“I’M RIGHT WHERE I’M SUPPOSED TO BE”

….That was the opening line of an article that was written about my pet photography business, Cherry Willow Photography, in a local newspaper. Apparently I had said that during the interview and it rang so true to me as I was reading the published article. It has plastered a huge smile on my face and I knew that I needed to take a deeper dive into what that means to me. Come along for the journey of how I ended up here and why I absolutely adore photographing dogs. I am a pet exclusive fine art pet photographer in Westchester County, NY and it is the BEST job on the planet.

Visit my Website by clicking https://cherrywillowphotography.com

As my very first blog post, I have decided to write about how on earth I wound up as a Pet/Dog Photographer. At the ripe old age of 15, I would have bet all the money I had on me (which was probably about $20 bucks) that I was going to be a Zoologist. Close enough, right? I was on to something in knowing that I had a deep love for animals and somehow needed to work with them.

I have been a dog lover since my first black Labrador Retriever named Sheana at the age of 8. Oh but that’s not all. Our family household had seen its share of animals including cats, ferrets, parakeets, fish, & newts. My husband of now 25 years had not grown up with pets of any kind. No worries, I helped him with that void. Over the course of our marriage, I have come home without any heads up at all or even a “honey I may have done a thing” with a long-haired rabbit, bearded dragons, geckos, a Senegal parrot and even a Chinese Crested puppy that I flew to Detroit to pick up one random afternoon.

Backing up a bit though, my true deep love and connection is with dogs and truly began with the adoption of an ex-racing greyhound I named Pharaoh. I was a 21 year old Miss who had happened upon a greyhound rescue day and I was immediately smitten with this breed of dog I never even knew existed and then fell in love with “the cause” of rescuing these gentle souls from the tracks… and so I did ! As I stood in the gated area where a dozen greyhounds frolicked around with silly dog antics, this overly tall pup walked to my side as calm as a cucumber and never left it. He was not taking No for an answer. He found me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ahhhh, Pharaoh [sigh]. He was a large blue brindle male that I am convinced was a reincarnated soul. He was indeed half human and would slyly take just deli turkey or rotisssiere chicken out of the newly bought grocery bags with such trickery and quietly open doors around the house with his mouth, BUT only when he thought no one was looking. So much more, but those oddly stand out to me. He was the most special soul dog and gave us a generous 14 1/2 years of unconditional love.

As for a career, I built up a pet services business, which became successful quite quickly. During the course of taking care of pets for 8 years, I used my love of photography to provide fun and also informative feedback to pet parents. Who doesn’t want a super close up pic of their fur baby’s little teefers or stinky little “toe beans” while hard at work?

With no Fur Babies in our household after the passing of our Greys, I decided to foster dogs and it was just what I needed. We hadn’t had dogs to love on for many years. Giving back, supporting causes I believe in and donating time are very important to me and it just felt right. We fostered through multiple agencies until finding one that we truly loved working with. As I should have known the outcome of that…100% foster fail in the making….

Milo was a 4 month old pup we fostered and I knew from the moment we picked him up from transport (came in from Puerto Rico) he was uber-super special. My daughter, Emily, had come with me for the foster pick up so she can soothe the newbie bundle on the ride home. This time it was different. This time this tiny pup crawled into her lap and fell asleep comfortably and without reservation, as if he just belonged, as if he found home already. I looked at my daughter with her big loving OMG eyes and I said out loud “uh-oh”. Milo had found his home, he just knew it first…. It took us humans a few days to figure it out. He picked us and we wouldn’t have it any other way. He is now 7 years old and the pup in the Cherry Willow photo on the home page…and how I came to name my company. He is my muse and I have photographed him endlessly.

Click https://cherrywillowphotography.com/about to visit my ‘about me’ page

Cherry Willow Photography was the love child between my full time pet care business and my ongoing hobbyist photography lifestyle. Although a hobbyist for more than 15 years, I decided to dedicate a few years to really learning the craft professionally by enrolling in a 2 year mentorship program for overall camera mastery and photography skills and also taking countless workshops and seminars specifically for pet photography by the best of the best award winning pet photographers in the industry.

I am beyond thrilled and couldn’t have dreamed up a better fitting career – one that I am so passionate about. I specialize in on-location adventure photoshoots, where we plan out a session at a preserve, meadow, historic landmark, waterfront park, etc. The location and experience are important. They go together in creating a legacy image of wall art or an album to cherish for a lifetime. Some of my favorite questions to the dog-parents are: “Envision a cherished portrait of your dog, what does it look like? where are you? What would put a huge smile on your face every time you walked by this image? What is your vision? and most important…How do you want to feel when you look at this image of your pup years down the road?” I want to help you create a piece of personalized wall art that makes your heart happy. I want you to go beyond a few digitals on your phone. I want you to have a beautiful memorable experience in the process as well.

These beautiful locations are found throughout Westchester, Putnam, Duchess, Rockland, counties, New York and in nearby Fairfield Connecticut including Ridgefield, Wilton, New Canaan, Danbury and Greenwich to name a few. I continuously scout new preserves, parks and the most scenic places on a weekly rotating basis to give you the best. Some of the towns I frequent often include Armonk, Chappequa, North Salem, Pleasantville, Tarrytown, Bedford and in Connecticut: Greenwich, Danbury, Ridgefield, Wilton & New Canaan to name a few.

I offer a full service experience and I am here every step of the way in creating a piece of magic that showcases the love you have for your pet. I am honored to be partnered with one of the premiere photo labs, Graphi Studios in Italy. They service only professional photographers so I am pleased to be able to bring this museum quality luxury service to my clients. Show stopping prints, wall decor and albums of your fur baby will be Italian imported fine art lux products. Plain and simple…your dog is the star of the show!

…..And that is how I got here. Now that I am here, reach out to schedule your complimentary consult. Can’t wait to meet you!

https://cherrywillowphotography.com/contact to Go straight to my contact me page to send an inquiry or message. I would LOVE to hear from you