Capturing the Cutest Cloud

I recently got the incredible opportunity to photograph the most beautiful-and rightfully famous for his perfect floof- canine influencer!

Lumi, an adorable samoyed, became Instagram-famous a couple years ago after videos of him travelling around Manhattan in a backpack, including navigating the subway, went viral. I've followed him for years now, and when I found out I was doing the red carpet events for some amazing shows opening in April and would be in NYC, I reached out to his owner, Jackie. I asked if I could take some photos of Lumi while I was in the city. To my surprise and excitement, Jackie said yes! We figured out the details and agreed to meet in one of my favorite, and most picturesque places in NY. The day after I arrived in the city, my mom and I went to the West Village where we met Lumi and Jackie.

I was so excited (and a little nervous!) to meet them, but Jackie was so kind and Lumi was even more precious in real life than I could have imagined. We wandered all over the quaint streets of the West Village, and photographing Lumi was so fun-he's so photogenic! It was such a wonderful morning, capturing images of Lumi in this beautiful part of the city, and talking with Jackie about dogs, creativity, and her journey from healthcare to bringing happiness to the world through Lumi's little corner of the internet. Pet photography is what I first explored photographically, when I first began my journey, and pets and animals are still some of my favorite subjects. Getting to reconnect with that outside of an animal shelter environment was such an incredible opportunity.

When I reached out originally, I didn't even really expect a response, let alone a yes. I was so happily surprised, and even more so when I met Jackie and she was so kind. I'll always be grateful to her for giving this twelve-year-old photographer a chance to photograph her adorable dog. This experience is one I know I'll never forget.