Loving Memories

If I did a chronology of all of our animals to date, how they came to us, and how they left, there would be too many pages of this blog to read.  Suffice it to say, we have loved and lost six cats, eight dogs, four horses and five chickens.  Each came to us in their own way, had their own story, lived what we hope was a happy life, and now live permanently in our hearts.

What I can tell you is this:  YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH PHOTOS OF YOUR PETS!

I realized something a few years ago--we did not have enough photos of several of our cats and dogs.  Back in the days of film camera, getting rolls of film developed may have been put off, followed by misplacing or not storing photos well enough to guard against deterioration.  Change "film camera" to "cell phone" and you have the same problem.  How many of you print out your cell phone photos?

Left to right, top to bottom, the photo montage above shows Sandy, Ollie, best buddies Ollie and Ike, and finally, Ike.  Three out of the four above are photos of film camera photos, and may very well be the best photos we have of these dogs.  Ike passed onward in 2011.  It wasn't until after Ike's passing that I became serious about documenting the lives of pets.  Not part of the montage, but very much a part of our lives, were Chelsea and Phillie, both moving on to spirit in the 1990s.  We have only one or two faded photographs of the two of them together.

In the meantime, we have ONLY our memories to sustain us in terms of our cats Cleo, Muffin and Emma, all passing before 2011. No photos exist today of these three lovely kitties that graced our lives.

I made up my mind in 2011 to be mindful of capturing good images of all our pets from that point on, and began turning my hobby into a profession.

Above, left to right, top to bottom are Daisy, Winston, Burton, and Winston (in front) with our still very much alive dog, Danny.  I credit Winston with bringing Danny out of his very fearful self.  Thankfully, we have MANY photos of this group, some of which now adorn our walls in various forms.  In fact, we have many photos of ALL of our animals, because I don't like to rely on just my memory to bring back the days of when they were with us.  I like to see them.

It's why I offer Loving Memories sessions to pet owners.  Whether they have received news of a pet's health deteriorating, or simply want a good portrait as wall art, these sessions are geared to capturing the relationship between the owner and their pet partner.

Whether in studio:

Or in a place similar to those days of hunting in the woods:

Capturing a lasting visual memory is one of the things I am glad to be able to offer my clients.

There are many times I will travel to a client's location, so that their pet can remain comfortable in their own environment. With cats, especially, it is best for them to be in their own homes, where I can almost always find a spot to capture a memory, and the kitty is happy and cooperative.  Below a simple traveling backdrop and a favorite footrest were all that was needed to settle this beautiful kitty into a nice pose.

Many of my clients know the value of capturing their pets throughout the stages of their lives, including the final stage, where we as their caretakers manage a difficult, but responsible decision to allow them to leave us with dignity.

Today, August 28, is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.  I hope all of you have a lovely memory not only in your minds and hearts, but on your wall.

The blog circle is ahead.  Start this week with Linda Perdue of VPShoots Photography, remembering all those furry companions.  Stay safe out there!