We recently had the opportunity to photography a large birthday party...and I mean LARGE birthday party. A first birthday party/reunion was being held for 5 "puppies", mom, dad, and a half-brother. A total of 8 Newfoundland's for over 1000 pounds of dog!

Needless to say, there was lots of food - including personalized dog cake slices for the guests of honor. 

It was a great time for all involved - including us! These dogs are so gentle and calm. I think I heard 2 barks throughout the entire afternoon! They are also excellent swimmers and were often used by early sailors for hauling ropes through the water and rescue duty in case someone fell overboard. Fortunately, that service wasn't needed this day.

Black dogs are notoriously hard to photograph due to the lighting extremes they induce. All the dark fur mixed with bright sky can make them difficult to see. Especially their eyes. It's a very common complaint that I get from owners of black dogs. My solution for that issue is to use cameras that can adjust to the extremes and can pull out that detail buried in the darkness. We also used some new flash equipment to cut into the shadows. More info on the new flash equipment will be coming soon.

Overall, it was a fun day with lots of food, fur, and drool. :)