My Top 10 Images of 2025
2025 brought some really bright highs — and some days that asked a lot of me.
I photographed dogs for my favorite kind of client — the "my dog is my whole personality" crowd, my people — plus a few big, pinch-me projects, including a custom installation for Boehringer Ingelheim at the Braves Turner Field dugout starring Ozzie Albies dogs and sessions with dogs like Ryder, the Dalmatian you may recognize from Instagram and TikTok.
Behind the scenes, I lost my heart dog, Lira, and that grief changed the shape of my year. I also finally got a name for one of the health issues I've been battling — cyclic vomiting syndrome — and I've been learning how to work and live inside a new normal.
The constant thread through all of it: showing up, making art, and photographing the dogs that make a house feel like home.
Here are my 10 favorite images from the year, and the stories behind them.
Stoney & Sierra: Pugs on a Vintage Truck for Main Street Auto
Main Street Auto, an Atlanta-based mechanic chain, hired me to photograph a calendar featuring dogs and cars. I said yes immediately.
Fun fact: I grew up hanging around Lanier Motor Speedway, where my dad and uncles raced stock cars. These days, my dad works with Bryson Lopez Racing as pit crew and rig driver for their Pro Trucks and Super Late Models. This project felt weirdly full-circle.
When we needed a truck with personality at the last minute, we called our friend Stephanie — car aficionado and all-around hero. She rolled up in a stunning vintage blue pickup, plus her assistants Stoney and Sierra. The pugs took one look at the camera and posed like professionals.
Five Black Labs on the Steps (Athens, GA)
I didn't do much competition-driven work in 2025, but I made one exception.
I'd had a concept in mind for a while: black dogs peeking around the columns on UGA's North Campus — clean architecture, early light, that striking contrast you only get with dark coats. Donna met me at sunrise with five dogs before 6 AM, which is heroic.
And her dogs? Impeccable. They listened like they had signed a contract. Getting five dogs in a single frame with beautiful expressions and no head swaps requires a lot of trust — from the dogs, from their person, and from a lot of patience on both sides. We got it.
Ryder in the Green: Spotted Dog in Golden Light
I’m a sucker for natural framing, leading lines, and the rule of thirds—and this photo of Ryder has all three working at once.
Ryder isn’t just a long-haired Dalmatian with serious presence… he’s also a dog influencer with 190K+ on TikTok (@ryderthedal), so he’s very used to being admired. We made this image at one of my favorite spots, Indian Creek Park in Rutledge, GA. At the bottom of a very steep hill is a meadow that feels magical: tall grass, perfectly spaced trees, a wooden fence line, and golden-hour light that makes everything glow.
For this frame, I placed Ryder on a small rise so the fence line could lead your eye through the scene and the branches could naturally frame him overhead. Then I held a leafy branch in front of my lens to create that soft green bokeh around the edges—like a real-life vignette—while keeping Ryder crisp and clear in that little window of light.
Finley at Oakland Cemetery: Iconic Architecture
Oakland Cemetery is one of my favorite places to photograph dogs in Atlanta: seasonally beautiful, architecturally extraordinary, and usually quiet.
When Finley's mom mentioned wanting unique architectural details for his session, I knew exactly where to go. Finley is a tripod Great Pyrenees therapy dog. This session marked a major milestone — he had just completed chemotherapy. His mom received difficult news about the cancer after our shoot, which makes these portraits feel even more meaningful as a celebration of exactly who Finley is.
Cutie Paws Brand Session
I love working with local Atlanta pet brands, and Cutie Paws is a favorite. This image from our content session is the kind of storytelling moment I’m always looking for: Chance the doodle in crisp focus with that “come on, you’re invited” look, while behind him the scene melts into a soft, joyful blur—Heather playing with Shiney the Boston Terrier in the afternoon sun at one of Atlanta’s beautiful dog friendly apartment complexes.
That’s the brand in one frame: dogs having fun, handled with care, and people who feel instantly safe. Cutie Paws Pet Sitting & Dog Walking is warmth + professionalism—with a side of play.
A Love for a Lifetime
I rarely include people in my Top 10 — for me, the main story is almost always the dog.
But this image earned its place.
Sweet Echo is deeply loved by her mom, and her mom is deeply loved by her dad — and the whole frame feels like something you'd want to hold onto. The best part? It happened by accident. I usually prompt snuggle your dog and kiss their head. This time I wasn't clear. Dad leaned in to kiss Mom's forehead instead of Echo's.
Honestly, it was even better. A small senior dog, held by the love around her, exactly where she belongs.
Tiny Dancer: Tibetan Spaniel Puppy
If you wait until a puppy is trained to schedule their session, you might miss the best part.
The phase where their personality is the whole show. Zoomies. Tiny airborne moments. Maximum chaos, maximum joy. Chime — a Tibetan Spaniel puppy with zero hesitation — gave me this frame. It's impossible not to smile.
Wildflower Puppy: Hap at Indian Creek Park
Another puppy made the list.
Hap had only been with his family a short time when we met at Indian Creek Park — at the luckiest possible moment. Every few years, the rain falls just right and the meadow doesn't get mowed and the wildflowers absolutely explode. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it window, and I try to photograph as many dogs as I can during it.
And then there was the miracle inside the miracle: a puppy, still, looking right into the lens. The light soft and golden. The world paused for one quiet second.
Pure Joy: Golden Retriever Roll + Tennis Ball
What I needed most in 2025 was joy. The kind you only see in dogs.
Unbridled. Uninhibited. Totally unself-conscious. This golden retriever belly-up in the grass, paws in the air, tongue out, smiling like she just won the lottery — with the tennis ball close enough to keep an eye on, obviously. No second-guessing. No performing. Just full-body, right-now happiness.
Sansa: Fine-Art Equine Portrait on White Background
The final image on this year's list is Sansa on white.
Horses are fine art. A simple background lets them be exactly that. Photographing on black or white strips everything down to what matters: the intelligence in the eyes, the elegance of the pose, the way light sculpts muscle into shape. It's timeless, minimal, and powerful. A portrait that deserves a wall.
That was 2025: chaos, hard days, grief, beauty, grit, belly-up joy, and a whole lot of dogs.
The most meaningful photographs aren't the ones that prove everything is perfect. They're the ones that prove love is still here, right in the middle of real life.
I'm grateful for all of it.
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