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I'm so excited to announce I've been nominated for the fifth year in a row for Best Pet Photographer on Long Island! It's such an honor to be included. Thank you to everyone who nominated me! If you'd like to vote for me, you can do so once a day until December 15th by clicking this link!

Thank you also to Bethpage Federal Credit Union who runs the awards. I certainly feel like the luckiest pet photographer on Long Island because I work with some of the most wonderful clients ever.
​Thank you for your support! 

​Get in touch to book your session today! Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com
 or call (631)256-7476

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I'll be at Pawcasso Art Studio & Pet Boutique for a "Falloween" Pet Photo Shoot! I'm so excited to collaborate with this awesome company. My dog Gracey has been obsessed with their amazing single-ingredient dog treats for so long and we've been talking about doing a photo shoot there for a while. I'll be there on Sunday, October 13th from 3pm-6pm with backdrops and props for a Fall or Halloween set up for owners to choose from. $55 includes your photo shoot, 3-5 digital photos emailed to you, a lick painting, doggy ice cream and a goodie bag! They'll also be donating a bag of their wonderful treats to a local shelter for every bag bought during the event!  Thank you so much to Pawcasso for hosting this! I can't wait to see all the adorable pups for their close ups! 

A $10 deposit to Pawcasso is required to secure your spot!


Sign up at this link!

See you there!

​To be notified of all the events I’m participating in,
​ join my email list or follow along with me on Instagram!

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10 years ago today Laura Pea Photography officially opened for business. Even though I planned and researched for a full year before I started, I had very little idea what I was doing at first. I was the only one of my friends who owned their own creative business and I was desperately lonely for people who understood how utterly amazing and how unbelievably awful it could be. Over the years I’ve found community in groups like Rising Tide Society, 52Frames and Long Island Film Club that have helped me keep my love for small business and for photography alive.

10 years has come with its share of lean, hard times, sacrifice and struggle but I’m proud to have made it to this milestone, perhaps a little more cynical than the start, but also wiser and thicker-skinned.

I’m so thankful to every client that has contributed to my journey over the past 10 years. Thankful to every friend and family member who has passed my name along. Thankful to every business I’ve networked with that has hosted me for a photo event or invited me to collaborate with them.

The first newborn I photographed is middle school age now. The first dog I photographed has passed. I have clients that invite me back into their lives year after year and show me my photos on their walls that they still cherish so many years after I took them. It means the world to me. 10 years later, this is still the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done. I hope to be here doing it all in another 10 year’s time. 

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I made a post back in May about the gallery openings my work was going to be included in. Now that those shows are both down, I thought I'd post an update with some photos of both. When I was a student at Stony Brook University, I had my work in many art shows. Once I graduated, I focused on serving clients in my business and for a long time I never submitted my photographs for consideration into any shows or galleries. That changed once the wonderful Nancy Hassel of American Pet Professionals collaborated with the Islip Arts Council to have a pet art show in their gallery space. She encouraged any pet artists in the group to apply, so I submitted three photographs and was so excited when they accepted all three! The first was a photo I took of Handsome Zeus, the Instagram famous dog at the beach a few years ago! The second is a digital art piece I put together with three photos of my dog Gracey. The third was a photo I took of my friend Diana's cat Oscar! Thanks to both groups for hosting the art show. There were so many wonderful artists involved and some gorgeous pieces. 
Here are some photos I took of the gallery when I visited!
The other art show I was involved in was at Flux Coffee in Farmingdale. The owners collaborated with the Long Island Film Club, a group I'm a part of. Members of the group were invited to submit one shot that embodies them and their work, and was shot on Long Island. I submitted the same shot of Zeus because a dog on a Long Island beach are very on brand for me! These photos are from the opening of that show. There are so many talented photographers in that group and I was proud to have my work on display alongside theirs! Thanks to Flux Coffee and Ryan from Long Island Film Club for putting it together! 
It's very gratifying to see artwork you've made displayed for others to appreciate. I'm going to make it a goal to enter my work into more of these exhibits and opportunities!

​To be notified of all the events I’m participating in,
​ join my email list or follow along with me on Instagram!

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I have some exciting studio news to share! I have three pieces that are on display at the Islip Arts Council gallery's Art for Paws show. There will be work from over 40 pet artists there in many forms: photography, painting, sculpture, textile, etc. The show was the brainchild of Nancy Hassel of American Pet Professionals, a professional group I'm a part of. They have an opening reception on May 17th from 6-8pm if you'd like to go, but you can also show up to the gallery any time between now and May 30th when the works will be on display. 

Another one of my pet photographs is also going to be included in an art show of members of the Long Island Film Club at Flux Coffee in Farmingdale. That opens on May 25th! Stop in for a cup of coffee and see some wonderful local art from a ton of talented photographers. 

I haven't submitted my art work much for display since I left college, but I've been trying to get out there more when it comes to showing my work, so I'm really excited for these opportunities. All of my works at both shows are for sale, so if you're interested in owning a piece by Laura Pea Photography, head on down to pick up some art! 

To be notified of all the events I’m participating in,
​ join my email list or follow along with me on Instagram!

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Mother's Day is this Sunday! 

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Moms always want updated photos of their beautiful families to line their walls, show off on social media, keep on their desks at work, etc.

While it's too late to book a session with me in time for Mother's Day, it's never too late to give the gift of a photography session. 

You can purchase e-gift cards from me that will be sent instantly to your recipient's email! Or you can send the gift card to yourself to print out and put in a card for your loved one.
 
If time got the better of you this year and you're scrambling for something heartfelt, the gift of photography is something that the mom in your life will always adore. Sessions can take place in my home studio in Farmingville, at the client's house or on location within Suffolk County, Long Island.
My gift cards are available in any amount over $25. Most gift-givers choose to cover my session fee ($150 for regular sessions, $250 for newborn sessions) and a little extra to include a few photo prints. You can find all my pricing information and product menu here, and when you're ready,
purchase e-gift cards here! 

