The 2nd week’s theme for 52 HeARTs is Friendship. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw these two curled up together on my desk chair… The sweet girl in the foreground is Frank. We adopted her (long story) during a photo shoot when I was documenting the release of a colony of feral cats that had been trapped in Beacon, NY and spayed and neutered. When we first brought her home, she was pretty wild, as she was adult and grew up on the streets. She lived in our barn, but quickly befriended my boys, who hung out in the hayloft and well…. now…. the street smart girl is living the cushy cush life with my two softy male cats, Lukas and Jengo in the house. Here, Lukas was spooning and literally “hugging” her, and well, as you can see, she couldn’t be happier.
adorableApril 28, 2012 – 12:44 am
thank you Jennifer!April 28, 2012 – 12:54 am
I Love your work! You inspire me!!!
XX OO!
Mary KayApril 28, 2012 – 7:35 am
Thanks so much, Mary Kay!! xoxApril 28, 2012 – 10:18 am
So sweet. Thank you for adopting a feral cat.April 28, 2012 – 1:49 pm
So awesome.April 28, 2012 – 4:11 pm
Okay, first of all, it’s been so long (ummm, since Ju-LY…) since I’ve made a blog post. SO long, that I recently removed the link to my blog from my splash page…. no joke.
I’m sorry. I started to fall behind as I was working on HeARTs Speak 24/7… I just couldn’t find the time to post my sessions, thoughts, images, anything… Every ounce of my being went into getting things in place to both get our 501c3 not profit designation, our brand spankin’ new website designed and launched and then the day to day operations…
And so… Printz Photography fell by the wayside. I’m sorry.
The thought of “catching up” posting past sessions was too overwhelming, but then just last week, my good friend, fellow HeARTs Speak member and Creative Director, Lori Fusaro came up with a great idea to inspire and encourage HS members for the next year…. “52 HeARTs.” Each week, Lori is going to come up with a theme, which each and every one of us will interpret in our own unique way.
This week’s theme? “IDENTITY.”
So, as is typical for me when I’m too busy lately, I froze. Identity is huge to me. I sooo believe who we are is what we should be doing… in fact, I’m all about encouraging people to do what they do best. Seriously, each and every one of us is unique… and I believe we could just embrace and celebrate that uniqueness, the world would naturally become a better place… unfortunately, society doesn’t always support people to do what they love, and many end up doing the things they think they “should” or “ought” to do instead. It is especially difficult to make a living as an artist, which is unfortunate, as art is such a powerful tool with which to inspire positive change….. in fact, this is where the idea to start HeARTs Speak was born from.
So what is identity to me? Though I don’t feel I can do it justice in a couple images, here is my translation of this week’s assignment:
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
At the heart of each of us, whatever our
imperfections, there exists a silent pulse of perfect
rhythm, a complex of wave forms and resonances,
which is absolutely individual and unique, and yet
which connects us to everything in the universe.
The act of getting in touch with this pulse can
transform our personal experience and in some
way alter the world around us.
G. Leonard
by Lisa
4 comments
LOVE IT! Love the words, the interpretation and YOU! xoxoxoApril 15, 2012 – 4:16 am
Thank you Lori… feeling’s mutual! xoxoxApril 15, 2012 – 4:58 am
Great images and post!! Amazing that you both had similar ideas for this week!April 15, 2012 – 1:40 pm
Thanks Sebastian – funny – but the more we get to know each other, not surprising! 
April 15, 2012 – 1:45 pm
Beth and I drove out to our old stomping grounds for a session in Darien, CT at the home of the Crafty Farm Girl, Aimee. Aimee and I went to elementary school together and reconnected after 35+ years on Facebook! Ironically, when we knew each last, my family had 3 goats. Nancy, William, and Isabeff Goat (named after Aimee’s sister, Elizabeth Gauthier.) It was difficult for Beth and I to believe that we were going to find a small farm, amidst these Darien homes not far from the shore. This was the first thing I saw… How cool is that?
Well, as her blog states, she truly is “living the farm life in suburban Connecticut!” She has an amazing family, beautiful animals, and THE most AMAZING chicken coop and goat house were under construction, solar powered energy and all… I won’t bore you with too many words – just enjoy ~
OMG, WINDOWS in the nest boxes? Bet her eggs are going to be super tasty, as those are going to be some of the happiest chickens EVVVA……
And a little out take of Beth hard at work…. (work? Carrying cute little baby goats? Yes, we’re lucky!)
by Lisa
2 comments
I’m just finally getting a moment to sit down and look at the proofs. I love them! I have to come home from Wyoming tomorrow and am DREADING returning to the heat, but SO excited to be back with my animals! I cannot wait to see how big Kiki and Grace have grown in the almost 2 weeks I’ve been gone!July 23, 2011 – 4:45 am
If you can stay away until this nasty heat breaks, DO! Ohhh, but then you have all the animals waiting for you… and they’re IN this heat, so maybe not…. Glad you are happy with the proofs, I agree with what you said about the abstract though, couldn’t agree with you more, in fact! See you next month!July 23, 2011 – 1:27 pm
Tina booked a session over a year ago, and sent me an email a month or so ago that had a sense of urgency to it. Her 15 1/2 year old English Bulldog, Tiny wasn’t doing so well. With the help of some very understanding clients, we were able to move things around and quickly get Tiny into the schedule.
