A Year Later: A Dream Come True

I've always loved animals. In fact, I've never had less than two at once in my house, sometimes, as many as four. All of my family's pets have been adopted from shelters, so I've been passionate about rescue my entire life. When I first started photography, I considered the idea of reaching out to local shelters and asking if I could photograph their adoptable animals. And I did. But...between the constant level of overworked and understaffed that most rescue groups are, and the fact that the emails were coming from an 11 year old, none responded.

Last May, that changed. I went to a "Kitten Shower" hosted by my local Humane Society. They had some of their youngest kittens and were having a kitten party to raise donations and supplies. I'd reached out earlier that day through their social media to ask if I could bring my camera and capture a few images of the cats interacting with the guests and each other. They said that would be fine, and I loved getting to photograph those tiny kittens. As I was leaving, one of the volunteers asked if she'd seen me on the news-I'd been interviewed about my Suffs experience, where I'd actually mentioned that next goal was to photograph shelter animals. Turns out, she was the same woman who'd allowed me to bring my camera that evening! I brought up volunteering, and while I was younger than most volunteers, she said she'd see what she could do. I was thrilled!

She reached out the next morning, and sent me an application-including a requirement for my mom to chaperone as well as get the animals from thheir crates for safety reasons. A few days later, Elizabeth, the volunteer coordinator, emailed me and offered me the (volunteer) job! When I tell you I squealed-I squealed. The next week, on June 12, one year ago yesterday, I went into thhe shelter and explained that I was a photo volunteer. Elizabeth gave me my first subject, Shalimar. He was a sweet, adorable, wild pit bull mix puppy. I took him outside to one of the Humane Society's "Henry's Houses", which have little fenced yards, where I let Shalimar safely run free. I threw tennis balls, bribed him with treats to sit and pose, and took photos of him running and playing. The next day I sent my images to Shana, the amzing adoption specialist I now check in with weekly.

Since then, I've photographed well over 200 animals, and had so much fun. I can't fully articulate how much this means to me. Getting to help shelter pets get adopted has always been a dream of mine, and getting to specifically use photography to do that-it's incredible. This passion project is so important to me.

When we adopted Blizzy, my sweet husky, it was partially because we first saw her photo on the shelter's website, and so I'll always be grateful for that photographer, for catching our eyes with Blizzy looking so mischievious and cute. I wanted to do that.

I wanted to use my talents to help these beautiful animals find loving homes-and thankfully, for the last year, that's what I've done.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and thank you, especially, to all the kind volunteers and staff at the Lexington Humane Society. One thing I've learned over the past year is how many it takes to help shelter animals find loving homes, and how tirelessly they work. I've watched shelter staff and volunteers fight for the creatures in their care, I've seen them get emotional over animals with sad stories, and I've watched them cheer when long term residents find forever homes. I've watched them tackle the less glamorous parts of animal rescue-cleaning crates, walking dogs in poor weather, treating illness-and I've watched them give treats and belly rubs and love the adoptable animals as they likely do their own pets. I'm so thankful to get to know so many of those wonderful people and to be the tiniest part of that very important work. Thank you all for making this experience what it is.

The Trip of A Lifetime-Part Two

To see the galleries from the events I photographed, check out my portfolio!

To read about part one of my trip, check out my blog post here!

Friday I had some time to begin editing and spend with my parents exploring before we went to see Just in Time. I knew it would be a fun night when I got to see the sweetest press agents for the show, Hannah and Nina, at the entrance of the the theatre before we waked in. The show tells the story of famed singer Bobby Darin's life. Just in Time is a beautiful, fast-paced, new musical that stars Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, and Gracie Lawrence along with an incredibly talented ensemble. I loved this show, and I especially loved seeing Valeria perform. The three Sirens-Valeria, Christine, and Julia-never stop moving dring the course of the show- they're always onstage, singing and dancing amazingly. I don't know how they manage the many quick changes they have! After the show, we waited in the lobby of the Circle in the Square Theatre for Valeria. We got to talk with her outside for a few minutes, and we planned to get coffee with her that Sunday. It was such a fun evening, spent with family, and seeing an amazing show.

