Ok, are you ready for some serious cuteness?!!

Sharon on her love of animals: I’ve always been an animal person, more than a people person. I notice dogs everywhere; I stare at them on the street. I’m like the really horny guy–”Look at those boobs! Look at those legs!”–except with dogs.

On how to photograph animals: I’ve been photographing them for ten years now. During a shoot, the animals direct me, not the other way around. I just have to hit the shutter at the right time. And like the Dog Whisperer, I think it’s key to have calm, assertive energy.
On animals’ personalities: The hardest animals to photograph are cats. They don’t have as many muscles in their faces, so they don’t express as much. The baby lamb was really sweet; I was cuddling her. The baby deer was skittish. She had just started bottle feeding; she was really little.

On the bigger animals: I like photographing “hoofstock,” like lamb, deer, reindeer. But I let the trainers tell me what to do. I mean, if reindeer gets spooked, he could kill you with his antlers!
On feeling afraid (or not): It’s funny because I should feel scared, but I never do. During one shoot, I got within a foot of an alligator. My husband had his hand on my belt buckle, just in case. One time, a yak charged me. The trainer had told me, “If anything happens, just stay still,” but I screamed and ran.

On animals she’d like to work with: I recently photographed a lion and a tiger. My dream right now is a flamingo!

During the shoot we visited, Sharon photographed golden retriever puppies and a French bulldog named Hamlet. Here were the adorable results!


See more of Sharon’s work on her blog.

(Color photos by Anna Wolf; B&W photos by Sharon Montrose)