Creatures Great and Small

I am absolutely mesmerized by the photography of Sharon Montrose. Deer, sheep, owls, cows -- the largest and smallest alike of the animal kingdown are subjects of her incredible photography. She captures the tenderness as well as the inherent beauty of each animal.

While her photography is stunning from purely an aesthetic perspective, there's an extra quality in her images that I can't quite describe. But whether or not I have the words for them, these portraits remind me why I am happy to be a vegetarian and why it's so important to live as cruelty-free as possible. Animals are incredible! I hope someday humans can simply appreciate animals for what they are, not what they can do or provide for us.

Now, I don't know Montrose at all, but I feel like she must be an animal lover to create such art. She writes at her Etsy shop, "Because folks are asking: Yes! These are PHOTOGRAPHS of real live animals. Most of them live happily at animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations, while others are privately owned pets."

Here are a few images that make me want to both laugh and cry.

Photos from here.