When I look at images like the one below, I can’t help but reflect on my journey as a photographer. I started photography in high school, learning how to shoot black and white film. At the time, I had little interest in portraits. I’m sure my photography teacher, Mr. Pipe, required me to take them, but if he did, there was no lasting imprint on my psyche. I was drawn toward nature and dilapidated buildings on the backroads outside of Watertown, NY. As my journey as a photographer grew, I was super focused on capturing landscapes, with the clear desire to inspire people to want to protect wild places. Portraiture still wasn’t for me. It wasn’t until my dog Khyber was diagnosed with cancer that I decided to point my camera at a living subject with the intent of creating an image. And it wasn’t until long into this journey of photographing Nico every day that I began to appreciate the complexity of a simple portrait. One of my dreams is to have a studio space someday and to be able to photograph shelter dogs in the style seen below. I want to use those images to tell their stories so that more people will understand why rescuing a dog is such a powerful act of kindness. If you want to help make this happen, sign up to support my work on Patreon.

Many thanks to my Patreon supporters for making this series possible. Support through Patreon allows me to focus on projects like this.

Gear Used For This Shot

Sony A7RIV - Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM - Godox AD300 Pro - Godox X ProS - Godox 1D-S60S

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