1. Book any pet portrait session by May 31 (can be scheduled for anytime through July) and save 25%!

Book online and pay for your session in advance for another 10% off

2. Already have phoDOGraphy pet portraits? You too can celebrate with 25% off anything in my catalog, also through the end of May. A great opportunity to get that framed portrait for your wall, or that leather folio for your nightstand! (Discount will not display on checkout, but will be refunded manually).

3. My exhibit at ABC Animal Hospital comes down June 1 (if you haven’t seen it, I hope you’ll stop by and take a look. 14th St, Ave A & B). You could own any photo in the show at half  price if you Contact me now and pick up your photo before June 1.

For those who can’t see it in person, here are the images on display (shown without the included frames):

Images range in size from 20×20 to 30×40. Some are gallery wraps, others come in elegant wood frames. Sale prices start at $250 and we now accept all major credit cards.

Among recent dog photo galleries are one featuring Stubby (the black pug I’vd adopted as my Facebook icon) and the other a Brussels Griffon puppy named Alfonso who cracks me up every time I look at him.

Ha ha ha

Check out that doggie smile! This 6 month-old Bichon-Poodle puppy came to me recently for a studio pet portrait session and immediately started hamming for the camera. A delightful animal belonging to Kara Heilbronn, Nala had me at “woof”.

Nala

In Kara’s words:

“phoDOGraphy was one of the greatest experiences I had in having a new puppy. This is my first dog in my lifetime and this session brightened my day. I look at the pictures everyday.

“It was much more exciting in person than I thought it would be. Nala behaved extremely well and it definitely shows in the outcome of her photographs. I will definitely be back to phodography in the summer or early fall for an outdoor session!”

Photographing this dog was fun for everyone. I look forward to seeing Nala and Kara again.

These delightful dogs—a Westie and Westie/Lhasa Apso mix—live in New Jersey and enjoy a spectacular skyline view of New York on their walks.

Hugo and Hana are joyful, friendly dogs who enjoy long walks with their thoughtful owner, Athena. Both dogs—and their owner— were a pleasure to work with. Hugo, especially, won my heart with his soulful, earnest face and patient, affable demeanor.

There are millions of photos of dogs in idyllic outdoor settings, and in baskets, wagons, etc . My outdoor work usually emphasizes the urban environment, mostly Manhattan. This time, it was great to get out of the city without losing sight of it.

To photograph small dogs and a distant urban view in one image often requires shooting in locations where the light on the dogs isn’t great. When on outdoor safaris I carry a small light that I can place just outside the photo. That gives me more flexibility in positioning the dogs (when I actually position them. For much of my outdoor work, I let the dogs roam as they wish) without putting them deep in shadow.

Wide-angle lenses provide perspective with a lot of depth-of-field, but render distant scenes rather diminutive, so I try to mix in a few shots with longer lenses that compress perspective, making distant buildings appear bigger in the background.

Athena was kind enough to write:

“You have an almost psychic instinct about dogs and you brought out the best in Hugo and Hana’s personalities.  Hugo’s always been a ham in front of the camera but Hana’s very shy and you were masterful in coaxing her out of her shell.  The evidence is in the pics, and everyone I show them to can’t stop ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ at how wonderful they are.

“We may have created little monsters, though…after all the attention you lavished on them during our photo shoot, they now believe they’re supermodels and won’t get off the sofa for less than $10,000 a day!”

Do they have an agent?

Stubby the cover model Pug

Stubby the Pug  (my Facebook mug) is a cover model!

I really try not to pick favorites, but my Facebook ID photo gives me away. Stubby the black Pug is so humorous and lovable, so exquisitely expressive, that he has for many years been my favorite dog model.

Willow Creek Press also likes Stubby. They made this handsome Pug cover model for their 2012 “Pug Mugs” calendar, using the same photo I’ve made my Facebook ID image.

A cancer survivor, Stubby is brother to Rudy, another great NYC Pug who unfortunately succumbed to the disease a couple of years ago.

Stubby the pug lives with Amy Spiegel in Manhattan. We met at a mutual friend’s home.

Says Amy: “He said he was a pet photographer. It somehow came around that he was the photographer of that wonderful picture I saw in a window when I was walking along Avenue A.  I stopped and walked back to see that beautiful mug on the English Bull Dog.  It took my breath away. Nice, I said to myself, and knowing that he was a friend of my friend, I entertained hiring him to take photographs of my pug Stubby.

