Category: Pets - LONG ISLAND NEWBORN AND PET PHOTOGRAPHER - LAURA PEA PHOTOGRAPHY

Photos from the Islip Public Library Pet Portrait Program on 9.21.19

10/21/2019

It was so great to come back to the Islip Public Library for a third year in a row for a pet portrait program on their beautiful terrace. It was pretty sunny and warm that day, so I moved the pets around to keep them comfortable in the shade throughout the program. It was good to see some repeat patrons come back for another photo, and we also had plenty of newbies who came to get a portrait of their fur babies.

Thanks to everyone who came out, to the library for having me, and especially to Laurie Aitken for coordinating everything! I love doing these kinds of programs, because I get to see some adorable pets and get to know some really awesome pet lovers here on Long Island.

Here are the photos from the program!

Join my email list to stay up to date on what pet events I’ll be participating in!

Barkfield Road Mini Session Photo Event 11.17.19

10/16/2019

I’ll be back at the wonderful pet boutique Barkfield Road in East Northport for another holiday mini session photo event! Carol, the owner of Barkfield Road, sets up these events to give her clients a great experience, some awesome photos of their pets, and to give back to a charity called the Dotty McMorrow Sandmann Animal Rescue Fund, otherwise known as the Dotty Fund. The Dotty Fund provides financial assistance to families in need if a medical situation arises with a pet that they can't handle. It helps them keep the pet cared for at home, so that more animals don't end up in shelters when their owners are unable to provide them with medical care.

Session are a half hour and the fee is $25 but that’s waived if you buy more than $25 of products. On sale will be holiday cards, prints, metal ornaments, and a new product I added to my menu this year, image cubes. These are 4x4 square cubes with photos on all sides. They’re great as gifts or to display on a desk. Holiday props and backgrounds will be available.

The mini session event will be held on Sunday, November 17th from 10am-5:30pm.

Reserve your spot by calling Carol at (631)651-9292!

Wilhelmina and Patrick's Engagement Session

10/4/2019

Wilhelmina is an old friend of mine from college. I hadn't seen her in a long time, so I was so excited when she asked me to photograph her engagement session, because it meant we could catch up! It also meant I could meet her three adorable pups that I always admire on Instagram, and her awesome fiance Patrick. Patrick is from Ireland, so Wilhelmina had told me about the issues they were having with getting married here. They even had to push the date back a few times, but thankfully everything got settled and they could focus on planning the wedding of their dreams!

Wilhelmina knew she wanted to get her dogs involved, because they're so so important to them. We started off at their house and did some photos with the pups cuddling on the couches inside!

After that, we moved outside in their backyard to take some photos individually with each dog, giving them all a special little moment with mom and dad. First was Phoenix, a Husky/Shiba Inu/probably some other stuff mix haha! He's so sweet and full of energy and his coat is just gorgeous. He did a great job posing with his parents! Then we brought out Schatzi, a sweet little mush of a pitbull, who was happy to sit and sniff the grass while we did plenty of poses. Then, last but not least, we took shots of Kya, who is Schatzi's sister, and I know I'm overusing this word, but she's also incredibly sweet. They all are! I I wanted to just lay on the floor and snuggle with all three of them, but you know, I had a job to do. I'm a professional :D

After that we headed inside to take a few shots inside Wilhelmina's awesome library that I admire so much. Seriously, she should arrange people's bookcases for a living. She has a gift!

Then, finally, we bid adieu to the dogs to take a few special photos of just the bride and groom to be on the beach where their wedding ceremony was planned. It was an absolutely beautiful way to end off our session!

Wilhelmina and Patrick got married on September 22nd and I was so happy to be there to celebrate this wonderful couple! They had a beautiful intimate reception at Cowfish in Hampton Bays. Congratulations to them both and I hope they have an amazing life together!

If your engagement session won't be complete without your pack of pups, book it with me by emailing me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or calling (631)256-7476!

Fall Festival Pet Portrait Program at Middle Country Public Library 10.11.19

9/25/2019

I'll be back at the Middle Country Public Library for the fourth year in a row (!!!!) for my pet portrait program! We're going back to the theme we had for the first year, which was a beautiful Fall theme! I'm very excited for that, since Fall is my favorite season! The program will be held on Friday, October 11th from 6pm-8pm.

Make sure your pet is clean, well-behaved around other animals, and on a leash or in a carrier. We've had dog, cats, ferrets and even turtles come to this program, so don't think this is just for the pups. Bring on all the pets, I say!

Like last year, there will be a gorgeous setup where I'll be taking your pet's portrait (and yours if you'd like), and also a green scene portrait station, where someone from the library will take a snapshot of you and insert a digital background for you to take home that day! Your portrait by me will be ready to pick up from the library about a week later.

