Every week, we set up a pet photography studio at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, to give shelter pets a Second Shot at adoption.
We’ve been doing this since 2016 but gave the program the “Second Shot” name in October of 2023. We’re also keeping stats of all the pets we photograph to report on how the program is working. We run this program with our friends at FairyTail Pet Care.
We call it Second Shot because the shelter pets are getting a second photo and a “Second Shot” at getting adopted!
Tampa pet parents, Stephanie and Justin LOVE dogs, so much so that they foster dogs for local rescue organizations too.
When they saw our Second Shot Adoption Photo Program, they knew they had to have a Pet Photo Experience for their two new dogs, Teddy and Suki.
Stephanie lost her soul dog, Tony, before they could have a Pet Photo Shoot Experience and she didn’t want to miss that opportunity again.
During our Discovery Call, to plan their Experience, Stephanie asked if she could include a blanket that had Tony’s face on it, so he could be represented too.
Every Pet Photo Shoot Experience we offer is meant to capture the connection and love you have with your pets and remind you of that, every single day.
Our pets age faster than we’d like and our time with them is never long enough. They won’t be around forever. They love us unconditionally and somehow know how to read our souls, make us smile when we’re feeling down and inspire us to be better versions of ourselves.
Stephenie and Justin feel that way about Teddy and Suki and wanted Artwork behind their couch to remind them of that unconditional love.
Stephanie’s Review About Her Pet Photo Shoot Experience
“BEST.DAY.EVER.
We had a photo shoot with A Gold Photo Pet Studio, and it was an amazing experience from start to finish.
Firstly, Adam and Mary take the time to know their clients, listen to their stories, and it is evident that they truly care about you and your furry family members! When we arrived at the studio with our 2 pups…I was nervous…what if they didn’t listen? What if they were too excited? What if their personalities didn’t show up? What if they didn’t have fun?
All of my fears were immediately squashed…they gave Teddy and Suki time to get acclimated (and me, too)
This photo shoot gave us time to bond with our pups…and it was pretty awesome to see their personalities through others’ eyes and the camera lens.
There were tooooo many favorites of the day…their sassy poses, their kisses, snuggles, and looks for reassurance, watching the dogs have fun with Adam, Mary, and Cami, watching Justin pose…but THE SHOWSTOPPER is definitely Adam and his litany of sounds and noises he makes to engage the animals!
If you don’t book a shoot for the bonding time or the memories…book the shoot for Adam’s “caterwauling”…it is beyond entertaining!
The staff not only made us feel relaxed, but I felt like a VIP! We were the only family in the studio and their photo presentation after the shoot…was beyond what I could have imagined.
The pièce de résistance…the photographs and artwork…MASTERPIECES!! Beautifully showcased in our family room; our photographs are not just pet portraits, they represent a moment in time with our two rescue dogs, and serve as a tribute to our sweet Tony that we miss every day. Thank you, Adam and Mary for a truly unique and special experience.
Stephanie and Justin’s Artwork on Display In Their Home
Ready to schedule YOUR Pet Photo Shoot Experience at our Tampa Photo Studio? Get started by requesting a Discovery Call
A Discovery Call is the most important part of your Pet Photo Shoot Experience.
On the call, we’ll get to know you and find out the impact your pet(s) have made on your everyday life. We’ll help you discover the meaning behind what matters most and that’s how we’re able to create meaningful photographs.
We’ll also plan a separate Discovery Call with anyone else who will be part of the experience.
Sheila the Bulldog was situated in the back of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
She made our Second Shot Adoption Photo list for that day because her intake photo wasn’t doing her any justice.
As one of the shelter volunteers was taking her out of her kennel, to come to the photo room, a family who was just “looking and saying hi” was outside her kennel.
When they asked where she was going, our volunteer said she was headed to have her Second Shot photo taken!
This family waited for her to come back to her kennel, about 10 minutes later, and Sheila saw them and rushed towards them and sat on their feet. It was meant to be!
They didn’t intend to adopt that day, but because she left her kennel for her photo shoot, Sheila found her family and got her Second Shot!
Sheila’s new family also has experience with bulldogs and their various medical issues.
Although our photo of Sheila didn’t lead to her adoption directly, her being taken from her kennel, for the photo shoot, did create a serendipitous interaction and adoption! Yay!
Second Shot is our adoption photo program with FairyTail Pet Care. We give shelter pets like Sheila a second photo and a Second Shot at Adoption.
We need your help!
Every Second Shot Photo Shoot Costs us $1250 to facilitate.
We have been lucky to find business sponsors to help us keep Second Shot going through the first week of August, but after that, we’ll have to only go once a month vs once a week.
We have individual supporters that contribute $5 or $10 a month. We’re currently at $111/month and we’d LOVE to set our next goal at $200/month.
We also want to help more and more organizations. Animal shelter intake is high and adoptions are low.
If you want to help shelter and rescue pets like Sheila get a Second Shot, please contribute to our Patreon. You can for as little as $5/month.
If you can’t contribute, no problem. Sharing our posts on social media helps a lot too!
Every week, we go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay with FairyTail Pet Care, to take new photos of shelter pets, like Heather, to get them adopted faster!
We call this our Second Shot Program because we give them a Second Shot, as in a second photo, but also give them a Second Shot at getting adopted. We also have help from shelter volunteers. We couldn’t do this without them either!
