About
MEET yOUR pET PHOTOGRAPHER
Have you ever noticed how often our pets pick us?
I got my first dog, Kip, during my sophomore year of college. He was the catalyst for my now dogcentric life. I had all these dreams of where I would take him, every person and dog alike falling in love with him, and having a happy-go-lucky companion. But I quickly had to come to terms with a very different kind of dog. My huge Ridgeback was reactive and had behavioral challenges.
In order for both of us to have a fulfilling life together, I had to learn a lot about behavior, selflessness, and acceptance. It put me in a position of needing to be acutely in tune with the energies around us. Together we built trust, learned to respect boundaries, and developed awareness for every situation.
Surely this all feels very, Chicken Noodle Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, but I owe a big part of who I am today to him.
Now I can’t help but approach animals with a wealth of empathy. Your dog doesn’t know me, but I’ll do whatever they need in order to feel safe and happy. That’s how you want to spend the day with them and how you’ll always want to remember them.
For your photos I will meet them wherever they are.
Me & My Fur-Family
It’s uncanny how our animals reflect our personalities, but given our tight connection with each other it makes total sense! Although my dogs don’t draw or get caught up in reality tv drama, we do share the same pastimes of hiking, traveling and competing in agility. All of this has me thinking…Maybe if you learn about them, you’ll learn a little about me too!
MEET ANSEL
Has the energy of a cupcake fueled toddler
Too smart for his own good
Never met someone he doesn’t love
MEET ZUZU
Wears her heart on her sleeve
A true ride or die
Rules with an iron paw
Calling My Dogs “Pets” Doesn’t Sit Right With Me
We tend to reach for words like fur babies and dog mom, because there isn’t a specific label for the connection we have with our “pets” that truly does it justice—so we settle for the closest thing we know. Innately we desire to nurture them, but they aren’t children. And lucky for us they’re so much less complicated than humans. They simply want our company and our affection (and our food).
Despite being a whole other species with countless unknowables, we’ve found a way to connect and communicate. Our love is so intertwined. We want to give them a part of our life and consequently shape it around them. That mutual love and selflessness is what makes them family.
Hopefully, culture and Merriam Webster will catch up, filling in this gap of our language. But in the meantime, I can’t help but believe that even without the right words, our animals have a sense of what they mean to us.
You May Have Seen My Work In
AKC Family Dog Magazine • Boulder Life • Daily Dog Tag • J&J Dog Supplies • Penny Magazine (Netherlands) • Pinhole Press • Pretty Fluffy • Shoutout Colorado • Shutterfly • Voyage Denver
Allison is a rare combination of consummate professional and “kind soul".
“I retained AMP to photograph my two six year old (sibling) dogs in an outdoor natural setting. Allison recommended Chautauqua's hiking trails as the backdrop and, in very short order, she was able to capture their distinct personalities in a series of both still and "action" shots. There were so many great shots that it took several days to decide which ones to print.”
— Dave