IN FOCUS: News from Sutton Studios

Issue No. 25

July 2009

SPOTLIGHT

Belle and Jodi
(click to enlarge)

Blind Affection
A down-on-her-luck Pug named Belle was recently "dropped off" - with no intention on the part of the owner to pick her up again - at an Evanston animal hospital. Jodi King explains:

"I work with Dr. Ball at the Howard Street Animal Hospital. One morning while I was there, a woman dropped Belle off with her [one remaining] eyeball hanging out.

"From my first day at the clinic, I always joked that someone would drop a pug off just for me. That way I couldn't get in trouble with my husband! Not more than a month later Belle arrived. It was love at first sight for me. I said I would adopt her on the spot with one eye already gone and the other eye hanging out of its socket. She was the sweetest little angel. I knew she was sent to me.

"Dr. Ball was her savior. He believed Belle's eye had been out of the socket for about a week and quickly removed it in surgery that morning."

Belle and Jodi have a special bond, and blindness has proven quite manageable for Belle. Jodi uses special commands to alert Belle when to step up or step down, to stop or to proceed.

"Belle has taught me so much about life. We take so much for granted on a daily basis, like eyes or ears. While she can't see anything, sometimes bumping into walls, she is the happiest little girl. She is determined not to let her disability hold her back."

Of the portrait session, Jodi says, David, "doesn't have a standard photo for everybody; he gets to know you at first, and then starts taking pictures. That way he can get the shot you will treasure forever! He was really good with Belle. He used gentle sounds so he didn't scare her."

While thousands of companion animals do not fare nearly as well as Belle did, abandoned to face starvation, abuse, and even euthanasia, this Pug's ignominious dumping turned out to be a blessing in disguise, not just for her, but for Jodi and for people like her who find inspiration in Belle's indomitable spirit.

Our framing partners

REFLECTION & REFRACTION

Summer Fun
You never know who you'll run into here at Sutton Studios - and it's not always dogs! We've had quite an assortment of interesting clients and guests this month, and some fun encounters and developments along with our usual stream of pet portrait and family portrait clients.

When our caller I.D. says NEW YORK CALL it always gets my attention, and we had two intriguing calls from the Big Apple this month.

The first came from North South Productions and involved lengthy conversations about a reality TV show centered around a pet photographer (?!). North South pitched this idea to the Animal Planet network with Sutton Studios as one of the prime candidates. Animal Planet thought about it for a couple of weeks and decided not to move forward with this right now. We found that news a bit disappointing, but we had enjoyed several weeks of fun fantasies about starring in our own TV series in addition to being a busy portrait studio.

The second New York call came from Time-Life books. An editor there selected one of my all-time favorite portraits (Michael & Sidney) for inclusion in a collection called Life With Dogs, which will be published in October.

Speaking of October, we're looking toward Sutton Studios' fifteenth anniversary this fall. In honor of this milestone we've begun a new series called Then & Now at the Pith and Vinegar blog. Then & Now showcases portraits of clients who have been in for sittings more than once - a sort of My How You've Grown look into our own and our clients' pasts.

We've had several authors through the studio this month, most notably Caroline Myss, three of whose books, Anatomy of the Spirit, Why People Don't Heal and How They Can, and Sacred Contracts have all been on the New York Times best seller list. Caroline chose Sutton Studios to create pictures for the cover of her forthcoming book, Defy Gravity, which will be released later this year.

Fiction writer Cara Lockwood, whose novel I Do (But I Don't) was made into a Lifetime movie, contacted us in mid-June about photos for her new book Can't Teach An Old Demon New Tricks. Can't Teach follows up her highly acclaimed Every Demon Has His Day. If you want to have a few good laughs go to caralockwood.com and read Cara's synopses of her own work. For even more laughs, pick up one or two of her books and read them this summer.

How do you cap off a month like that? With a delicious, nutritious snack, of course! Kim Holstein of Kim & Scott's Pretzels, a socially-conscious, Chicago-based operation dedicated to "nurturing the universe with inspired soft pretzels," called us in June because she needed new publicity photos. Seems Kim will be receiving the Entrepreneurial Woman Of The Year Award through the Women's Business Development center. Congratulations, Kim!

Reality T.V., Time-Life Books, authors and gourmet pretzels - we sure weren't lacking for variety this past month! Add to the mix our usual stream of dogs, cats and kids, and it looks like we're having ourselves one busy summer!

David Sutton
Write to David

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Business Portrait Packages Offered to Unemployed Professionals at a Reduced Rate It's tough being unemployed and searching for a new position. To make a lasting impression, you have to look your best. If your resume could use a little extra impact, a new business portrait might just be the ticket. During July, Sutton Studios offers unemployed professionals our hassle-free Business Portrait Package, normally $225, for just $100. Our business portrait package features an online gallery for image selection, a very short turnaround time, and digital delivery. Please Note: The Business Portrait Package allows for use in corporate and promotional materials only. Photos for commercial use, product advertising, or large-scale PR distribution are available under a separate license agreement and may involve additional fees. Let's Socialize! Join Sutton Studios in the blogosphere, the twittersphere and the facebook...um...sphere. Enjoy brief updates on happenings at the studio from David by following him on Twitter. Become a fan of Sutton Studios' Facebook page. And don't forget to bookmark our blog, Pith and Vinegar!