“I think... if it is true that
there are as many minds as there
are heads, then there are as many
kinds of love as there are hearts.”
― Leo Tolstoy,
Anna Karenina
The PortraitsforPaws Mini Sessions has connected me to so many people, many of whom love animals and are more than willing to do what they can to help the rescued strays of this big city. Among them is Grace who I met one cold day in January. I had wanted to wrap up the fall sessions but this was the only day that was free for both of us, so I resigned myself to doing a Fall session in the middle of CQ's brutal winter (hence the puffy jackets).
No regrets thought, Grace is a joy to know and even lovelier to shoot.
We were lucky enough to use a floral shop/cafe as our playground for the afternoon which was a dream that finally came true. The venue came with all sorts of 'props' since they were still setting up the shop so stuff that was lying around were free for us to use, from cutlery to flowers in glass bottles to Kinfolk magazines! Needless to say, my heart was full.
A few shots from that afternoon.
Love recognizes no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences,
penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
Maya Angelou
S and K were my first #PortraitsforPaws couple. They reached out in the middle of fall, when we were a few months out of the lockdown of 2020 that froze the entire Mainland in time.
But we were also hopeful.
Out of lockdown the same problems remained especially at the shelter. I had kept in touch with XQ especially after I bought the dog I rescued from the streets to the shelter. And her drive and all that she was doing inspired me to help out. It was so refreshing that other people were eager to do so, too.
We started the session right off the gate, a few minutes of meeting them. We shared stories of our pets (they have a Maine Coon adopted in Beijing) as we walked and as I clicked away. It felt like I was just catching up with friends who I just have happened to be meeting for the first time, which is exactly how I prefer the sessions to be. The good thing about meeting up with people who love animals is that you have something really positive to bond over, and that's your pets!
It was a 30-minute walk around Jinshan Park, which was all sorts of colors of fall-- burnt orange, red and bright yellow leaves falling down and coating the ground with all that color. Despite the early fall chilI, it was a good day to take photos and for a good cause, too.
lifestyle photography, couples, portraits, lifestyle photography, couples, portraits
A few shots from that day.
“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”
― L.M. Montgomery
The Story Girl
Way back in September, we were still reveling in the ability to finally resume life as normal. That meant discovering new places with new friends and rediscovering this side of CQ that felt so alien just months before.
This was a quiet brunch with Z where we went back to Stop for a While and discovered that they have added two additional floors and better access to the park below. The place was lovely, and the serene stillness at that time of the morning, even more so.
“Everyone's time is limited.
What matters most is to focus on what matters most.”
― Roy T. Bennett
Spent 30 minutes with the Hatts last fall, enjoying the cool temperatures and colors of autumn at Jinshan Park. It was a real treat getting to shoot a family with their pets outdoors especially since their pup was just a bundle of energy, quite the opposite to the family feline who was cool and collected the entire shoot. This was for the Portraits for Paws project that I did for fall and I'm glad that we got together when we did because a few days after this shoot, typical Chongqing weather reared its wintry head and it was back to chilly days and nights for us.
A few shots from that afternoon with this lovely family.
