Tailwagger Dog Photography

Grand Rapids Pet & Dog Photographer

Pup of the Month Club

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A chihauhau mix running at the park photographed mid-air.
Napoleon enjoying a visit to the park – that’s some serious HAPPY on the little man’s face!

We are thrilled to be able to launch this program in partnership with the Humane Society of West Michigan! What is Pup of the Month Club? Simply put…Pup of the Month Club is about celebrating dog adoptions and rescues – showcasing your amazing, one-of-a-kind HSWM pup through photographs, while telling his or her unique story with words. It is about showing the successes and telling the world what an amazing, worthwhile and rewarding experience it is to give a homeless dog a new start in life – in many cases just as life changing for the adopter as for the rescue.

Morkipoo looking down at the camera from on top of a tree stump.
Boo, an adopted pup from Jackson Co, Michigan, is wondering why the photographer is lying on the ground.
A Chihuahua mix walks next to his owner at the park.
Napoleon, an adopted dog from Jackson Co., MI, skips next to and looks up at his human, Emily.

If you adore and cherish your HSWM pup and simply cannot imagine your world without him, then we want to hear from you! And…we want to hear absolutely everything: what it was like working with HSWM staff to find a pup that would best fit your family and lifestyle, the ups and downs of the transition period after you brought him home, the challenges and funny stories and most of all what your pup is like – his personality, his goofy traits and what he does to make you smile or laugh. We want to hear anything and everything you wish to share about your HSWM pup!

• Pup of the Month Club recipients will be photographed by Tailwagger Dog Photography and receive a collection of 5 high-resolution, fully edited digital negatives. Don’t worry if your dog cannot be off a leash (we remove leashes in post processing) or isn’t the most obedient. It is all good! We’ve worked with all kinds of dogs – shy, playful, goofy, serious, reserved and very energetic to name a few.

• A TDP blog post will feature your pup, along with the photographs from the photo session. If you are wondering what the blog post will be like, you can check out our first Pup of the Month Club post on Spinelli Dahl.

• An image from your pup’s photo session will be featured in the Humane Society of West Michigan’s lobby for a month and then you will receive the print after the month is over.

Black put bill running across the grass photographed in mid-air.
Example of Pup of the Month Club print that will hang at the Humane Society of West Michigan.

If you feel the way we do about rescues and dog adoption and are willing to share your pup’s story with us – we would love to hear from you! To nominate your pup for the Pup of the Month Club, simply fill out the form at the bottom of this page. The Humane Society of West Michigan will go over and select the successful candidates. If your pup is chosen, Trish from Tailwagger Dog Photography will be in contact to arrange the session date, time and location, as well as to hear all about your adoption story.

English Springer Spaniel lying in the grass with golden light in the background
Schatzi the Wigglebutt, TDP’s retired explosives detection adopted pup, relaxing in her yard.

To nominate your Humane Society of West Michigan adopted dog for Pup of the Month Club, please fill out the form below:

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Terms and Conditions: All nominees need to have been adopted through the Humane Society of West Michigan. Pup of the Month Club nominations are for one dog, if you have multiple HSWM adopted dogs and you wish to nominate more than one, please fill out a nomination form for each dog. Session location needs to be agreed upon by both TDP and the recipient of Pup of the Month Club. All sessions need to take place within the metro Grand Rapids area, unless otherwise agreed upon by Tailwagger Dog Photography. Recipients of Pup of the Month Club must be willing to sign a property/model release and agreement for all people and dogs involved in the photo session. Pup of the Month Club awards cannot be redeemed for cash.

Fall Tailwagger Dog Photography Sessions

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“Dogs smile in many ways – with their eyes, their goofy facial expressions and most energetically with their tails. There is nothing quite like the comforts of your dog’s smile to make you feel like you are home.”

~ Tailwagger Dog Photography

 

Rhodesian Ridgeback sits patiently in the leaves waiting to have her photo taken.

