outtakes.

So this post is going up later than normal, but life happens, you know? Which is actually quite perfect for this post because I’m talking all about imperfections today, and boy are there are lot of them.

When I first came up with the idea for this blog, I envisioned cute clothes and cute dogs in front of cute murals around Chicago. Luckily, the clothes and dogs are working out and I’m still hoping to get out around to some murals but we’re going to take things as they come. What I didn’t think about was the actual photography portion of the whole thing. Sure, I pictured beautiful photos but the process of taking said photos never occurred to me. Enter: so. many. outtakes.

I’m lucky to now be friends with my photographer, Katie Koosmann, so she spares me from all the double chins and unflattering angles (spoiler: there are a LOT of them). But every once in awhile, we giggle over a photo and I couldn’t help but think maybe you guys want to see them too.

See, the photos are full of flaws but so am I and so are these dogs, and quite honestly, so is life.

Unfortunately, a lot of what we see on Instagram and TV is so heavily edited, it’s hard to separate it from reality. We set unrealistic standards of beauty and success that it hurts us all. Not to get all on my soap box (that I constantly seem to be on) but we all need to be remember that what we see is exactly what the person wants to share. Of course I publish the ones where my skin looks clear and my smile isn’t crooked, where my outfit looks fresh and not frumpy. I show you the ones where I think I look my best. It’s shallow and vein, but it’s oh so true.

Now the dogs don’t have double chins to worry about, but they certainly have their “off moments” so to speak. Making sure the pup looks their best in the photos is important to me. So when the dog is too busy to be bothered with sitting pretty, it can take a little bit of coaxing, patience and treats (lots of them) to get him to look just his best. In the below pictures, you’ll see plenty of moments that the dog just wasn’t having it. Whether wandering off set or needing a potty break, they can’t be perfect all the time!

What can be perfect is the messy moments within these photos. The ones I don’t show to people. Captured in these pictures are when I forget the camera is on me and I’m just simply enjoying the time with the dog. Forgetting that my laugh scrunches up my nose and that petting a dog on the head doesn’t make for a great Instagram post. These are the times when I’m letting my guard down and just enjoying life as it is.

My decision to share these with you did not come without fear of looking like a moron, but if you really can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? I hope these pictures encourage us all to remember what reality can actually look like and in the end, it’s these imperfect moments that are some of my favorites.

So now that I’ve showed you mine, show me yours! Tag your photos with #TheRescueRunway so I can see all your hot mess moments that makes you, you! And make sure to let me know your favorite pic in the comments below.

There’s no new rescue for this post because you’ve seen them all before, but enjoy the flash back to some of my favorite pups that have now found their forever homes! Look at how far we’ve come and we’ve only just begun…

So many outfits, so little time.