shadowlight photography: Charlotte and Jessie

I've known Charlotte since high school and it was a pleasure to take pictures of her with her 14 year old dog, Jessie.

Charlotte is the reason I'm involved with dogs in the first place - I was not always an animal lover.

Until I was 18 I was terrified of dogs, even Charlotte's tiny puppy, Nina. I would squeal and stand very still if Nina jumped up on my legs, because, as we all know, tiny puppies are dangerous! They might, uhh, wag their tails at you and lick you. Or worse!

But something happened when I was 18. I got dumped. It was heartbreaking, as only a teenage break-up can be, and I vowed to change my life. Something was going to be different! For some reason, I decided to volunteer at the Calgary Humane Society with Charlotte. There was no logical reason for me to do it, but I think it was fate.

I'm not sure why they put up with me for those first few months. I was worse than useless. They did, though, and things slowly started to change. First there was one dog I could pet without wincing. Then two, then three, then any of them. The night I was bitten, and still came back the next week, I knew I was a different person. It all changed over a matter of months, and it felt like becoming myself. It was so natural, and once I started getting over my fear things happened with amazing speed. It was like finding a missing piece of myself.

I adopted Tasha, started working through her issues, and the rest is history. Now I work with fearful and aggressive dogs full-time.

This may be my favorite picture so far. I love the story it tells, and I really like the lighting. I should have been using a filter, and a lens hood to prevent the flare coming in from the left, but despite that (maybe because of it) I love this shot.

Jessie. She's in great shape for her age, especially considering all her medical issues. She's a classic "challenging rescue dog", and Charlotte has done an amazing job with her. Even though the lighting at this session was not ideal - mid-day, harsh sun with little shade to work with - I really like the results.