Capturing animals' personalities is absolutely my passion. They are constantly thinking, and once you learn animal body language, what they are acting out is blatant according to their thoughts. Many times, pet owners come to me after our photo session and tell me, "I thought I was the only one who could read my pet's mind!" Expression is timeless. It is not bound according to a circle of influence, and every animal puts off a specific vibe. 

I've learned how to gel into that vibe and capture it simultaneously, which is why my photos are so playful. After photographing for a certain number of hours, it's easy to learn a system and process for creating images that lend themselves to my style.

"Happy accidents" describe my style very well, though while my happy accidents are always happy, they don't happen by accident. Amateurs will create a happy accident and expect to create another one upon happenstance. As I've been growing in my professional approach, I've learned that it's smarter to hone a style and be able to replicate it upon request. 

One of my defining style marks is that I don't often look through my viewfinder when creating images. The reason I do this is because I need to be able to interact eye ball to eye ball with my subject (particularly dogs), and I've learned how to move my camera and put it in positions that would not be possible were it to be looking through the viewfinder. 

Natural elements are always apart of my images, especially when I photograph dogs. Water, drool, dirt, these are all apart of the dogs interaction with the world around it, so why would I exclude them from my depiction of their experience?

Happy accidents like this are not hard for me to duplicate, I just need to be in position. When I'm photographing a dog, I do everything I know how based on my animal behavior training to become a friend to that dog, that way they like having me in their space. I don't mind getting waist high in water if it means getting the shot.

I'm constantly looking for elements of design that lend themselves over the the dog's personality. Here, the colors are all on a basic pallet, making the eyes and eyebrows stand out.

One of my favorite things to do is run backwards to get the dog to chase me. I'll then position my camera right between my face and theirs, so as to get the view that no one would ever see unless they were literally running backwards with their face jammed in their dog's space. I call this my "sweet spot".

And, of course, it is very helpful if the dog knows basic commands and cues. This last image is actually my dog, Belle. I asked her to sit and stay, I got down on the ground and waited for her to look away at a squirrel. 

My happy accidents are always happy but never accidental.