I have some pretty huge changes coming up in my life - we are having a baby! - and will be taking a break from shooting commissioned work beginning March 19th 2013 through September 1st 2013.

My February calendar is now full and there are just a few spots in March left.

I’ve already started booking clients in September, so please feel free to contact me for a shoot during my hiatus and I’ll be happy to get you on my fall calendar. First availability is now in mid September. Thank you for understanding that it may take me some time to respond to your emails as I will be in the last stages of pregnancy or bonding with our new baby! Please note that I will not be responding to any emails from mid May through end of June.

Clients who get on my calendar from now until August will receive a 10% discount on my package prices.

I’ll still be posting photos over on Facebook during the break so please keep in touch with me there! I can’t wait to see you and your pets again in the fall!

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time looking at anything visual without automatically critiquing it.

Maybe it’s those 4 years of art school, or those 7+ years of working in the ad industry as an art director. When something is put on a wall to examine, mull over, and pick apart day in and day out for over 11 years, I guess it’s bound to become a way of life.

The best thing I learned is that critiques don’t always have to equal criticism.

Without a healthy and objective dose of critiques, there wouldn’t be improvement. I’ve always thought being an art director is kind of like being like a ninja assassin out to kill flaws and imperfections. You’re constantly examining ideas, designs and layouts with a critical eye, not because you want to be negative and deconstructive, but because you want to make it better. As a creative, you strive to polish your ideas again and again and again until you end up with the best execution possible.

As a professional photographer for the last 5 years, I can’t help but do this with photography, especially my own. I am truly my own worst critic! This is the only way I know how to create the absolute best work I know I can produce. I’m constantly striving to improve my shots, from the moment I press the shutter until I’m in post production.

My goal with a pet photography portfolio review is to help you take an objective look at your photography and offer you as much helpful, constructive criticism as I can. I want to help you polish it, polish it, and polish it again until you end up with the best body of work possible. I want to talk to you about how to take an image that is seemingly mundane, and make it spectacular. There is ALWAYS room for improvement - always! Let’s work together to discuss your work and make it the best it can be.

I promise, it won’t be scary and I don’t bite. Unless there are red velvet cupcakes involved!

1 hour pet photography portfolio review - $175

What the review will cover:
We will talk over the phone and go over each of your images one by one. We will start with critiquing your existing portfolio, and then go over any additional images you want to have looked at. If you’ve ever wondered whether or not a certain shot should be included in your portfolio, this is the perfect opportunity to talk about it. Send over as many images as you’d like, and we’ll discuss as many as we can in an hour.

What the review will NOT cover:
The portfolio review is specifically to discuss your existing body of work - critiquing what you’ve shot and how you can improve future images. This is not a mentorship or business consultation and we will not be discussing marketing, advertising, branding, commercial/editorial clients, pricing, posing, working with pets and people, tips on working with animals, and post processing techniques. We may very well touch upon some of these topics as we discuss your work, but we will not be talking about any of them in depth.

Only 10 portfolio reviews clients will be accepted. Reviews will be offered for a limited time, through May 15th 2013.

To sign up for a portfolio review, please fill out an application [CLICK HERE] and send it to info [at] shinepetphotos [dot] com. Applications will be approved on a case by case basis.

UPDATE: I’m not taking booking any new holiday clients for the rest of the year. If you are interested in booking a shoot that is *not* for the holidays, I can try to fit you in end of November/early December. Otherwise please contact us to be put on our 2013 waiting list!

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It’s still hot as a mother outside, but here I am thinking about the holidays. I hate to be like those retail stores that start shoving all things Christmas and Hanukkah down your throat when it’s barely even fall, but the holidays will be here sooner than we know it! And then it will be that lovely time of year when photographers are working ’round the clock to get their clients their images and products in time for holiday gifts and cards.

I won’t be booking any clients in December, so if you need holiday photos you must schedule soon. October is nearly booked up, which only leaves one more month to book in November!

So please contact me soon, especially if you’re looking for holiday photos and gifts. And if you’re just looking to book a shoot in 2012, I guess this applies to you too. <3

Healthy Spot isn’t just a cool boutique and award winning grooming salon - they also have a doggy day care too. Love you Healthy Spot! Thanks for making our dogs in LA healthy and happy.

* * *

From: A Potential Client

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 2:34 PM

To: Shine Pet Photos

Subject: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

* * *

From: Shine Pet Photos

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 3:03 PM

To: Potential Client

Subject: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

Hi Emma,

It sounds like you are looking for a portrait photographer, and not a pet photographer? We only photograph animals.