Heather’s Second Shot was sponsored by Magnolia Manor Assisted Living. A sponsor allows us to photograph an additional 12-15 adoptable pets every week. If your company would like to Sponsor Second Shot, please email me at [email protected].
If you’re a photographer and you want to learn everything I know about adoptable animal photography, you can purchase our online course and get immediate access to 4.5 hours of content for just $149.
We filmed Heather’s adoption photo shoot in 360° video, so a potential adopter could see how sweet she is. You can be in control over what part of the video you watch. Zoom into Heather or pan around and watch me make silly noises. You can choose your own adventure!
Heather is listed as 5 years old she she just loves people, as you can see in the video below. You can view her adoption profile here.
Interact with Heathers Adoption Photo Shoot below by moving your phone around or tapping and dragging with your mouse or finger.
MOBILE USERS: Click this link instead to watch the 360° video in the YouTube App for full functionality.
Every week, we go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, with our friends at FairyTail PetCare, to give adoptable pets a “Second Shot” / photo to help them get adopted faster!
We replace their intake photo, which is taken when they first arrive to the shelter, with a second photo.
Upon arrival, the shelter pets are very scared and it’s nearly impossible to get a quality photo of them that shows off their personality.
This round of Second Shots was sponsored by The Pawlowski Mastrilli Law Group. The firm has also signed on to support 3 more sessions which allows us to photograph another 40-45 shelter pets.
If your company would like to sponsor our Second Shot Adoption Photos, please email me at [email protected].
Shelby
Buffy
Allie 2
Kate
Luke
Goober
Boo 2
Becky
Freya
Larry
Perry
Violet
Want to Support Second Shot Adoption Photos?
If your company would like to sponsor our Second Shot Adoption Photos, please email me at [email protected].
We posted about Betsy last week, who had been at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay for 72 days and she got adopted 2 days later. Let’s try this again!
Bleu has been available for adoption at the Humane Society of Tapa Bay since March 4, 2024.
He can be a little shy at first, but once he warmed up to us after 10 minutes, his personality came out.
What’s funny about Bleu is that he has the exact same expression in his intake photo and his Second Shot. We figured it out afterwards that the two poses matched but it’s too funny not to point out. He’s showing his new potential family that he wants to give kisses!
Second Shot is our adoption program that we run with FairyTail Pet Care. We take new photos of adoptable pets, to giving them a Second Shot at a forever home!
Betsy, a 3 year-old shelter dog at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, is being overlooked because she’s deaf. She’s been available for adoption since January 17, 2024.
Since she can’t hear, she’s not affected by the sounds of the shelter. Glen, the shelter’s Behavior and Enrichment Manager, even uses her to acclimate some of the other dogs.
She already knows basic commands and won’t bark when the trash or delivery truck drives by!
We took her Second Shot in hopes of getting her adopted. We replace the shelter’s intake photos to give them, not only a second photo, but a Second Shot at getting adopted. We run Second Shot with the help of shelter volunteers and FairyTail Petcare.
Every week, we go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay to give shelter pets, not only a Second Shot to replace their intake photo, but we’re also giving them a second shot at getting adopted too!
Second Shot is our adoption photo program that we run with our friends at FairyTail Pet Care.
Ever since 2016, we have been volunteering at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, to take shelter pet adoption photos. That’s how our pet photography company was born actually!
The photo on the left is their intake photo, which is taken when the first arrive. It’s almost impossible to get a quality photo at that time. A few days later, we come in and take their Second Shot photo.
I always said to myself…”How awesome would it be if I could take adoption photos full time?”
Well…we’re not quite there yet, but we have gotten some help from sponsors to help offset the costs of going to the shelter more and more. If you or your company would like to sponsor a Second Shot adoption photo shoot, please email [email protected].
You can support our Second Shot Adoption Photo program by scheduling a Pet Photo Shoot Experience for your own pets at our studio.
We also have a Patreon where you can contribute as little as $5/month.
About Second Shot Adoption Photos
Second Shot is what we’re calling our adoption photo program. We have teamed up with FairyTail Pet Care to go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay multiple times a month, with the help of sponsors, to take a second photo or “shot” to give them a second “shot” at a forever home.
Thanks to our new sponsorship initiative, businesses and companies can sponsor our adoption photo shoots at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
We have been volunteering at the shelter once a month since 2016 and having sponsors allow us to go to the shelter 3 more times a month.
The shelter intake photo is taken right when they arrive, which is when they are very scared and nervous. Having your photo taken at a vulnerable time like that is never ideal. You can see their intake photos on their adoption profiles on the shelter’s website.
This month we had 2 adoption photo days, which allows us to photograph 24 shelter pets. Next month, we’ll be at the shelter 4 times!
We have seen so much support for our adoption photo shoots online that a Reel we made on instagram has over 4 million views and we have a video on TikTok with over 6 million views! We have also inspired photographers all over the world to reach out to their local shelter to start doing this too!
Special thanks to Elite Rewards for sponsoring us this month!
You can also sponsor our adoption photo shoots as an individual for as little as $5/month on our Patreon.
If your business or company would like to sponsor our adoption photo shoots, please email [email protected] for more information.
Want to sponsor our adoption photo shoots?
If your business or company would like to sponsor our adoption photo shoots, please email [email protected] for more information.
You can also sponsor our adoption photo shoots as an individual for as little as $5/month on our Patreon too!
