The Ball Studio

We’ve been able to photograph so many animals these past few months! It’s amazing how many different pets people have, even within the same family – from the Ferguson family with three different kinds of dogs, to Jill and her lizards, we’ve seen it all!

This is Ace (the tegu on the left), and Cupcake (the Savannah monitor on the right). They were very docile, and their skin felt sort of like a basketball. The lizards moved very slowly around the camera room but Jill, their owner, says they can move extremely fast when there’s food around!

Jill was trying to help get Ace to lift his head on the right – we thought it was a cute image!

This is Sitka, a Husky; Harley, a Chihuahua; and Shelby, a Lab. They all belong to Trista and Gerald Ferguson, and are all rescue dogs! Trista and Gerald are so devoted to their dogs – it’s sometimes challenging but well worth it!

Most cats are understandably wary of new surroundings, but we’ve been able to coax a few to pose for us – this is Smokey, on the left, who belongs to Yvonne Morse. On the right are Saifa and Tessa, who seemed to find the wicker chair acceptable. Saifa and Tessa belong to Laura Gross.

Buffy, left, companion of Bernie McCarthy, has such a sweet face! On the right is Kathy with her dog Jasmine. Jasmine posed so well you’d think she’s been modeling her whole life!

This is Lucy, with her dachshund, Silas. Lucy says Silas loves to dress up – and we immediately fell in love with his hat, sweater, and intelligent little face! Silas is a rescue dog, like many of the pets we’ve photographed.

Thanks for visiting!

The Ball Studio has been photographing Oregon State’s graduating seniors since 1912, but we’re always finding new ways to celebrate this important achievement for the students. We’ve discovered that a lot of the Veterinary Medicine students enjoy being photographed with their pets, which is a lot of fun. This is Tess, who will be receiving her Doctor of Medicine in Veterinary Medicine in June of 2010, with her whippets Kimber and Laney.

Check out the OSU gallery on our website to see more fun Oregon State portraits!

Every year we donate our photography to the Celebrate Corvallis event, put on by the Corvallis Benton Chamber Coalition. It’s so gratifying to help our community celebrate the wonderful individuals who are doing such amazing work in Corvallis and beyond! This year, local artists were commissioned to make the breathtaking awards that the winners received. We had a great time at the event – it was truly inspiring to hear about each of the nominees and winners.

Left: Future First Citizen winner, Evan Wu. Evan received a $500 scholarship to whatever college he will choose to attend. Evan is an A-student, an excellent pianist and volunteers at local soup kitchens on weekends! Right: Patron of the Arts Winner, Shirley Wirth. Shirley is an artist, teacher, and volunteer at the Corvallis Arts Center.

Left: Junior First Citizen Winner, Michelle Davis. Michelle is a tireless volunteer, even journeying to Ethiopia this past year! Not only that, but she was instrumental in organizing the Celebrate Corvallis Event. Right: Entrepreneur of the Year Winners, Chris Vitello and Paul Nash. Chris and Paul began Ecnow Tech about a year ago – their revolutionary company makes sustainable products that can be composted rather than thrown away.

Left: Robert C. Ingalls Business Person of the Year winner, Nancy Kneisel. Nancy’s the owner of Second Glance and the new Annex – the best consignment stores in town! Right: Senior First Citizen winner, Dr. Ken Johnson. Ken was the Junior First Citizen in 1970, so that tells you how long he’s been contributing to our community. He has provided dental services to low-income children locally and worldwide.

The most prestigious award for Celebrate Corvallis is the First Citizen Award, this year awarded to David Gilbert. David grew up in Corvallis and was taught by his parents at an early age to give back to the community, even helping at Assistance League fundraisers as a child. He is now the development director for Cornerstone Associates, and was at the head of the campaign to build the new Community Outreach Inc. building on Reiman.

The other winners include Fitzpatrick Painting, Inc. (Business of the Year), Metzger Green Build (Good Steward of the Planet), and Love INC of Benton County (Community Organization/Non-profit of the Year). A special, posthumous award was given to Patricia Mulder, for her work as former president of the Chamber.

Events like these make us proud to live and work in Corvallis!