Flying Dogs Photography photo blog

Hi Friends!

Today I’m going to share a sweet moment with y’all. I was out visiting Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville the other day photographing adoptable dogs and right in the middle of the shoot – someone brought in a super amazingly cute kitten in a cardboard box. The person who dropped him off was very nice but explained that she simply wouldn’t be able to give this kitten the care that he deserves and wished for Brother Wolf to help find him a home. Being the awesome rescue organization that they are, they accepted the kitten into their care and immediately noticed a remarkable thing about the kitten. He had a perfect “M” marking on his forehead. Not just a wimpy mark that resembled an “m”, but the real deal. It looked like someone had taken a sharpie and drew a perfect “M” on his face.

Do you see it?

Since I was already out there with my camera gear, I was invited to take a few photos of “M” kitten for PetFinder. As we walked out to the balcony to take some photos in natural light,shop dog Sammy decided to follow us out there. We knew that sweet Sammy loved kittens and we weren’t worried that anything would happen to little M kitten so we allowed Sammy to stay. I had my camera ready and what follows are the images I took as Sammy met “M” kitty for the first time. I don’t know about you…but I’m wondering if this is what unconditional love looks like.

After the first pass, Both Sammy and kitten backed up and decided to rub noses.

Notice how Sammy lifted her back leg to allow M kitty to walk through. Sammy didn’t want to step on kitty accidentally.

I was so lucky to be able to capture this sweet moment and I can’t tell you how rewarding my job is when I can capture pictures like this. Go get a tissue to dry your eyes people and stay tuned for tomorrow’s extreme cuteness!

Hi Friends,

I wanted to share an experience with you all that happened this past Saturday, May 12th, 2012. It’s called “Bark for Life” and is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. If you’ve never heard of Bark for Life, keep your eyes peeled for an event coming to a city near you. The events are starting to pop up in many cities across the country and our very own Asheville is no exception. This is the second year for Bark for Life Asheville and it was a great event, raising over $10,000.00 to support The American Cancer Society in eliminating cancer through research, advocacy, education, and service. From what I hear, money is still pouring in from this past weekend. Unfortunately, the rain started pouring in while we were outside, so we had to shut it down a bit early  – but it didn’t damped the spirit of why we were there. Many people participated with their dogs to support Bark for Life and hear and share stories of hard fought battles with cancer and victories with remission.

As many of us dog owners are aware, dogs seem to serve a special place for people undergoing treatment for cancer. They lower our blood pressure just by allowing us to pet them. They show us unconditional love and concern. They don’t even care what we look like when we undergo radical changes through treatment. It seems fitting that we support the American Cancer Society with our canine companions like this. If Bark for Life appeals to you, perhaps you should check out their page at http://www.relayforlife.org/learn/relayforeveryone/barkforlife to find more information on how you can support the American Cancer Society and possibly host an event in your area.

As for the reason for the blog topic today, some of you might know that my husband is a stage 3 cancer survivor and I firmly believe that because of the advancements  in research and treatment through funding by the American Cancer Society, I’m able to see and hug my husband every single day. He is completely in remission and has been for 15 years. After that experience, I’ve always said that I’d give back to the ACS if I ever could. This past weekend I got my chance to give back by sponsoring the doggie photo booth at the Bark for Life event.  It was so much fun to see all the doggies and owners and be silly with the photo booth! For a $5.00 donation to Bark for Life, canines and humans could get pictures taken and have a 4 x 6 print on a commemorative card to take home to remember the event. Boy were we busy! Thanks to the great volunteers, we were able to get many many photos taken before the rain stopped our fun.

A great time was had by all and I hope to do it again next year. If you get the opportunity to help contribute to a Bark for Life event, I highly encourage you to go for it! My husband and I both thank you for helping to stomp out cancer in all forms. Check out a few pictures from the photo booth!

I wanted to share this picture today because I think it resonates with all of us who want to be just a little bit different. To me, this little chick (not even 3 days old) is saying so expressively with his face that he’s NOT okay with being just like all the other little chicks. I think he wants to do something different…

“Picture the bathtub here… and the couch here…Oh, and we’ll put the dog bar over here…”

Friends, I’m sure you have seen some of my pictures and you know that I can work a mean camera, but I have a confession to make. So matter how many DIY shows I watch, I simply cannot decorate a room. Ask anyone that’s been over to my house and they will tell you that my style is “Early Attic”. If you haven’t heard that term before, it’s commonly used for newlyweds when they are just starting out and don’t have any furniture. The pieces are scrounged from mom’s attic and probably need to be trashed and instead the furniture finds new life in someone’s living room. Now that you have my decorating style in mind, use your imagination for my pet photography studio. Same idea – same style. Ugh!

I’ve been holding off with a grand opening because I wanted to at least get some paint on the walls. I had visions of Grandeur for the studio. I wanted my clients to be greeted by a host of friendly people with snacks and a hot Lavender towel. I wanted the pets to have groomers on call and at the ready. I wanted the entire experience to be monumentally cool.

And then, I came back down to reality and realized that I was not going to be able to do it on my own. I had to make a phone call to my new BFF Merry. Yes, that’s her name – Merry. She’s amazing. She’s happy. She’s brilliant and yes, she’s pretty merry. She came into my studio space and probably thought, “Oh my God, this is a disaster!”  With her usual aplomb, she cheerfully chirped, “Oh yes, we can do this!”  and she promptly went to work suggesting and scheming and pondering…and suggesting some more.

Let me back up the proverbial truck here and share some back-story. I probably should explain that my studio space and my philosophy on pets has some parameters. I believe that pets are perfect because they aren’t perfect. I don’t think it’s fair for us to expect them to be perfect. Each furry bundle of love has quirks. Why take a perfect picture of them to show that they are perfect? Isn’t that perfectly false advertising? I often get questions about “How did you capture her personality like that?” and statements like “You really got her personality!” My secret is that I know that once a pet gets comfortable in a situation, they will start acting like their usual goofy selves and show me who they are. My studio space has to reflect THAT level of comfort. I want the studio to be a great experience for the pet AND the owner. After all, it’s not just a picture. It’s an experience and a memory to treasure for a lifetime. THAT’s what I told Merry I wanted.

So fast forward to today: Saturday morning. I’m headed back to the studio for day two of painting,  with a paintbrush in one hand and a bottle of Advil in the other. (After a full day of painting and moving furniture yesterday, I’m feeling very old today.) I’m very excited to share my vision of a comfortable studio. Pictures of the new studio will be up soon and I’ll pass along Merry’s info if you too are decorating impaired. I’m hoping to have a grand opening in the next month after all the furniture is placed and the walls are painted…and the bathtub has been delivered….and I have recovered…..<grin> Stay tuned!