Stephanie Richer Photography

10/16/2026

Some fun shots today while watching the pups play over at Pawsitive Home Stay Resort (where my CCO - Chief Canine Officer - attends daycare, so if it's Bronx recommended, you know it's a good place).

Listen, an hour spent sitting on the ground with dogs running around you - including sweet Bella jumping out of the kiddy pool and plopping her soaked butt right in my lap - is therapy for me!

10/14/2026

**TITAN: A GIANT AMONG DOGS**

Some dogs are born handsome. Others are born with a remarkable family history. Titan managed both.

This magnificent American Akita is a descendant of **CH T'Stone Raja Regalia on Buckridge**, affectionately known as **Raja**.

Raja was far more than a handsome show dog. He was a celebrated American Akita champion and an influential sire whose contribution to the breed extended well beyond the show ring. His bloodline lives on through generations of Akitas, including Titan, his great-great-great-grandson.

And when you have a dog with that sort of ancestry, an ordinary portrait seems rather inadequate.

I photographed Titan at the University of Tennessee Gardens, positioning him in front of its rather dilapidated Japanese tea house. I had already envisioned the finished artwork: a portrait inspired by the traditional Japanese woodblock prints that have been admired for centuries.

The original photograph provided the foundation. Through digital artistry, the aging tea house was transformed into a handsome Japanese pavilion, surrounded by graceful trees, carefully composed foliage, and the subdued colors and delicate linework of an antique print.

I even incorporated custom Japanese calligraphy identifying Titan as an Akita and honoring his descent from Raja.

The result is more than a portrait of a beautiful dog. It's a celebration of his breed's Japanese origins, his distinguished American bloodline, and the individual character that makes Titan, well, Titan.

This is the idea behind my **Dream Factory** fine art portraits.

Every creation begins with my own photography. From there, imagination, artistic vision, and digital craftsmanship transform that original image into something entirely personal.

A portrait shouldn't simply show what your dog looks like.

Sometimes, it should tell the story of where he came from.

And in Titan's case, that's quite a story.

BTW, with Christmas fast approaching, custom artwork for the Dog Mom or Dog Dad in your life is something they would TREASURE. And beats lingerie or a sweater. trust me on this one.

10/13/2026

**What if your child could step inside the magic of Christmas?** 🎄✨

Forget the quick snapshot on Santa's lap.

Imagine 30 magical minutes when Santa isn't just posing for pictures — he's sharing secrets, making Christmas magic, and inviting YOUR child into his wonderful world.

Welcome to **Once Upon a Christmas Eve**, Knoxville's finest Santa photography experience.

🎅 Saturday, November 21, 2026

🎄 30-minute private Santa experience

✨ $149 session fee

Appointments are limited, and Christmas magic waits for no one!

**Reserve your child's experience today:**

https://www.stephaniericherphoto.com/santa-photography-knoxville

10/07/2026

S O O N

10/04/2026

As part of my new hobby - wildlife photography - I went and photographed the elk rut at Oconoluftee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Warning: there is one rutting image in this gallery, albeit with the bull's p***s blurred out.

Some interesting facts about the elk rut:

Elk used to live in Appalachia but died out with settlement and businesses like logging in the Smokies. In 2001, the National Park Service re-introduced a herd from the Rocky Mountains into the Smokies and they took off, establishing herds in Oconoluftee, Cherokee, and Cataloochee Valley.

It is only during the rut that dominant bulls organizae harems of cows and chase off and/or fight other bulls who come to take the cows for themselves. After the rut, the bulls become bachelors again and the cows form their own herds with their calves.

The rut is short lived - from early September to about mid-October.

I included an image of a cow standing in a sort of squat. This occurs just after mating and what she is doing is contracting her vaginal muscles to help move the s***m into her uterus and thus aid fertilization.

There are a couple of images of a bull in what looks like a snarl. WHat he is doing is "tasting the air," quite literally - the "snarl" moves chemicals into a receptor, the vomeronasal organ (also called Jacobson's organ), found on the roof of his mouth, to help him identiofy which cows are in heat. This is called a Fehlman response; if you own a dog, you might have seen the canine version where your dog will sniff and start clacking his teeth.

And the show is really the bulls. They bugle frequently to let cows know they're available, tell the harem when it is time to move into the woods to bed down, and warn off other bulls. For as massive a creature, you'd think it would be a deep-throated bass of a sound - instead, it is a high-pitched whinny. But don't let that fool you - the testosterone that is surging in the bulls also means they can be dangerous if they think the harem is threatening, charging after people and cars with their heads lowered, those antlers becoming a weapon of serious harm.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Please don't use my images without my permission; if you have a child in school who is doing a science report about elk and needs illustrations, give me a shout.

10/01/2026

Today is National Black Dog Day! 🖤

National Black Dog Day is celebrated annually on October 1st to raise awareness about "Black Dog Syndrome"—the tendency for dark-coated dogs to be overlooked in shelters and wait longer for adoption.

Sometimes black dogs get a bad rap. Winston Churchill used the term "Black Dog" to describe the bouts of deep melancholy and depression he experienced throughout his life, and he took that from a Victorian expression to describe grumpiness. And then there is the urban legend about the black dog alongside a highway - a spectral canine that appears to sleep-deprived drivers as a warning of extreme fatigue and an impending crash.

But Hank here was a sweetheart to photograph. I know my oen dog, who is a large dark grey dog, gets looks of anxiety from folks.

Don;t be afraid to adopt a black dog. Besides, they hide the dirt well.

10/01/2026

Hello, October, it's nice to see you again.

09/28/2026

09/24/2026

Special treat for me today! Proposal Nbr. 229 - handled through my business, Smoky Mountain Marriage Proposals - had their boys with them, so yes, let's do proposal pictures AND some pet photography! Meet Bentley, Apollo, and Remy!