Snowy Beasts

There's been a lot of complaining these days about the weather in Maryland. Snow and ice. Rain, thunder. More snow. Cancelled work and school. Everyone has been effected in some way and - as far as I can tell - everyone has had something to say about. 

We'd like to invite you to stop for a moment and consider that there ARE those who have it tougher than you…. Imagine you not only have to shovel your car out, or your swath of sidewalk. Imagine you also have to care for 30 or so large, rescued animals. You need to trek out into the snow and make sure they have food and water - and the water hasn't frozen. They need fresh air in the pasture, then they need brushed off and put back into the barn. They need love and attention. Welcome to the world of Burleigh.

Take a look at our friends at Burleigh Manor Animal Sanctuary. Above, that's Moose and his buddy Cash. Both are mules, retired from Amish farms and rescued from a slaughterhouse in PA. Just below, blind pony, Pagan, is hanging outing his cozy plaid coat. He's got some snow on him, but enjoys the fresh, chilly air in his pasture.

 Mabel is the pink piggie below. She stepped out to explore a recent snow, but her companion, Hamlet, wisely chose to stay in the barn. If there are belly rubs involved, even snow cannot stop Mabel!

Edgar Allan Pony is a new resident at Burleigh. Several years back, Edgar served as one of Baltimore's Arabbers. Arabber ponies usually work by pulling a food cart through Baltimore neighborhoods. Edgar's job was to provide pony rides at Inner Harbor. In addition to working long days on hard cement and street surfaces, Arabbers are often be found living in inappropriate housing situations such as the basements of city homes. Edgar doesn't mind braving the snow, especially for an apple!

Jack the donkey is watching over shy L'il, the cow. Jack is a 15+ year-old, miniature Sicilian donkey that stands no more than 3 feet tall. He is approximately the size of a large dog. He's gray-dun in color with a darker dorsal stripe and cross. This is the most common color pattern for this type of donkey. Lore tells us that the cross shape design over his back was put there to symbolize the Christ child being carried upon the donkey’s back. Lil' Cow is a brown-colored Hereford. She was surrendered by her former owner, who was closing down the family’s cow farm after the death of her husband. The rest of the cows had been sent to slaughter, but not L’il Cow, who was beloved as a family friend.

Still think you have it tough, scraping the ice from your car window or sitting inside on the couch to watch bad TV all day? Try farm life for a day!

You can go meet them and experience winter on the farm during their next open house event, which is Saturday March 8, 1pm to 3pm. There is a $5 donation, and closed-toe boots are recommended. You may bring apples and carrots to feed the animals, if you like. 

We are happy volunteers at Burleigh and love hanging out with the animals, rain or snow or sleet or sunshine. Each one is like a special pal with his and her own unique quirks and personality. Hope winter doesn't keep you in during the next open house! Farm life in the winter has its own beauty and charm and is completely worth the visit!

~ Rissa

We Knew Them When...

Because we work with actors and actresses all the time, we meet lots of talented individuals. Many of them go on to do great things with their careers - some in theater, some as models, some in films and on television.  Recently, we've had a whole smattering of wild success stories and we wanted to share them. After all, we can say we knew them back when…

Austin is a child-actor based in Maryland, and when we found out he had played the role of a schoolyard bully on USA Network's White Collar, we were so proud! After all, we're huge fans of the show.  I think you'll agree that Austin can do the tough guy look, too.

Tracie came to us for her first headshot quite a few years ago. She has since moved on to work in the New York market, but we were really excited to hear she had a part on the super-cool CBS show, Elementary. It's a modern take on Sherlock Holmes, set in NYC. Way to go, Tracie!

Locally in the DC area, client Kevin had a part on House of Cards, the groundbreaking Netflix series that keeps everyone talking. No doubt that Kevin's great look and professional drive help him land the role! We both remember his confidence and ambition, and knew we'd hear his name again.

Speaking of a great look, this guy had it! Christian also came to us for his first professional head shots. At the time, he didn't know if acting or modeling would be the right fit, but as it turns out, he went to Los Angeles and found his way onto the CW's remake of 90210! Looks and talent are always a winning combination.

Back on the East Coast, Jasmine found work on a Discovery Channel station, the ID Network. She got a role on Deadly Affairs, a show hosted by Susan Lucci that explores cases of true crime involving hot, steamy affairs…

Finally, we are so proud of client Raja. After a move to LA, then criss-crossing the globe - literally - and filming small films, documentaries and more, Raja got a part on the Emmy-award-winning show Homeland on Showtime. We've had the pleasure of photographing Raja several times, with several very different looks and hairstyles! This is one of our favorite shots of him.

It's truly an understatement to say how PROUD we are of all our acting clients and their accomplishments. And when we see results like these, we like to glow a little bit and think we had some, very small, part in their success story by helping them with first, second or more head shots along  the way.

Congratulations to all of you on these fantastic achievements! We can't wait to see where you go next and we look forward to watching each of you accept your own Emmy awards!

~ Rissa