Saturday was the "two-doe-shay" of our trip. We got up and had breakfast in the Upper East Side, then we got ready for show #1- Real Women Have Curves! Based on the 2002 movie, Real Women Have Curves tells the story of undocumented factory workers finding joy, hope, and family. The show has themes of resilience, family, and hope-and spectacular music. I loved the show! It was fun and beautiful, and my mom and I are still singing the songs weeks later. After seeing RWHC, we got ready for show #2- Pirates! The Penzance Musical! Before the show, we had one of my favorite parts of the trip; dinner with the amazing Jenny Anderson-my photo hero! Jenny is every bit as kind as she is talented, and I love being in her orbit. My Dad asked for her thoughts on almost every show of the season, and they discussed upcoming Tony noms while my mom and I wanted to hear all about her recent BOOK RELEASE and subsequent press events. It was surreal when my mom pulled out a copy of Jenny's new book and she signed it for me-it's currently in a prime spot on my bookshelf. It was so nice to see her and catch up. When we finished dinner, we realized it was pouring rain-and the radar said it wouldn't stop for an hour. My parents and I were already dressed up, ready to go to the show. We didn't know what to do. We tried to call an Uber, but there were none in the area and the app said it would take 20 minutes for one to get to the restaurant- the show would be starting by then! Jenny, being a true New Yorker, ran into the street, in the rain, and hailed a taxi for us. We ran out, thanked her, and hopped in. Jenny to the rescue!

We got to the theatre, and settled in our seats. Pirates! is a fun, sweet revival starring Jinxx Monsoon, David Hyde Pierce, and Ramin Karimloo and full of silliness and laughter with some thought provoking seriousness mixed in. Kelly was incredible in her role, and I was so proud watching her shine on a Broadway stage. Kelly's whole family was at the show, and I mean an entire cheering section, but she made sure I still got to snag a moment to hug her and thank her for letting me photograph her on opening. 

On Sunday morning, we had coffee with Valeria at a busy spot near our hotel and her theatre before her call time. It was so nice to get to hang out with her and hear about her experiences, and getting to spend time with her was a highlight of the entire trip. Then I got ready for the opening red carpet for Real Women Have Curves, one of the shows we'd seen the day before! The same amazing press agents, Amy, Marta and Nicole, who I'd met and worked with at Suffs, were working on RWHC, and when I discovered that I decided to reach out and see if there was any space on the carpet. I was so excited when they said yes!

So Sunday afternoon, I found myself on another Broadway carpet, and I was surrounded this time by kind photographers I had met at other carpets, many of whom I now consider friends. It was such a good feeling to take my spot on the carpet and know everyone around me was supportive and had my back. It felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. The talented cast walked first, and it was amazing to photograph these people I'd watched perform so beautifully just the day before. After the cast, the celebrities and VIPs walked. This included Lin-Manuel Miranda (again!) and his family- his wife, the incredible Vanessa Nadal, and his amazing parents Luz and Luis, as well as Sara Bareilles, Karine Jean-Pierre, Henry Munoz, Barry and Fran Weissler, Ana Villafane, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and more. This was such a fun carpet that was bursting with so much energy and joy, and it was an honor to capture that. 

The next morning, it was time to sadly bid farewell to the Big Apple. We had coffee with dear family friends, wandered to the Tudor overpass to snap a few pics, and it was time to grab our bags and head to the airport. I'd finished all the fun-now it was time for the mountain of editing!

I'm so deeply grateful to everyone who made this trip happen. Thank you, of course, to my parents for supporting me and helping me manage everything. Thank you to Hannah and Nina, the wonderful Polk and Co. press agents who allowed me to be on the Just in Time carpet-and made this trip happen. Thank you to Jackie for letting me photograph Lumi and being so kind. Thank you to Chaliece and Ashlyn, the amazing press agents who gave me permission to follow Kelly backstage. Thank you to Kelly, for trusting me with capturing such an important day of her life. Thank you to the spectacular Marta and Nicole, who not only allowed me to be on the carpet for RWHC, but, last year, took a chance on the random eleven-year-old who's never done a red carpet before and reached out expecting nothing. Thank you so much.

This trip was filled to the brim with opportunities, experiences, exciting moments, and so much joy. These six days in the city were six days I know I'll always remember.

The Trip of A Lifetime- Part One

To see more of my photos from the events, check out my portfolio!

Last month, I got to take the trip of a lifetime. I got to go to New York City to photograph two red carpets, an actress getting ready for her first Broadway opening, and Lumi, the famed social media samoyed.

I was in the city for almost a week, and it was the most amazing trip! We arrived on a Tuesday evening and settled in after a delicious dinner and a stop for sweet treats. The next morning my mom and I set out for the West Village. When we got there, we met up with Lumi and Jackie, his mom, who was so kind and sweet. We walked all over the picturesque neighborhood, and I took photos of beautiful Lumi- which wasn't hard because he's so photogenic! I'd followed this fluffy samoyed on social media for years, and when I found out I was going to NY, I reached out to see if I could photograph him. I was so surprised and excited when Jackie said yes! Getting to photograph Lumi was a dream come true-and it was only the start of the trip!

