Amy (of Amy & David, Willowdale Estate), recently asked if I would photograph her kitties, Mabel and Olive, as a surprise Valentine’s gift for David. You might remember the cake topper from their wedding photos — it included likenesses of these kitties!

For me, portraits and people are the most interesting aspect of photography. And while they’re not people, I feel like animals are sort of like, little people. They’re little souls who wear fur costumes. They deserve portraits too! Portraits that convey their beauty and personalities. I love animals so much. If I hadn’t been a writer (done) or a photographer (doing it now), my other dream job would be veterinarian.

When Amy told me that Olive (the black tortoise shell) was extremely shy, I immediately wanted to see if I could connect with her. Does that sound silly? “Connecting” with a cat? So I put on my coaxing, shy kitty voice and demeanor, which I have to use all the time with my own very shy rescue cat, Iris. A few minutes into our photo session and Olive was rolling around and really became quite the little show-off model. Mabel is umm…  outgoing. Watch your hands and sleeves because she’s coming to getcha!