We are excited about our first Fall session season in the Grand Rapids area! Now is the time to book your Tailwagger Dog Photography session for your beloved tailwagger! Fall is almost upon us – colors are beginning to change. Fall is a wonderful time for dog portraits – beautiful earth tone colors everywhere, leaves for your pup to play in and the cool, crisp air make it an ideal time to have your dog photographed.

Our sessions are valid for up to two dogs (from the same household) and are inclusive – they come with a collection of high-resolution, processed digital negatives, so you can make as many prints, canvases, acrylics or even Christmas cards as you like, from the printer of your choice. If you are interested in full-service, we also offer premium, archival products: 100% cotton, acid-free fiber based prints on fine art papers, canvas gallery wraps, vivid metal prints and photo books to name a few.

If you have questions or would like to book a session give us a call – 517-990-5630 – or email us at trish@tailwaggerphoto.com

Compilation of Tailwagger Dog Photography dog portraits.

Jasper’s First Time

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Headshot of a Golden Retriever by Tailwagger Dog Photography
Jasper, aka The Little Man

Our Little Man, Jasper, has never liked the water. When he was a puppy we introduced him to a kiddie pool that was filled with a few inches of water. All he did was sniff the water – even as his big sister, Boo, also a Golden Retriever, played in it. At first he was curious about water sprinklers – until he got sprinkled with water and then he didn’t want anything to do with them. Likewise he wanted nothing to do with a running garden hose either – never mind a stream or bigger body of natural water.

When he was 1½, he eventually worked his way up to putting one paw, and then two paws in the kiddie pool on a really hot summer day. But he didn’t seem capable of going any further. He just stood there looking around with his two front paws in the water and his two rear paws on the grass. He didn’t seem to mind being splashed as Boo played in the water without him, or even being splashed by one of his humans, but he would not put all four paws in the water.

We thought we hit some progress when he started to shuffle sideways around the diameter of the pool – still two paws in, two paws out – until he got back to where he began and just innocently looked around again. I finally picked up his rear end and pushed him in the center of the pool and again he just stood there and looked at the water to his right, in front of him and to his left and back again and then took turns picking up and holding one paw out of the water at a time. I even stood in the water with him, but he just stood there and looked at the water around his legs. We eventually had to help him out of the water, as he seemed unable to find his way out of the kiddie pool on his own. The Little Man was paralyzed.

A Golden Retriever stands with his two front feet in a kiddie pool.
Two feet in, Two feet out.

The following summer, when he was 2½, he started to ‘dig’ in the water from outside of the pool – three paws out and one ‘digging’ in the water. He seemed to enjoy splashing himself with the water and playing with one paw in it, but still refused to put all fours in the pool. That summer we made a point of taking him to natural bodies of water and letting him approach the water and see if he would go in, but he would just look at the water, sniff it and look around – not even touch the water with a paw.

It pretty much seemed as if Jasper, who is naturally a very curious and confident dog, just had a thing with water – even just three inches of it. Although he has never had a problem with going outside when it is raining – in fact, he seems to enjoy taking his time finding THE spot to take care of his business in a downpour while one if his humans stands nearby getting soaked. He also has no problem getting a bath or going to the groomer. It seemed as if getting wet wasn’t the problem – it was more of the how he got wet was the issue.

Yesterday we decided to check out a couple dog beaches on Lake Michigan and took Jasper with us. We thought he would just plant his Golden butt in the sand and watch the other dogs play in the water or since he is a very social pup would greet all the people on the beach and play with all the pups on terra firma and just watch them play in the water. That was pretty much what happened until one of his humans went into the water – the one that was holding his leash.

We were both surprised when Jasper willingly followed me into the water. All four paws too. We were even more surprised that he didn’t just stand there looking at the water around his legs and actually started to move around and play in the water. He looked bright and happy and was wagging his tail the whole time! We were so proud of our Little Man.

Golden Retriever in the water.
Jasper sees the piece of old pier in the water.

