happy birthday little G

this little monkey turns one year old in about a week, so her awesome parents came out for a shoot to celebrate.

she was a fabulous little model, and held up better than I did (or mr susan, my assistant for the day). best part was holding her and getting drooly kisses. :)

adopted!

The best news of all came today. One of the dogs featured in my Shelter & Rescue Dogs exhibit was adopted yesterday from the East Valley Animal Shelter!

I'm so happy to get this news; it makes all the hard work worthwhile. I'm not sure if this dog is the only one to have been adopted as a result of the show (I know that Hearts for Hounds has gotten some referrals), but this is a really happy ending for a lovely dog who had been in that shelter for months.

Thanks to the new parents, and thanks to Javier, shelter manager, for agreeing to keep her available until the end of May.

weddings

I've always been reluctant to shoot weddings, and I've been particular about which weddings I would shoot. That has less to do with my interest in weddings and more to do with the Bridezilla stories I hear from good friends who shoot weddings on a regular basis. :)

But I've given in and am starting to do more. Courthouse weddings are my favorite. Small weddings, civil ceremonies, backyard things, those are the best to shoot. I've got a Berkeley sort of hippie wedding coming up in a few months that I simply cannot wait to do!

So there. I've even added a wedding gallery to my website, in a gallery called "a very big deal." Check it out.

Bandit Brand catalog shoot

I'm starting to go through my shots from last month's catalog shoot in Ojai, CA. Great clothes, awesome models. Here's a couple of quick shots; there's a slideshow on my website, in a gallery called "on location: bandit brand."

love love courthouse weddings

photo essay on shelter dogs

I've submitted a photo essay on this project to JPG Magazine. Click on over there to read it, and vote if you like.

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shelter dog exhibit prints for sale

thanks for everyone who stopped by and showed their support last friday night. it was great talking with so many different people who are into the efforts to help shelter and rescue dogs.

in case you haven't heard, the exhibit (in a smaller form) has moved down the street from the opening to the It's a Grind Coffee House at 4245 Atlantic Blvd., Long Beach.

all of the prints are now for sale in limited edition (20 of each will be sold), and 50% of all sales from the prints go right back to the shelter. so if you couldn't make the show, there is still time to show your support and help these little monkeys find a home :)

the prints are featured on my Esty shop. although they are not all up there yet, i'm going to be finished uploading them by tomorrow night.

and in a few weeks, there will be a small book with these shots and many more for sale. again, 50% of the proceeds of those will go the rescues.

thanks again for the support, but thanks most of all for loving the animals that seem to think nobody loves them.

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she-devils on bikes

Sounds suspiciously like a movie I once saw in the 70s, but it's actually the nickname of this past weekend's catalog shoot that I did in Ojai, CA. Six great looking, inked up models and a kick-ass new line of shirts and vests for men and women. More to come later, but here's a sneak peek.

you're invited

NOTE: The exhibit will possibly move to a more convenient location after opening night. Keep an eye on this page for details. But opening night is still at the location listed below! If you have any questions, drop me a line.





This is going to be a big night for the animals! I'll be showing 20-30 prints of dogs who are in need of homes right now! There will be lots of volunteers and employees from various shelters to provide information on specific dogs, or just general info.

Framed and unframed prints will be for sale (with proceeds going to participating shelters), and there's going to be an "opportunity drawing" to benefit the shelters, with 3 winning tickets drawn. Top prize is a free private photo session for the winner and his/her animal(s).

Photographs will be up the entire month of May, but the reception/opening night is Friday, May 2nd, from 7-10pm. Please attend if you can.

This Is Who We Are: Photography by Susan Sabo
Reception: Friday, May 2nd, 7-10 pm.
4313 Atlantic Blvd., Long Beach CA

admission is free; no invite needed.

make someone's day, adopt a shelter animal

Shelters & rescues have always been close to my heart; years ago I started and ran a blanket program for the dogs at the East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys. Jen and I often adopted out older, sick dogs who had been left for dead by their owners and kept them so that they could live out their remaining years in a loving home and with dignity.

So when it came time to think of a theme for my upcoming show in May, it was clear: Dogs that need homes now! This is going to be a very crunched project, because the show opens Friday, May 2nd. But I can't think of a better reason to work long hours and lose a lot of sleep.

All the dogs featured in the show are dogs that are currently being fostered and need a permanent home. We'll also have some volunteers from local rescues to provide information to interested people. AND, I'll have a special on portrait packages for dogs running for those who do adopt a dog during the month of May.

If you're in the LA area, please come to the show, invite all your animal-loving friends. Maybe you could be responsible for a dog finding his or her way into a loving home.

More details on the location and time will be coming, but for now, pencil the date into your planner. And if you can't wait till then, by all means, head down to your local shelter and give some love to a needy dog (or cat)!

upcoming photo project: T & J

Before finishing my first Project April, I did a quick shoot with T and her boyfriend in a Long Beach laundromat. I love their chemistry so much I'm putting up a preview for them.

project

I've been working on a photo project for a couple of weeks now, and I'm getting pretty excited about unveiling it. But I shot over a thousand images, and this week I'm sifting through them and making my final choices. I hope to have the final project up on my site within two weeks. But I wanted to give everyone a preview of it, and also, wanted to thank all the models and actors who participated. They were all outstanding and each of them made such an individual and unique contribution.

This is Daisi, one of my fabulous subjects. I could have shot her all day, but my camera couldn't keep up with her moves.

spazz attack

Dot met Ivan for the first time last week, and she had a 2-hour long spazz attack. Both she and Lola simply adore him and are constantly creeping their way closer to him for sneaky ear licks. I'm glad the dogs and he have bonded. It's nice when you are able to bring another dog person into the world.

a guest came to the studio today...

... and the usual "welcome to the studio" dance ensued.

the perfect candid

This is my husband and his first grandson. This is the picture I've been wanting to snag since Ivan was born (just over a month ago). It's a personal favorite.

Ink & Iron 2007

Heads up that I'll be shooting at Ink & Iron this June at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. If you're going to be there and would like some shots for yourself or your shop, drop me a line.

grand opening

So this was the Grand Opening of my new studio space in the fashion district (downtown LA). I moved some gear in today (gear is heavy, assistants would be good) and set up a couple of quick self portraits. I'll be slammed with work for the next week or so, then I hope to get some friends up there for some shooting.

Can. Not. Wait.

when it's too late to talk to your kids about birth control

More of the adorable addition to our family, baby Ivan. This is a real family portrait; Ivan, his mother Amanda, her father and her mother. I was really glad to get this shot of all of them together. There are lots more "normal" looking shots of them all, but I just love this one from the expression on Amanda's face. It's like, "so that's how it happens!

how to make an exit

I think I'm one of the last people on earth (with tattoos) who doesn't know Kat Von D or LA Ink, but since my daughter was getting some ink work done at her tattoo show (musink) this weekend, I got a chance to get some cool shots.

If you've never been to a tattoo convention, go! Even if you're not a photographer, or not getting a tattoo, you're guaranteed hours of the most entertaining people watching, even if it's only a bit of someone, like this shot :)

dog love

there's nothing like it.

i had the best shoot today with this rad family of people and dogs. the house was full of dog love, which is always the best.