My New Diggs

I am beyond excited to finally share this post with you! For months and months and months, I was tossing around the idea of renting a space so I could meet with clients, show them samples, go over their images, etc. You see, for the past few years, I've been taking my tiny laptop and lugging my huge samples to my clients' houses and the whole process had been awkward and not-so-special for them. I've been displaying Canvases on kitchen floors and Coffee Table Albums on the breakfast bar between kids' dinner plates - not the most ideal conditions. I really wanted a space where my client's could see artwork on the walls and where I could offer them something to drink. So the search began.

I looked for several months before I found a place that would work for me. I finally settled on a Key-man office space on Catawba Ave. in Cornelius - basically an office suite that is divided into several smaller offices. My office shares a common entrance, restroom, and kitchen area with 5 other offices. The office itself is pretty small - just 10'x13' - but it has everything I need. I have 24/7 access, plenty of natural light, and, most importantly, the ability to decorate the way I want!

When I moved into the space, it was a blank slate. It had hideous pale green walls that made me sick when mixed with the harsh overhead fluorescent lighting. Painting came first! I wanted the office to echo the colors found on my website so I went with a very pale grey color. It is almost white so it doesn't take away from the artwork in the room.

The only decor I had for the space were my samples, a wood console/desk, and an acrylic chair. Everything else had to be purchased or made. Again, I wanted to echo my branding so I brought in a lot of warm, rustic texture with wood, linen, jute, and wicker. I contrasted this with cleaner mid-century modern lines found in the couch, coffee table, and TV storage. I am certainly not a designer and it's not 100% complete, but I'm beyond happy with it so far!!! :)

This is basically the view as you walk in...

This is the view from the couch. When the curtains are drawn, my clients can view their slideshow and images on the TV. This is great for visualizing how their images will look as large artwork. It has helped them tremendously so far and is SO much better than the 13" laptop I was using in the past.Some of the things I love most about the space are the personal, little details. Because I started from scratch, many of the pieces of decor were either handmade or chosen just for this office.For example, this shelf was handmade. My handy husband and I cut the wood to size, stained it, finished it and added the hardware. It holds the framed covers of the past two Lake Norman Currents Magazine pet issues as well as adorable cardboard animal cutouts I purchased from Macy's in NYC while I was there for the Westminster Dog Show.The coat hanger was also handmade and finished in the same manner as the shelving. I even busted out the drill and added the hooks myself!My favorite handmade item is by far the coffee table. I saw this idea on Pinterest (my best friend as I was getting inspiration) and knew I had to make it. I purchased the mid-century modern legs from hairpinlegs.com. The top was purchased from Lowes, cut to my specs, and finished with the same stain as the shelves. I LOVE how it turned out and it adds a modern but warm twist to the room. I'm definitely going to make one for my home next!Isn't the wood/stain combo gorgeous?!It's so nice to be able to spread out the Coffee Table Albums on a table made just for them...I found this little camera at HomeGoods and knew I had to have it right away. I mean, it's a camera and it has a gorgeous wood base. Who could say no?Another one of my favorite items is the "coconut tree" I found at Ikea. It's actually growing out of the coconut and I just think that's the coolest thing. I hope I don't kill it.More handmade shelves fill in the back corner of the room. These are great because I can easily display different types of artwork, switch them out on a regular basis, and not have to re-hang them if I pull them down to show clients. When I envisioned my office space, I KNEW I wanted a chalkboard wall. I KNEW I wanted my clients to be able to leave notes as they stopped by. This added way more work to the painting process but I absolutely love it! I can't wait for it to get filled up! (One of my messages had to be blurred because the session is a surprise and the secret isn't out yet!)I had these bowls in storage and I happily came across them when I was looking for a container to hold the chalk. They fit the theme of the room perfectly and get the job done!I love that I'll always look at that wall and remember my wonderful 2- and 4-legged clients...Another thing that I knew I wanted were some floating, shiny, white cabinets. Ikea saved the day and had EXACTLY what I was looking for. These fit perfectly in the room and offer wonderful, chic storage with plenty of room for the TV and samples. I can't emphasize how happy I am with my new office! I have a few more handmade details that I want to add - maybe a few more samples too - but overall, it has all come together perfectly. If you are ever up in the Cornelius or Lake Norman area and want to stop by, just give me a ring! I'd love to have you over! :)If you have questions about my office, leave me a comment below! I'll be happy to let you know where I got anything you see here!

