100 Dogs Photographed in One Year.
FROM REBECCA:
At the start of 2021, I decided to set some goals for myself in my business and photography life for the year. I had what I called “Will Do” goals that were realistic and very attainable with a little effort. I also made a list of “Want to Do” goals that included some specific things that could definitely be done but might need more time and effort to pull them off. Last, I made a goal category I titled “Wildest Dreams”. This was for specific goals that seemed a bit ambitious.
One of my wildest dreams goals for 2021 was to photograph 100 dogs. Between photographing rescue dogs for Planned Pethood and documenting my growing base of canine clients, I knew I would have a good start there. But 100 is a lot! Two dogs a week seemed somewhat high with all of the other types of work I do as well. However, I am an all in kind of person so if we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna go big.
There was a slight snag in my planning… I got pregnant and was due to have our first child in the middle of September. That meant I would be on maternity leave for 12 weeks, time I could have been using to photograph more pups for my goal. I suddenly had 40 weeks instead of 52.
Family is important to me. I have struggled to keep good work/family boundaries in the past (what small business owner doesn’t?) and I decided to be firm about taking my time off with my newborn. So what did I do? I worked extremely hard to meet my goal before my son was born. Going into my time off, I had photographed 88 dogs.
On December 12th (exactly 12 weeks after our baby was born) I pulled out my camera and photographed a litter of eight newborn rescue puppies. Their mom, plus three other rescues a week later, and I met my year end goal! I created portraits of 100 toledo area dogs in 2021.
This personal project kept me inspired and driven. It gave me amazing experience and challenged my abilities. I got to work with new breeds and personalities. I got to play with new lighting and colors. It absolutely made me better at my job.
I hope you enjoy all 100 of these beautiful spirits. Each one left a piece of themselves in my heart. Maybe this project can inspire you that you can accomplish amazing things in the new year!
You can also view our Instagram Highlight to see each dog.
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