'From still life to barking life'

EDWARD C. FENNELL
The Post and Courier

Paul Jones makes friends with a 14-year-old miniature schnauzer named Buddy before taking the dog's portrait. Buddy's owner, Ruth Carlson of Summerville, said a friend had her dog photographed at Charleston Paws & Claws and told her about it.

If pets could shop for gifts for owners, they might drop by Summerville's Charleston Paws & Claws.

The store stocks mostly inexpensive but cute pet-related items, keychains, caps bearing dog and cat images, throw blankets. The store also features an indoor pet photography studio, where Rover or Kitty can pose for high-quality images.

Paul Jones, a native of Birmingham, England, owns Paws & Claws with his wife, Teresa, who is retired from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. The shop opened May 31 at 205-C Berkeley Circle, off North Main Street and behind Walgreens and Sticky Fingers. It blends Jones' three loves: animals, photography and computer graphics.

"I love working with animals, and people, and doing computer stuff. I love editing photos and that sort of stuff," he said.

Jones, who has a Ph.D. in computer science, began his career in photography studios in England. "I have been doing photography for 25 years. You might say I have gone from still life to barking life," he joked.

He came to America about a decade ago, and eight years ago, he and Teresa managed a pet-related store in a mall. They gave that up to travel the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, attending American Kennel Club dog shows and buying and selling pet-related merchandise.

But the cost of traveling eventually brought the couple home to stay. "It was just crazy. We finally realized we could get a store for what it cost to live on the road," Jones said.

Paul runs the business, and Teresa helps out with merchandise ordering and other chores. Their daughter, Amanda Hopkins, also lends a hand.

Paul said the pet-friendly store fills a niche. "Obviously, we can't compete with the big guys" — superstores such as SuperPetz and PetSmart, he said. "But we carry stuff they don't," mainly gifts for pet owners.

In the shop's studio, Jones has photographed hundreds of dogs, some cats, a parrot and skunk. Often, families ask to have a family portrait that includes beloved pets. "You just can't walk with your pets into a Sears or Olan Mills and have that done," he said.

In cases involving multiple pets, they can be photographed individually and their images "photo-shopped" into a portrait uniting a group of pets or pets and people. Dogs often don't cooperate when posed with each other, he explained. "I take 150 to 200 pictures per session and go through them and pick out the best ones. I don't use flash — it might startle the dogs, and you get that 'green eye.' They are more settled when lights are just on and not flashing at them."

Jones photographs horses, too, For that, he makes a house call.

For more information, go to www.charlestonpawsandclaws.com.

Reach Edward C. Fennell at efennell@postandcourier.com.