I photographed Cameron and her dog Boo. It was so special, I had to have her tell their story.
When I first met Boo in January of 2000, she was about a year and a half old, and living in a house with five men. She was timid, skittish and distrustful of anyone but her owner, Steve. Steve was moving away and couldn’t take Boo with him. The other men in the house had no interest in keeping her and were satisfied with the idea of dropping her off at the pound. As I learned of this, Boo climbed on the sofa, put her head in my lap and looked up at me. It was all I could stand. “I’ll take her.” Two days later, she found her way to what would be her forever home.
Boo spent many years learning to trust people. She had the sweetest disposition with those she knew. For those she didn’t, she kept her distance. Skittish was the perfect word to describe her.
I hardly have any photos of Boo. Any time I would take a camera out and point it in her direction, she would be on her way to the next room before I could capture a shot. Most of the photos I have of her are of her rear end! Every once in a while, I could get one of her while she was sleeping but she seemed to have a sixth sense about cameras and would be up and away before the shutter clicked. It made me treasure any semi-decent photo I could get of her.
I loved Boo. I loved her loyalty and calm sweetness. Her eyes were deep and soulful. I loved how she would be so conscious of my emotions. She was the quiet girl who kept to herself most of the time. And then she would get so excited when I would get home from work. Even in her old age, even when she was stiff in the hips and had a hard time getting up and down the stairs, she would jump like a puppy when I got home from work. She was full of love. It took some time to get there, but she was full of love.
There was a point that I realized that my time with Boo was running short. I also realized that I had not one photo of her and me together. That is where Laura came in. In September 2012, Laura and her camera met us at a park (no small feat getting my old friend in and out of the car, but boy did she love sticking her head out the window). Boo was comfortable with Laura and didn’t seem to mind the camera. Laura let Boo control the setting. The camera followed Boo where she was comfortable and where she wanted to go. It was so much easier than I expected it to be. The photos that came from this shoot were nothing less than amazing.
I said my last goodbye to Boo in April. I am so thankful to have a beautiful reminder of those soulful eyes and “Yoda” ears. I love to be able to glance upon a tender moment between us. I cry a little each time I look at the photos, but it is because of their beauty. One can never sum up a life in one photo, but I believe with Laura’s help, we came close.
Oh, my…These pictures of Cameron and Boo are beautiful. Her story brought back years of memories and wonderful times spent with Boo. It’s a good thing that I have a box of tissue on my desk. Time to dry the happy and sad tears from my eyes…
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