I grew up on a farm full of animals, and while I may not have always enjoyed certain chores, like fixing fences or cleaning up after animals, I always found a level of delight when I was around them. My mom and I often comment to each other, "animals can have such strong, unique, and fun personalities." Our daily chats are often filled with the updates regarding the animals in our lives. The personalities of animals are what draws me in as a photographer — I can’t help but want to discover who they are and capture those unique traits in every shot.
For example, one childhood dog of ours, Missy, had a sneaky trick she'd pull some mornings as soon as my dad's truck rattled over the cattle guard a quarter mile up the road. When she knew the coast was clear, she'd tip-toe across the lawn and into the garden, wander up the dusty furrows, and shop around with her snout until she found what she was looking for — the juiciest tomato she could find and that she also knew my dad had his eye on. When my dad would return for lunch, he'd find no trace of the tomato he was intending to use for his salad, but would see Missy lying innocently by the front door, trying to keep her eyes closed as he'd complain about another tomato that had been snatched by the dog.
Another animal, a steer named Baby, is a twin that was pushed aside by his mom and ultimately bottle fed by my parents. Baby comes running up the hill at the sound of my mom's or dad’s voice, his tail wagging wildly as they call out “Baby” loud enough for the neighboring golfers to hear. And even if he's much bigger than he was as a newborn calf, he lives up to his name when he nudges you to scratch his head.
Finally, we have Pepper, who was found as a kitten before Covid by my sister. Pepper is an originally-outdoor-only, now sometimes-(mostly)-inside cat. She loves her blue fleece blanket folded in a certain way, fluffed to a certain softness, and correctly placed on the far end of the couch. You'll find Pepper crouched down, glaring at my mom when the bird feeder gets put away as the opportunity to strike an innocent bird is foiled. And since Pepper was raised during the pandemic, she runs upstairs to hide under a bed as soon as she hears a car door shut and a small voice from a grandkid running up the sidewalk. That could also just be because she doesn't like kids too, though.
Photographing Pet Personalities
The personalities of these, and so many other animals, can shine through in a photo sometimes better than a human's can. In photographs, people sometimes have barriers that can cloud the view of who they really are, but animals often let you know in many ways who they are, how they're feeling, and how much you mean to them.
I could never get over photographing animals. From calves to cats, I love making their vivacious personalities shine through in visual stories. From expressive eyes that say, "I haven't been fed in thirty minutes and I'm literally going to starve to death," to their belly-up resting positions, acting like they've had an exhausting day of being the financial backbone of the family, I love it all.
If you'd love to hold on to those unique little personalities for years to come, I'd be thrilled to help capture not just a snapshot, but a visual story of the emotions in your animal friend (more like family member)—not just for my joy of meeting them, but for you to treasure their personality forever.
And now enjoy some of my favorite animal moments:
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