Here is the official and somewhat boring blurb:
Cowbelly Pet Photography is a Seattle-based business established in 2003, that specializes in fun, candid, expressive documentary-style dog and cat photography and custom modern dog art.
“A Picture is Worth a Thousand Woofs” is the company trademark, and the business is owned by photographer Jamie Pflughoeft. Jamie has been shooting pets for 10 years: 3 years as a hobby and 7 professionally with her business Cowbelly Pet Photography. She works full time as a pet photographer, lives in the beautiful city of Seattle and serves private, editorial and commercial clients in the greater Seattle area and beyond.
Having become a leader in the pet photography industry, Jamie travels the country teaching intensive workshops to aspiring pet photography professionals. She also has extensive information for photographers on her blog in the form of a Q&A, and provides consulting, both in person and by phone, to other photographers seeking her advice.
Jamie’s private clients can be found around the country, from Sonoma Valley to Boston to Southern California to Chicago and beyond. Jamie’s commercial clients can be found around the world.
Jamie doesn’t shoot weddings or events or babies or children; just pets (85% dogs; 15% cats.)
For more information on Cowbelly Pet Photography and to see full galleries of images, check out the main website here:
And the more interesting stuff:
Just so you know, this is written by me- Jamie Pflughoeft (”flew-hoff”), owner of this fine photography business. What can I tell you about myself? Well, I think I have kind of an interesting story. I hope you will agree.
After leading a very successful career as an adventurer/slacker in my 20’s, and doing things like falling in love in France, snowboarding down some of the West Coast’s best mountains and becoming immersed in the Seattle punk rock scene, I decided to finally join the ‘real world’ and finish school and get a ‘real job’. I started school at the University of Washington and studied animal behavior (a department in the school of psychology). It should come as no surprise to you that my focus was on canis lupus familiarus. The end of school came in early 2002, and with it a horrible economy. So I stuck with my part-time job that served me well at school at the UW- that of a dog walker and petsitter. During my furry forays into the pet care world I learned that great photographs could be gleaned from just a short time spent with an animal. With my old Pentax film camera in hand from my first and only photography class in high school, and some black and white film, I set out to capture the funny candid moments shared between furry roommates and myself, in backyards and bedrooms, bathrooms and patios, all in the Emerald City and all of animals.
So over time I created a little portfolio, and showed it to only a few friends and petsitting clients, and when I got ’stuck’ in life, as one often does after graduating from an illustrious educational institution, a friend who knew me well suggested I turn my ‘hobby’ into a ‘business’. “Is that even a job?” I thought, until, after doing some research, I discovered that yes indeed it was a job, and one that I already loved doing. Then I was all over it like a bee on honey. “Sign me up!”, I thought. “You mean someone will PAY me for doing something I love? RAD!”
In July of 2003, on a shoestring with a meager $500 loan, a converted basement closet as an office that was prone to flooding, cheap homemade business cards with a generic Office Depot logo, and a client list of 2, I officially started Cowbelly Pet Photography. It has been a long road to get to where I am today- lots of work, many all-nighters, a couple of full-on burn-out stages where I was *this* close to throwing in the towel, and lots of mistakes and trial and error, but now I have a business that I can be proud of.
I no longer have that flooded closet for an office, I have a delightful assistant who helps run the business and takes care of all of the little things I don’t have time for, a client list that is much longer than 2, a consistent waiting list for new shoots and art, and a network of friends, clients and colleagues that fills me with warmth and joy every day. I’ve worked hard to get to this lovely place I am in today, but I still feel very, very lucky! I’d die fast in a cubicle working for ‘the man’, and the gratitude I feel for living my dream job is impossible to wrap words around.
As I mentioned above, I don’t do any other photography besides pet photography- or related to pets in some way. 85% of my shoots are dogs. I also do editorial and commercial pet photography. I teach other pet photographers so I can help them chase their dreams as well. But please don’t get me wrong- even though my photography business is a huge part of my life, I am first and foremost a dog lover, and secondly a photographer. I’ve been working with and/or studying dogs for almost 12 years in various capacities, from dog walker to dog daycare worker to animal behavior student to pet photographer, and my love for dogs could never take second place to anything else- not even photography. If I wasn’t photographing them I’d still be working with them in some way. In case you couldn’t tell, I LOVE DOGS!
I have an extremely busy schedule, am constantly on the go, and am a very passionate person, and by that I mean I feel intense joy in life and take great pleasure in the small things- there is so much I find fascinating. I love my dog Fergie more than life itself. (Did you see her picture above?). I have an eternally curious mind, I love to laugh and do frequently, I love meeting people, I love helping people, I am a vehement defender of the underdog and highly value integrity, honesty, kindness and compassion. Being a friendly person goes a long way in my book.
I love to snowboard, and create art in some form (check out my Decopaw: modern dog art), I have some serious skills in the interior design department and I wish I could cook but I am sadly no domestic goddess. I could, however, program my microwave with my eyes closed. 
I love animals more than anything else in life, and am grateful for every day I get to have an awesome, fulfilling career doing what I adore.
Thanks for taking time out of YOUR busy life to check out my blog and my business. Welcome. 
