Defining Moment – Costa Rica

when i was in Costa Rica, photographing the local street dogs, i noticed a group of women tourists sitting and eating nearby. i felt their eyes on me and heard them snickering under their breath to each other. as i got closer, they eventually struck up a conversation with me. they were just dying to know why i was so fascinated with “those dirty dogs”. i told them that i thought the dogs were unique and beautiful. they thought i was NUTS! to them the dogs were nothing more than pesky filthy mongrels begging for food while they tried to enjoy their lunch.then i showed them this photo from the back of my camera (below)…i watched their energy immediately soften and one of the women admitted that she agreed with me…she did in fact see the beauty of the dog. the others had a closer look and followed suit.

at that moment i realized that i have the ability to show people how animals look through my eyes…which is always…BEAUTIFUL!

dog lovers know how beautiful all dogs are, but to be able to change the perception of those who don’t…that was a pretty powerful realization. a defining moment in my life.