too?" Of course! It's such a beautiful spot for it!
Lisa had the idea to use Seth's Little Tikes car in the photos and put some of my little tree props on it as if Seth had gone to the woods to chop down his own tree. The problem was that his car is green with yellow dinosaur scales! But that's where Aunt Laura's years of Photoshop practice came into play. It was more time-consuming than my normal edits but I was able to turn his car red to match her vision for the photos. We wrapped a string of fairy lights around it to complete the look and Seth was happy to pose in it, because he loves his dino car! He wouldn't wear the trapper hat we brought for him, but that's ok because they still came out super cute.
We also took some sweet family shots of the three of them, but most of the photos were about Seth, because he's obviously the star!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Lisa had the idea to use Seth's Little Tikes car in the photos and put some of my little tree props on it as if Seth had gone to the woods to chop down his own tree. The problem was that his car is green with yellow dinosaur scales! But that's where Aunt Laura's years of Photoshop practice came into play. It was more time-consuming than my normal edits but I was able to turn his car red to match her vision for the photos. We wrapped a string of fairy lights around it to complete the look and Seth was happy to pose in it, because he loves his dino car! He wouldn't wear the trapper hat we brought for him, but that's ok because they still came out super cute.
We also took some sweet family shots of the three of them, but most of the photos were about Seth, because he's obviously the star!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Happy Holidays!
You might remember Dominic's adorable session at the Stony Brook duck pond recently for his second birthday. I was so happy to get this little guy in front of my camera again for a Christmas and family session at Prosser Pines in Middle Island! His mom brought a super cute mailbox and a letter so Dominic could send out his wishlist to Santa. I hope he gets everything he wants!
We did some individual photos of the handsome boy and a lot of family shots too. The light was so beautiful that day in Prosser Pines and we had a lot of fun exploring the trails, despite one alarming incident where Dominic dropped his Larabar snack on the forest floor and was NOT PLEASED when it got taken away from him! I feel you, buddy.
There are these cool tree structures in the Pines that Dominic loved to dart in and out of. I'm not really sure what the story is behind those or who made them, but they look pretty cool. If anyone has any insight into how those came about, comment below because I'd love to know. Google has failed me and I'm curious!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
We did some individual photos of the handsome boy and a lot of family shots too. The light was so beautiful that day in Prosser Pines and we had a lot of fun exploring the trails, despite one alarming incident where Dominic dropped his Larabar snack on the forest floor and was NOT PLEASED when it got taken away from him! I feel you, buddy.
There are these cool tree structures in the Pines that Dominic loved to dart in and out of. I'm not really sure what the story is behind those or who made them, but they look pretty cool. If anyone has any insight into how those came about, comment below because I'd love to know. Google has failed me and I'm curious!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Get in touch here to book your session!
Lily's parents Brandon and Richelle are friends of mine, so it's always nice to photograph her because I get to hang out with her awesome mom and dad too! I haven't seen them in a long time because they live in Connecticut and because of this darn pandemic we've all been dealing with for what feels like forever. But we got together for a socially distanced photo session where Lily could have her run of the yard and stretch those legs out after being in the car for so long!
Lily wasn't super interested in sitting on any of my little rugs. She wanted to RUN. She was having a blast finding acorns, holding up gigantic sticks and ripping leaves off the trees. At one point Brandon said "These are going to be the weirdest Christmas photos ever", but you know what? I've been a photographer long enough to know that a 2 year old just does their thing and I have to be quick enough to capture the smiles when they happen! Luckily from years of experience and from photographing my nephew Seth so much, I have a very quick trigger finger!
After she was done exploring the grounds to her heart's content, I finally lucked out with a prop she was interested in. My trusty Radio Flyer wagon with a tree plopped inside of it never goes wrong. She had lots of fun pulling it around and also using it as an acorn receptacle. Whatever keeps them smiling for the camera is alright by me!
Here are some of my favorite photos from Lily's session!
Lily wasn't super interested in sitting on any of my little rugs. She wanted to RUN. She was having a blast finding acorns, holding up gigantic sticks and ripping leaves off the trees. At one point Brandon said "These are going to be the weirdest Christmas photos ever", but you know what? I've been a photographer long enough to know that a 2 year old just does their thing and I have to be quick enough to capture the smiles when they happen! Luckily from years of experience and from photographing my nephew Seth so much, I have a very quick trigger finger!
After she was done exploring the grounds to her heart's content, I finally lucked out with a prop she was interested in. My trusty Radio Flyer wagon with a tree plopped inside of it never goes wrong. She had lots of fun pulling it around and also using it as an acorn receptacle. Whatever keeps them smiling for the camera is alright by me!
Here are some of my favorite photos from Lily's session!
Get in touch to book your session here!
Author
Laura Paesano
Long Island, NY
Categories
All
Cats
Dogs
Events
Families
Holidays
Infants
Kids
Long Island
Maternity
Newborns
Pets
Photography
Photo Spots
Printables
Products
Toddlers
Archives
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
July 2022
June 2022
April 2022
March 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
April 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
August 2020
July 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
October 2014
Flickr