The hardest part of loving a pet is knowing the time will never be long enough.
One day they're greeting you at the door, curled up beside you on the couch, or making you laugh with their quirks. Then suddenly, those everyday moments become memories. For Sherri Krams, Founder and Photographer of Moments Unleashed, preserving those memories isn't just a profession. It's a mission.
Krams' journey into photography began with her father, a photographer in the Army who shared his love of the craft with her. After his passing, she inherited one of his cameras and began teaching herself photography. She spent hours practicing with her dogs, refining her skills and developing the style that would eventually become Moments Unleashed. That passion led her to volunteer with the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, where she started photographing adoptable pets in hopes of helping them find homes.
As she spent more time photographing shelter animals, she began hearing from adopters who made the trip specifically because of the photographs they had seen online. The images helped potential adopters connect with animals before ever meeting them in person. It was proof that photography could do more than capture a moment.
"My mission is to have everybody who loves an animal to have that one picture that's going to bring them back to that day," shared Krams. That mission is deeply personal. She believes too many meaningful memories are trapped on phones, buried beneath thousands of digital images that may never be revisited. A printed photograph, however, becomes part of daily life. It hangs on a wall, sits on a desk, or waits in a photo album to be rediscovered years later.
One story still stays with her. A couple reached out about scheduling a session for their seriously ill dog. Rather than wait several more days, Krams trusted her instincts and offered to photograph them that very evening. The next morning, she was informed the dog had passed. When she delivered the finished album, the family shared that they never realized just how meaningful the photos would become and how much they would ease the heartache.
"I have the ability to capture moments that make you feel something," she shared. That ability extends beyond her clients and into the shelter community she cares so deeply about. For years, Krams has volunteered her time photographing rescue animals, helping shelters improve adoption visibility and creating fundraising initiatives that have raised nearly $50,000 for the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch. One of her most successful projects is an annual photo contest that celebrates local pets while generating much-needed support for shelter operations.
Her passion for rescue work remains just as strong as her passion for photography. While she photographs cherished family pets, she also dreams of helping more shelter animals find loving homes through the power of a single image.
Looking ahead, Krams is extending an open offer to adoptable pets in foster care throughout the Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota area. Through Moments Unleashed, she is willing to photograph adoptable pets to increase their visibility and help more animals find forever families.
Whether she is photographing the final chapter of a beloved companion's life or helping a shelter pet find a forever family, she understands something many people learn too late. The moments that matter most rarely announce themselves in advance. They happen quietly during ordinary days, shared between people and the animals they love.
To learn more about Moments Unleashed, schedule a session or connect with Sherri about shelter photography opportunities at momentsunleashed.com.
"I have the ability to capture moments that make you feel something."