She Talks to the Animals

Photograph by Sharon Montrose
Sharon Montrose's photographs of animals make me so happy.
Have you heard about her? I found her over at The Storque, a blog at Etsy, and I'd love to tell you a little bit about her. Maybe you'll hear echos of your own story in hers.

Sharon first discovered her love of photography in high school, but found that when she started a photography business, doing head shots, weddings, and portraits, the love faded away. But when her family got a dog, she started taking photos of it, and guess what. The love came back! She didn't have to pose or style animals--in fact, she couldn't if she tried. She just had to capture who the animal was, just as it came to her.

Eventually Sharon started doing commercial photography for pet food companies and industrial advertising, but she continued to do her own work just for herself. People discovered that work and liked it, and now she sells her photographs in her Etsy store, Sharon Montrose Photographs.


Photograph by Sharon Montrose
Why do I find these photographs so incredibly beautiful? Maybe it's because she doesn't add anything to the animals. The white background lets me focus on the creature itself, the contrast between the softness of breast feathers and the sharpness of its talons. How the top feathers (I'm sure there's a better word for those--sorry, no owl vocabulary here) look like fins to me.

I love the donkey's spiky mane. Its kind face and short little legs.

Photograph by Sharon Montrose

I'm crazy about these guys too.

Photograph by Sharon Montrose
I mean, who could imagine up creatures like that?

And I want a huge portrait of this guy for my living room.

Photograph by Sharon Montrose
Every day I'd walk by it and be forced to recite Eve Merriam's poem, The Birthday Cow. Do you know it?
Happy Mooday to you,
Happy Mooday to you.
Happy Mooday,
Dear Yooday.
Happy Mooday to you.

So what do you think? How do we keep the love in our work? What's your secret?

Have a great Wednesday, y'all.
And enjoy watching Sharon in action. She sure has a lot of fun.

Love, Becky