All the best,

Shine Pet Photos

* * *

From: A Potential Client

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 3:07 PM

To: Shine Pet Photos

Subject: Re: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

I need the pricing for that.

* * *

From: A Potential Client

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 3:45 PM

To: Shine Pet Photos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

Hello, I need the pricing for bird pics.

* * *

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 4:59 PM

To: Shine Pet Photos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

do you take photos of birds or not???

* * *

From: Shine Pet Photos

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 5:07 PM

To: Potential Client

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

Hi Emma,

No we do not and cannot take you on as a client. Best of luck finding a pet photographer!

All the best,

Shine Pet Photos

* * *

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 5:11 PM

To: Shine Pet Photos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

ok so nobody has to contact you in regards birds, go update yelp as such

* * *

Date: Monday 21 May 2012 5:53 PM

To: Potential Client

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hi, I need portraits of me, indoors and outdoors. This is for personal, for me to have. I need your pricing list or a link to the pricing list.

Hi Emma,

Ok great, we will do that and be sure to credit you for the great idea! Thank you very much.

All the best,

Shine Pet Photos

* * *

Insert eye roll here. Seriously, David Thorne - is this you messing with me?

Moral of this story: If you want to hire a pet photographer, try giving them as much information upfront as possible. Try being courteous (A salutation, please and thank you would be nice?). And try not to get pissy if they don’t respond to you within 1 hour of your email. But dear Potential Client, thank you for the laugh today on an otherwise boring Monday.

I met Clooney this week and wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean this dog has obviously been kept outdoors and neglected for his entire life. What I found was an exuberant and vivacious dog who was ready to play, play play! Working in rescue, I’ve met so many dogs who have been so abused they’re left vacant shells. Not Clooney. Despite everything he’s been through, he is an AMAZINGLY happy dog. Clooney loves treats, loves playing catch, and loves being loved on.

(Click on small photos to enlarge)

On Sunday April 22nd at 2PM, M Bird Studio (my favorite hair salon!) will be hosting a fun dog event. I’ll be there taking photos for $25 and you’ll receive a free 5×7 digital file of your dog. 100% of proceeds will be donated to The Dawg Squad to heal Clooney and give him the chance at life he deserves. We all hope to see you there for a great cause! And if you can’t make it but would still like to help The Dawg Squad out, you can donate here.

Clooney I love you! Thank you Amy and Emily for your help in capturing these images, and as always, thank you to The Dawg Squad for being such a friend and advocate to dogs in Los Angeles.

The breakthrough actor of the movie that had fans vying for him to win an Oscar was none other than canine superstar Uggie, the Jack Russell Terrier. He stole the show at the Golden Globes and we all wondered if he would be allowed to attend the Oscars. Thankfully he was, and was present when the film won Best Oscar.

2 days after the whirlwind of winning the Oscars, I photographed Uggie for Nintendo of America with their PR firm Golin Harris. While Uggie has retired from the big screen, his next gig is working as Nintendo’s first-ever spokesdog. When he’s not busy working for Mario, Uggie loves playing nintendogs+cats on the Nintendo 3DS.

You might be wondering if winning an Oscar has gone to Uggie’s head. Let me tell you, he’s still the nicest dog in showbiz. And if it wasn’t obvious, his trainer/owner Omar Von Mueller is absolutely amazing at what he does. And he’s truly a very, very nice guy too - which goes a long way in my book!

Huge thanks to Brian, Omar, Katie, Grace and Dior at Golin Harris and Tiffany at Nintendo. And of course, thank you to Uggie for being so much fun to photograph.

I gave a radio interview back in April 2011 on BFM Radio: The Business Radio Station. BFM is a 24‐hour independent radio station focused on business news and current affairs, based out of Malaysia. My talk was on their Careers Unusual segment where we discussed - you guessed it - pet photography.

You can listen to our interview here. Hearing my own voice played back to me is worse than listening to 10,000 nails scratching on a blackboard. But I hope you enjoy! This was my first radio interview and I tried my best not to sound like a complete moron.

Titus

Luna

Quincy

Mr. B

Squid

Nimbus (who sadly passed a few days ago. Rest in peace, sweet boy.)

These next to gorgeous pitties are available for adoption from Downtown Dog Rescue. I was inspired by the tagline from Pedigree’s Adoption Campaign and created these “posters” to help promote them! The first sweet girl is named Precious and the second handsome boy is Rambo.