The Bachelor

Dear Jason,

Don't ever play poker for high stakes. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Tips...

I'm over here at rookiemoms.com giving tips on photographing babies:

Finn

I love when our friends get puppies, and I love even more when they rescue one! Kristin and Christophe (our buddies) got Finn from the Riverside Animal Shelter – or the animal shelter on Riverside, I can't remember which. He is one of seven puppies that were left behind at the shelter (it's okay, all of them got good homes!). Finn has a great little personality and he is SO crazy cute, I almost couldn't take it. It started to rain soon after I busted out the camera, so I'll be visiting Finn again soon for a more complete shoot. And even more after that!

Dear Kristin and Christophe, 

Please don't be annoyed with me for showing up at your house with my camera every chance I get.

xo,

-S

Bath

The Bachelor

Still no Deanna in what I am calling The most boring Bachelor season in Bachelor history. It's very clear why we must wait so long for her appearance.... To keep us watching. I do however have to give it up to The Temple Priestess and her mother The Adult Indigo for making this episode more tolerable. Thank you!

The highlight for me was when my co-watcher James (who is a Bachelor newbie) turned to me and asked in all seriousness; " In all the Bachelor seasons, do people just sit around and talk about nothing even though they are under the impression there are talking about something?" I replied by explaining this is how all girls get to know their "potential future husbands".  

I know Jason kept Kappa Kappa Molly, but I do believe Melissa has this in the bag. Nitty, you wanna bet a burger on it?

Me and My Crew

Sometimes I drive them to drink, but I love my crew. Even though I'm the one taking the pictures, I'm really just part of a team - A team of incredibly hard working, kind, patient, genuine, loyal, and fun people. 

From upper left: Sharon (photographer), Spencer (photo assistant), Susan (lead animal trainer), Charles (lighting tech), Erik (digital tech), Emilie (producer), Dara (photo rep), Patrick (production assistant)

Macro Coco

The Bachelor

I don't care about Deanna's appearance anymore. It's taking way too long. 

Nitty, please comment with your always hilarious recap  - I'm shooting today : )

On The Chalkboard

I came home from the gym and saw this. What can I say? It's my husband's chalkboard too! He loves bikes. I think it's amazing:

View from the Zoo

Julien Chung, from View from the Zoo interviewed me for his blog. So stop on by - not to read about little old me, but to check out his amazing talent (the guy has got skills!) and fun animals posts. Julien's animal illustrations are super rad and charming and he always has great finds, like these Australian wooden toys, Anamalz. 

The Bachelor

Okay, so last night there were three dates, and all with roses including the famous two-on-one (is it just me, or is it weird they call it that?) But before the dates begin, Jason decided to copy Deanna's singing contest from the Bachelorette - "since it was soooo much fun!" Poor Sideburns, she was freakin'. And Shannon pulled her crazy out again by getting all Flavor Flav, like Jason did for Deanna. And Stephanie, WOW (in a weird, slightly uncomfortable way). This is also when my co-watcher James turned to me and said "I'm just gonna pretend Megan is 35 and smart".

The first date was the one-on-one with Molly and I have to admit, once I saw the french fries and smores, they were all I could think about. But I'm pretty sure I saw that her shorts were five sizes too big and she got a rose. Molly also revealed to the girls in the morning after her walk-of-shame that she spent the WHOLE night with Jason. James thought Shannon was going to stab her with a butter knife.

In the lead-in for the group dates, Jason declares that it is "all about surprises–I love surprises." Um, surprise! They get to do embarrassing scenes on the set of General Hospital? I think the producers are running out of date ideas, and General Hospital's ratings must be down. I mean, they pitched a tent on the front lawn for Molly's date. But thanks to Lauren who kept screwing up her entrance (and lines), Naomi got to kiss Jason 11 times. And then in the the last scene, Megan seemed to eat Jason's face. At the "wrap party" (that is too funny), Naomi, Melissa, and Megan all cry, Lauren demands the rose, and Shannon, well, I hope producers get Jason a bodyguard – lest he and Ty find their bunny cooking on the stovetop at home when they return.

On the two-on-one date, I don't think either of these girls have a chance, so during this weird dance-off, I eat my cookie and check in on FaceBook. I have to admit though, I will miss those sideburns. And in the end at the rose ceremony, Jason can't even give out the final rose. I guess the show didn't have room in their budget to pay Jason to keep Shannon on another week–you know? Not in this economy.

But, enough from me! Let's discuss with Nitty and the rest of you in the comments section (and don't be shy! I know you guys are out there, I have Google Analytics!!!). Did you agree with Jason that Nikki sang beautifully? Did you notice Jason only said amazing twice last night? How long will he string poor Stephanie along? Who do you think is getting cut next? Who do you think is in the lead?

More Baby Crowned Cranes!

Two more Baby Crowned Crane prints in the shop. And how they look as a triptych (which we're hanging as large prints in our very own den):

Macro Squeak

The Bachelor

I love bears.

New Animals

New in the shop: Camel, Miniature Donkey,  Wallaby, Macaw, Pony, and Llama.

The Bachelor

Okay, it's getting better. I think the problem with Jason being the bachelor, I had much higher expectaions of the girls (forgetting this is reality TV). It's still WAY to early to tell, but I'm warming up to some of the girls, even though for some reason I need to look away everytime there's a kiss. I've never had to do that - Anyone else having a hard time watching Jason kiss? Right now, I'm down with Kari, Naomi, Jillian (although she is on thin ice with the hot dog topping nonsense), and Nikki (except for those crazy sideburns. I've never seen anything like it). Also, I've been watching this season with my single male best friend (any bachelorettes out there? He is a total catch!) and watching with him brings the show to a whole new level. I can't repeat most of his comments because while hilarious, harsh and true, they're harsher than I care to mention on this here puppy blog. However, he is convinced the producers slipped Jason an extra $5,000 to keep Shannon on, and I agree!

Ostrich and Ostrich Egg

New in the shop today:

Geese are LOUD

I photographed a flock of Geese last week (beautiful and funny creatures). They were LOUD. This is an audio video my digital tech took during the maddness - We were all very amused even though our ears hurt!

Make sure your volume isn't too high:

The Bachelor

The Bachelor is my all time favorite reality show, and I don't apologize for it (although maybe I should). I've blogged about it for the last few seasons. And oh what GREAT seasons they were! Topped of course by Brad Womack's shocker of picking no one in what my husband still refers to as the greatest single moment in Reality Television history. I agree.

So of course, I had been counting down the months, weeks, and then days for the new Season to start, especialy since Jason was to be the next Bachelor. I still can't believe Deanna let him get down on one knee. Poor guy. 

But I gotta say, I wasn't feeling the premiere on Monday night (actually, I watched it last night on the DVR as I was sitting at a Blackjack table in Vegas on Monday night and Vegas trumps TV). I mean let's not get crazy here, I'll still watch the show with baited breath. Jason is very sweet and you can clearly see he has spent every single day since being asked to be the next Bachelor in the gym - But I don't know. Maybe it'll get better; maybe Jason will slap Deanna across the face upon her return; maybe Brad will come back for Deanna; maybe Grant will show up too. But seriously, if these girls don't start showing up, my money is on Deanna (cautiously).

We shall see.