Nope.

“At the session I brought outfits I’d made Stubby wear: sweaters, coats, bathing suits and leather jackets and we took pictures indoors and out. We worked in McQueen’s studio and then walked through parks, on the sidewalks and in front of various historic landmarks. The time seemed to go quickly but it actually took hours.

“Stubby was a ham for McQueen’s camera and we all had a great time not once, not twice but for three different sessions.  McQueen gets himself into unique positions; he gets his “money shot” and your reward in hiring him is the pictures you will get after he has played around with the photos from the session.

I’d recommend Mark to anyone who wants to have a picture that captures the essence of his or her own member of the family.”

Thanks Amy. And Stubby!

Visit stubby’s own gallery: Stubby the Pug photos.

Brandi enjoys walks on the East side of the East River

I had the pleasure of meeting Brandi recently, and doing an “outdoor safari” in Dumbo, the now exclusive area of Brooklyn between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Aside from some spectacular views, you never know who you might meet here (I met a beautiful movie star who lives nearby, who shall remain nameless since she probably enjoys the relative anonymity the neighborhood provides).

Brandi does Dumbo

And of course, there are the dogs. This is a great neighborhood for them. And if you need someone to walk your dogs in this neighborhood, Phyllis is your woman.

Do you smell that?

Says Phyllis:

“Brandi was rescued from a kill shelter in North Carolina in the summer of 2011.   It is mind-boggling that this darling with an adorable face and floppy ears could ever end up in such a dastardly place.

Back in December, Brandi accompanied me on a safari in Dumbo, Brooklyn, with its fabulous backdrops of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and lower Manhattan skyline.

Brandi frolics with the 170 lb. Mastiff, Roman

Brandi and I totally enjoyed the safari!”

Karen Biehl and Star Chihuahua Eli

Well-dressed dogs & proud owners strut down the runway at the Penn-Top Ballroom of the  Hotel Pennsylvania, across the street from Madison Square Garden, on February 10, 2012.

Preparing to walk the doggie runway

Kicking off the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show week, this Venetian Masquerade fashion show and party—chaired by Gregg  Oehler and Ada Nieves—raised money for Animal Care and Control of NYC.

A few scenes from the Pre-Westminster Fashion show & party here. A more extensive gallery is here.

All Natural

Arrggghhh

A very busy Ada Nieves invited me to her annual “Chi-lloween” last week, where Chihuahua enthusiasts dressed their pets (and themselves) in costumes and competed for prizes, ate Ada’s home-made cake, and had a very festive time.

The diminutive dogs strutted their stuff in front of the crowd before being raised aloft for better viewing by the four judges behind a table. Winners received an impressive array of prizes.

For those who attended, there are lots of photos here.

Does this look safe for a rat?

You may have seen my friend, Ada Nieves, on The David Letterman Show (if not, see below) recently, showing off her line of rat fashions. Yes, rat clothes. (If you think rats aren’t adorable, watch those videos).

Kahlua's Opinion of Rats

It’s always great to see Ada, who is a very active animal advocate, party planner, pet fashion designer, and more. Rat Fashions are just the latest project to land Ada on TV and the rest of media-land.

She came to my studio the other day carrying five dogs and a cat. Fortunately for her, the dogs were all relatively portable Chihuahuas. But the cat had to be bigger than all five dogs put together.

We had a lot of fun creating an updated photo for her website.

The phoDOGrapher has been known to photograph cats on occasion. This was my first time shooting a cat, five dogs, and a person together. I’d be happy to add some rats to my portfolio, Ada…

phoDOGraphy pet portraits featured in NYC Health Department subway poster campaign

These subway posters feature—exclusively—dogs by phoDOGraphy.com

On Oct 17, The NYC Health Department launched a new dog licensing subway poster campaign featuring three (and maybe two more) phoDOGraphy dog photos.

“The ads are part of a public education campaign promoting the benefits of dog licensing, such as locating a lost dog.”, according to the Health Department’s press release.

Look for these urban dogs whenever you ride the subway, through Jan 8.

Wait...ooooh, this one's going to stink...

Dog and Cat photos by New York’s original phoDOGrapher are now on display at the ABC Animal Hospital,  532 E 14th St, between Ave A & B.

The exhibit will remain on display at least through the winter.

To see more images included in the exhibit, visit my phoDOGraphy Facebook page.

Squinkley the Googlie-eyed cat