Published and awarded pet photographer serving the Charleston SC area with seasonal appointments in Northern Virginia.

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February 2021 | Monthly Selections

What I forgot to share in my January post was that we received Gracie’s DNA results back from Embark! Drum roll: she is 100.00% Catahoula Leopard! We suspected she was at least MOSTLY Catahoula, but she came from a shelter having been picked up as a stray so we couldn’t say for certain. We now know she is obviously the product of intentional breeding – and it has set me on a hunt to try to find her story. The fun thing about Embark is if your dog shares DNA with a relative dog who has been tested, they allow you to connect! We have come up with some “close relatives” but no siblings or parents … yet.

February was a weird and wet weather month for sure, but I still managed to stay busy with client and shelter work, as well as a couple of special projects, like photos for Wag-N-Splash dog swim facility as they get ready to launch an updated web site. Once their new site is ready to go, I'll be sure to share here too! I spent a fun morning with several of their water-loving client dogs – some just wanted to dive in and play fetch and others were there for therapeutic reasons. If you haven’t yet checked this out as an activity for your dogs, please do. Roux will even be starting his swim lessons this week. He can swim, of course, but I didn't teach him properly and this way he will be much more confident when he's in my parents' pool goofing around!

The month also included a couple of legacy sessions, which are always so meaningful to me because I know how important they will be to the families who are coming to terms with saying goodbye.  If you have a terminal pet, do yourself a favor and arrange to have photos taken OF and WITH them. I have a program specifically for terminal pets so if your pet has recently received a difficult diagnosis, please get in touch.

I also spent some time with a friend’s gorrrrrrrrgeous daughter and her little dogs in Awendaw.

And I squeezed the last drop of dog-permitted dates out of one of my favorite local spots and I am thrilled so many clients were willing to shoot there this season. Beyond its' gorgeousness, the limited engagement opportunity makes it extra special, I think. Here are just a couple from the February sittings there as I'm not done editing from end of month just yet.

I love this laughing photo as it was such a fun moment during little Ella's session!

I also had some great studio sessions – like this trio of some of my favorite fellas, who recently moved to TN. :/ Miss you guys!

And I had the extreme pleasure of having sweet Emma Roo and her sister, Piper, in my studio along with their devoted dog-ma. I met Emma Roo last October at an event and we were finally able to connect to create photos for Emma Roo’s fledgling nonprofit organization. If you don’t know her story, briefly, Emma Roo was rescued from the Chinese meat trade and brought to the US in January of 2020. Her arms had been cutoff at the forearm, her ear tips and tail tip amputated and the toes on one of her back feet were removed, all for food. It’s a heinous and torturous act and while I’m sure Emma Roo has some emotional scars as well, she showed me that she was a sweetheart, affectionate and devoted to her dog-ma. She is now cleared to be a therapy dog – which is an impressive feat given that she has only been with her forever human for a year, and having endured so much before coming here.  She has a wheeled cart she uses but has also mastered walking as a bi-ped. Her sister Piper, also spotty and adorable, came along for some photo fun too! You can follow them on Instagram - @emmarooonlyhastwo.

Of course there was internet-breaking Xenna, a Dorchester Paws beauty who needed a boost for some extra attention. Last I heard she went into a foster home so fingers crossed she's been adopted!

And February meant Round 2 of photos for the Pineapple Cat Shop’s Shelter Cat Model program. This latest batch of cats was FANTASTIC - big thanks to new Dorchester Paws volunteer Linda S. for bringing four shelter cats for their “meow-deling” session.

February placed 48 adoptable dogs and cats in front of my lens for Berkeley Animal Center, Charleston Animal Society and Dorchester Paws.

One of my personal highlights for the month wasn’t about taking photos at all – but a chance to go visit sweet Rosie in her new home! I didn’t take my camera, as I just wanted to visit and love on her, having not seen her for a month. <3

And finally, February included the Lowcountry Dog model contest - in total there were 510 entries!!! The $5 entry fees will be matched by the generous folks at Pet Supplies Plus in Goose Creek and the proceeds split between Berkeley Animal Center and Dorchester Paws. Those submissions have now gone before a panel that will select the top 50 and I will shoot those 50 contestants over three days in mid-March. On April 1, those 50 photos will go out for public voting and the big winner will become the cover dog for the magazine's landmark 100th issue, which I will shoot later this year. The next 11 runners-up will be photo'd by LCD's staff photographer for use in the 2022 calendar. This is my first year working on this project with LCD and I'm very excited with how it's coming together!

I have a few events coming up (see below). If you can make it to one of them, great! All of my events have a rescue fundraising component to them so not only are you getting beautiful photos of your pets, but you are helping our local homeless animals too when you participate!

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2021 UPCOMING EVENTS & SCHEDULING NOTES

Ongoing: Adoptable Animal Photo Sessions.

March 13, 15 and 17, 2021 |Top 50 Model Contestant Sittings, Lowcountry Dog Magazine.

March 24, 2021 | Guest photos at K9 Resorts Mount Pleasant (three session types available). Ask when you drop your dog off for daycare - advance registration required.

April 24, 2021 | Photo fundraiser for Berkeley Animal Center. Watch for details.

May, 2021 | Dates TBD - Spring photos - Northern VA. Contact me to be waitlisted.

July, 2021 | Artist Display, City of Goose Creek. Theme: Berkeley County Rescue(d) Pets.

October 10, 2021 | Woofstock 2021 at Hanahan Amphitheatre.

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