It is with a heavy heart that I’m posting this blog today. A few months ago, Elizabeth reached out to me to capture portraits of her two pups, Sammy and Slater. She told me in her email that Sammy was her 12 year old Lab and she really wanted to capture portraits of him because he was getting older. We met up on a sweltering hot day in June and captured portraits of the two brothers together, some of Sammy alone, and the whole family together. We decided not to stay outside too long because the temperatures were too extreme for Sammy, but I’m so glad that we went out for as long as we did. We captured a lot of moments that show what a day in the life of Sammy was like. He was such a beautiful soul and it was such an honor to capture his personality in some of his final months.

When Elizabeth reached out to me that Sammy had passed on last week, my heart broke. Everyone who’s ever owned a dog knows that the heartache when their best friend passes away is an incredibly difficult emotion. A dog’s life is far too short – it’s not fair. As a wedding and dog photographer, I have the amazing honor of capturing the most meaningful moments in my clients’ lives and also the most meaningful members in their lives. This means dogs too! I believe it is so important to capture all those who are most important to you, no matter how furry! Dogs can play such an important role in people’s lives and it’s so important to document them. It breaks my heart that it takes moments like this to remember that life is far too short, for humans and dogs, so make sure you don’t keep putting off “schedule photoshoot” on your to-do list. And even if you don’t schedule a photoshoot, take more iphone pictures to document your favorites!

Elizabeth and Mike, my heart is thinking of you during this difficult time. Sammy was such a sweet pup and I know you gave him a beautiful life! I’m sure he’s looking down at you while eating endless amounts of dog bones!