"Help Animals:  Make Art"

In late February, I attended a photo shoot event for the benefit of PetPromise, a dog and cat rescue in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by El J Modeling.  PetPromise is made up of super dedicated volunteers who work together to change the future of homeless pets. 

I was not familiar with this organization before being invited to this public event.  I hope that my images from the event and related posts will help spread the word about this great organization as well as raise awareness and donations to help them continue to help so many homeless pets, many of which come to them abandoned, abused, or otherwise neglected. 

Like most group photo shoot events that I've attended over the years, I try to be as prepared as possible to include communicating with models in advance to let them know what my process is, what my expectations are, and what they can expect both during and after the shoot.  

However, each shoot event has its own unique challenges and this shoot was no exception.  For this event, the biggest challenge was limited and often small indoor spots to photograph when taking into account multiple photographers (better than expected turnout!) all competing for the "best" spots to shoot their models and most spots having minimal natural light available.  But, I thrive on being flexible and creative, so this did not prevent me from capturing great images!

Exceptional in a very positive way for this shoot was that all but one of my scheduled models made it to the event and of the six models I worked with, four of them were teenagers!  This is the first time I've attended a group shoot event with so many underage models and moms.  

Oh, and the most obvious thing about this event that was new for me -- the inclusion of foster pets to work into many of my shots!  I got to work with four adorable cats and one precious small dog.  I'm a huge animal lover and since I'm unable to have any pets of my own, it was a special treat to spend the day with these awesome foster pets.

And so much positive has come from this shoot.  I've met some really cool people who were so much fun to work with.  I've helped support a cause that means a lot to me personally.  And, I even wound up with four images from this shoot that were published.  

With all of that said, please enjoy these great edited images from the event!