Whenever I travel East to work with my New York dog photography clients, I always find time to accomplish a few very important New England tasks. Including, but not limited to: drinking real apple cider (made from New England apples, pressed on a real wooden press, in the plastic jug with the red plastic top), eating maple syrup (it goes on any and all foods, including snow), trespassing on some weird old property with some weird dilapidated structure, walking through corn fields, and looking up at a true blue New England sky. The East Coast inspires me.

Here’s a little wrap up of my recent New York tour:

I photographed the ‘Instant Revolution’ Polaroid/Impossible exhibit for my good friends at The Impossible Project headquareters in NYC. Mary Ellen Mark and I talked shop about photography. Pretty great.

Martini the Yorkie and I had a great Fine Art dog photography session in the West Village, where he sat on some pillows, chased some Yorkshire Terrier sized toys (ie, tiny), and we took a walk down to the piers.

I visited some galleries, met with a few analog photography mentors, and shot a LOT of film.

Then I drove out to the Beekman farm to meet with Josh and Brent of The Fabulous Beekman Boys. We’re currently collaborating on a series that illustrates the local artisan revival happening in Sharon Springs, NY. In between photography sessions with the incredible local artists, I found time to trespass (and subsequently get yelled at) – one of my favorite passtimes.

Sharon Springs is a beautiful and mysterious little town. And, to top it all off, I got to hang out with some baby goats. These guys are just 4 days old! You can hold them like a puppy. They were bouncing around their little pen, very curious and soft. Soon they’ll be producing goat milk to aid in the production of Beekman 1802 soaps, chesses, and more.

(Jennifer Juniper Stratford, Mary Ellen Mark, Gary Baseman and Maripol)

It’s exciting to see analog photography continually prove itself amidst the modern digital world. People are thirsty for originality, tangibility, realness, and a return to craftsmanship. Missing the past is a sign of wanting to connect with the familiar, and a perfect example of this is The Impossible Project’s successful resuscitation of the world of instant photography.

I was invited to photograph The Impossible Project’s recent New York exhibit “Instant Revolution,” showcasing images from Mary Ellen Mark, Maripol, Jennifer Juniper Stratford, James Franco and Gary Baseman – all on the very last remaining original Polaroid Spectra film from 2008 (the final production run Polaroid ever made). It was fascinating to see what each artist did with their film, and how the instant format was used to articulate a creative theme. A Polaroid camera is a powerful tool because it removes all inhibition and brings the photographer so incredibly close to the process of creating an image. Each artist in this curated show displayed their personas, a little bit of intimacy, in the work they exhibited. And I think so much of that had to do with the instant medium.

As I surfed the crowd, I had the pleasure of rubbing elbows with some fascinating people. I met some Polaroid reps who, along with the CEO of Impossible America mentioned a handful of Polaroid/Impossible Project collaborations for 2012. I chatted with all the artists, nerding out about composition, instant cameras, and the wonders of analog photography. And got lots of compliments on my camera tattoos. A fun night all around!

(I took all these images on Impossible Project PZ600 UV+ film, which you can buy RIGHT HERE)

(above: the one and only Gary Baseman) (below: the one and only Jennifer Juniper Stratford)

This collection of instant images was created with a Polaroid Spectra camera and Impossible Project PZ600 films.

After a long weekend in New Orleans following the trustworthy creative and emotional guide I seem to always fall back on, I feel like 2012 has finally, finally, begun. In the moments when I feel slightly less grounded as an artist, and the path in front of me is a bit clouded, I know that on the other end there will always be the truest  thing that I want. One of the first lessons I learned as a business owner was that the majority of businesses fail within the first 3 years. Because it’s hard. And I’m positive that the same can be said about artists. If you don’t have a true sense of confidence and consuming passion for the work you are creating, the inevitable roadblocks, personal challenges, and exhaustion you will face will be too much for you to handle. Originality will be sacrificed. You’ll give up.

This is why I love challenges, and constantly push myself as an artist. I will be a photographer for the rest of my life, and with every challenge I get through I am simply taking one step deeper into that life long commitment. 2012 will offer so much opportunity, collaboration, and creative growth. I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

Although I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, I can’t wait to install my 25 piece photography exhibit at the Best Friends Animal Society‘s Utah sanctuary. This exhibit has been a long time in the making, and will showcase a hand-selected collection of some of my favorite black and white dog portraits, animal photography, and Polaroid dog portraits.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is one of the world’s most celebrated animal sanctuaries, and has been the star of many a television series. Did you ever watch National Geographic’s “DOGTOWN” series, featuring Best Friend’s dog sanctuary (one of the largest no-kill sanctuaries in the country)? Here’s a great clip from DOGTOWN: www.youtube.com/watch

It’s truly an honor to be nominated for Bay Area’s Best Dog Photographer in 2012- my third year in a row! It’s because of my amazing clients, friends, and fans that awards like these happen. So really- this is a big THANK YOU to everyone out there who follows my work, reads my blog, and supports my studio through things like voicing their opinions.

Let’s make it a three-peat! Please vote for me as ‘Best Dog Photographer’ in the BayWoof’s 2012 “Beast of the Bay” competition. It’s free, easy, fun, and you don’t even have to sign in. Just click on as many or few items as you want, and tell the world who your favorite Bay Area dog businesses are personalities are.

BEST DOG PHOTOGRAPHER is question #34

Voting ends February 10, 2012 !!

Thank you so much for your continued support. If I win again this year, we’re definately going to throw a party…

To start the New Year off right, I took a little time away to relax and revive my brain. Sometimes the inner business-man in me forgets to slow down, take a break, and let the inner artist breathe a little. Creating unique, one-of-a-kind photographic series for each new client that walks in my door is incredibly exciting, but takes a lot of creative energy. I push myself to make every new image different from the last. I do not want to repeat myself. I want my clients to own artwork that is truly theirs and no one else’s. When I look around at other photographers in my field, I wonder if they sometimes forget to be unique. For me, repetition is simply not an option. My clients entrust me with their most intimate emotions, and in turn I work hard to create photographs that honor the deeply moving bond they share with their canine companions. In the end, we both win. My clients and I walk away from our project feeling a sense of calm and accomplishment, with a new body of artwork that will remain crisp and perfect for hundreds of years. The fast pace and quick printing of digital photography simply cannot carry that same weight.

To prepare for an exciting 2012, I’ve begun reading a wonderful book on the common patterns and instincts of our contemporary American photographers: The Ongoing Moment, by Geoff Dyer. His discussion about the photographer’s ‘desire for invisibility’ is a theory I strongly connect with. When I am photographing, I feel as though no one can see me, that I have entered into a secret moment in time with my subject. It’s as if the moment of picking up the camera (when the artist is truly focussed) signals the dropping of a heavy curtain between the creative moment and the rest of the world. And this intimacy and secrecy is what allows for true creativity.

When I am photographing, I am experiencing a truthful moment. And I think this is what my clients are drawn to: a photographer who can show them a truly honest, pure, and inspiring portrait of their bonded companion.