A short time later we were completely baffled – astounded – when he decided to go check out what was left of an old pier sticking vertically out of the water maybe 25 feet from shore. To get there he had to swim – yup, the Little Man went for his first swim! No kidding – he just started swimming for the piece of pier sticking out of the water. Now, he didn’t get very far because I was holding onto the end of his 16 foot retractable and I didn’t really feel like checking out the pier. But still he didn’t hesitate whatsoever – he just started swimming for the old piece of pier – and not this splashing, sloppy strokes that dogs who have never swum before tend to do. The Little Man looked like an experienced swimmer – a nice, graceful dog paddle with no splashing.

It was almost anticlimactic – it just seemed like the end of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries should have been blaring from the Heavens or a full orchestra should have appeared out of nowhere on the beach to celebrate this momentous event – this triumph, this victory! (That’s what happens in the movies, right?) Our Little Man went for his first swim! This was HUGE! Alas, no one else on the beach seemed to notice – they went about playing with their pups, reading or enjoying the fine weather. But that is life – we all have our little victories and triumphs as we journey through life – all of which are reasons to and should be celebrated, even if no one else notices. Go, Jasper, Go –– you can do it Little Man!

A Golden Retriever standing on the beach at lake Michigan
Jasper surveying Lake Michigan in triumph.

 

Sweet Stella

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A headshot of a yellow lab named Stella.
Stella

Sweet, happy, adorable, smiley, patient, friendly, curious, playful, cute – oh, and…yellow! All words I would use to describe one sweetie of a lab named Stella.

A yellow lab chased her tennis ball on the grass.
Stella chasing down her tennis ball.

I normally don’t write blogs about individual pups, but maybe I should change that. After all, we dog photographers at Tailwagger Dog Photography have the best job – we get to meet, play and photograph your pups. This past weekend was a prime example of why we love our job. Stella is an 8-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever that is just flat out incapable of not wagging her tail. We met Stella and her people – yes, Stella has people – Stephanie and Bobby – at Danford Island Park in Dimondale, MI.

A yellow lab lying on a bridge at the park.

Stella, Stephanie and Bobby were already in the park when we arrived this past Sunday morning a little before 8:30am. Stella immediately came up to us to say hello – wagging her tail and holding a toy in her mouth. I think that might be THE Labrador greeting – a tail that is wagging so fast that it is just a blur, a toy in the mouth and twinkly eyes that show just what a happy pup she is.

A yellow lab sits in the tall grass next to the river.
Stella sits patiently waiting for the photographer to take her photo.

After greeting Stella and giving her a good many pets we started getting our gear out and looking around for spots to shoot. One of our goals is to get as much of variety of images for the online gallery as possible – action, portraits and casual/play shots – and of course, anything else that is of interest to Stella and her individual personality. Stephanie and Bobby chose the location for the session, as we are not all that familiar with the area, and we have to say they did an awesome job.

A man, woman and their yellow lab sitting on the grass.
Family portrait

The park sits on the east side of the Grand River right within the village of Dimondale and really has a nice variety of backgrounds for a dog photography session. The park is loaded with different flowering and nonflowering perennials, shrubs and hardwood trees. There were open spaces for Stella to chase a ball or toy, places of open shade for dog and people portraits and of course – the most important part (for Stella anyway) WATER for play shots!

A yellow lab retrieving a stick from the water.
Stella retrieving a stick from the river.

What Lab doesn’t like water?!

A yellow lab shaking after she gets out of the water.

When we were done doing action and portrait shots we headed to a spot that had easy access to the river for Stella to get into the water. Stella didn’t hesitate a second before jumping in, cooling off and going for a leisurely swim before it was time to get back to work. Well, not really work – unless you want to count retrieving sticks thrown into the water, playing and splashing about as work.

A yellow lab chasing after her stick in the river.
Stella sprays water here and there wagging her tail in the water.

