From playful pigs to Polish hens, our Barn Buds are full of charm and character! But, how did it all start? Keep reading to discover our hilarious, hoof-stomping story.
Each one of our Barn Buds portraits has a charming story to tell. From Eeyore the long-eared donkey to Junie the tuxedo barn kitty, they all have a unique personality that their owners have fallen deeply in love with.
My job is to capture that special spark that glitters in their eyes and share it with the world!
But, before I was photographing these lovely farm animals, I was working solely with man’s best friend.
It Started With Dogs
My journey as a luxury pet photographer began when I took a pet photography class back in 2019. I immediately fell in love with my canine subjects and decided to pursue dog photography full-time!
I created a unique photography style called “Sky Portraits.” In these photos, I made sure all of my dog models positioned themselves perfectly in front of beautiful natural sky backdrops. I have a saying, “The crazier the clouds, the better the photos!”
Thanks to the support of many amazing clients and their four-legged family members, my luxury pet photography business skyrocketed.
Here Are my Thiago and Willow in their last Sky portrait.
And Then I Met Ramapo the Pig
Fast-forward to 2021. I had the absolute pleasure of photographing my very first animal: a very handsome pig, Ramapo! As usual, I made sure to use my signature Sky Portrait style to capture his portrait. The results were amazing!
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought Mr. Ramapo’s portraits was paw-fection. He got so many positive reactions! One of the photos was even featured on Canon USA’s Instagram, a HUGE honor. Thank you Ramapo!
Next Thing You Know, Horses Galloped In
Heading into 2024, one of my clients asked me to photograph her dogs and her horse. This was the first time I tested the Sky Portraits with an animal THIS BIG! When the print came out, my jaw hit the floor. It was hilarious!
I thought it was so funny and great that I even posted it on my Facebook page. I asked horse owners if they would like this style more. (Most professional horse photos you see are taken to show a very artistic and regal side of them, not their fun, quirky side!)
All the horse owners said they would love to see more!
A few days later I came across a funny video on Instagram with funny looking chickens bouncing up and down to the sound of music. which got me thinking…What if I did these types of photos with a funny chicken? After all, who doesn’t love a poofy, floofy chicken?!
And The Chickens Came Clucking!
I wrote a post on a local farmer’s Facebook group and asked if anyone had a fun-feathered Polish chicken, Silkie or any cool chicken breed that they wanted photographed.
Next thing I knew, I was at a farm called 2 Little Chicks Coop in Loxahatchee, Florida. The owner, Bianca, and all her wonderful farm animals were such a delight! Zazu the Emu, Thelma & Louise the silkie chickens, baby goats Paloma & Stella, a donkey named Mirabel, and a beautiful Highland cow, Flynn.
It was so funny watching Zazu the Emu running around his paddock. At first, he wanted NOTHING to do with my camera. He was highly suspicious, haha! Then, ever so slowly, he got more comfortable and his curious-side came out. He began pecking at everything!
His energy must have been infectious, because all the animals started to become camera magnets.
The baby goats were jumping all over, the silkie chickens were acting very regal on the tree stump we had them stand on, and the donkey was just so funny and modeled like a pro!
The session turned out to be one of the most fun sessions I’ve ever had! I’ve never laughed so hard in my life, and I knew I couldn’t keep this laughter to myself. I had to share it with the world!
The Results Were HILARIOUS
Once I got home, I ran to my computer to start editing. I was so excited to see all the fun photos! While editing, I sent them to Bianca and we were both laughing so hard.
I was thrilled with the photos and immediately knew I wanted to do more! I went back to the original local Facebook group and asked if more farms would like to have some fun with me and get their animals professionally photographed.
The Response Was Out Of This World!
I got so many farms tagged, including farm animal rescues. So, the next farm I picked was Kindness Shared Happiness Squared in Boca Raton, Florida.
The session with Kindness Shared Happiness Squared was amazing too. We even got a stellar sunset that day, which made the colors on the photos really pop. I got so many great photos from this session, but the one that got the most attention was Lilly the cow!
This is when I finally got to meet my first Polish chicken!
And it was all the laughs I expected and more!
I Was Introduced To Winston The Celebrity Steer
Because of Lilly’s portrait, I was told about Delmar Farms that have a handsome steer named Winston. Little did I know Mr. Winston was FAMOUS in the area. And no wonder, look how gorgeous this little man is!
And the Donkeys at Delmar Farms provided an iconic photos!
A Short Behind The Scenes
When I posted the photos on social media, tons of people began to ask if I sold these as prints. People would say, “ Wow, my son loves cows, do you sell prints?” or “ I would totally hang this in my office.”
That’s when it hit me. There is a big market for joyful prints like these. Who wouldn’t want to see their favorite farm animal smiling at them everyday?
I quickly asked the farm owners if they will be ok if I sell these photos and they were all very supportive and said YES.
On That Day, Barn Buds Was Born
Now it was time to look for a name. My first name was Swamp Loonies, since most of these barn animals lived in South Florida. But, I wasn’t in love with that name.
I went back to social media and asked people if they had any other ideas. I got some good options like “The Funny Farm”, “The Loonie Barn”, and “Barnes & Loonies” (this one was one of my favorites – my daughter is a big fan of Barnes & Noble).
Still, nothing stuck!
A few days later, a Facebook friend suggested “Barn Buds.” I knew that this was it! It was everything I wanted: short, simple, and gives the vibe of a fun, friendly animal haven. Paw-fect!
Giving Back To The Animals
Of course, I knew I wanted to “pay it forward” to the amazing farms I worked with, especially for the rescues.
I had the idea to give back a percentage of the sales to the farms. This means that every print you buy, the farm where the photo was taken will receive a portion of the profits. Woohoo!
Let’s Keep The Story Going
And that’s the tail-wagging, hoof-stomping, floof-shaking story behind our Barn Buds. But, our story doesn’t end there! YOU are the next chapter in our book.
My biggest desire is to fill every home with the joy and love that comes along with each delightful Barn Bud print. If there is a specific barnyard animal that you would like to see, feel free to reach out to me anytime! I would love for you to see your favorite farm animal on the Barn Buds website.
Thank you for being a part of my journey. I’m so grateful I get to spread happiness to you and your family through my kooky farm animal portraits.
Keep smiling,