I’ve both taken some time off and been very busy, so my weekly blog posting for professional pet photography Project 52 blog circle has been intermittent at best these last few months. However, this week—Week 6 of the blog circle for 2021—is a theme that is near and dear to me, in fact it’s so important it’s even in the name of my business…love. Of course, Valentine’s Day is this Sunday and, under normal circumstances, I would already have done in-store sessions to raise money for Save Our Shelter Dogs Rescue as I’ve done for the last two years, but living through a pandemic is anything but normal.
So, back to the topic of love because it’s an important one for me and many of my fellow pet photographers. Like me, I’m sure that many of them got into the business because of their love for a special pet or even pets in general. While I’d always wanted to be a photographer growing up, it wasn’t until I’d met the dog love of my life, Mr. Bojangles, that I combined the two to create a business as a pet photographer. 
Shortly after I adopted Mr. Bojangles, my cat Jonson (in the picture above) unexpectedly passed away. He was the best cat ever and I’d had him since he was a tiny kitten. While it took many months to stop bursting into tears at the drop of a hat, I was so thankful that I had so many pictures of Jonson. I would pour over the photo albums and loose photos I’d taken of him crying at his loss, but being so thankful that I’d had him in my life. There was something beyond special about Jonson. He was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime cat. Of course, during this difficult time, Mr. Bojangles was working his magic on me helping me to heal. If I hadn’t adopted him just prior to Jonson passing away I know I would have been an even worse mess. These events were the catalyst to my becoming a pet photographer. I wanted to make sure that others had those photographic memories of their special pets, too.
Valentine’s Day is the day of love and of red (and pink…my favorite color); it’s also the day we celebrate Mr. Bojangles’ birthday. This year he will be 12. I don’t want to think about him growing older, because I know it means his time here is ending. In my heart and mind, he will always be alive. I will also have so many images of him to keep his memory and love alive. Now that he is older, he is less cooperative for photoshoots, so most of the pictures I take of him these days are with my iPhone. However, I have plenty of wonderful, high-quality images of him to accompany those daily phone photos. Those are the types of images I want to create for my clients, the special ones that will live in their hearts and on their walls.
This image below of Mr. Bojangles is a few years old now but it is one of my favorite Valentine’s Images. 
It even adorned a CincyPet Magazine cover last year. 
Up next in the blog circle is Family & Pet Portraits with creator Danyel Rogers at Wag to my Heart Studio. Serving Hillsboro and the greater Portland Metro area. After you visit with Danyel, head around the rest of the blog circle until you end up back here.
If you’d like to schedule a photoshoot for your pet at your favorite location, you can give me a call at 513.655.5696 or send an email to suzi [at] petlovephotography.com.