After I photographed Lumi, my mom and I went back to our hotel and got ready for the second half of my day-the red carpet for Just in Time. This event was the reason for the whole trip. I reached out to their brilliant press agents in March, and asked for a spot on the red carpet. I've been a fan of Jonathan Groff forever, and I had the privilege of singing in an ensemble with Erika Henningson a few years ago, but I have an even more special connection to the show- my incredible cousin, Valeria Yamin, is a Siren in the show, and she also understudies the role of Connie Francis. At the time that I reached out to the press team, I'd actually never met Valeria in person-my family is really big and she and I have always lived several states apart-but I knew I'd love the chance to photograph her. Especially for her first Broadway opening. To my excitement, the kind press agents said they'd love to have me on the carpet!

The first part of the carpet was with the celebrities and VIPs, who walked the carpet on their way into the theatre to watch the opening performance. This star-studded list included Lea Michelle, Patti Murin, Colin Donnell, Fran Drescher, Daniel Radcliffe, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Philipa Soo, just to name a few.

The second part of the carpet was after the show, at the opening night party. This was when I got to photograph the cast. Near the end of the carpet, Valeria arrived. After she walked the carpet, the sweetest moment happened. I had just finished taking my photo of her, and she thanked me and then froze, recognizing me. "What's your name?" she asked. "Isla," I responded. "Isla! You're my cousin!" she cried, hugging me. I'll never forget the pure joy of that moment. She then introduced me to her immediate family members who were there, all of whom were so sweet and kind. It was such a special moment to meet these wonderful “new” cousins and family. I had already had such an incredible experience, and it was just day one!

The following morning was spent getting ready for a day I'll always remember. I was going to follow the talented and beautiful Kelly Belarmino as she got ready for the opening of her first Broadway show, Pirates! The Penzance Musical. This was incredibly special to me-Kelly was the Liesl to my Brigitta in a regional production of The Sound of Music that I was in a couple years ago. Kelly truly became a big sister to all of us von Trapp kids, and when I found out I was going to be in the city at the same time as her opening, I knew I wanted to be a part of her special day.

I originally reached out to see if I could get to be on the carpet, but the opening events were very competitive and I hadn’t gotten approval yet. I was disappointed, but then I got an idea-since Kelly was the reason I wanted to be there, what if I reached out to her and asked if I could photograph her getting ready for the carpet backstage? I proposed the idea to her, and I was so excited when she said yes!

On Thursday, the day of the opening, I went to the Todd Haimes Theatre about two hours before the red carpet. I got to go backstage to Kelly's dressing room, which was fascinating because I'd never been in a Broadway dressing room! I walked in, and when Kelly saw me, she stopped mid-conversation and hugged me. It felt so special to be there with her in that moment. As she started to get ready, I took photos of her putting on her makeup and doing her hair. She's beautiful on a bad day, and that day she was stunning. This was the first time I'd ever gotten to do this type of photography, and getting to explore it with Kelly was such an incredible experience. I've been a huge fan of Jenny Anderson's work for years, and her photography is heavily centered on backstage Broadway. I studied her work while I was preparing for this, and I definitely took some inspiration.

Getting to be backstage at a Broadway theatre, capturing these moments that no one on the other side of the curtain ever really gets to see was an honor. And getting to capture those moments for Kelly and capture the exuberence and excitement of her special day-there aren't even really words to describe the joy I felt as I stood in the dressing room that day. After she got ready, I took photos of her on the red carpet, and then I took some portraits of her on the balcony of the Todd Haimes Theatre. I came back to the theatre a few hours later, after a quick dinner with my parents, and some time spent with family and friends, to photograph curtain call. This experience was amazing, and I'll never forget it.

One of the happiest surprises of the day was when Nicole Wilson, an incredible photographer I'd had the honor of meeting and befriending at the Redwood red carpet, walked into the dressing room. She was there to photograph Samantha Williams, who delivers an amazing performance as Mabel in the show. Sammie was sharing the dressing room with Kelly, so for part of the afternoon, Nicole was in the room with me. It was so nice to see her, and it made me feel so much more comfortable. The curtain call portion of a show openeing can be intimidating, especially when you're new. The press waits in the back of the theatre as the lights go down, and when the room is dark, you have to run down the aisles and set up for photos before the light scome up for bows, which is usually under a minute. Nicole was going to the same area of the theatre for her shots, and made me feel safe as she helped me make my way down the pitch black aisles. I got some good shots of Kelly's opening night bows, and had a second to look around and take it all in before stopping on the way out of the theatre to thank wonderful press agents Chaliece and Ashlynn for letting me be part of it. The entire day was incredible.

Left: Kelly and I April 2025. Right: Kelly and I during Sound of Music.

To read about the rest of the trip, check out part two!