Get in touch to book your session today! Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com
 or call (631)256-7476

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Color photo collage of many photos of pets: dogs, a cat and its family, a ferret, a guinea pig, a hamster and a bearded dragon. All photos were taken by Laura Pea Photography, a Long Island pet photographer.
I'm going to be at the Comsewogue Public Library for a pet portrait program this Saturday from 11am-2pm! This is a new one I'm adding to my ever-growing list of libraries putting on this program and I'm so excited! The weather looks like it'll be beautiful so we're planning on doing the program out on their lawn. If the weather takes a sudden turn, we also have access to one of their indoor community rooms. Participants will get a free 8x10 photo and a digital file. If you're a patron of Comsewogue, sign up for the program to receive a free photo of your pet!

Pets should be clean, well-behaved around other animals, and in a cage or on a leash to attend. All pets are welcome, not just dogs! In the past, I've had people bring cats, turtles, ferrets, guinea pigs, lizards, bunnies, hamsters, even rats to my library programs! Feel free to get in the shot with your pet too! There are a few spots left. 

​ Sign up here!

Hope to see you there!

To be notified of all the events I’m participating in,
​ join my email list or follow along with me on Instagram!

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Since May of 2015, my mom has texted me every Sunday night two words..."52 Frames??" She knows I've submitted a photo every week for the past 8 years to this special project and if I missed a week after all this time, I'd be devastated.

52Frames is a weekly photo challenge meant to foster creativity and hone photography skills. I started submitting to the project shortly after I started my business, when I realized a few months in that I had stopped creating artwork for myself entirely. Every ounce of my creative energy was being spent on my clients and I had nothing left for my own personal work. If it went on much longer, I was going to burn out on photography. I came across this group and it gave me a way to force myself to be creative at least once a week, so I would never fall into that rut again.

At least once every single week I grab my camera to shoot the weekly challenge. Sometimes it's well thought out, sometimes it's rushed at the last second on Sunday night (often after my mom texts me), but for the last 8 years I've committed to shooting something for the sheer love of the art of photography. Some weeks can be incredibly challenging (especially "portrait of a stranger" week), but it's always rewarding. It's made me a better photographer. It's made me friends, both in person and online. I love it so much, I've even become a patron of the project, and I volunteer on the Whittling Committee and run their Pinterest account

This year I put together a collage of all 52 of my photographs I took for the project in 2023. If you want to see any of them larger or read the stories behind them, you can check out my 52Frames profile. And if you're starting your photography journey, or want a way to stay creative with your camera, the new year is a great time to start. Join us! 

52 photo collage of a mix of color and black and white photos taken in 2023 for the project 52Frames by Laura Paesano of Laura Pea Photography, a Long Island based photographer.
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Photo Collage of families and their dogs in the Nature Explorium outdoor area of the Middle Country Public Library
I'm going to be back at the Middle Country Public Library for another pet portrait program on June 3rd from 10am-2pm! This one will be taking place in the beautiful outdoor Nature Explorium area of the library. If you're a patron of Middle Country, sign up for the program to receive a free photo of your pet!

Pets should be clean, well-behaved around other animals, and in a cage or on a leash to attend. All pets are welcome, not just dogs! In the past, I've had people bring cats, turtles, ferrets, guinea pigs, bunnies, hamsters, even rats to my library programs! Feel free to get in the shot with your pet too!

Sign up here!

Hope to see you there!

To be notified of all the events I’m participating in,
​ join my email list or follow along with me on Instagram!

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As a photographer, I always have a camera on me at all times (most times I have more than one). You never know when the perfect moment will arise. That doesn't mean every photo needs to be a masterpiece, though. I like to document my life through photos because I don't have the greatest memory. Sometimes I'll look back at a moment from a vacation or a concert and I'll think "Oh my God, I totally forgot about this"! That experience could have been completely lost to me if I hadn't photographed it.

I know all too well how important our memories are, because both of my grandmothers developed dementia. I noticed that with my Mema (my mom's mother), photographs used to help her remember more from her past, and it always led to great stories. Every year, I make a photo book of my personal photos from the year before. For the most part, my professional art work gets made into a canvas and goes on my wall. But the snap shots I take every day, the little moments that make up the story of my life, they go into my photo year book, and I love to look at them. Showing them to my family and friends brings me a lot of joy. Almost all of them are photographs taken with a small compact camera or just my iPhone.

See, you don't have to be a photographer to carry a camera with you at all times. How many people do you know that don't have a cell phone? A phone camera doesn't have to be fancy to document your life. To be honest, a lot of phone cameras these days can lead to stunning photographs if the light is good.

This is what a typical page of my photo year book looks like.
Maybe these aren't beautiful professional photos that I would make a canvas out of, but they represent some awesome moments I had that year, and each memory is special to me.
photo collage of friends and dogs
A lot of people put off doing anything with their photos, because it seems like a huge undertaking to put something together. It doesn't have to be, though. A simple layout with a few photos from each month of the year can be a beautiful way to tell the story of your family. Go with a site like Mixbook if you want to customize your photo book and get fancy with layouts, covers and graphics. Or you can just keep it simple and use a company like Shutterfly that can auto-design your photo book and take the work out of your hands. 

Now that you've got your family's snapshots in order, you can always come to me when you want that beautiful canvas portrait to hang on your wall. I'll take care of that kind of stuff for you :) 

Schedule a portrait session with me by
​emailing laurapeaphotography@gmail.com
or calling (631)256-7476

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Laura Paesano
Long Island, NY

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