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I’m pleased to introduce Hogan, our black lab and resident watch dog, and an absolutely committed retriever. If you’ve seen thePuparazzi gallery, then you’ve seen this ham for sure. He loves to pose for pictures! Another thing Hogan loves to do is sleep. On the couch, preferably with his head propped up by a pillow. Today’s Puparazzi Pic-A Sleeping Hogan  Sleeping Hogan
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We are getting a little ahead of ourselves here, but very soon, Vivid Visions Pet Pix will be transitioning into The Puparazzi. And regular readers of this blog will be able to watch the transformation take place. Consider it a metamorphosis as the Pet Photography division of Vivid Visions Photo-Graphics hatches out of its cocoon to become a serious contender in the pet and wildlife photography field. One of the features of the new Puparazzi brand is regular posts of pet and wildlife photographs to provide our readers, friends and soon-to-be- friends a brief moment to pause in their busy day to enjoy imagery of our fuzzy and furry friends. We plan to offer a new image each day, so bookmark us, friend us and follow us so you won’t miss any! Our inaugural Puparazzi Pic is Buddy at Bailies Beach. This gentle giant is part golden retriever and part shar pei. This image was captured at his first beach outing when he was about 9 months old. Turns out he’s not much of a swimmer, as his cousin Hogan, a black lab and avid swimmer, couldn’t coax him in the water no matter how hard he tried. No matter – it was a fun day for all the pups.  Buddy's first day at the beach If you live near the coast, no doubt you have encountered a horseshoe crab, or at least their shells, once or twice. Inconspicuos as they may seem, these creatures are critical to the red knot, a shore bird that migrate annually from the tip of South America to the Canadian Artic to rear their young. The red knots have a lay-over along the Atlantic shoreline in their migration north so they can feast on the literally millions of eggs that are deposited by horseshoe crabs during the spring mating season. A serious decline in the horseshoe crab population in the 1990s, attributed to over-harvesting for bait and medical purposes, has diminished the food source for the red knot so seriously that the red knot population is at risk of crashing. States have imposed harvest limits, but enforcing them is difficult because the prime time for collecting the crabs is in the dark of night when they come ashore to mate and lay their eggs in the sand. We don’t have enforcement authority, but concerned citizens can help. The crabs prefer to mate in the new moon to full moon period of March, April, and May, with May being the most active month. If you find yourself on the beach on a May night, you may come upon what is literally an orgy for the crabs. Multiple males, attach to a female who has burrowed in the sand at the water’s edge. And there can be hundreds of crabs mating at a single beach. Often the breaking waves of a choppy bay will turn the crabs over, leaving them helpless and facing certain death. If you find one like that, just turn it over and put it back in the water so it can live to mate again. They are completely harmless, so there is nothing to fear from picking them up. The other day I was walking the beach to monitor piping plover breeding activity and came across a site recently used by the mating horseshoe crabs, along with an overturned fellow who was close to becoming seagull food. We picked him up, put him in the water and watched him collect himself and swim away. Score one for the horseshoe crabs and red knots.  Horseshoe Crab mating site-five pairs in one place. Horseshoe Crab rescued So today, March 23rd, is National Puppy Day…not that puppies need their own day, but I’m always ready to celebrate those darling bundles of fuzzy fun! And puppies are so much fun in a photo shoot too. Their fearlessness and curiosity make them very unreserved with camera so the poses and expressions are guaranteed to bring a smile to the viewer. And just like children, the window of opportunity is very brief. So if you have an new furry member of your family, don’t delay getting those shots. These days of puppyhood will be gone in a flash and you’ll wish you had some nice shots. Need help making your photos their best? Give us a call! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite candids from recent shoots:
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