We have 45 people registered for the program and 5 spots left at the time of this post! This particular program is only for Middle Country Public Library patrons!

Sign up for the program here!

Stay up to date on all the events I'll be participating in by signing up for my email list!

You can also follow along on Instagram, where I post events and share behind the scenes of the programs!

Photos from Yappy Hour September 2019

9/18/2019

It's been a while since I've been at a Yappy Hour and I'm so happy I finally was able to make it to one of these great events. These are hosted by Daniela of Who Lets Your Dog Out. She has a dog walking/playing/sitting business based in Patchogue. She puts on these great events to give back to her dog walking clients, to expose them to other pet businesses in the area, to let clients' dogs socialize with each other, and just to have a good time. Daniela had even set up a little doggy treat buffet for clients to enjoy. This one took place at New Village in Patchogue.

I got to hang out with a lot of Daniela's clients and their adorable dogs, some of whom I've met at other events, and I made some new friends too. We even discussed a fun new project that we're hoping to do at New Village, which you'll hear about once we figure out more details!

It's always so much fun to go those these kinds of events and to meet with local dog lovers. One of the owners, who I'd met last summer, was so surprised when I asked about her dog by name, because she wasn't with her. She couldn't believe I'd remembered the dog's name after only meeting her once. I get this a lot, and my response is always "People's names I can't remember, but I never forget their dog". :)

Here are some of the unforgettable dogs I hung out with that day!

Want to hear about all the events I'm at and see a ton more dog photos? Follow me on Instagram: @laurapeaphotography

Islip Public Library Pet Portrait Program 9.21.19

9/3/2019

I'm happy to announce I'll be back at the Islip Public Library for a third time to photograph patrons' pets on their wonderful terrace! The program will be on September 21st from 10am-12pm, with a rain date of September 22nd from 12pm-2pm, in case of inclement weather!

Bring your cat, dog, or any other pet (I’ve had people bring ferrets, rats, turtles, and more!). Make sure all animals are clean and able to behave near other animals. Please bring your pet on a leash or in a carrier. You’ll receive one free printed photo, which you can pick up from the library about a week or so after the program!

In person registration opens tomorrow, September 4th, at 6pm at the library. Online registration opens tomorrow at 9pm. Telephone registration opens the next day, September 5th at 9am.

Here’s a collage of some of the participants from last year!

I love doing these types of programs, because I get to meet a lot of local animal lovers. Long Island families really adore their pets, and I'm so happy to be able to give them a chance to let their pets get the spotlight.

Sign up for the program here! Stay up to date on all the events I'm participating by joining my email list!

Photos from Sayville Library Pet Portrait Program

8/18/2019

It turns out my pet portrait program at the Sayville Library just happened to coincide with a major heatwave on Long Island, but that didn’t keep the pet lovers from coming out to get photos of their beloved animals. We lucked out that the library building perfectly shaded the courtyard we were doing the program in, and there was a nice breeze back there that made it actually a very comfortable setting. The library and I also made sure to provide fans to keep the patrons and their pets comfortable, and we had lots of bowls of water around to refresh the pets that were there for their closeup.

This is was my first time doing a program at the Sayville Library and I was impressed by their beautiful courtyard. The inside of the library is really amazing too. If you have a chance to visit for a program, I’d really recommend it. We had 10 families bring their pets for a photo, which is a pretty good turnout considering it was my first time doing a program there and Long Island’s ambient temperature was slightly below that of Hell on that day! Thank you so much to the Sayville patrons who came out, and to the sweet and dedicated out of district patron Gail who brought the beautiful Muishi in for a photo! I got to know Gail on Instagram and met her in person the first time at the Islip Public Library last year. It was so good to see them again!

Here are some photos!

Want to stay updated on the local pet events I’m participating in on Long Island? Join my email list here!

Caroline & Nathaniel's First Birthday (feat. Benjamin Franklin the Dog)

7/26/2019

You might remember last summer when I shot an incredibly sweet session with newborn twins and their big adorable Airedale Terrier named Benjamin Franklin. If not, check it out here! I loved this session so much because it perfectly combined my two specialities, newborns and pets. That's why I was so happy when mom Sarah got in touch with me again for round 2 for the twins' first birthday photos! Of course, Benjamin was coming along for the ride too! This time, since the babies are a lot bigger and on the move (Nathaniel is walking, Caroline is close to it!), Sarah decided to adopt a 1:1 supervision technique! She would be in charge of one baby, dad AJ would be in charge of the other, and her brother, the twins' Uncle John, would be there to keep a hold on Benjamin. With two spirited one year olds and a huge dog, needless to say, we all got a workout that day, but it was SO. MUCH. FUN. Is there anything cuter than seeing dogs and babies interact? I daresay there is not.

