2023 was a busy year for Crimson Cat Studios! It was our first FULL year of being dedicated solely to Pet Photography and Portraiture! I can tell you this: after 2023 there is no way I’m going back - photographing pets is the dream I never knew I had COME TRUE! Let’s look at the highlights of 2023!

January - Adventure and Jasmine

Adventure and Jasmine were 2023’s first muses. These 2 felines taught me more about how to create a cat-friendly space in the studio. You don’t think about how many hiding places there are until someone decides to hide there!

February - Gizmo & Becks

Becks is the big Maine Coone, Gizmo is the little tuxedo! Becks was a little furball as a baby and didn’t stop growing for 5 years! Gizmo is a dapper little lady - just look at how she is sitting with her little stacked paws!

March - Rocko

Rocko is my 2nd favorite Golden Retriever ever, he lives with my friend and bandmate, Holly, so I get to see him about once a week when we rehearse at her house. My first favorite Golden is my heart dog, Buffy. She was my childhood dog, and taught me the language of animals. While no one can ever replace her, when I first met Rocko it was like having Buffy back in a way. There was a familiarity to Rocko’s personality - goofy, affectionate, expressive - it felt like we knew each other already. I still feel that connection whenever he sits on me.

April - Lucky

April is the earliest month we will attempt EPIC Outdoor Sessions - that was another lesson taught by 2023! Lucky’s parents suggested Golden Ponds Park in Longmont, and it was beautiful! We saw a beaver swimming with sticks in his mouth, and had a spectacular Colorado sunset! Lucky was a charmer, and had me at Hello!

May - Walter

Another Golden! For Walter’s portraits we did both a Legacy In-Studio session followed by an Epic Outdoor session at Belmar Park, just down the street from the studio. Walter lives up to his name - he likes to sit and watch the kids play, like an old man on a park bench. We did however get him to display a little action in the park!

June - Yeti

After sooooo much rain in the spring and early summer, the wildflowers and fog were unreal at Chautauqua Park!

July - Rocco

Rocco was one of our Fundraising Calendar models (you can still order a calendar here!). He loves the outdoors - running, camping, paddleboarding! - so we took him on an adventure up North Table Mountain in Golden. It was hot, and the humans had to stop every now and again for water, but Rocco just wanted to go and go!

August - Zero

Zero loves to keep up with his mom and dad’s active lifestyle - he is all about hiking and climbing! He's his mom’s angel on earth, unique, playful, funny, & smart. Every time he meets a new dog, Zero takes their best quality and gains it as his. He displayed his personality during our shoot, and as soon as he realized that I was the treat machine, he did everything he could to make me happy and dispense the goodies!

September - Jayne

Jayne and her mom, Monica, were neighbors when I was living in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago. Monica and I spent many evenings sipping wine on the porch, and Jayne always joined us - that was 10-12 years ago! When I went to visit Chicago this summer, I had a few requests to do portraits while i was there, so I rented a studio. I was so happy when Monica booked a session for Jayne! Jayne is at the age where she loves laying on the softer things, but she still looks like she did when I first met her!

October - Beans, L.O.D.

This is Beans, Lord of Darkness. He was a perfect October subject, don’t you think? Beans was about 9 months old at portrait time, and he had the softest kitten fur still. Beans’ mom decided to rescue him, and Beans’ dad said “If you’re going to bring home another kitten, then I get to name him.” And that’s how Beans, Lord of Darkness, got his name.

November - Candy and Leo

Emily found us at Cat Fest. She told me about her dog, Candy (the Westie), who had just been diagnosed with heart failure and didn’t have much time left. We agreed that a portrait session for her would make sense now, before she got too sick. When I asked how Candy came into her life, Emily replied, “I was at a friend’s house, and the people who owned Candy were abusing her so…. I took her.” THAT’S how you spell HERO! This is what Candy will take with her, not that she was mistreated, but that she had a loving home and caring companion for the last several years of her life.

December - The Dellinger Family

What a household! The Dellinger Family booked an In-Home Portrait Session for their massive pet family, because good luck getting them all in carriers, then into a car, then into a studio. So we went to them!