Support our Photographers
Sometimes we forget about what our photographers go through in order to capture those precious moments of our dogs doing what they love. Photographers spend countless hours and travel endless miles to capture our memories in action. When we go to lunch or take a moment to breathe, they are still out by the pool or the ring. They are moving from one spot to another, sometimes trying to capture shots in a very harsh environment.
With so many great cameras, cell phones and digital editing available to us, are we supporting the efforts of these wonderful professionals or are we simply sharing their watermarked photos on social media and moving on? Everyone loves a candid shot; they capture the spirit of the dog. What a candid amateur photo cannot do is capture a dog and handler at the moment they are connected or freeze the motion needed for that great jump off the dock.
The use of a watermarked photo posted on social media is a complete disregard for the photographer. Unfortunately, most social media sites do not prevent the person from sharing the image online. Therefore, we must hold ourselves accountable; we must delay satisfaction just a bit. While it is exciting when you see a great image of your dog, and the urge to share is strong, it is important to wait on purchasing the digital file. If you have purchased a photo and want to share, ask the photographer if it is okay to share the watermarked image and give them credit in the post. The respect shown in a simple sentence such as “Watermarked image shared with permission of…” goes a long way.
I am not saying that everyone who posts a watermarked photo with the statement “Photos will be purchased” is not speaking truthfully. I am sure that in most cases this is true. But in full disclosure, I have posted a photo and forgotten to go back to purchase it. This was not with ill intent. In some cases, I have simply moved on to the next moment in life, in others I may have selected a different photo to purchase. In some cases, I decided that we didn’t really need a photo from that show. In all cases I should have purchased before posting.
We pay our groomer for grooming our pet, we pay our dock diving fees, and we pay for the hotels we stay in. We need to show the same respect to our photographers before posting. This is their passion and their profession. Let’s work together to respect and appreciate their work and compensate them for their efforts. It’s the only way to keep those gorgeous photos coming.
Quick Update
Wow, I guess you can tell I’m not one for sitting down and writing blogs. LOL! I’m more for one on one communication, always have been. My writing skills aren’t the best either.
So here goes nothing – this year has just been amazing! This has been the best year our business has had by far. I’m amazed at how well we have done. I did a lot of traveling and met so many wonderful people and their pets.
I have now lost 150 pounds and feel awesome! I’m able to stand and move around a lot better which I think has helped my photography business. I can go up hills and walk a lot longer and find those great places to take photos of. My breathing has improved by 10% now that I no longer smoke or vape. So, that makes it much better for me as well.
I’m still learning new Photoshop skills every month and that helps me a lot with taking my images to the next level. I love creating one of a kind items for clients. I know I still have so much more to learn and that’s exciting to me. I’ll just keep plugging along and keep learning.
I did start advertising a lot more using Facebook and I feel that has helped get our business name out there. I don’t have tons of money to spend on advertising and Facebook is relativity cheap to advertise.
We have started recording live photo sessions on our Facebook page and I think those will help get us noticed as well. They are so much fun to do. I want my fans to feel that they are a part of my business. After all, they are the reason our business even exists.
So that’s about it for now. I’ll publish another blog when this year is over. I told you I’m not very good at this blog thingy.
Hello 2016
I know, I know it's been awhile since I wrote a blog. I'm not one who likes to sit and write a lot but I guess it's important to share with my fans what's going on in my world and my pet photography.
So unfortunately 2015 didn’t end very well for our family. November 2nd we lost two of our dogs. Cyrus and Blade were put down unexpectedly due to a pack fight. I won’t get into the specifics but needless to say our pack is smaller now and it has been hard for me to move forward.
The holidays were busy for me with photo sessions which was a good thing in keeping my mind off the loss of my two boys. I had a great time with my photo session at Katy’s new place. I can’t wait to see her new dock diving pool.
So 2016 started off pretty well. I had several portrait sessions here in Columbus and even had a Valentine photo session at the Super PetSmart. That was a lot of fun!!! I can’t wait to do it again.
