I’m pretty sure that pure joy looks a lot like this…

Just one shot from this afternoon’s sessions. Puppy smiles make me smile. I hope they make you smile too…

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I searched through the countless folders on my harddrive with no luck. It’s clear that I spend far too much time behind the lens and absolutely no time in front of it. I couldn’t find a single decent picture of myself for my website, aside from our wedding photos that were taken over THREE YEARS AGO! That’s a shame. A sin, really.

So during the last nice spring weekend, we headed to the park… Chloe on leash and camera in hand, and Kev snapped a few photos of me feeling rather awkward but sporting my favorite happy yellow shoes anyway. And though I’m hesitant to post me on the blog, I guess it’s only fair since I post all of you on here. Here’s me…

Posted in: My World
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  • Tina - So pretty! That first shot of you is my favorite:)

  • ashley folkema - Beautiful! A little time in front of the camera is never a bad thing. 🙂

  • AmandaD - Love it! Great shots…it’s good to see your beautiful face 🙂

  • Vida - Hi, gorgeous 🙂

  • Shauna (Fido & Wino) - Gorgeous dahling! Look @ those eyes!

  • Christine - Very pretty. Happy hump day, Love you! 🙂

  • emily - Love these, April!!! Your hubby did a great job!

  • Christy - Great pics!!! You’re a natural. 🙂

  • Amanda - You look beautiful, April!

  • Wendy - These are awesome! Kev did a great job. And funny, because I have the same problem and attempted my first self portraits last weekend (I felt awkward too even though no one was watching except the pups!).

  • kim - You are so adorable! We should have totally taken some headshots of you while in Vegas.

  • alexa - These are all great! Love the 3rd one. 🙂

  • claire - your hubbie did a great job! and you look fantastic! but i totally know what you mean — i pretty much try my best to avoid getting in front of the camera at all costs. i guess that’s why we’re photographers in the first place, so we can be behind it instead of in front of it 🙂

  • Emilee - You’re beautiful, April! Kevin did a great job. Love the yellow shoes, too. I have no decent photos of myself, either. It’s awful!

  • Jennie - OMG April you look fantastic! I love these!

  • Kaitlin - Yay! These are fun April. The blue looks great on you 🙂 Kevin did a great job capturing you 🙂

When I first came across Beantown Handmade’s Etsy shop, I fell in love with the dog sweater, scarf, hat-model extraordinare… Bean. Bean is a very handsome Boston Terrier. If he lived closer, and Chloe was fully equipped, I’m quite sure they would marry and make beautiful puppies. But Nebraska is far away and Chloe isn’t a long-distance relationship kinda gal. The owner of Beantown Handmade, Anne, started making sweaters for Bean to help him deal with the cold Nebraska winters. And it’s not hard to see why they’ve become so popular… they’re fantastically made, comfortable, and stylish. Not at all your standard pet apparel.

Besides being a master knitter… Anne is an amazingly talented painter. I have purchased a custom, hand-painted pet pendant from her in the past and just recently ordered an item that I’ve been eyeing for awhile… a Boston Terrier mug. I adore it. I have to show it off below because it makes me happy every time that I use it!

Stick around because I will soon be posting a fun giveaway from Beantown Handmade that you won’t want to miss! And if you can’t get enough of Bean, check out his blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Posted in: Pets
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  • Lexi - OMG!! Adorable!! Do they do other breeds too??

  • Shauna (Fido & Wino) - The little paw print on the handle is all kinds of fab!

  • Ian Jeffery - Aww they are fab! 🙂 The photos are nice as well, what lens did you use for them? They are awesome 🙂

  • leesia - you weren’t kidding — best. coffee mug. ever. !

  • April - Thank you! They were shot with the 35L and 85L

  • ashley folkema - How adorable! Love it!

  • melissa oholendt - Consider this blog envy because I LOVVVVVVVVE that coffee mug and want one in the worst way.

  • emily - how cute!!! and i just love the little pawprint on the handle!

UPDATE: Dexter has been FOUND and is home safely! 🙂

A client of mine, Dexter, has gone missing. Dexter is a black and white English Setter and weighs about 35lbs. He was last spotted on Thursday night on West Miner Street in West Chester going towards Bradford County. He may have even been spotted as far south as Chadds Ford. He is shy, probably very scared, and may be injured.

I photographed Dexter last year, as a birthday gift for his owner Leslie from her boyfriend Tim. They adore Dexter and are doing everything they can to get him home safely. Please contact me at april@aprilziegler.com if you have seen Dexter, or have any information about him, and I will put you in contact with his owners. And please spread the word, if you can! Thank you!!

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  • Emilee - Oh no! I can’t imagine how frightened his parents must be right now. Hope he makes it home safely!!!

  • alexa - Glad he made it home safely! Love that first shot! Gorgeous!

  • Shauna (Fido & Wino) - Glad it all turned out!

  • Emilee - So happy he’s home and safe! What a relief!

  • emily - soooooo happy to hear that dexter is home!

As a pet photographer, one of the questions that I hear most often is, “My dog is a little wild and crazy, and cannot be trusted off leash. How will we get any good photos?” Believe me, I understand. I have two little monsters that are completely untrustworthy when it comes to running free. All it would take is one squirrel to cross their path and they’d be G.O.N.E. In all outdoor photos of them, they are leashed. Not to worry, yours can be too. And with a little Photoshop magic, no one will ever know.

First up is Mildred… the adorable pup that I photographed for the Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia’s pet project. That leash does nothing to flatter her beautiful face… so it had to go! Good news: Mildred has since found herself a home!! Yay! And I’ll get to photograph her with her new family soon…

Ziggy Stardust… the leash, and the yellow sign between his legs, both got erased

Derby dog…

Phillie. Yep, I love pugs…

If you have a question that you’d like answered, please feel free to post it below!

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Posted in: PetsTags: ,,,,,,,,
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  • claire - i don’t think i’ll ever get tired of seeing other photographers’ before + afters! how are you doing this? i’d love to know 🙂 i have a few different methods i employ, but yours are flawless!

  • Virginia - Wow taking the leash out of the picture makes it so much more dramatic! Love it.

  • April - Thanks Claire! I usually zoom in real close & get to work w/ the clone tool. Def much easier to do on grass background than stone like the Mildred shot. How about you?

  • emily - i always wondered how you photographed such well behaved pups. 🙂 great cloning work, april!!

  • AmandaD - Great job..I’m very impressed 🙂

  • judy g - You are so good!

  • alexa - Yep! People always wonder! I’ve had someone tell me “you made them look like good dogs” after seeing their pups’ photos. lol. Which of course they were, just not off-the-leash- type good dogs. 🙂 Your editing is flawless! Love that last shot.

  • Debbie Shook - Hi April!
    Would love it if you share some pointers on photoshopping out leashes. I’m still working on it, but am not always successful. Do you always use the same leash? And I believe you said you use Photoshop, so any cloning tips would be MUCH appreciated.

    Thanks for sharing!