Dog Fancy!

When I first started my photography business, one of my goals was to have an image published in a national magazine. At the time, my focus was architectural photography so my dreams revolved around being published in magazines such as Metropolitan Home, Dwell and Architectural Digest. As times have changed and my focus has solely become pet photography, my dream publications have also changed. Now I dream of being published in Dog Fancy, Bark Magazine, Modern Dog and others. A couple months ago, one of my dreams became a reality. I got an email informing me that one of my submissions to Dog Fancy was accepted into the magazine and that it would be featured in the September issue. I was so excited when I received my copies in the mail! One of Boss's pictures (see his blog post here) was the image they chose and I'm sure he is so proud to be featured on two pages in this national publication!

Boss' mom even sent over a couple pictures of what the new-found fame has done to his self-image. I sure hope he can bounce back from this... BOL!

Adoptables!

I am simply blown away! As of me writing this, out of the 45 pets that I have photographed in the short time I have been volunteering at the Humane Society of Charlotte, only 5 are still available at the shelter! That means 40 of the cats and dogs have found furever homes! I hope that streak continues as I welcome a new group of adoptees to the blog. Thank you to everyone that shares these images on Facebook (this should take you to the FB album if you want to share) and via email. That's what really gets these animals in front of potential new fur-parents. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

For more information about your favorites, please contact the Humane Society of Charlotte.For those that follow me on Facebook or Instagram know that I fell in love with little Max today. I saw him from a mile away - I just have a soft spot for black lab mix puppies. They all remind me of my Sadie. Max has the biggest legs and paws and should grow up to be a nice-sized boy. I wish I got to do a proper shoot with him as I only got this images as I was leaving. Well, maybe not. I really might have taken him home.

On a related note, yes, there are tons of puppies up at the Humane Society. However, they are so much easier to adopt out so my time is best spent on the older pups that may not get the attention they deserve. I really would like to spend a day photographing the puppies though. Hmmm...I might have to arrange that just for the sake of cuteness! :)

Ollie and Otto - Morkie Overload!

***WARNING!!! CUTENESS MORKIE OVERLOAD!*** Seriously. You may not want to continue on if you are in a place where you can't giggle and say "aaaawwww"!

These two Morkies (Maltese/Yorkie mix) take the cake when it comes to cuteness! Ollie and Otto, a brother-sister pair who are not even half a year old yet, are the two smallest, fluffiest dogs I have ever photographed. To give you an idea of how small they are, Ollie just hit a big milestone of reaching 2 whole pounds!

We started off their photo shoot in their totally awesome Uptown condo where they got to know me and the camera. This is Otto, the brother and the fluffier of the pair...

And this is the sister, Ollie...Time to pack up and head out to one of Uptown Charlotte's prettiest parks! I love how these two fit right in their mom's bag.Once out in the park, these two went CRAZY!!! I fortunately took a ton of pics because 1) they are so adorable when they run, and 2) when you can't see their faces, these guys tend to look like the unrecognizable fuzzy balls of fur that float out from under my couch (but WAY cuter and MUCH faster)! Ok, maybe not at all but you know what I mean! Haha! We had so much fun!!!I love Otto's dive for his ball here!Between the running, ball throwing, and searching for dead birds, we managed to grab Ollie and Otto's attention for 3-second intervals for some quick "posing". Gotta love puppies!!! :)

And back to playing!Bum-in-the-air alert!!! Before we called it a night, I took a quick picture of Ollie and Otto's new bling. Their collars are SO small and I love the name tags their mom found on Etsy (obviously I blurred out the phone #).

