So recently I got the opportunity to photograph another horse.  A friend of Cowboy’s named Annie.  She is a stunning mare and she has a completely different personality than her buddy Cowboy.   Yes, I fell in love with her too.  Guess I’m just a sucker for  a furry face.  Even though she cooperated and did of what her owner told her to, Annie did not seem to really love getting her portrait done.   She just wanted a job or to do something purposeful (I can totally relate to that).   I’m sure you will agree that when you are as beautiful as Annie, you really don’t HAVE to do much but stand there and look pretty.   And that she did very, very well.

Last week I packed up the studio in my van, recruited the assistance of a couple talented colleagues and headed west with stars in my eyes and a lint roller  at hand.  I did a photo session with Shorty Rossi and four of his playful pooches, Hercules, Valentino, Bebi & Dominico.  Shorty and his furry sidekicks star in the HUGE show, Pit Boss on Animal Planet.  If you haven’t seen the show you need to check it out (click for show times). It’s always interesting photographing stars. You see them on the big screen and you wonder if they are really like that in person or if it’s all just an act. I was stunned at how totally cool, warm, and down to earth everybody was. Shorty was truly charming and such a great guy. He’s got attitude and a huge heart . . . my kinda guy.  No stranger to Hollywood, he runs his own talent agency called Shortywood, but also runs his own rescue called Shorty’s Rescue and he is committed to spreading the word that pits are really misunderstood “underdogs” who deserve our love and respect. So thanks to Shorty and his team for so much talent, drool (you’ll understand when you scroll down), fur and photographic fun. Here are some of my favorite pix/picks of the litter . . . er, I mean session.

Shorty and his main man Hercules.

Hercules was goofy and adorable and always had some spit for me to sop up with a  towel.

Bebi stole my heart with her “sweet as molasses” nature.

Valentino was just a pup and wasn’t exaclty diggin’ my lighting equipment, but for a seven month old puppy he did a pro job posing.

Dominco well he is just as handsome as he could possibly be and I think he knows it too.

When the work was done, Shorty took some time out to play with Dominico.

After the shoot we all wanted a group shot (or at least a partial group shot).  Here I am with Shorty, David Edelstein (top left-the video master), Elizabeth Gonzalez (top-middle -my awesome assistant), Candy Clemente (right- lead dog trainer/handler for Shorty’s rescue) and Hercules, Bebi, Dominico and Valentino.

Special Thanks to Christian Duran for lending a hand on several levels, Candy Clemente who helped so graciously with getting the doggies to pose.  I owe ya a bag of cheese & meaty treats And to Shorty for putting up with so many flashes of light.  I might need to buy some of your sweet smelling cigars.

In the past week a few people have commented on how spiffy my blog is and a couple have asked where I got my blog theme.  Since I’m a proponent of giving credit where credit is due, here’s the scoop.   My blog is a Wordpress blog and the template was developed by Tofurious.  If you’re a photographer who does weddings . . . you already  know who he is.  If not definitely look him up.  My theme Tofurious 2.1 is an easy theme to work with and update and I’m certainly NOT a computer whiz kid, so just about anybody should be able to figure it out.  I also turned to a company called Lovebugs Design for a little help with the Wordpress install and techy stuff.  It was worth the investment to have them to deal with all the stuff that would have kept me up half the night (cursing and drinking coffee like a fiend).   )

I shot a senior session a couple of weeks ago and when I did the senior, Amanda, and I collaborated on a goofy, crazy, fun, idea.   So feast your eyes upon “The Many Faces of Amanda”.   It was a riot to shoot!!!  I think I’ll start lots of sessions this way.  It’s such an ice-breaker and gets everybody laughing.

It’s easy to see why so many people love horses.  Plain and simple they are beautiful creatures.  I’ve never had a horse (sniff, sniff) but I’ve always been more than a little infatuated with them.   Recently I got the opportunity to photograph a horse professionally.   And now, I can honestly say that I have a new addition to the list of “things I love to do”.   My new friends’ name is Cowboy.  His owner adores him. That is as plain to see as the long nose on Cowboy’s face.  He used to be a rodeo horse until he found his current owner.  Cowboy’s  lived a long life and I bet, if he could talk, he’d have some interestin’ stories to tell.  In fact, you need only look at his images to see that Cowboy is horse with some history . . .  and quite a handsome horse at that.

