PETS Pet Portrait

Pawsh Photography focuses on pups’ personalities.

By Daniel Huss

PHOENIX THE PIT BULL HAD BEEN IN A TERRIBLE FIGHT . The unprovoked battle on a South Dakota reservation would cost the dog both ear flaps, the use of an eye and leave deep bite wounds to his neck and throat.

Photographer Lisa Peterson of Pawsh Photography listened to Phoenix’s story from his Plymouth-based foster mom while setting up for a Minneapolis Pet Market event this past fall. The story touched her. “I’ve worked with a lot of foster dogs,” Peterson says. “Their stories are what make them so beautiful.”

While Phoenix was up for adoption, he wasn’t garnering much interest. His breed can be challenging to place. Dogs previously involved in fights can be even more challenging to place.

Peterson knew all this and offered to take photos of Phoenix as a way of helping her foster friend. She didn’t hide the dog’s physical faults; Phoenix’s tattered ears and old wounds were on full display.

“They say a photo can be worth 1,000 words,” Peterson says. “In this case, that’s 100 percent accurate.” The photos led to a connection with a dog lover. An adoption followed. “Phoenix has this spirit you can’t forget,” she says. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Connections

Peterson started her photography career photographing people, but an industry presentation on pet photography changed all that. “I know with absolute clarity that taking photos of pets is my calling,” she says. “It’s soul-filling work.”

Peterson’s favorite subjects are outdoor dogs. They’re seldom purebreds, and they tend to be older. “Their eyes are so soulful, and the bonds they have with their owners are so strong,” she says. And?

“I like regular dogs, ones with selective hearing, unreliable stays,” Peterson says. The hardest clients to capture tend to ironically be the “best behaved,” aka welltrained show dogs. “No matter what I do, they’re all about their owners,” Peterson says. “Distractibility has been trained out.”

Do’s and Don’ts

Peterson shares some quick recommendations for preparing for an outdoor dog-focused photo shoot. Even more information can be found on her website’s blog section, PupTown Girl.

» Bring water, treats and high-value toys.

» Outfit changes for the human are also important, which is why Peterson brings a changing tent for outdoor sessions.

» Peterson recommends fitted clothes in neutral tones and appropriate shoes for walking. (You can always change into your fancy shoes later.)

» If you want your pet groomed before the photoshoot, Peterson recommends scheduling an appointment about a week before the session. This way, the fresh haircut has time to look a bit more natural.

» The dogs should be exercised but not fed. (Treats can lose their appeal on a full stomach.)

» Expect to have your pup leashed the entire shoot. Aside from leash laws, Peterson notes this is for safety and control. (Don’t worry; Peterson can edit out the leash after the shoot.)

Doubters

Peterson remembers a client with tempered expectations. “He said he had hundreds of photos of his dog on his phone but nothing good,” Peterson says. “I could tell that he was wondering how I could do any better. His response to the photos was, ‘Oh, my god. You captured my dog.’”

“I know what I’m looking for,” Peterson says. “Dogs talk to me. They always do.”

Pawsh Photography, LLC; pawshphoto.com

Pawsh Photography LLC

Abode

New Neutrals

Beige is back, baby!

By Zoe Deal

NEUTRAL HOME DÉCOR may be nothing new, but the rise of warm (or “new”) neutrals has us falling in love with the trend all over again. While varying shades of cool whites and grays have reigned for more than a decade, in a post-pandemic world, the trend has warmed to comforting neutral shades and subtle earth tones.

“The warm neutrals create a type of ambience that you can bring within your home … to create a type of calmness,” says Plymouth resident Whitney Gonzenbach, owner of Curated Boutique in Medina. “There’s so much going on in the outside world, that when you come home, you want to feel calm.”

The hallmark of the new neutral style is muted colors found in nature that have warm undertones, such as cream, beige and clay—as opposed to cool neutral colors like stark white and slate gray that lean more pink or blue.

Gonzenbach has used neutrals to curate a sense of tranquility in her shop, which opened its doors in July 2022. At Curated, the minimalist white walls, shelves and tables are layered with neutral, small-batch homewares, giftables and baby items, with notes of sage, burgundy, terracotta, mauve and blush.

“I’m more of a black, white, gray, beige kind of a gal. I’ve always been that way … but I don’t mind a pop of color here and there, as long as it’s a bit more muted. That’s what I gravitate toward,” Gonzenbach says.

The universal nature of neutrals also makes for great gifts, with all items within Curated fitting within the same style. Gonzenbach has even started to offer full-service gift boxing; clientcurated items can be placed in a gift box and made instantly ready to give with a finishing touch of twine and dried florals. “Because I choose all warm neutrals, and we have a warm modern aesthetic, each piece works together,” Gonzenbach says. “ … When you come into the store, you really can’t go wrong.”

Gonzenbach has made it her mission to create an ever changing assortment of goods (introducing new wares every three weeks) with distinct staples, including driftwood décor and a collection of vases handmade in Portugal.

Another neutral design tip? “We like to mix in textures, as well, with our neutrals,” Gonzenbach says. Wooden chain links, marble elements and dried florals are some customer favorites.

With the décor world at your fingertips, it’s easy to do too much. Gonzenbach explains that the best design approach is often simplicity.

“When I’m doing my displays and my visual merchandising, I try to make sure to keep it a little bit more minimal. I think that a lot of people … try to add so many things and sometimes all you need to do is just take one thing away,” she says. “Sometimes, that’s the best design of all.”

Curated Boutique, 190 Westfalen Trail Suite 100, Medina; shopcuratedboutique.com

@shopcuratedboutique