“Just Start”

“Just start”. That was the advice that kicked off my venture into dog photography. So simple, right?

Despite having a degree in Photography, I have worked as a UX/Interactive Designer for the last 17 years. In 2016, when I decided I wanted to bring Photography back into my life but didn’t know how, that’s when my sister’s simple, yet wise words changed everything. I didn’t need to worry about what it was eventually going to be, I just needed to start. After being inspired by the amazing Sophie Gamand and her pit-bull flower power portraits, I brushed up on my studio photography skills, reached out to local dog shelters and offered portraits of dogs to help in the adoption process. With my husband and daughters providing moral and technical support, I began to build a large repertoire of portraits.

Every portrait session was an opportunity to find my unique style, hone my skills, and fall more and more in love with the impact of a dog represented in a fun, silly, sometimes regal portrait. I started expanding into youth sports portraits, family sessions and headshots - but it was working with dogs that inspired me. By 2020, when the pandemic started, I decided to focus solely on dogs.

I began to grow this into a pet photography business in 2020. We had recently lost our dog of 17 yrs. I know the day to day love of your dog - and also the loss of that dog. I wanted to provide people with portraits that they can keep forever. Most people don’t think twice about portraits of their family - and I want to normalize dogs being elevated to giant above-the-fireplace portrait status. Every dog deserves it - and every dog owner deserves to smile every time they walk past.

This year, I rebranded my business into Paw Print Studio and am making a push to see where it can go. How many dogs can I meet this year, how many homes can have beautiful one-of-a-kind portraits of their dogs? How can I tweak the experience of my clients so they feel guided, confident and excited throughout the entire process? How can I continually improve my dog handling skills (while simultaneously having a camera in my hand!) - it’s process that is a constant work in progress.

I will never lose sight of the wonderful rescue dogs and volunteers that gave me the opportunity to help them while practicing my craft - so I still dedicate time every month for rescues to bring their dogs for photos. I’m also so grateful for every client I’ve had up till now that has trusted me with their loved one and supported this small business owner. I’m so excited for what this year will bring and I can’t wait to meet each and every one of your pups! (or cats/hamsters/horses/pigs/etc)!