I almost didn’t share this post because I wasn’t sure everyone would get the old TV reference, but I decided to go for it anyway. The message still rings true, regardless of your generation’s exposure to TV. So, here’s a little look behind the lens at the why behind my professional pet photography business.

The Heart Behind My Professional Pet Photography Business

Do you remember the show Leave It to Beaver? Maybe you’ve seen replays? If you haven’t, it’s a show from the 1950s about a young family with very involved parents and extremely compliant children. And most notably, a hard-working, problem-solving dad. 

Well, my parents were like that. Except my mom didn’t wear skirts and heels at home, nor did she enjoy standing in the kitchen cooking. (And definitely not in heels!)

Years have passed since I grew up in my Leave It to Beaver-inspired home, but the memories are still fresh. 

Especially things like how frugal my parents were. Who out there has some really frugal parents? (And I know I’m being nice by calling it “frugal”!) 

I can remember being told to turn off the shower water while soaping and shampooing. Eating out was reserved for celebrating birthdays. And you could always count on getting hand-me-downs instead of new clothes.

As kids, we ran in and out of the house all day, so I know I’m not the only one who heard, “You’re air-conditioning the neighborhood!”  (Even though I might have kept the door open for maybe 5.6 seconds longer than necessary.) 

I get it, though. 

They were raising kids, working hard, watching the bills stack up, and always juggling that list of things you wish you could afford, but can’t. 

Sharing your AC with the whole neighborhood? Definitely not on the list of expenses for the day. 

And Grubhub? Had it been around back then, it would have been a solid NO from my mom. I can hear it now: Eat what’s in the fridge if you’re hungry. 

Even though they were frugal, they found a way to buy me my first “real” camera when I was in high school.

And then there was my dad– a real rule follower and the best dad on earth.

More on Dad

Jump forward some years…somewhere in my early 30s, I mentioned receiving a speeding ticket to my dad. 

“How?” he asked (he was a man of few words).

To which I replied with an indignant tone, “I got a speeding ticket because I drive so many more miles than the average person doing this sales job, so my chance of getting a ticket is so much greater!”

Without looking up from his work, he said in a low voice, “Not if you were going the speed limit.” 

– Silence –

I had nothing but a smile. He had me with that.

It amazes me years later, thinking about how he could distill anything down to what’s important, worthy of time or not, and right from wrong. 

The Lessons I Learned From Him & My Journey Into Pet Photography

Like me, my dad loved photography. 

He always captured our vacations, our childhood, our pets, and life. 

He rarely printed them larger than a 4 x 6, and most have been lost by now. I really wish he had made an album of all those memories– there are so many I’d love to go back and relive through his photography.

He never made over $45,000 a year. He liked his job but didn’t love it. 

Then, as soon as he retired, he did some similar work on his own, and that year, he made more money than he made in any other year. 

Almost double, actually.

I remember him saying, “I should have done this years ago.”  

And then a year after he retired, he had a stroke and could no longer work. 

This made me think… life is short. 

So take photographs of who and what you love.

Make the album and relish in the memories.

And especially – love what you do and who you do it with.

I love photographing dogs and horses and doing cool things with the cool people that I care about.  

Pet Photographer

I’m grateful for my pet photography business because I love to make people smile, photograph their furry family members, and document their lives. 

I wake up every day excited about what I do. 

So thank you, Dad, for helping me distill all this down to what I need to do.

I think making people smile makes the world a better place.

So, if you love dogs, horses, and the outdoors, hang with me here. My hope is that these blog posts will make your day just a little bit more awesome than before you read them. 

And speaking of the outdoors, I just cracked the slider so I could hear the birds and breezes, and in the back of my mind, I can hear my mom say, “Close the slider! It’s 90 degrees out and you’re air conditioning the neighborhood!”