Out on the trail, the Inland Northwest sky was doing that boring grey thing it always does around here — dull, flat, like a sheet of printer paper that gave up on its dreams.
But Bella? My big, white mountain queen? She was glowing.
She stood tall, grounded like a legend, all four paws sunk into the rock and dirt like she owned it.
Which, let’s be honest, she does.
This wasn’t just a random snap at one of our favorite hiking trails in Liberty Lake, Saltese Uplands Conservation Area. It was my entry for a global photography challenge called Four on the Floor, offered by my friends Craig and Charlotte who operate Unleashed Education.
The rules: one dog, standing still, all paws touching, no distractions. Just pure portrait power.
Out of hundreds of entries, we made the top 20 — and yeah, I’m cool with that. But I’m not in this game for internet points.
I’m in it for you.
And your dog.
And that ride-or-die connection the two of you have.
Honing my skills
I’m always pushing myself to be better. To learn more. To see more.
I enter challenges like this because they stretch me creatively and technically — and that means you get a better experience when you step in front of my lens with your own dog.
In a few weeks, I start a four-month challenge called Emerge. We get a new theme every two weeks and I submit an image for feedback from Craig and Charlotte, two of the world’s best dog photographers.
It’s my job to push myself to create something fresh, thoughtful and technically strong. It isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s intense. And I can be pretty damn competitive when it comes to getting into the top 20 and top 10.
It lights me up in a way that directly benefits you.
Wait … what? How do I fit into this? you ask …
When you book a session with me, you’re not just hiring someone who knows how to work a camera. You’re choosing someone who’s constantly leveling up — refining posing, composition, expression and lighting — so I can deliver images that stop you in your tracks and make your heart flip.
Your dog deserves more than basic.
Your dog deserves more than a “couple cute shots.”
Your dog deserves to be seen the way you see them — powerful, goofy, wise, wild, loyal, stubborn, soulful… all of it.
So I push myself to be better. All the time.
Because I don’t do cookie cutter.
I don’t do safe.
I don’t do boring.
And I sure as hell don’t do “good enough.”
When you book a session with me, you’re signing up for a wild, muddy, tail-waggin’ adventure with someone who gives a damn — about your dog, your story and making art that actually means something.
So yeah, maybe that sky was flat as hell. But Bella?
She was glorious.
And your dog will be, too.