My favorite photo of the day was a special request by Sarah for a photo to go on some change of address cards. The family is moving soon to a house on a street called Caroline Avenue. She had a friend make shirts for the twins to wear, Nathaniel's with their house number (which I removed in this photo below, since I don't think they'd want me broadcasting their address to the whole internet!), Caroline's with just an arrow pointing up to her face, and a sign with the word Avenue for Benjamin Franklin to wear. Since from previous experience, I know how hard it is to get two kids and a dog to look at me at the same time, I opted to take a few photos of all of them together to have for size reference, and then individuals that I could put together later in Photoshop. I absolutely love the way this came out. They're just too cute.

Photo of twin one year old boy and girl with their Airedale Terrier dog for an address change announcement card.

It means so much to me when clients bring back their children that I've photographed as newborns. It's so fun to see how much bigger they've gotten and what kinds of personalities they've developed over their first year. It also makes me feel great that they're putting their trust in me once again to document a really special time for their family. Here are some more of my favorites from the session!

Have you always wanted your babies and furbabies together for a great photo? Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or call me at (631)256-7476 to schedule a session!

Pet Portrait Program at Sayville Library 7.20.19

6/18/2019

I'll be doing another pet portrait program but at a new library this time! On July 20th, I'll be at the Sayville Library taking pet portraits in their courtyard! Registration for the program begins on June 18th. Registration is limited to Sayville Library cardholders for two weeks, and then program registration will open up to out of district patrons from other Long Island libraries on July 2nd!

The program will be held on July 20th from 10am to 12pm, first come, first served. Your pet can enjoy a solo portrait or you can join them for a family photo. There could be lots of other animals around when you bring your pet for a photo, so we ask that you make sure your pet is clean and well-behaved around other animals. Please bring your pet on a leash or in a carrier. Note that event is not limited to just dogs and cats! I've done this type of program at other libraries and we've gotten pets like ferrets, turtles, etc. I love all types of animals, so bring it on!

There will be a rain date of Saturday, 7/27 in case of inclement weather!

Photo of a large brown Alaskan Husky breed dog laying in a brick courtyard

Photo of a woman with red hair holding a black and brown long haired Dachshund breed dog sitting on a green bench

Register for the program here!
&
Stay up to date on all the Long Island events I'll be participating in by signing up for my email list!

Ronan the Cat

4/10/2019

I've been a big fan of Ronan's mom Bonnie since we met at a Rising Tide Society meeting a few years ago. She's a talented illustrator, designer and copywriter and I love following along with her instagram because she posts really cute, funny and inspiring stuff in her feed (check her out @bonniebryantcreative and her adorable products at shopbonnie.com). Her Instagram Stories, though, are where I was first introduced to the gorgeous little Ronan. Bonnie and her husband Dennis have 3 pets, a goofy lovebug tank of a dog named Rooney, a beautiful red kitty named Rudy, and the shy but sweet Ronan. Now, they love all their pets, but Ronan is the prince of this family and he has a special place in his parents' hearts. Dad Dennis told me that he had never had a cat before, but Ronan turned him into a cat lover.

I've always loved watching Bonnie's online documentation of her furry family, so I was so sad when she posted back in February that Ronan had a tumor on his paw and his prognosis was not good. When Bonnie asked to schedule portraits for him before he became too sick, I was honored to be able to help immortalize their love for him. Animals leave such a lasting mark on their owners, it's only fitting that we humans should have beautiful photographs to look back on when they have to leave us.

At our session, Bonnie and Dennis told me a lot about Ronan and the little quirks and eccentricities that make him such a unique and special cat. For instance, Ronan has a very peculiar obsession with tape. He loves to chew on anything sticky. At the beginning of our session, he was shy and hiding under the studio furniture and the only way we could lure him out was with some catnip and a sticky piece of lint roller tape for him to nibble on. Ronan was pretty shy at first and he even managed to open up the door to my studio closet and crawl inside. Dennis had to get on the ground and squeeze almost his whole body into my cluttered little closet to get him out! He started to calm down a little after a few more hits of catnip and we were able to keep him in place just with a nice loving touch from mom.

I love the way the photos came out, because you can really tell the special bond between all of them. My heart goes out to Bonnie and Dennis during this really tough time, and I hope that the photos we took will be a comfort to them when their little Prince Ronan is no longer around to eat tape, pound catnip and melt hearts.

Here are my favorite photos from Ronan's session.