Happy 4th of July everyone!
Visited my favorite animal shelter, Stray Haven again and here’s a showcase of the cool cats AND pups I met this time…
Lilly at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
Lilly… brought in with her sister or companion, Baby Girl
Baby Girl at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
came from a family that could no longer keep them. They have been in the shelter since February and would love a playful family or owner who gives lots of lovings. Once you see the pictures, you’ll understand why. They give BIG kisses!
Baby Girl at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
Lilly is a little milder than Baby Girl and you can see that on her face.
Lilly at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
Baby Girl would be perfect for kids… she has spunk and energy, but is gentle enough to still give face kisses. That’s a great dog right there.
Baby Girl at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
Next to jump out of their kennel, were 3 Spaniel puppies,
Spaniel pups at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
or should I say “waddle” because they were just fed and their bellies were enormous. Too funny!
Spaniel pups at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
Like all pups they are super soft, adorable and friendly.
Spaniel pups at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
This little one kept crawling up my leg while I was trying to photograph.
Spaniel pups at Stray Haven, Waverly NY by The Camera’s Eye
None of these pups were “nippers” which I really like because I can rarely see anything around me while I’m shooting and like to keep my gear in one piece ; )
Then we moved on to a super interesting cat, Sam. Sam, the fat cat was brought to the kennel when his owner passed away.
Sam at Stray Haven by The Camera’s Eye
He is the biggest cat I have ever layed my eyes on, and remember, I’m a cat lover. His paws alone are huge! So cool!
Sam at Stray Haven by The Camera’s Eye
His weight on arrival was 25.7 pounds, lol. He’s in tough competition with Garfield!
And last, but certainly NOT least were the 2 cutest, 8 week old kittens…
8 wk old kittens at Stray Haven by The Camera’s Eye
Very inquisitive lil’ buggers and friendly! One had a two-toned face and super soft fur and the other had amazing stripes.
One male and one female, not related but great litter mates.
8 wk old kittens at Stray Haven by The Camera’s Eye
They can be adopted together or alone – just like Lilly and Baby Girl. Kindred souls are they, BUT having an owner would be the best thing for all of them so adopting them separately is ok too! I couldn’t resist including this last image… I think the caption should be, “alllllright! Enough with the lovin’s already!” Email about your favorite interest, stray.haven.3@facebook.com
8 wk old kittens at Stray Haven by The Camera’s Eye
All high school seniors are someone special to me at The Camera’s Eye Studio… I spend approximately 2 hours with all of them, learn their likes and dislikes, their interests and hobbies, and definitely share some good life stories.
Senior Portraits at The Camera’s Eye Studio, Apalachin NY
Every now and then though, you’ll come by one that stays in your memory and this one happens to be THAT one. PLUS, he kicked off my Senior Season so I have such a warm fuzzy going into this 2013 Graduation Class.
Senior Portraits at The Camera’s Eye Studio, Apalachin NY
The Session started off with his parents telling me all about his hobbies and places he liked to go in our town. As I was getting the formal shot out of the way so we could move into the fun stuff, he saw an image of a baseball player on my wall and asked if we could create that image for lacrosse. I was thrilled! Of course… but I know very little of lacrosse and so asked him to educate me on the sport. No attitude, no eye-rolling, no hesitation… he just started telling me what I needed to know. Bang.. we kick that shot out too!
Senior Portraits at The Camera’s Eye Studio, Apalachin NY
The next several hours – and I honestly could have kept shooting for much longer because it wasn’t even like work – he took me to his favorite fishing spot, through a huge field in his shiny, red jeep (in which he gave me a front seat ride), to meet his dog, and to a Hose Company, Croton Hose Co. A fire department?? Hmmmm… why ask why, but because he was so friendly, you know I did! He’s a Volunteer Fireman!
Senior Portraits at The Camera’s Eye Studio, Apalachin NY
I meet a lot of interesting people in my career as a professional photographer, but this kid I will remember for a very long time. What a cool cat!
Senior portraits at The Camera’s Eye Studio Apalachin, NY
So here at The Camera’s Eye, http://www.thecameraseye.biz, it’s no secret… I love cats. I have a Studio Cat named, 2Dots that adores infants and tries to snuggle them in their baby carriers and mauls all the High School Seniors who dare sprawl out on 2Dot’s studio floor. I can’t hide her and I can’t hide my love of cats. Of course, I get a kick out of photographing them!
Last week, I visited Stray Haven Animal Shelther in Waverly NY, Stray Haven and met the animal- lovin’ staff who showed me this year’s kittens. The Staff was amazing… one woman was nursing with a dropper a lil’ set of black kittens whose eyes were barely open. So sweet! 
