A few weeks ago I spent a warm afternoon making pet portraits with Andra and her two greyhounds, learning all about the dog walking business and enjoying the smiles from the pups. Andra owns DogWalkingPlus.com, and is more than happy to offer her services when you can't make it home in time to give your pooch some exercise or make sure the water bowl is filled to the brim. If you're anywhere in the area of Baldwin, The Harbor, Bellmore, Freeport, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Merrick, Oceanside, Rockville Centre or Valley Stream, I certainly recommend Andra and her services - especially after seeing her in action.

I loved both greyhounds, each of them rescues - adopted by Andra after their "usefulness" at the dog racing track was determined to be over (it's a damned shame what happens to these poor dogs) - and they were of course a pleasure to photograph.

I don't think I've ever met a greyhound with a poor disposition, they're always affectionate and gentle. Greyhounds are bred for their sprinting ability, and are generally not a very active dog with endless energy - they're even sometimes known as the 45-m.p.h couch potato. They're pack animals by nature, and readily let the humans act as the alpha, which means if you own one, they look to you as boss. . .they don't bark much, are great with kids, and their short fur isn't usually something that lets allergies act up. Check out www.gratefulgreyhoundsny.com if you're looking for a wonderful dog to add to your family. These great pups could sure use a break, and the rescue group is first rate.

The portraits came out wonderfully - we used a white seamless paper for a backdrop, and too let some bright color in by shooting them with a diffused strobe in a room that was painted bright yellow (here shown in black and white). As it was warm out that day, they were often panting off the heat - which gave us a few perceived smiles for the shots...great! In all of the images shown here, I added some film borders to the images in Photoshop for a little variation. Lots of fun...thanks again, Andra!