Favorite Pet Photos of 2009 according to Li and Dan

Dan’s four favorite photos of 2009

From top:
Bunny Green Eyes: Dan says this photo is “simple, striking, and of a Bunny.” Bunny is Dan’s favorite cat so this selection is of no surprise. However, I’m not really crazy about this photo! Bunny looks in need of an exorcism. Dan keeps asking me to place it as the very first image in my portfolio, but I will never do it because we are about fresh and candid, not fresh and evil.

The Buttery Dogs: Madison, Harriet and Simon, from March 2009.
I asked why Dan liked this one, and he says, “This was hardest shots to get of all the clients you’ve had, and the payoff was awesome.”  I get the most comments from this photo that are usually along the lines of, “How did you get them to pose like that?” The secret: I didn’t. They chose this pose all by themselves! (Many, many thanks to owner Richard Gordon for encouraging me to hang my prints in his cafe-bistro.)

Dasha the 12 week-old French Bulldog, from June 2009.
Dan’s commentary: “I just love it.”

Bella the 11 week-old French Bulldog, from May 2009.
“A most mischievous face.”

Now, my four favorite photos of 2009

From top:
An Airborne Veebs: The fat orange cat is not so very fat that he can’t achieve lift-off. He was helping me practice freezing indoor action shots.  There was so much back and forth jumping between tables, and he did it all with a smile on his face. That’s my Veebs, a real team player.

Clive the Springer, from September 2009
This photo didn’t initially make the initial blogging cut, but then Clive’s owners ordered a large mounted print of it, and seeing it that size made a huge difference! Now it’s one of my very favorites. The stars on the bike, the flowers, the happy puppy – it’s all so fun and fresh!

Logan the 6 week-old Pointer, from April 2009
This was in instant favorite the moment I pressed the shutter. I was already excited we managed to get Logan to sit still alone on the stairs, but when Casey the kitty came into frame, slowly creeping down behind him with a what-IS-that-thing? look on her face, it took all my strength not to go completely bananas.

Kepler the 13 year-old Weimaraner, from November 2009
This beautiful dog was not a client. I was on another shoot in the Public Garden when we noticed him, from a distance, on a walk with his owner. All of us stopped for a moment to watch him stroll by in his wheels, and as they passed I quickly snapped two shots. I saw the Weim again on two other occasions, and suddenly realized I had met him before when photographing Pawsh Boutique’s grand opening event back in April 2009. He didn’t have wheels then, but was having difficulties with his hips. I emailed Mike, the owner of Pawsh, to ask if this was Kepler, and it was. He told me a new set of custom wheels were coming that week, and as a Christmas gift we arranged to have prints made for Kepler’s owner. A few days later, I notified Mike to tell him the prints we on their way…and he told me that Kepler had just passed away.

Later I received this message from his owner: I wanted to thank you for capturing these beautiful images of Kepler. It’s easy to love Kepler, he’s my best friend and he never once, through all of his injuries, gave up….both as a dog and a friend.

It may seem a little sad to end the new year on that note, but my intention is really quite the opposite. The photo of Kepler illustrates why I love photography and why I love our pets so much. Given the chance to flourish they will reward you in spades. And as pet lovers we will go to great lengths to keep our animals with us happy, healthy and if we can, a little bit longer.

So it has truly been a joy and a privilege capturing these kinds of moments and making them last. Just a little bit longer.

Thank you so much for all of your support in my first year of business, and to all the critters who’ve made the job so rewarding and fun. See you in 2010…