I asked… can I help you adopt these guys? They had no idea what I meant. A day later, I stopped in with a backdrop, props, a feather duster and anything else I knew that could attract the attention of these lil’ guys. Everybody has a thing… this is my thing. I genuinely connect with cats and so does this staff! Within 10 minutes, 6 of us (Junior, Darlene, Shanna, Lynn, Dezi and I) 
were scooping up familes of kittens,
solo kittens, all the way down to the two, lil’ buggers whose eyes were barely open. No flash- just window light and a lot of lovin’.
All these kittens are for adoption and in need of your love! Take a peek and if you see someone you like… give them a call: (607) 565-2859 or visit your interest: 194 Shepard Road, Waverly NY 14892 Stray Haven Humane Society for directions.
Describe who you saw… they will know who you’re talking about. They affectionately name all the kittens based on some attribute about their arrival or their character… it’s very very sweet. For instance, the white/ black tiger striped male to the far left in the basket is “Chunk” and when you lift him up… You’ll know why!
For more images, please visit http://www.thecameraseye.biz, click Client Proofing at the bottom after entering the site and type: Kittens
Happy hunting!
It’s common to hear artists say they “burn the midnight oil” or “come alive” once the clock hits 12:00 a.m. but I rarely hear anyone say, “That’s awesome or That’s so healthy for you!” Like many of my colleagues, at The Camera’s Eye Studio I work late into the wee hours of the night and I usually hear, “You’re crazy! Why do you do that? Whoa, Lisa… you need to sleep!”
Well everyone, I have your answer…. I’m not only a Night Owl, last night I became a Super Hero. ; ) It was about 3:00 a.m. and I was up working on Senior Graduation Announcements.
I heard this loud bang as if a construction site popped up outside my office window. Then quiet. I continued working… It happened again. I went for the flashlight and shown it towards the road outside the window… Nothing. Odd, but stranger things happen in the country. 
Ten minutes pass and I heard it again but louder this time…. I looked a the cat, she looked at me alarmingly, “Beats me Shutter, but I’m glad you’re ears are perked up too” : ) I thought, if that’s a burgular… they’re stealing the barn doors because that is LOUD! Just then we heard this huge crackling noise and BANG! Now that noise I recognized! I opened the front door at 3:30 a.m. to see an enormous tree cracked in half and covering the road with limbs and branches all the way to the very edge of the mailbox by the driveway entrance!
One 911 call to our local Fire Department and about an hour and a half later… local work traffic zoomed up and down the hill without a clue! The only trace of evidence is a totem pole (the other half of the tree) tucked into the hillside along the road.
So for all my friends and clients who say..”what are you doing up sooooo late???” I’m playing Super Hero!
When you can’t get ’em the way you want them… take what you can get! This ‘lil guy gave everyone a run for their money until his Dad ran away with him!
Thank goodness his older Sister was waaaayyyyy easier! 🙂
Every spring, The Camera’s Eye donates several packaged portrait sessions to The Valley Kiwanis to help with all the good they do year round. This year, we packaged one for a 2013 Senior, one for a newborn and one for any woman whatsoever… The Madonna Session. Because this is a new concept and a little different, my phone is ringing off the hook with this question, “what on Earth is a Madonna Session???” One woman asked…”What is a Madonna Session… MY HUSBAND won it for me!” I thought that was super sweet because I’m sure he didn’t know either! Some women may roll their eyes at that one… I give him a thumbs up for trying something new and taking a risk that it might be something special for her on Mother’s Day. 🙂 Obviously, he got a lil’ nervous because she called this week and Mother’s Day is May 13th, hee hee. ; )-
So a Madonna Session is a session that simply celebrates Women. Single women, working women, retired women; Moms…moms with 5 children, stay-at-home moms, moms with babies in their bellies, moms who split their lives in sections to be all the people they need to be in one day: wife, mom, money-maker, house cleaner and fabulous chef! You think of her and we want to celebrate her life by giving her a session where the world slows down a bit. Coffee, tea and mid-morning snacks to start the session, a hair and makeup stylist and then some quality portraiture to make her feel incredible. And it doesn’t have to be our style…. it’s about her style. She’s a gardener… well then, we’re going to photograph in the garden. We usually invite her best friend or sister or mother for some solid estrogen support and then we photograph that person with her because obviously she’s there for a very good reason… 
Here’s a few samples of a new mom and an expecting mom. It just happened to be that my most recent Madonna shoots revolved around pregnancies, but they don’t have to at all. If you have a question about a Madonna Session that I didn’t answer
… do post and ask. I bet someone else is thinking the very same one!
There’s something wildly fascinating about the “glow” of an expecting mother….
The Camera's Eye Studio 