The pups were all packed up and ready to rest up for another day of high-energy play. Seriously love these two...

I hope you enjoyed these two Morkies' sneak peak. They were a blast to photograph and I really CAN. NOT. wait to see them again! :)

Adoptables!

Every day I volunteer at the Humane Society of Charlotte, things just get better and better. Want to know why? Because I'm introduced to more and more dogs and cats that I've never meet. Why is that a good thing? Well, because that means that these wonderful pets are being adopted, making room for other cats and dogs to be saved. Here is a new batch of sweethearts looking for their forever homes. For more information about your favorites, visit the Humane Society in Charlotte or check out their website!I love Stripe's little puppy nose!Chime is the winner of the doggy head tilt for the visit!Kanga's kangaroo outtake is on the right. Such a goofball but I love it!All of Sampson's images were outtakes! Haha! This jovial boy has the floppiest jowls and ears! :) And CATS!!! Yay!! I go to photograph all of the adult kitties. Love 'em!!!And Enchantress wins best head tilt for the kitty division...Thanks to everyone that has shared these images. It really helps them find homes faster. XX!

Manchester - A Golden Boy

Manchester is one of the fluffiest orange boys I have ever seen! This handsome fellow is a Chow/Golden Retriever mix with some hair to spare. :) He is certainly one to cuddle up with on a cold winter night. This gorgeous pup has been by his mom's side for everything - moving, vet school and so much more. However, this past year has been a very trying year on Manchester (and his mom). At the end of December, he was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. He went through chemo and certainly didn't feel like himself. He lost his precious sparkle but managed to come out cancer-free in the end. He remained cancer-free for 8 months. When the cancer recently made it's ugly return, he was put back on chemo. This time, Manchester is having oral treatments instead of IV. Fortunately, the oral route has left him feeling much more like himself and he is even smiling again! This is such great news because he has such a fabulous smile!!!

I don't know if I love this image because of the light or Manchester's smile or a combination of the two. I think the golden light of the sun symbolizes the gorgeous light that is still shining within Manchester. He doesn't want his mom to worry about him. I know that's what he's thinking right here as he glances back at her...Manchester's mom was worried he wouldn't be too active for his pictures. Well, he must have been saving his energy because he had quite a lot of spunk! This is Manchester's impression of a fluffy orange bear!Manchester's mom joined in for a few images. I was thrilled to capture these two together. Evidently, so was Manchester... :)The epitome of love...In the image on the left, Manchester is sporting his bandana from Upstate Veterinary Specialists. Everyone that worked with Manchester during his treatment signed it and wrote him well wishes.

Of course Manchester gets lots of goodies since dealing with his cancer. One treat his has always loved is licking out a finished jar of peanut butter. Don't judge...it's reduced fat...Yum!Back home, Manchester has a couple feline friends to keep him company. First there is Winston...and also Madison... They are just as gorgeous as Manchester!

Best of luck to Manchester and his mom during his battle. I hope his spirits stay up and he keeps that golden light in his eyes and a huge smile on his face! {{hugs!}}

Adoptables!

Are you looking for a new pup? If so, PLEASE consider adoption! These doggies are so sweet and would love someone like you to cuddle up with! These pups are all available at the Humane Society of Charlotte. Please check out their website for the latest adoption news. Samantha and Charlie would LOVE to find a home together! They are best buds. <3

Charlotte Today - A Quick Clip

Last week, Charlotte Today shared a quick story about an Angel Session I did with with a handsome black Lab named Jack. To read Jack's story and to see his sneak peek, check out his post HERE. Thank you so much to the crew of Charlotte Today for sharing what can be done for these types of priority photo shoots. Jack is dearly, dearly missed. <3