I have grown up with dogs my entire life. If I could be surrounded by dogs every minute of the day, I would. My dream as a kid was to own a dog farm which consisted of me living on a farm with all the stray dogs nobody wanted and giving them a happy farm to live on. To be honest, its still a dream of mine hehe. When I discovered how filled with joy people became when they saw my photos of their dogs and pets, I became addicted. My graduation gift money from my parents went straight to a Canon 5D Mark II. An open boxed one from Best Buy that was slightly outdated after a new version had just come out. My first “credit card” was opened to buy a decent lens. I started to post on Facebook, Twitter, and text my friends with pets: “Let me take photos of your dogs! For Free!” I started shooting at a dog park in my spare time and started an instagram called DogsofWhittier; featuring all the photos I would take when I visited the dog park. And the rest was history.
My love for dogs and animals shows through my photos. My patience for animals far surpasses my patience for humans. My weird high pitched sounds, whistles, clicks and clacks of my tongue and making a fool out of myself in front of the dogs’ owners to get their dog’s attention for even half a second is always worth it to get that perfect shot. If you didn’t know already (which I’m sure you all do), dogs are FAST! To get a shot of them looking into the camera takes lots of clicks, and a quick hand. You are bent, hunched, squatting, on your knees in dirt, lying on your stomach, and various other uncomfortable and unflattering positions taking these photos. 
One of the reasons I love photographing pets is because it’s hard to take a “bad” photo of a pet you love and adore. When I show the owner a photo during the session that I’ve taken, I have NEVER heard someone say “ooo thats a bad angle” or “can you take another one, but showing his good side?” It’s always positive, always happy, always a comment filled with love. You don’t have to edit out blemishes, birth marks or wrinkles. If anything, the owners look forward to seeing the distinguishing marks on their pets. Pet photography is a hobby of mine that truly brings me joy. I wish I could do it everyday of my life and am so grateful that people choose to hire me to take their pets’ photos. 
Website: www.shainamontiel.com