Muddy Love Pet Photography » Blog

  • Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

    "The story of our dogs is the story of us. A dog can't change the world but they can change your world.
    And if each of us can pass along even a fraction of the unmitigated, world changing love we receive from our dogs?
    Maybe we can see about that whole changing the world thing." - Will Kearney

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Not long ago NJ’s owner Naywe reached out to me for some photos to capture the memories of her and her husband’s time with their beloved pitbull before he passed away. NJ, at 11 years old, was a true ambassador for the breed – kind, intelligent, gentle (he even posed with a cat in the studio for us!) and just all around a beam of goodness. His little sister Myla was a recent addition and she was a complete goofball, who he loved, rather generously for an old guy. Earlier in the year Naywe had gotten the unexpected news that NJ had cancer and had 4-6 months to live – but on the day she contacted me, he had still been going strong for 6 months since his diagnosis.

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Naywe had some specific requests for her shoot that I was only too happy to accommodate. First, she wanted two shoots: one in studio (I can do this on special request) with her ENTIRE family, the two dogs, and their cat (wow she is brave), and then one in the park on another day, with just the two dogs, she and her husband. She also wanted a special focus on black and whites, as she loves the mood they create, AND she wanted a leather album. I like a woman who knows what she wants! We worked wonderfully together, and when I gave Naywe and her husband their album, there were tears all around – but not tears of sadness yet, because NJ is still fighting! Good dog.

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When Catherine booked a shoot for her and her lovely cat Lily, she told me that she’d had Lily for 18 years, and through law school and her career now as a busy lawyer, Lily has been her faithful companion. The bond between the two was obvious and we had a wonderful, relaxing morning shoot at Catherine’s apartment, over VERY good coffee (thanks for introducing me to Nespresso Catherine, now I’m doomed). After our shoot Catherine wrote:

“Thanks again for a very fun morning…of course as soon as you left Lily wouldn’t get off my back, lap, head. What a wonderful experience – can’t wait to see the pics!”

 Cindy

Cindy Hughes is a pet photographer in Vancouver, British Columbia. She provides lifestyle photography for people and the pets they love. Cindy specializes in dog and cat photography and is available for commercial and editorial assignments. Will travel!

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Ahh okay, it’s time for a little gratuitous puppy posting, I just can’t resist.

After losing my lab boxer cross Takaya last December, I knew I had a lot of room in my life for a dog, and wanted to get a puppy. Enter my new and (yes I’m biased) utterly wonderful puppy Gracie. Here are some shots I took of Gracie in her first few days away from her siblings and living with me. She’s a bit older now (10 months old) than she was in these photos, so it’s funny to look back and see the slight worried uncertainty on her face. Nowadays that has been replaced with a relaxed, open mouthed grin, which she sports pretty much 24/7. I still miss Takaya, but Gracie has been an amazing addition who has already brought so much joy into my world. Dogs, you are simply the best.

Cindy

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Something about the name “Monster” for a cat just totally works for me.

Monster’s owner’s boyfriend got in touch with me because he wanted to get his girlfriend a photoshoot as a surprise gift (hint hint to anyone out there trying to find a gift for someone who has everything.. I offer some beautiful gift certificate packages). She loves her cat Monster, and he thought he’d come up with an awesome present with this photoshoot, and one she’d never expect. I met them at their very swanky apartment in the Woodward’s building in Gastown, and we had a great time shooting some natural light images. Monster, you are one lucky cat, and you sure are a beauty!

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Cindy

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When I got the first contact email from Lucy’s human mom Diana, I knew immediately I couldn’t wait to work with them. Diana shared:

“We are quickly approaching our one year anniversary and 18 months since we have adopted Lucy and wanted to spoil ourselves and splurge on some nice photos. The problem is that Lucy is not your average dog. She was found as a street dog in California and made her way up the west coast through a series of failed adoptions, rescue placements and re-placements until she ended up in a high kill shelter. Lucky for us, she was pulled by a breed specific rescue in Washington state hours before being put down. This awesome organization also struggled to rehabilitate and re-home Lucy. With two foster families that sent her back because she was too much they were starting to worry about Lucy’s suitability as a pet. Finally, they found an awesome lady who fostered Lucy and renewed their hope in her. We were not going to get a dog at the time. The timing just didn’t seem right with me as PhD student and living in a tiny, overpriced Vancouver apartment (we are from Quebec and moved her so I could go to UBC) but when our attention was brought to Lucy, her issues, and how she needs just the right home, there was no way that we could say no.

All that being said, Lucy was a high-anxiety, compulsive tail chasing, fearful mess of a dog. She has come such a long way! She has completed basic obedience, no longer chases her tail, has learned how to play, ride in the car, settle and sleep rather than pace and bark, she knows a variety of tricks, she is just an awesome little sweetie. We also learned that she LOVES kids.  But she is still a little fearful of strangers. Would you consider doing a photoshoot with us?”

Um. YES.

I was so excited to meet this wonderful little dog who had come so far. And when I did, I fell in love with her right away. She was a total sweet, loving goofball. I made sure not to stress her out with the camera, and in the end we had an awesome time. Diana wrote me one of the best testimonials ever. It’s people like her and her husband that give me faith in humanity!

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After the shoot Diana wrote:

“BOOKING A PHOTO SESSION WITH MUDDY LOVE PET PHOTOGRAPHY WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE HAVE EVER DONE.

No joke. This says a lot considering we have a bit of a special needs dog. Our Lucy is a rescue. While she has come a long way in the year and a half that she has been living with us, she still has a ways to go! But Cindy’s sensitivity to Lucy and her situation set up the entire experience for success. She listened carefully to what Lucy’s issues were, suggested and arranged the ideal location to shoot photos of Lucy, and approached Lucy in all the right ways to make her comfortable and happy. She brought out the best in Lucy! Cindy’s gentle direction and keen eye set me, my husband, and Lucy up to look fabulous. The session was awesome. It was just so much fun. We left not believing how fast the time passed and just feeling relaxed. Outings with Lucy can be quite stressful at times so this says a lot. And then there were the photos. Not only was the session itself just a lovely experience, but now we have all of these superb photos perfectly capturing those memories. My husband and I spent hours fawning over the photos. Cindy provided us with a variety of photos that truly capture the essence of Lucy. Now other people can see Lucy the way we do.In addition to beautifully balanced photos of Lucy, Cindy captured great images of us as family. The best way I can describe the gallery is fun and emotional with the perfect hint of artsy class that is well-balanced with canine sweetness and sass.”

Cindy

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