Collaborations and the Dog Days of Summer

Aug 22

A sneak peek at what I have been up to!

Now that the dust has settled and summer is (sadly) coming to an end I have to share with you what ended up being my most exhausting but most fun shoot this summer! And BONUS – it was also for a good cause!

I was asked by the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of NH if I would be interested in being the photographer for an event to benefit them that was being hosted by Great North Aleworks (GNA) in Manchester, NH. I was a little unsure about it at first, not because I didn’t want to help, but because it was a mini session event format, which I have never participated in for myself nor someone else.

Participants would register for a 10-minute time slot in which they could bring one or two dogs to be photographed. The ticket price provided them a “doggie bag” with swag from ARL, GNA and Gunther’s Goodies (dog treats) as well as their choice of one digital image file from a choice of 2-4 shots I created from their mini session. My goal was to capture at least one full body/scenery shot and one headshot style image of each dog.

This would be a fast paced three-hour event with a total of 18 sessions (six with two dogs).

Hmmm…Could I do this??
How could I not??
And I’m so glad that I did!!

As a long time supporter of the Animal Rescue League I was honored to have been asked to work with them. Now, I have to give credit where credit is due. Great North Aleworks, whom I did not know of prior to this, was a phenomenal business to work with. They are an awesome small brewery with a dog friendly patio (beer and dogs - it’s a win-win!). Their event planner Kerri was a dream to work with as she coordinated the scheduling, gathering participants’ contact information for me, and facilitated the logistics of the set up. The Animal Rescue League had staff and volunteers on hand to work the check in table as well as usher participants from the patio to the shoot location. And I must credit Mother Nature for coming through with the most perfect weather in a summer when rain has dominated the forecast!

As a solopreneur the days can be lonesome sometimes. The opportunity to collaborate with others was a welcomed change. I learned a lot about running such an event and feel better about moving forward with some future mini sessions in my own business.