Hello and welcome to the blog! I am Dana Mackay (also known as Tish) and I'm a wedding and pet photographer in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Why did I say to grab a spoon? Beacause after you see this new picture of seven month old Hudson, you will want to just eat him up. I can’t believe how big he is getting and what a little personality. He’s just the cutest. Don’t you agree?
Special thanks to the B family for letting me snap up some new pictures of the little man. :)
Nothing beats the smile of a newborn. They make the sweetest noises from their little sneezes to their giggles. Here’s a peek of Hudson, the newest addition to our family.
Did you see those cute little toes? More to come soon!
The W Family is amazing. They are all kind, polite and super smart; plus they have three dogs that I said I would kidnap in a heartbeat for being such sweethearts.
Meet Jody and Chris plus the pups – Chloe, Barkley and Doc (left to right):
And here’s Blaine (8) and Tyler (12).
This family are huge dog lover (which makes me love this family even more). All of the W family dogs have been adopted from different rescue groups. They are also the best dogs to photograph. I think they stood or sat still for most of the pictures without any complaints.
And check out the men of this family. One word: Handsome.
Last but not least is the whole family all together with the dogs. We shot most of these pictures near a golf course and when Chris said Jody’s dad is a huge golfer, we jumped at the chance to get a shot on the green.
Thanks W Family for letting me spend some time with you and shooting your upcoming Christmas card. Have a super holiday season!
p.s. Tish Mackay Photography will be at Birkdale Village at Bella Ropa this Saturday from 11am-2pm taking pictures with Santa to benefit Project HALO.
Hope to see you there!
Dana contacted me with a request. She asked how I would feel about sneaking around with her to kidnap her boyfriend’s dog named Shotgun and get some pictures of him as a birthday/Christmas gift. I loved her thoughtfulness so much, that I had to say yes. I joined Dana at an empty house (her boyfriend was out for the rest of the day) and Shotgun, an eleven year-old sweetheart. I fell in love with Shotgun the minute I walked in the door and he greeted me with a lean. The rest of the shoot was filled with treats, a couple of dog kisses and some great sunshine.
I love his face so much. He is such a happy dog and it shows.
Dana shared lots of great stories about Shotgun getting into trouble. My favorite one was when he escaped from the backyard and headed up the street to the shopping center. They said he traveled up the escalator to the surrounding restaurants. People where petting on him and feeding him scraps when he was picked up by Dana’s boyfriend. So this next picture had to be included of him at the fence plotting his next great escape.
I learned a lot about Shotgun during our shoot. He loves to get his back scratched and will stand very still in the same place forever if you do so.
And after running around and making sure the yard was rid of squirrels, we headed inside to Shotgun’s favorite spot; the couch.
I don’t know why, but his surprised face in the next picture just makes me smile.
I have to say that I loved everything about this dog and his awesome personality right down to his paws. :)
If you know the dog attached to these legs, you have to promise and keep this sneak peek a secret from his owner. The pictures from this session are a gift for an unsuspecting and lucky owner from his thoughtful girlfriend.
Remember the saying, before you judge a person you should walk a mile in their shoes? Lately, this quote has really stuck out in my head. I found myself looking around and wondering what it might be like to be in someone else’s shoes. Would my life be different? Better or worse? Maybe easier or even harder? Would I be richer or poorer? Could things get scary or be joyful or just plain boring? And then I looked down at my own shoes.
Exhibit A. Pink Converse
I picked up this pair on a cross country trip about five years ago to New Mexico from Charlotte. A friend of mine was headed to an internship and asked me to tag along. I jumped at the chance to sit in a car for three days, consume a load of fast food, sleep in motel beds, enjoy one broken CD player, plus chats about life and where we think it would take us. It was an adventure that is now tied to these shoes that make me smile everytime I see them.
Exhibit B. Khaki Converse
These are my husband’s shoes. They remind me of our recent trip to DC. We walked everywhere. I mean all over the city. I swore our feet would fall off. Nothing beats going to a new city and exploring. The sights, the smells and the people watching. Oh, and the yummy cupcakes too. We had a ball just taking in all in and unwinding from a restless year. The weather was perfect and so was the company. We ran out of time to do everything we planned, but the days we had in Washington will always stay with us.
So this Friday, strap on your shoes and see where they take you. It might just be up the street or even in a new direction, but remember that every one’s path is different; better or worse, it is yours so make it fun. Heck, use this as your excuse to get a new pair of shoes — who doesn’t like that idea?
Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!
The day was cloudy and cold, but you’d never know that from all the joy and happiness that surrounded Kendyl and Brendan on their big day.
I had the opportunity to shoot with Jen Hunt, and from the moment I got to the hotel to the very last dance, everything was fun, silly and well absolutely beautiful.
Just check out these pictures and see what I mean.
Congrats to the newlyweds and hope the honeymoon in Costa Rica is as wonderful as you two!
Another week can be checked off the “to do” list and the weekend project list can be pulled out in less than eight hours. I don’t know about you, but I find that on the weekends I don’t make plans, fill up with projects and before I know it, it’s Sunday evening. This weekend is sure to be full of cleaning, organizing, and a couple of shoots should the weather hold out. So this Friday I thought I would ask, what’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends? Travel, hiking, hanging out with friends, visiting the dog park, going to Ikea, getting lost in Ikea…all come to mind when I think about my favorite weekend plans. Leave a comment and share yours – I’d love to hear what every once else gets into on the weekends. Have a great one, regardless what you end up doing.
2009 Animal Expo
Founders Hall, Bank of America Corporate Center
“The purpose of the Expo is to give exposure to eight local Animal Welfare organizations, to raise funds for those organizations, to find animals furever homes, and bring awareness to the public of the tremendous pet overpopulation issue and the importance of spaying, neutering, and adopting.” – Allison Smith
I got to the Pet Expo at 10:30am and by 12:30pm, all 300 goodie bags were gone. A huge crowd turned out to support such a great cause, and who’s kidding – - to see all the cute animals.
I had the chance to not only take pictures of the event, but also participate with a table display. I made a little brag book that held about ten pics from recent pet shoots and also handed out cards with attached dog treats.
Overall, the event was a success. Many applications where filled out for the available dogs for adoption and all the money raised was split between the organizations that attended. I had a great time meeting lots of awesome volunteers and also some really nice photographers as well. Can’t wait to see this event grow even more next year.