Every time we drive out to a session, especially when it’s at a client’s home, we’re always a little nervous about what we’ll find, as you just never know. The first thing Beth and I saw as we drove up were two Bulldog pillars marking the entrance to Tiny’s place.
We immediately got excited, and headed down a dirt driveway lined with tall tall evergreens, leading the way to the most charming white home adorned with elaborate red trim and humongous vines covered with the biggest heart shaped leaves I’ve ever seen. We were greeted by Tina, who we instantly fell in love with. She really “gets” animals! She led us into her house, and into her living room, where our eyes were immediately drawn to a Queen sized mattress laying against the far wall, adorned with a beautiful quilt with THE most amazing creature on top of it. Tiny’s aura was glowing… even if you don’t believe in this sort of thing, you can’t argue with pictures:
Tina and her husband Michael told us that Tiny was looking remarkably well on this day. Tina kept telling us Tiny was “rallying,” and was amazed at how he seemed to be putting on his best face for his photo shoot. When we asked if he’d like to go outside, their first instinct was to carry him outside for us, but Tiny wouldn’t have any part of it. He was the super model, and he was walking himself. We walked down around back towards his favorite stream, and shot a few shots that showed him in his best light:
Tiny’s people are super special… It was so clear how much he absolutely adores them…
Tiny’s 4 legged friends were all feline… some as old as 100 years, in human years…
Look closely at the toe nails…. this is the first time I’ve seen these covers that humanely protect their furniture!
When Beth and I left their home, we felt so “full.” It’s such a pleasure meeting awesome people that treat their animal friends so well. The energy there was so positive, loving, and genuinely happy. Being Bully dog lovers, we were so charmed by Tiny’s personality and his powerful presence.
Two days later, I received the following email from Tina:
Dear Lisa
We lost Tiny last night to a very peaceful passing. You can’t imagine how soothing it was to know we have your photos. He really was an exceptional creature.
Tina
I’ve never cried so hard over someone I knew for just a couple brief hours. The impact Tiny had on both Beth and me was immense. It is so clear to me now, that Tiny knew. Tiny was rallying, he loved his people so much, he knew exactly why we were there, and he gave it his all so they could have some forever memories of him. RIP dear boy, I will always remember you as an incredibly strong and special being….
by Lisa
7 comments
Oh gosh Tiny is so cute. Great shots.July 19, 2011 – 11:35 pm
Thanks Serenah!!July 19, 2011 – 11:38 pm
Amazing story with amazing photos.July 19, 2011 – 11:50 pm
that means a lot coming from an amazing photographer! Thanks Diane!July 20, 2011 – 12:13 am
I never get tired of looking at his pics!! Such a cutie with an amazing story!!July 20, 2011 – 12:31 am
Beautiful job, Lisa. So glad you were able to get to Tiny in time and leave them with such special memories. It’s one of the saddest yet most rewarding things that we can do with our photography. Thoughts going out to Tiny’s family…July 20, 2011 – 12:33 am
Thank you Mel – I appreciate your comments and you’re totally right. July 20, 2011 – 1:01 am
I was so glad to be the photographer at large at Woofstock down in Mahopac, and am already looking forward to next year! It was organized by THE coolest people (how could they not be with a name like Woofstock?) – we got to meet an amazing group of animal rescue orgs, shelter employees and vendors, and of course the dogs and humans attending were equally cool. The location was the best, the music extraordinary, and the event T-shirts were so much fun too! If you haven’t been, I highly recommend marking your calendars now for next year, I believe they’ve set the date for June 10th!
If you’ve got some Crosby Stills and Nash handy, I recommend you spin a vinyl, sit back and enjoy ~~~ Peace.
And as always – When you’re thinking of adding a new member to your family, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE consider adopting, before buying…. the numbers that are euthanized daily is staggering, and by making the choice to adopt, you are saving a life.
by Lisa
2 comments
Gorgeous photos Lisa. Hope the “adoptables” find wonderful forever homes very soon. Looks like a really fun event too
Angela
UKJuly 16, 2011 – 2:45 pm
Angela, thank you so much for your kind words! July 19, 2011 – 10:41 pm
by Lisa
6 comments