Hello and welcome to my blog!

While I am totally new to blogging, I am really excited to start!

So, what type of things will I be blogging about?

- How to get ready for a photo shoot with or of your pup

- Hiking recommendations and information

- Our favorite human and doggo gear for adventures and camping

- Airbnb stays

- And more things dogs and adventures

Let me introduce myself a bit!

I fell in love with photography at age 15 and my love has only grown from there.

I started by photographing landscapes, nature, my pets, and my little sister. Growing up, I did a lot of dressing her up, doing her hair and a little makeup and exploring poses, lighting, and really just having a lot of fun. My dogs were a little different story - I loved them to pieces and they were my companions through all of the highs and lows of growing up. However, as cute and cuddly as they were, getting them to sit still, much less perform tricks or have any patience for my photos, was nearly impossible. They might not have been the best little models, but they were my best friends. The only books I read were dog breed books, I dressed them up, spent all my time playing with them outside, slept with them, locked them in my room while crying my eyes out over all the dramatic teenage things, and knew without a doubt that they would always always be there for me without judgment.

My OG models

Fast forward to my college days at UMD, I decided to double major in digital arts and photography, and graphic design. Most of my photography classes were focused more on art photography than portraiture, but I loved photographing people, so my friends were my subjects. I worked on some really concept-based projects and loved the psychology behind my projects but being able to make a living on that is very difficult. So I moved to traditional portraiture.

Post college, my high school sweetheart, Trevor, and I got married in Duluth, Minnesota. I dove into all aspects of portrait photography - weddings, senior photos, families, newborns and kiddos, headshots, and engagement photography for about 5 years. Then, we got our first puppy, Ember.

Ember, aka Emmy, Em and about 100 other nicknames, is an English Springer Spaniel. We decided we wanted to get a high-energy dog for our first dog so that it would help push us to get outside and be more active. We have both always been active people, but we were getting stuck in the rut of bingeing Netflix on the couch. Not only did she push us to get outside more, but she has completely inspired me in so many aspects of my life. I now live and breathe all things adventure, travel and dogs.

On day 2 of her being home with us, I introduced my camera to her and I dove right into teaching her how to pose, sit still, do tricks and best of all, know that when the camera came out, so did the treats! And from there, I fell in love with photographing dogs.

Baby Ember

I started out by photographing my friend's dogs both inside and on hikes and slowly grew more confident in my skills.

Photographing dogs is very different than photographing people. I learned tricks to get them to look at my camera, the most flattering angles, the fine detail in capturing their unique personalities and quirks, and more.

Trevor encouraged me to make an Instagram account for Ember and I was really hesitant at first- who would want to follow a dog account? Would it just totally flop?

But I decided to give it a go, and boy were all my fears squashed! My girl is now way more popular than I will ever be and I have found so much inspiration and connection with fellow dog accounts and followers! Every day I am inspired by not only fellow photographers but the people behind the accounts too. They have encouraged me, supported me, and cheered me on with her account.

I have been so passionate and excited about my dog photography for the past 5 years, but have been so nervous about launching my business as primarily a dog photographer. If the last 5 years have taught me anything, it's to go for what makes you happy. So that's exactly what I am doing. I'm going for it and I am so excited!

So hi, I'm Sammie - dog mom, dog lover and dog photographer

I can't wait to meet you and your pups and freeze time in your sessions by capturing their beauty, personality, quirks and the bond that you share!