A special moment, love what you do!

I love photography, I love being a professional photographer but even more than that I love when I capture a moment. It may seem relatively easy, but so far; through my career as a photographer I have caught maybe a couple of dozen amazing moments.

I have a whole book full of great "faces" that I love to capture in canines but there are some shots I've taken that take my breath away. These are what I call my works of art and its a lot of hardwork to get these. Although hard work has alot to do with it, experience and patience probably have the most impact.

Allowing it to happen is very important, you can't force a moment. I really believe you can see passion and if a photographer has a passion for what they are shooting it really comes through. I've seen alot of dog or pet photos that are just that, a photo with no emotional impact.

You know the kind I mean, sit your dog, make a funny noise and poof there is your shot. Bringing out the essence of a dog takes time and loads and loads of patience. Patience is something that I seem to have alot of for somethings and none of for other things. Take lines for instance, like a line for concert tickets or a line to get into a restaurant, no patience once so ever. Infact I take pride in not doing lines, I abhor them.

Now take a dog sitting quietly watching a bug wandering around their yard. With their head turned slightly in curiousity and their ears as high as they can possibly go. This could go on for an hour or so, would I have enough patience to sit and capture this non-monumental event, you bet I would.

Infact years ago I fostered several squirrel families from only a few weeks of age. One family had to be bottle fed every couple of hours, burped and had their faces washed. If this was not enough time to spend with these little guys already I could sit and watch them for hours, lots of patience there. I wish I had my fabulous camera back then, there would have been hundreds of great baby squirrel shots.

So no matter what it is you have a passion for, it comes through in your work. I have a very difficult time sitting through a football game in the bleachers, I fidget and cannot wait for it to end. But put me on the field along the sidelines and the game could double in time as far as I'm concerned. I get completely involved in capturing the action of each individual that I'm consumed by it.

Love what you do, life's too short to not.