Just because

Since photography moved from being a hobby, to being a business, in some ways it also moved from spontaneous fun into considered art.  Although sometimes I wonder whether these two things should really be separated;  after all, doesn't a true artist speak from a heart which can't be contrived?  Does considered necessarily mean contrived?  Is contrived a bad thing?  I thought about this in a post I wrote recently...

This weekend  however, I put all that reflection aside and just returned to some spontaneous fun.  It's our last weekend before months of exciting (and exhausting) shoots begin.   Probably the last weekend for the next 8 months where we will just hang out and take pictures of each other just because.

Sunny Afternoon and Muddy Paws

I had to go to the dentist AND do the weekly shop today, so by the time I got home, my head was throbbing and I was looking for any excuse not to take the boys out.  But then, after days of gloomy grey and wet rain, the sun was out; it just seemed to pretty to waste.

So I grabbed my camera and my trusty models and off we went.

Cujo is looking a little ratty at the moment I'm afraid, as we missed his grooming appointment just before Christmas (bad parents!) and now has to wait for the next opening which isn't till the second week in February.  Oops.

I don't mind though.  I quite like the bohemian charm - except, when I have to take him home and deal with this:

Impromptu Dog Photoshoot - Dylan

Cam and I used to have a shop in Wantage, and I think when we left, a little piece of our hearts were left behind there too.  So it's always great for me to go back once a month, to see my old girlfriends, and get together for a little crafty delight.  We call it a crop, as it's organised by Sarah who is the most talented scrapbooker I know, but we all actually get on and do our own little thing there.  It's just good to know we have a full day set aside once a month to catch up and indulge in our passions. 

I had an added bonus this weekend though, when my friends sister bought her amazing puppy (yes, he's still a puppy!) along to say hello.  Dylan is a German Shepherd cross Samoyed, and is just 6 months old.  Helen and I joked that his paws are still looking big for his body, so it terrifies us slightly how much more he is likely to grow!  Thank God, he has the sweetest temperment - and all I wanted to do was cuddle him!

With my camera to hand, there was no way I could resist snapping some images of this gorgeous boy.