Well, I’ve returned from the WPPI (Wedding Portrait Photographers Intl.) convention in Vegas and whew, it  was a whirlwind of good stuff.    Seeing old friends, making new ones, taking on new product lines, getting some “fabu” ideas for new products to offer and new photo tricks to try out and cool, new equipment. I’m all shaky with new ideas!!  (Perhaps, caffeine is also at play here.)   So for the next few weeks you’ll probably see my blog speckled with these NEW STUFF updates.  The first one is so darn cool I just can’t stand it.  Lisa Scarsi Photogrpahy will now be offering a line of photo jewelry.  Not the mediocre kind you see at the mall or at consumer-type camera  stores.  This sparkly stuff  is tippy-top of the line. Sterling silver in artful designs that rival the stuff you see at Tiffany’s (but the prices are not at Tiffany’s level – thank goodness).   At the convention, I was able to look at touch and feel several different lines of jewelry and this line that I’m carrying is the absolute best.  I just love the pieces!! The sample photos do not do the pieces justice. You really have to see them and touch them.  The photos are somehow part of the silver (not just a photo cut out and  sitting in the jewelry) and best of all the image quality is amazing.  The black and white images look perfect, the desaturated images look amazing and the color looks stunning.  I don’t know how they do it!!!  I’m getting a necklace with my dogs photos and another with my kids on it and a charm bracelet and a ring and . . . OK, husbands/dads you get the point right?  Mother’s Day is on the way!!!   Here are a couple sample photos to whet your whistle . . .

Not my photography in these samples.  My order with my photos in them are on their way.   Orders take about 4 weeks to arrive so if you’re thinking Mother’s Day, call now to book a session and get your order started!!  Jewelry can also be made from images from recent sessions  so if you’re one of my clients and you think you need a Mother’s Day gift, give me a ring.

Sometimes I photograph a kid and they just have the best face!  I mean all kids are cute.  Seriously, I think they are all adorable and I just love photographing them and bringing to light their unique beauty.  But there are certain kids who just give you a huge “range of face”.    This boy Lucas has got it all going on man!! I originally scheduled a modeling session with his little brother but his mom sent photos of each of them and there was something in those pix that I knew I needed to get in front of my lens.  I am so glad I asked her to  bring both boys along. (both super cute)  I got the best shots.  Here are just a couple, with more to come.  I’m just swamped right now and literally stealing moments to edit them.   I also shot some for a promo I want to do, so I won’t be showing those off ’til later . . .

Color or Black & White . . . Can’t decide which I like better.

And here is the little brother, Rylan.

I have to admit, I’m a copycat.  I know that is a nasty name if you’re a kid, but I wear the title proudly.   I watched a tutorial given by Scott Kelby and I thought “Hey, I can do that!!”  So here is my version of what Scott did.  Thanks Scott.   Your da bomb and you are very witty and entertaining (which is such a bonus).  Now I know my photographical friends are saying, “But how did you do that”.  The full tutorial is on the NAPP site, but I don’t think you can access it unless you are a NAPP member (which BTW, is totally worth it if you are a photographer).    If you’re not a NAPP member, basically here’s what I did:   Set up a black background with small round string lights for the “city lights”.   Used a two light main/fill set up.   I had to put the model far away (about 12 ft.) from the background to get the lights to look all bokeh-ish and I also shot at around f2.8 at 180mm which helped to blur out the background even more.   It’s just a fun new trick to add to my arsenal.

Who’s your favorite Valentine?  Your best friend . . . of course.  The day before Valentine’s Day I did a workshop with Cindy Scott of Dogs Etc. The good folks at Founders Veterinary were kind enough to host our “shindig” for the day.    I photographed a few furry cuties and REALLY, I could hardly edit any of the shots out.   They were all adorable!!!!  Here are my top picks from the sessions.  Doggie moms, I’ll get your full gallery  up in a couple of days with the motherload of “adorableness” (if adorableness is not a word, it is now).

Jake, the cutest little pup!

Bruno in a stunning composition.  He’s such a beauty.

Love the little paw lift on this one.

This is Max.  He was a pro model.  His mom has him photographed all the time.

My fave shot of Max.  He looked like a stuffed animal.  You just wanted to cuddle him.

A little walk on the wild side with Mr. Bosley.  Note the dyed red “do”.

Jake again with a different lens and wider aperture.  Just look at that face . . . if that doesn’t melt your heart . . . nothing will.

I don’t show a lot of black and white in my portfolio.  Maybe it’s because I do have a strong preference for color.  But I think some of my hesitation was that I wasn’t always excited about the results of my conversions.  This past Monday I attended a workshop and learned a few new tricks from Brianna Graham.  One of the little golden nuggets I got out of the day, was better  black and white image conversions.  Brianna showed us her methods for tinkering with the images so that  you can get more tones in the conversions and retain a lot more details in the dark and light areas.  Here are two examples of my images that I converted today.  I think these look amazing . . . lots of tonal range . . . good snap.  Just better all the way around.  Of course it helps that the models are gorgeous! Wonder who they are?

This first one is a little more contrasty but you can still see all the tones in her scarf, hair and hat.

This next one is a little less contrasty and a bit warmer but there is still a ton of detail in the shirt and hair.