There are a number of reasons why you may want your dog's pictures taken in your backyard; he or she could be elderly and not get around well, they may not like car rides or perhaps they are timid and the prospect of strangers, or multiple strange dogs, at a park could make them (and you) uncomfortable.

Backyards big and small can be great locations for your pet's portraits and you'd be surprised at what a professional pet photographer can coax out of space that you see everyday.  Cats can be photographed outside, dogs can be off leash and there's definitely value in looking back at images of your cherished pet that convey all the activities they enjoyed at your home. One of my favorite images is of our dog Ginger relaxing on a sun bed by our pool. You won't capture that at any park in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. 

This week's topic in the 52 Week Pet Photography Project is landscape adventure. I've had a busy week with photography sessions so an extended field trip was out of the question. I challenged myself to photograph something in our own backyard that would look adventurous. After a number of uninspiring days, I caught our puppy Rooney peeking through the shrubs and it looked to me that he was on an adventure; stalking squirrels, rabbits and golf carts. I ran to get my camera and took about 40 images in just a couple of minutes using only natural light and saw a story in them when uploaded to my computer. I give you, Rooney's excellent landscape adventure...

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