Sandra Johnson, the photographer of my book cover

I want to introduce you to the photographer, Sandra Johnson, who took the picture of me with my Boston Terrier puppy, Annabelle, for the cover of How to Interview Like a Pro. Here is a picture of Sandra with her husband Chris with their dogs,Goblin, the brown dog, and James, the poodle.


Mary: I know that you primarily photograph weddings. Can you tell me something about how you got into that part of the business?

Sandra: I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember and in high school I was asked to photograph a wedding for a friend's older sister. I was hooked at that point! I really love all things weddings - magazines, TV shows, websites, movies - I can't get enough of them!

Mary: I met you at The Doggie Door in Winter Park where you were doing photos of dogs with or without their owners. I know that you donate the proceeds to a Greyhound rescue group. Can you tell me more about photographing dogs and how you got involved with animal rescue organizations.

Sandra: A friend of mine owned a grooming shop and she said it would be a great idea to take photos of dogs. We tried it and loved it and when we approached The Doggie Door about doing photos with them they asked for the proceeds to go to the Greyhounds. That was 10 years ago and they now have the Sebastian Haul Fund and all of the photo events we do with The Doggie Door help raise money for the Sebastian Haul Fund. From there we also did a few photo days for the SPCA and also for the Greyhound Ranch. Most recently we donated a private session to Hound Haven and we hope to work with them more in the future.

Mary: How is photographing dogs different from photographing people?

Sandra: With people I can communicate exactly what I want to them. I can get them to pose exactly how I want and I ask them to smile or laugh. With dogs you get what you can - you have to trick them into posing and staying put (and we try to do this without treats since that is a distraction). Some dogs like sounds, some prefer movement and some dogs we have to surprise. The good thing is all of the tricks we use on dogs usually make their owners smile, too!

Mary: You make it look so easy. How many photographs do you usually take for the one perfect photo that your client loves?


Sandra: In one of the sessions for The Doggie Door we usually take about 10 photos - but I know when I got "the shot" in that group and usually there is one outstanding shot that is better than the rest. But we always give the clients all of them since they all show the dog's personality. We used to delete the ones where the dog snuck in a kiss or something silly but now we leave those in and they have been a big hit!

Mary: What is the best way for people to reach you? What is your website? Anything else you want to add?


Sandra: Our website has all of our contact information - it is www.SJFoto.com and there is also a contact form there. We are always looking for new ideas and groups to work with - feel free to contact us!

Mary: I have really enjoyed finding out more about you. Annabelle is 8 months now. Maybe I will have to come in and have a Valentine photo. Stay tuned for more photos.



Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of
How to Interview Like a Pro, Editor's Choice and Rising Star,
How To Negotiate Like A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes,Winner of six book awards:Best How To Book, DIY FestivalRunner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help CategoryFinalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year AwardsFinalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help Category Honorable Mention, London Book Festival;
How To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes, Winner of ftwelve book awardsBest National Book AWard, Law Category, Best E-Book, New York Book FestivalBest How To Book, Beach Book FestivalBest E-Book, Indie Excellence AwardsSpirit Award, South Florida Writers AssociationEmail:
howtointerview@aol.com; vist my website www.marygreenwood.org