Year two in the books (literally)
2 years as a full-time dog photographer! Where does the time go?
During my first year, I frantically set up my business systems and made it a priority to improve my photography skills. Year 2 was not too different. I joined the Unleashed Education Emerge challenges, but I flunked out part way through. Spring was so busy, I fell behind, then I never caught up, and I just threw in the towel. I plan to redo the challenges again, and I hope I keep up this time around.
I'm still learning and refining my processes and photography skills and I hope that I am always learning and improving.
Tails of Las Vegas
Tails of Las Vegas, featuring gorgeous dogs living in Las Vegas, to raise funds for Wagging Tails Rescue was published! I began the project early in 2021 and it took about a year to finish.
While I worked on it, the project felt overwhelming at times, but as soon as I finished, I wanted to start another one. Soon...
Photography Competitions
As part of my commitment to learning, and also to begin the process of receiving accreditation and becoming certified, I entered a few competitions. Talk about scary stuff! There are so many talented dog photographers, I had to keep reminding myself, that it was okay because my images would be judged individually, not against the others.
I put together a short video of my results.
2022 Image Competition Results
Fundraisers
without a full book project, it seemed there was enough time to do two calendar contests: One featuring all studio images for Wagging Tails Rescue and one outdoorsy calendar contest for Pawtastic Friends.
- The Wagging Tails Rescue studio contest raised $3298.
- The Pawtastic Friends contest raised $9,300.
This was the first year for the Wagging Tails contest and the second for Pawtastic Friends and I couldn't be happier with the results!
Tails of the World
Along with photographers from across the globe, I photographed 10 dogs who will appear in the Tails of the World book. Each photographer raised funds for a local charity. I chose Pawtastic Friends as the Las Vegas charity, and the 10 sessions raised $1000.
I'm looking forward to seeing this amazing book!
Underwater Photography
Due to the sad state of Lake Mead, which was one of my favorite locations for sessions prior to 2022, I decided it was time to invest in some underwater gear. After quite a bit of research, I picked my gear and started playing and learning as soon as it arrived. It's a challenge but so much fun and different from how I normally shoot.
Next year, I'll be ready for these sessions starting June 1st.
This may surprise many people, but a large portion of my sessions are Rainbow (aka End of Life) Sessions. We all know, the unfortunate thing about pets, is that they don't stay with us as long as we'd like.
Thanks to my friend Angela Schneider of Big white Dog Photography, to better assist my clients with their final session, I became a grief specialist and a founding member of One Last Network, a community dedicated to helping pet parents find the resources they need when it comes to taking care of their aging pet and just as important, taking care of themselves while grieving the loss or anticipated loss of their beloved pet.
Once again, the year was a blur, but I guess that's just how life feels after 50.
I'm looking forward to 2023 and hoping it's a fantastic year for you!
This blog post is part of a pet photographer blog circle. To see more pet photography, click the link at the bottom of each page, starting with Boston and NH dog photographer Darlene Woodward shares Pant the Town Photography's 2022 north shore dog superlatives.
6 Comments
Jan 1, 2023, 3:23:03 AM
Nicole Hrustyk - Thank you, Lauren!
Jan 1, 2023, 12:43:21 AM
Lauren Marakas - Congratulations!! Great job in raising money for pet rescues!! Keep up the great work!
Dec 31, 2022, 1:21:31 PM
Nicole Hrustyk - Thank you!
Dec 31, 2022, 7:58:31 AM
Kim Hollis - wow so much money raised. That's awesome!! Congratulations.
Dec 30, 2022, 9:58:55 PM
Nicole Hrustyk - Thank you, Elaine!
Dec 30, 2022, 12:43:05 PM
Elaine - Congratulations on all of your accomplishments this year, and especially on being an advocate for rescue! Happy New Year!