2014 Dog Calendar - Vote Here! | Pet Photographer

It's time to vote at last!  Over the past two months I've photographed 19 dogs and 1 cat from all over Georgia - ranging from Dahlonega in the north to Warner Robbins in the south.

I've heard all sorts of stories about these four-footers, both heartbreaking and delightful.  But no matter their beginnings, there's one thing they all have in common: they're now loved by some of the most wonderful people in Georgia.

As much as I'd like to put all of these guys in the calendar, there can only be twelve.  And because it's such a tough decision, I'm asking you out there to help me choose!  Starting Monday, 29 July and running through Friday, 2 August the polls will be open for your vote.

Those who are selected for the calendar will win a free copy for their human friends.  And yes, the calendars will be available for purchase, with $5 from each sale going to CAREing Paws; Georgia's own non-profit animal therapy group.

It's up to you how you do it - vote for as many as you like, as often as you like!  Just remember that the poll closes at 11:59pm EDT on Friday.  Thumbnails for each pet are shown below, or you can see them larger in the gallery on my Facebook page by clicking HERE.  And there's a video slideshow of all the candidates plus some bonus images, which you can watch HERE.

Android & iPhone Users:  It's been brought to my attention that you're unable to see the voting form.  Click HERE to visit a page on my website where you can vote.  Thanks for playing!

Poll open: Mon-Fri, 29 July - 2 August, 2013
Happy Voting!

2014 Dog Calendar - Model Shoots

Just like the little guy in the photos above, we've been looking here, there and everywhere for dogs to grace our 2014 Dog Calendar.  And I've been having a hugely fun time meeting these dogs and their owners.

Since the start of June, four-footed laddies and lassies from as far north as Dahlonega to as far south as Warner Robbins have been posing for my camera.  So far there are 12, but there are more to come.  Soooo... what do I do with so many models?  Only 12 can make it into the calendar.

I'm throwing it out to you to help me decide which pups will be in next year's calendar.  The last shoot will take place on Saturday, 27 July and after that I'm going to open up a poll on this blog.  But you'll have to be quick - it's only going to be open for three days!

UPDATE: THE POLL WILL BE OPEN ALL NEXT WEEK - Monday to Friday!

Watch this space to vote: Mon-Fri, 29 July - 2 August 2013.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CANDIDATE SLIDESHOW!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

Same Sex Marriage & Photographers - What's Your Stance?

In an article titled "Colliding causes: Gay rights and religious liberty (click HERE for original article), Deseret News writer Sara Israelsen-Hartley discussed a lawsuit brought against Albuquerque, NM photographer Elaine Huguenin.

Huguenin's crime?  She declined a prospective client who wanted her to take wedding photos of their same-sex marriage.  Her reason for not taking the shoot was that it conflicted with her religious beliefs.  The New Mexico Human Rights Commission found in favour of the plaintiff and fined Huguenin $6000; the cost of the plaintiff's lawyers, for discrimination.

My question for you is:  Should photographers be forced to accept photo shoots that conflict with their personal tenets?

Answer the survey and feel free to leave a comment.  Please keep it nice folks - any inflammatory comments will be deleted, as will comments containing foul language.

Survey - Should It Stay or Should It Go Now...?

The cold snap we had last week made me think about last winter's snowfall.  A good deal of Georgia either freaked out or rejoiced, depending on how much milk and bread you had or if it was a school day.  You Northerners can stop snickering now.  Okay stop.  Pretty please?

My husband and I had plenty of food in the pantry and although we ran out of milk, we did have some not-so-awful-tasting powdered milk that worked well with copious amounts of hot chocolate mix.  In fact, we didn't leave the house for three days and then it was only to sight-see at the mayhem and buy ice cream from the supermarket.  Go figure.

Anyhow, back to my point.  I took a series of photos of the snow, including this one below.  My question for you is: what do you think of the photo?  Is it worthy of being added to my website gallery or should it hit the circular file?  Have a look at the photo and then answer the survey.  All votes are anonymous but feel free to leave feedback in the comments section below. 

SKP PhotoTips

Today we're launching a section with tips for how to get more out of your photography. We have some topics in mind for upcoming posts, but first we want to find out what you want to learn.

Take a moment to fill out the survey below and teach us what we can do to help you.