Doggytography

08/27/2026

This past weekend, we took the sweetest mom & daughter duo from Habersham County Animal Shelter on a little adventure around downtown City of Clarkesville.

Brylee is 2 years old & Brandy is 1. They were both pretty nervous when we first met them, especially Brylee. When she gets scared or unsure, she makes herself as flat as possible on the ground. It's almost like she's trying to disappear.

Getting dogs out of the shelter for a few hours may seem like a small thing, but it can make such a big difference. Shelter life can be overwhelming with all the noise, activity & unfamiliar surroundings. Giving them a chance to get away from their kennel, experience new sights and smells, explore and just be dogs gives them an opportunity to relax and decompress.

And you can actually see the difference it makes. Their tails start to relax, their ears perk up and, little by little, you start to see their personalities come out.

Brylee & Brandy had quite the adventure! We explored downtown Clarkesville, visited Mauldin House, stopped for pup cups at Scoops Clarkesville &, of course, did A LOT of sniffing along the way. 🥰

I shared their entire adventure on the blog, along with photos & videos. If you'd like to see what happens when two nervous shelter dogs get a few hours to simply enjoy being dogs, check it out here:

https://doggytography.com/blog/bp/shelter-dog-adventure

And if you can't adopt, remember that there are still so many ways you can help shelter animals. Sometimes, a few hours of your time can mean more to them than you realize.

08/07/2026

This photo is one of my favorite photos of all time & was 1 point away from a bronze.

It was taken at The Attic in downtown City of Clarkesville.

08/07/2026

I'm so excited that Habersham News picked up my story!!!

Clarkesville-based dog photographer Cherin Thompson earned Bronze Medals for five images at the International Pet Photography Awards.

08/05/2026

I am so excited!!! Five of my images have been awarded Bronze Medals in the 2026 International Pet Photography Awards!

Every year I enter this competition with the goal of challenging myself, continuing to grow as a photographer, and gaining a new perspective on my work through the eyes of other artists and judges. This year’s results were incredibly encouraging, not only because five of my images received Bronze Awards, but also because two of those five images came within just one point of earning Bronze Distinction, while the remaining entries were only one point away from receiving an award.

What I value most about this experience is the feedback and the opportunity to keep learning. Every critique gives me a new perspective and helps me continue evolving, not only as a pet photographer but also as an artist.

Seeing the incredible work created by photographers around the world inspires me to keep pushing the boundaries of creativity and continue finding new ways to tell the stories of the dogs I photograph.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports me, encourages me, and trusts me to capture these incredible animals. And a special thank you to my mentor Charlotte Reeves from Unleashed Education for helping me continue to refine my craft and grow this year.

If you’d like to read more about my experience in the competition and see the other entries, I shared the full story on my blog. You can read it at https://doggytography.com/blog/bp/international-pet-photography-awards-2026.

05/18/2026

Congratulations to Hillyer Pierce on winning the giveaway drawing you entered at the City of Clarkesville Mountain Laurel Festival!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth and entered. I loved meeting you all!

05/16/2026

Today’s the day!

I’m so excited to be exhibiting at the Mountain Laurel Festival today! Stop by my booth to say hi, see my pet photography artwork, and check out some fun dog-inspired products I’ve been creating.

From custom pet art to adventure-ready goodies for dogs & their people, I’d love to show you what I’ve been working on. Whether you’re a fellow dog lover, photographer, or just out enjoying the festival, come chat for a bit!

Hope to see you there!

04/29/2026

Earlier this month I took part in a free photography challenge called Grid Games, created by Unleashed Education. The idea was to give photographers a glimpse into how the Embark challenges are structured.

Embark is a 6 month program made up of 12 challenges, each with a strict brief and a 2 week deadline. It really pushes you to think differently and work intentionally, and if you don’t follow the brief, your image will be disqualified.

Grid Games focused on the rule of thirds, and I had just 2 days to complete the entire challenge before traveling. That meant shooting, editing, and submitting everything under a tight deadline.

As always, things initially didn’t go exactly as planned. The weather was inconsistent, I tried to force a location that wasn’t working, and my dog had very strong opinions about where he wanted to look. 😅 But once I stopped forcing the idea I had in my head, everything came together naturally.

I ended up placing Top 20 out of 75 veterans, which I’m really pleased with given the time pressure.

Read the full behind-the-scenes breakdown here: https://doggytography.com/blog/bp/dog-photography-challenge-grid-games-rule-of-thirds

03/24/2026

We said goodbye to a very special dog this week. He wasn’t mine, but he was loved just the same.

There’s something about losing a dog that’s hard to put into words. It’s not just the loss, it’s the quiet that follows. The missing presence. The way everything feels just a little different.

Watching people you care about go through that kind of loss is hard too.

I found myself thinking a lot about how much of our lives these dogs become, and how much they leave behind when they’re gone.

I wrote something for him, just to hold onto those feelings and remember him in a small way.

If you’ve ever loved a dog like that, you understand. 💛

https://doggytography.com/blog/bp/lucky-dog-who-chose-his-family

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A heartfelt tribute to Lucky, a beloved dog who chose his family. Remembering his story, his spirit, and the love he left behind.

03/14/2026

This is a lovely thought! ♥️