this is Riley …
you met him earlier in a sneak peek, and now i can share his fuller blog entry with a sampling from his finished gallery of images.
owner Shelley and her son Dan and i headed into the Riley’s favorite park for a great walk with the old man on a glorious fall afternoon. of course, i was very grateful to have Dan acting as my sherpa, lugging my heavy camera bag. with such a full schedule this fall and some shoots booked back to back, my shoulders were happy to take a break from the burden of the extra camera and lenses. thanks again, Dan!
not only is the light glorious in the fall …
… but, of course, so are the colours.
and i loved this bridge, even though the light breaking through the trees presented a challenge, and i had to wait for Riley to be in right position.
if you’re wondering, Riley is 16 years young, and is a spitz-poodle cross. he’s a little hard of hearing and a little short-sighted, but — as my luck would have it — he loved the natural lamb treats i brought … well, almost every client does.
and what you’ve probably already noticed about Riley is that he’s got the coolest, most expressive ears.
what you should also know is that he is deeply, deeply loved. in fact, i’d venture to say he’s revered.
and he sure loves his boy Dan.
when you think about it, at sixteen years, they basically grew up together.
whether on our walk or at home, Riley always worked those magical ears of his …
thanks for a lovely afternoon, Riley, and Shelley and Dan. i hope you enjoy your gallery, and i look forward to seeing you again at your studio consult.
19 Comments
oh man. BEST ears ever.
Best ears and best smiles! What a cutie pie!
OMG, these are absolutely fantastic, illona! Love every single one of them! And what a gorgeous happy little dude, his ears are unbelievable!
What magical, perfect ears!!
Riley is DEFinitely one of the cutest dogs I’ve EVER seen–the ears alone! But, my goodness, what a happy 16-year-old he is, obviously (still) very much loving life
Gorgeous photos, as always ~ one of my faves is him seated in the green grass with that red-leaved vine on the ground, his plumed tail spread out behind him…
WOW … you had me in tears with your copy … not to mention the expressions you captured … what a cutie-patootie!
What a happy little guy! I would have never have guessed he’s 16! Beautiful shots. I love the photo of him hanging off the corner of the bed.
Wow, what a great shoot Illona! And you’re right, he does have the best ears!
Riley looks like he has a lot of spunk left for a 16 year old:)
I LOVE his ears. What an awesome session!
Love love the BW of him in front of the tree- what a cutie!
Absolutely the best! all wonderful.
WOW! now that is one happy little dog!!! Great shoot Illona. I am sure they are going to have trouble picking favs out of these.
He is to adorable! Thouse ears are fantastic!! 16 years young defintly, he doesn’t look his age at all. Great job Ilona, so many expressions, settings, movment. Fantastic as always.
how happy is this little guy?
I am in love. That is all
.
Yeah, his ears are amazing, but why does no-one comment on his SMILE?
I laughed out loud at the picture on the couch, legs splayed out ahead of him…
Ear! Ear!!! another fantastic shoot with an awesome dog! The love and care of this dog is so evident here! I’d have a hard time narrowing down my favorites!
BTW What is that amazing tree in the background???
My favourite to date – absolutely gorgeous!!!!
OMG – LOVE Riley – just keep going back! SO expressive!
Yup, he’s got magic ears alright! And that tongue is pretty impressive too! What a happy old boy! I would not have guessed he was that old from the photos.