Monthly Archives: March 2009

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amazing pet hair remover- the ‘Sweepa’

March 23, 2009 – 6:14 pm

I have never endorsed a product on my blog before, because I’m not normally in the business of promoting other’s products (this being a blog to market and promote my *own* business), but I just have to break my own rules in this case and tell you guys about this.

A few months ago I bought a pet hair cleaner/remover thingy from Bed Bath & Beyond. I thought “it probably won’t work, like all of the other 12,000 things I have bought promising to remove pet hair, but what the hell, I’ll give it a try”. So last week I finally had time to clean out my car, which has cloth upholstered seats and OMG (!!) this thing is *amazing*!

This is what it looks like:
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(pardon my terrible product photos but you get the idea). True to its name, the Sweepa has little rubber ‘bristles’, and functions much like a little broom. You just ‘sweep’ the pet hair off of the fabric. It is astonishing and kind of gross how much hair you can get off your chairs/couch/car.

You can look for it on the sweepa website www.sweepa.com (although I haven’t been able to find it on there) or call the Bed Bath & Beyond store near you and see if they carry them. Or do a google search and see if you can find it. I have the flattish blue one, pictured here.

Hopefully it will work as well for you as it does for me!

(P.S. Please don’t email us asking us to promote your product or business on the blog! I get at least 1-2 emails of this kind every day and they all go in the trash!).

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in miscellaneous randomness | Comments (3)

Murphy & Mr Jones

March 21, 2009 – 11:14 pm

So sorry I have been so absent from the blog lately! I promise to update more soon. Lots going on right now both business-wise and personal wise and some exciting changes in the works. In the meantime, enjoy more pics of Murphy and Mr. Jones. It took place recently on the most gorgeous day of the year so far. A perfect Seattle winter day. It was downright glorious.

Edited to add: “Ok Simon, you win! No more novelty borders!” :-)

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Murphy has the coolest ear hair.
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Something new: shooting through sheer orange curtains. Li the orange in this post is for you!

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Murphy and his mom have the sweetest relationship. She adopted him just a couple of short years ago, rescuing him from a family that severely neglected him (and family with money no less), which resulted in some pretty serious health issues for the little guy. The saddest part of the story is that Murphy is sick. Quite sick. His doctors are just trying to keep him comfortable for the rest of his short little life. Murphy is only 8. The good news is that he lives a wonderful life, and has been the central focus to his mom since he came home to live with her. Their relationship reminds me of, and in some ways, parallels that of mine and Fergie’s. I know how much he is deeply loved and I think he is a lucky little guy to have such a wonderful ‘second chance’ with such a loving human. 

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Even though Murphy is sick it doesn’t stop him from having a *great* time! :-)

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Murphy is a shadow-chaser. It was really hard to get this shot. I had to be aware of where his body was, what the composition of the frame would be, and move my hand in such a way that he would follow it, not to mention hold the camera, focus, expose and take a picture. But it was worth it because even though the shot is blurry, it’s totally ‘Murphy’. By the way- I only look like an alien wearing a headlamp in my shadows. I promise. 

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Looking across Elliott Bay to downtown Seattle. Swoon. 

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Murphy’s grandparents got him the *coolest* hooded sweatshirt. I don’t know if you can tell, but the orange patch on the back says ‘Murphy’.

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That’s my hand, and that’s Murphy playing the game “you try to get the ball away from me first and *then* throw it”. He is ridiculously cute. 

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Great view of downtown? Check? Sweet shot of owner + dog at one of their favorite spots? Check. Incredible blue water and sky? Check. 10 times more amazing in person? Check. Sigh….. I love where I live. 

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Allison thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work with you and Murphy and Mr Jones. I feel honored that you chose me and am looking forward to seeing what we come up with for our art! :-)

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Private client shoots | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (20)

Agh!!

March 10, 2009 – 8:09 pm

I was just resizing the images on the workshops website and discovered, much to my shock, horror *and* delight, that there were 15 new emails in my admin account that I had never seen!! Apparently, instead of forwarding the form responses/inquiries from the workshops website to my regular email inbox, like I assumed would happen, they all just stayed on the server there, at the bottom of a page I never though to look at. Who knew?!

If you have sent us an email through the workshops website and have not heard back from us yet *I am so sorry!!*. I had no idea that was how it worked, and am now looking into why the form replies don’t send to my regular email. I can’t even download them and am not sure how to even reply. (Sometimes I wonder if technology is working FOR  me or AGAINST me) :-P

I will be going through the replies this week and getting back to workshops people (including those who replied through info@ or workshops@) and be sending passwords and fun stuff on registering. 

There are still spaces left in each city, and what is really funny is that the one that seems to have the highest demand right now is the city I haven’t even scheduled yet- Austin! SO, no promises, but it looks likely that Austin will happen in October- date TBD (whoopee).

I am just a few days away from getting the studio booked for the LA/OC workshop, and it looks about 95% likely it will be held at a photography studio in Venice Beach, just a few short blocks from the beach. I just need to get my butt in gear and finish the paperwork and insurance forms. To say I am excited would be a huge understatement. 

Lastly, I added several more *long* answers to the Q + A page of this blog, including one that may be really relevant to some folks debating attending a workshop given the economy and recession. It’s pretty timely and I think you’ll find it interesting, and hopefully helpful in deciding if my workshop is right for you.

Thank you everyone (friends, clients, fans, workshop attendees) for being so patient with me this year. I have been dealing with a major chronic illness since December that has made it gosh darn hard to run my business and do everything else life requires. With the help of some fabulous naturopaths and physicians I believe I am getting back on track and hope to be on the road to great health again here in the next month or so. I do plan to post on that topic specifically, to share my experiences and my illness with you all in the hopes that it might help just one person out there.

Because as my mom said to me today on the phone, “the most healing thing you can do is help others”. So true. I love you mom.

By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Behind-the-Scenes, miscellaneous randomness, Workshops | Tagged , , , , | Comments (6)

Murphy mini-sneak-peek

March 9, 2009 – 8:00 am

Blue sky like this in Seattle in the winter? Oh yeahhhh. Wait till you see the rest of the shots.

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By Jamie 'Cowbelly' | Posted in Private client shoots, seattle dog photography | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (15)
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