This year I’ve decided to spend more money on our marketing and less on props and other photography gear. It’s time to start spreading the word about our business. I plan on purchasing flyers and getting my butt out there and hitting the streets. Word of mouth has been great but it’s time for me to start putting in some hard work. I hope it pays off.
I’ve lost 120 pounds over the course of a year and I only have 30 more pounds to go in order to reach my goal weight of 150 pounds. It’s been hard but well worth it. It has been two years since I quit smoking I certainly don’t regret that choice! I love being able to breath now. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your goals because if you set your mind to it you can do anything!!!!
Big Bear Canine Center Activity just had their first dock diving event this past weekend and I really enjoyed it. I got to see a friend I hadn’t seen in over a year. It was so great to see her and catch up on things. I love photographing dock diving dogs. To capture their faces doing something they love makes me so happy.
So until next time Peace out.
The New Me
Well 2015 has brought some new developments for me. I’ve decided to step back and take some time to work on me and make some major changes.
I was a smoker for 32 years and in 2014 my husband introduced me to vaping. So in February of 2014 I made the switch to vaping. It took me one day to make the switch. I must admit it wasn’t really that difficult because I was replacing one bad habit for another bad habit but I felt that vaping was a better alternative than actually smoking.
I went to see my doctor in the beginning of 2015 and found out that I weighed 301 pounds. I actually felt defeated and felt that I was not going to ever come back from this. I didn’t know what I was going to do. She prescribed me a weight loss pill and told me a lot of obese people had pretty good results with it. I knew it wasn’t a magic pill so I decided to make some changes of my own.
I stopped drinking diet soda and stopped eating any fast food. I stopped eating all foods that contained sugar. No more cupcakes, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream, and or junk food. I started cooking at home and actually loved it!
I knew exercising was going to be the next big step for me because I hate exercising!!!! Once the weather warmed up I decided to get outside and start walking with my dogs. Now I am working out just about every day.
The last step I just made a few days ago was to put the vape down. Boy that was a tough one! It has been three days without vaping and it has been HARD!!!! I know I can do it but some habits are really hard to break.
So 2015 really is about me getting me where I need to be – HAPPY AND HEALTHY!
2014 In Review
Well 2014 is behind us and now we move into a new year. I thought I would recap 2014 before we start 2015.
The month of March we had a photo session in Rome Ga which turned out really nice. Met some new people and their pets and got to see some old friends as well. Cyndy made me feel right at home with her awesome hospitality.
April I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Sun Valley’s Horse show. They had some beautiful horses there and for the very first time I photographed children riding. I really did envy those children because they were living a dream I still have as an adult, owning my own horse.
May I made the trip to Beaver Creek Arabian Farms and photographed Patreas beautiful Arabians. She had some new additions to her farm and I love photographing those fillies and colts. She is always awesome to visit and she puts me up in her beautiful home so it’s like a vacation for me.
I also made the trip to Night Diamond Arabians Farm in May. I spent the weekend at Julie’s house and photographed some beautiful Arabians. I always love visiting with her and Mike.
September I drove to Atlanta for a photo shoot with some doggie models. I got to photograph some major preppy dogs. They were so cute with their dresses on. What a treat that was.
October one of my dreams did come true. I went with Taylor and Brandy to a beach in Florida and photographed Owen and Taylor together. What a beautiful day and time we all had. I will never forget it.
November and December we had three Christmas photo sessions. It was busy but so worth it. I got to meet some new fur babies and see some old friends. I love our Christmas sessions.
I had several photo sessions throughout the year and I got to meet some really awesome fur babies.
I enjoyed all the dock diving events I went too and I can’t wait for the season to start up again. I will be limiting my trips to the dock diving events in Georgia this year but I will be attending Pine Mountain and Harvard K9 faithfully.
Several of my images were published in magazines this past year and that was very exciting.
All in all 2014 was a great year for our business. I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings us.
<Peace out>