Hello, I’m Crystal!
I grew up in the little town of Hilo, Hawai’i. At a young age, I was introduced to photography using my family’s beloved Canon camera. Every photo I took was a moment captured in time that was either in a photo album, on a wall, or shared among family and friends. My photography became a passion and led to a hobby using many types of cameras including those disposables! Whatever type of camera I could get my hands on, I took it as a project to learn and to get that picture perfect finish.
As time went on, I graduated from high school, attended college, earned a bachelors in psychology and the entered the adult working world as any other young woman.
It wasn’t until 2022, I realized (and with the help of my amazing friends) that my passion for photography was my true calling and to capture memories for people to cherish and love. It was at this moment, that it was time for me to take this passion and turn it into a journey as a professional photographer.
In my spare time, you can catch me spending time with my fur child Bruno, at the beach, re-watching FRIENDS for the billionth time, or trying out a new eatery in town.
Photo by Mark Galacgac
An animal lover who is pet first aid & CPR certified, A dog mom, & Your foodie friend.
Becoming a Photographer for the Pets
Animals always have had a special place in my heart. From felines to canines, fish to birds, goats to horses. So as a third grade project, my class was assigned to take photos of our pets to post on the school’s bulletin board for the week; you could say I was pretty excited to share my furry friends to the school. I had to figure out how would I take a photo of my family’s cats, dog, and lovebird without scaring them and wasting any of those Polaroid films.
And so, it began, a mission for me to successfully land a great photo without stressing out my furry and feathery friends. My first mission: get the cat to pose. I got behind that clunky Polaroid and waited for the purr-fect moment as she slowly walked toward me filled with curiosity. One push of a button, the flash went off, the photo spitted out of the camera, and the kitty scurried away. It wasn’t until minutes later the photo revealed a beautiful cat poised so well right in the center. I was shocked that the photo came out well and to realize that this was taken by me.
Years went by and after welcoming our pomeranian chihuahua (pomchi for short), Bruno, into our home, I began taking pet photos again. I enjoyed taking and sharing photos of Bruno that I decided on his third birthday, it was time to post and create his own social media page. Over time, Bruno and I met amazing friends which lead to fun photoshoots, barkday parties, play dates, and investing in capturing as much memories as possible with the help of a camera of course. This also taught me how to work with dogs and their humans to pose well in front of a camera with a lot of patience (and a lot of squeakers and treats).
One main goal that I aim to capture in these amazing pets: to showcase their true unfiltered loving life self. As a fellow pet owner, I know their life here on earth is short. Taking photos of these amazing souls not only captures their beauty, but preserves the wonderful memories we have with them for many years to come.
Photo by Mark Galacgac