cindy cieluch photography . blog

Elvis has a home!!!!  He’s been adopted!!!!!  I don’t know if his new owners saw any of these photos…all I know is that he’s out of the shelter and in a loving home!  That’s all that matters. 

Matt and I are taking off right now for some snowshoeing with our dogs!  This snowstorm is insane and we’re going to take advantage of it!  We’ll also try to take some photos…..stay tuned…

“In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.”

For the second year in a row, I’ve taken photos of the dogs and cats at the Great Falls Animal Shelter to display at the Fur Ball in hopes that someone would see the images and feel moved to adopt.  It worked last year after a couple saw a photo of an American Eskimo and went to the shelter the very next morning to bring him home!  So, what’s the Fur Ball?  The Fur Ball is an annual event that gives local animal lovers a chance to wine, dine and spend a ton of money on silent and live auction items.  It was held on April 18 and was a HUGE success.  All of the proceeds go towards building a brand new animal shelter in Great Falls (which we’re VERY close to accomplishing)!!!  I actually had a photo session and 24×36 canvas wrap featured in the live auction, which went to some brand new clients!  THANK YOU Jack & Kim!

OK, back to the animals!  Most of the pets who I took photos of have already been adopted - hallelujah!!!  BUT there are several who are still waiting for a loving home.  A local dog trainer named Melanie Lattin helped me out during the photo shoot 2 weeks ago and told me that 3 of the dogs we met are still there.  Today, Melanie sent a very touching email to several friends which describes the dogs.  Here’s her email.  Scroll down to see the photos.

“For those of you who went to the Fur Ball, thank you very much for helping us help the animals. Cindy Cieluch’s photographs of the shelter animals which were part of the centerpieces were striking and in handling the dogs she was photographing, I formed a connection with them. Even though we couldn’t spend a long time with each animal, there are three dogs who stand out in my mind that still need a home.

Bob is an Akita-German Shepherd mix, 90+ pounds of love. He came charging out of his kennel, doing his best to drag me down the aisle, but as soon as we were outside he was a different dog. As you’ll see from the 3rd photo, he’s a good boy and has obviously been taught some tricks.

Elvis is an impressive hound mix. He does not have the hound “voice” but instead barks. You can tell from his eyes he has been in the shelter awhile and is starting to give up on finding a home.

If you have the time to help a dog in need, please consider visiting Juliet. She’s very frightened and will need someone to teach her how to trust humans. She’s a medium size dog and quite thin. I’ve worked extensively with fearful dogs and will donate a 2 hour counseling session to whomever adopts her to provide information and techniques to help her make the transition to her new home.

If you can, please visit the animal shelter. And, please, forward this email on to anyone you know who might be able to provide a loving, forever home for these dogs.”

The Great Falls Animal Shelter is located at 1010 25th Avenue NE.  Their number is 454-2276.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this.  Animals mean the world to me!  If I didn’t already have my 2 stinkers…I’d take one of these pups home today!

For more information on how to help our city’s animals, click here.

Meet Bob…

Elvis

Juliet

If you’re a regular blog reader, you know this family.  They’ve been with me since the very beginning of my photography journey, so lucky for me…I’ve been able to watch their journey as well.

My first official baby shoot was with Grayson, back before he had all of these cute curls.  His beautiful bald little self is actually still featured in the “babies” section on my website!  See if you can find him.     Now he’s a “big boy” and will soon be a big brother.

Grayson brings so much joy to their lives (and mine!) that I can’t imagine how much happiness there will be when the new little one arrives!

Grayson is scheming up his next move.  Meanwhile, mom and dad are sharing the sweetest, most intimate look!  I LOOOOOVE the way they’re looking at each other.  To me, it looks like they’re thinking about how much they love being parents…even when it gets crazy and busy.  But the best thing about looks between two people is that they’re the only ones who know what they’re thinking…hmmmmm.

Mommy time…

HELLOOOOOOOO!?!?!?

Are you kidding me with this kid?  Grayson is one of the funniest boys I’ve ever met!  He’ll definitely be entertaining his new baby brother/sister…and giving him/her lots of love.  Look at that yummy hug.

Congratulations Kiser Family!!!!!!!!!!!

My writing skills are going down the tubes.  I’ve been *behind the camera/in front of the computer/on the phone* so much lately that any writing talent I ever had is suffering.

Me bad writer.  Me like Jennifer very much.

I’m trying to revive myself…mostly for your sake!

Enjoy the photos Jennifer and go kick some butt in culinary school!!!!!  I’m looking forward to tasting some of your creations. 

My friend sent me a message tonight saying, “Sooo…no pressure but…”

That was her nice way of saying, “Get with it and update the blog!”

So, here’s a really sweet and fun family I met last week.  They drove all the way from Sidney!!!  Thank you for making time to spend the afternoon with me during your busy Easter weekend!

Watch out dad!

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately.  It’s been a bit…well, busy.  I’m so far behind on blogging sessions and things happening in my personal life that I don’t know where to start.  So, I’ll start here…with my friends & neighbors…..the adorable, the sweet, the thoughtful, the worth-saying-it-twice ADORABLE Huffman Family.  Let’s kick it off with the newest addition to their family, Drake.

Keeley + Kennedy have that sister relationship thing down pat.  It’s kissing one second…pinching the next.

Drake’s eyes are soooo twinkly…

My fave of Drake.  He looks so tiny as he holds his mom’s fingers.  Plus, his hat is falling over his eye just right…

My fave of Kennedy.  She looks like a beautiful, pouty angel…

My fave of Keeley.  Sweet smile, messy hair, big eyes.  And just plain ol’ scrumptious.

This last one is my FAVE family photo from the session…and it kind of happened accidentally.  Right before this photo was taken, dad wasn’t even in the picture.  Dad was just looking on, as the kids piled all over their mom.  That’s when the dad said to me, “I don’t want this to sound wrong, but she looks like she’s taking care of a bunch of her little piglets.”  So, I replied…”Well, hop in there Papa Pig.”  And then they kissed….without me telling them to.

The end of the school year is almost here, but I’ve still got a few seniors left!

I absolutely loved this session.  Kendra was up for anything and we managed to find some bright, cheery locations.  Here’s Kendra rocking out the school bus parking lot.

I also loved this shoot because Jeff came along to help out again!  I know you’re wondering who the heck Jeff is!?!?!?  I PROMISE to explain more soon and give him a proper introduction.  We’re working on a new website, new bio photos, the studio, etc. etc….so you’ll be meeting him soon!!!  Jeff took this one…