Stella did an awesome job during her shoot. She was so patient with the photographers – during lens changes, setting changes and moving her slightly here or there in and out of the sun – didn’t faze her at all. Throughout the session she never stopped wagging her tail or smiling – even when she was swimming Stella was spraying water here and there as she wagged her tail. She most definitely reminded me why I love Labs and Goldens so much – it is all about playing, being with their human(s) and having a good time – the order depends on the time of day and whether it is time for breakfast or dinner. What more could you want in a pup?

A yellow lab stand in the river.

 

Why Choose Tailwagger Dog Photography?

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A blond Pomeranian looks at his reflection in the stream.
WHO’S that?!!

***UPDATE: this blog post is no longer accurate – effective 1/1/2019 Tailwagger Dog Photography no longer has a session fee, but a reservation retainer that becomes a credit during your product ordering session. See the pricing page for more information***

There are loads of reasons to choose Tailwagger Dog Photography as your Grand Rapids – West Michigan pet photographer! Where do I even begin?

Bottom line: you receive high-quality, professional dog portraits at an affordable price. Tailwagger Dog Photography sessions are inclusive – everything you need to make dynamic, playful and unique pieces of art to put on the walls of your home or your work desk to show the world how much your faithful companion and furry family member means to you. What do I mean by inclusive? Our sessions include five fully processed, high-resolution digital negatives.

A Chocolate Lab with a tennis ball in her mouth stands in the stream.
Hazel enjoying a cool stream on a hot day.

You can check out your pup’s images anywhere and at anytime with your password protected online gallery. You won’t need a second appointment with us just to look over your images – you can make your choices wherever and whenever you wish.

Our sessions have no time limit. While most of our sessions last around two hours, we stay until the job is done and we have all the files we need to make a well-balanced gallery.

A gray Pomeranian smiles up into the camera.
Little Prada couldn’t stop smiling even if she had to!

We also tailor our photography sessions to best suit your dog – no two sessions are alike. That is because no two pups are alike! Each one of the pups we photograph is a one-of-a-kind, furry wonder. When you book a session with us we will request you fill out an online questionnaire regarding your pup or set up a time in which we can chat about your dog, as well as what kind of dog portraits you have in mind. We like to know about your pup’s personality and activity level before we set a location or even begin to plan for the session.

We love to photograph at locations that are special to your tailwagger – perhaps the park that your dog absolutely loves to walk in or a favorite lake or stream that she goes crazy to play in. If your pup is more of a lapdog and you would like some photos of yourself and your furry companions – no problem! We love and encourage ‘Dog & Their People’ portraits! What better way to show the world how much your dog means to you than to have a portrait taken with her?

A boy and his border collie lying on the forest floor.
Best friends Adam and Maisie.

For those of you who prefer a full service approach, we also offer an optional Design Consultation. We will go over all the images of your pup with you, as well as show you the products we offer and how they will fit into your home. We offer only premium, archival prints and products, because we know how important your pup is to you and we want your images to last forever. You still receive the five high-resolution digital negatives that come with the session and in addition, if you choose to have a print or product made with an image other than that of your original five negatives, you will also receive that negative as well (excluding photo books).

Our photographers have a combined 50+ years of photography experience. We have spent countless hours training, practicing and learning new techniques, as well as keeping up with software developments.

A 1 year old female Sheltie walking across the lawn.
Seriously…is there a more beautiful Sheltie than Lindy?

We have the best job in the world and we love what we do. There is nothing we like better than to spend a few hours meeting, greeting and playing with your tailwaggers! Oh and of course creating awesome images of your furry loved one that you will adore and will last forever. We love our own dogs and get the biggest joy out of living with and loving them each and every day. It is our extreme honor and pleasure to be able to share our passion for dogs and dog photography with you and your pups!

If you have any questions or would like to book a session call 517-990-5630 or email us at trish@tailwaggerphoto.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

TDP services West and SW Michigan – Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Benton Harbor, Kalamazoo and the Lansing areas.  A travel fee may apply for locations beyond a 15-mile radius of downtown Grand Rapids.

Tailwagger Dog Photography | tailwaggerphoto.com | trish@tailwaggerphoto.com |   517.990.5630
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