We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yunet Solorzano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Yunet thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I first picked up a camera in 2009 to capture my soul dog, the one who carried me through seasons of my life with a love so steady it felt like home. Before I had a child, she was my entire world, and through her I came to understand that pets are not “just like family.” They are chosen family. We invite them into our lives with intention, and in return they devote every moment, every gesture, every ounce of their being to us. When my daughter was born, I watched in awe as my dog extended that devotion to her, stepping seamlessly into the role of guardian, companion, and sister. In those moments, it became undeniable that she was not simply beside us, she was woven into us.

With time, I realized that these bonds between humans and their pets are some of the most profound relationships we will ever know. They shape who we are, soften our hardest days, and bring light and laughter into the smallest corners of our lives. Their stories are not ordinary, and they should not fade quietly into memory. They deserve to be honored, preserved, and beautifully told, as the legacies of love that they are.

This is the mission of Olive & Fable: to capture not only the soul of each pet, but the invisible thread that binds them to their people. Every session is an act of reverence, a chance to tell a story that will one day become an heirloom. I strive to create artwork that does more than show a likeness. It carries the weight of memory, the warmth of devotion, and the irreplaceable presence of a beloved companion.

For me, this work is sacred. Time moves too quickly, and the ones we love most are never here long enough. By transforming these fleeting moments into timeless pieces of art, I hope to give families a way to hold onto the love that shaped them because even long after the pawprints have faded from the floors and the fur is off the couch, that bond is truly never gone.

Yunet, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been a photographer since 2009, and from the very beginning, I was drawn to the way an image could preserve not only a moment, but the feeling within it. Over time, my focus narrowed to what felt most natural to me: pets and the people who love them. What began as a personal calling with my own soul dog has grown into Olive & Fable, a fine art pet photography studio dedicated to telling the stories of pets and their families with depth, artistry, and care.

At Olive & Fable, I provide more than photographs. I create heirloom artwork that allows families to carry their love forward. Every session is thoughtfully crafted to celebrate both the bond between pet and human, and the unique personality of each pet on their own. I guide clients through the full process, from planning a session that reflects their story, to designing wall art, albums, or portrait boxes that become part of their homes and legacies. For clients, this solves a very real problem: so many of us have countless photos of our pets on our phones, but very few that are both meaningful and enduring. More than that, it addresses something deeper. When we welcome a pet into our lives, we are making the choice to love a being we will almost certainly outlive. Most people do not realize the ache of this truth until their pet is gone or nearing the end of their life. My work provides a way to honor that courage and devotion while there is still time, and to give families something lasting to hold onto when memories are all that remain.

What sets Olive & Fable apart is the way I approach this work. I see each session as an act of reverence. I take time to know my clients, to learn what makes their bond unique, and to tell that story with both artistry and empathy. My background in fine art portraiture allows me to create images that are painterly and timeless, but it is the emotional weight behind those images that makes them truly meaningful.

I am most proud of the fact that my clients leave with more than photographs, they leave with artwork that will become part of their family’s story. I am proud too of the trust that clients place in me to capture their pets, often in the twilight of their lives, and to create images that will comfort and honor them long after.

For anyone new to Olive & Fable, I want them to know that this work is about more than creating beautiful pictures. It is about love, legacy, and devotion. It is about honoring the courage it takes to love knowing our time together is finite. And it is about giving families a way to preserve that love in a way that feels as extraordinary as the bond itself.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Throughout my photography career, I often had to make difficult choices in order to keep going. While I poured myself into photography from the very beginning, I also invested years into another career to pay the bills. I went to school to become a Doctor of Audiology, but in my heart I never thought of photography as my side hustle. If anything, it was the opposite. Photography was always my true calling, and the medical career was the path I pursued because others promised it was the “right” and lucrative choice.

It took a long time before photography could sustain my living expenses. In 2018, I finally opened my first studio where I photographed children, pets, and families with a fine art approach and a vision for heirloom products. It was a dream realized. My passion was no longer dismissed as a hobby, it was my identity and my livelihood. But just as I began to find success and feel that reality take root, the world shifted. When COVID hit, my studio doors closed. I lost my business, returned to the medical field, and put my camera away. I even sold much of my equipment, convinced that no matter how hard I worked or how much I grew in my craft, it would never be enough. In that season of loss, I felt like a failure.

Life unraveled in other ways too. I went through a divorce, lost my job, and even lost my home. In the whirlwind of it all, it felt like everything I had built and everything I had been striving for had been taken away. And yet, in the stillness that followed, I realized something important: sometimes we have to lose what we thought we needed in order to make room for what is truly meant for us.

On the other side of that darkness, light began to emerge. I met the love of my life, who is now also my business partner. We moved across the country to begin anew. And then, once again, a dog changed everything. My daughter was paired with a service dog, and in watching their bond unfold I saw the same truth I had discovered years earlier with my own soul dog. This incredible animal gave to my daughter what I could not, filling in the gaps with love, loyalty, and care in a way only a true caregiver could. It reminded me why I first picked up a camera: to tell the stories of love, devotion, and chosen family.

Today, I can see that what felt like devastating loss was actually the clearing of space for something greater, something more aligned with who I am meant to be and the work I am meant to do. Olive & Fable was reborn from that place of renewal, and now every session I create carries the weight of that lesson: that love is worth honoring, and that even in the most difficult seasons, the bonds we share with our pets and our people are what guide us back to ourselves.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Yes, I believe there are many aspects of this journey that non-creatives struggle to understand. I was guided by non-creatives as a young person. My mom, a single mother, wanted nothing more than for me to be financially secure, because she knew firsthand the pain of financial struggle. My family and community were filled with realists who simply could not understand why I was drawn to a career that, in their eyes, meant long hours, unstable income, and relying on the mercy of clients to make ends meet.

That belief was reinforced when I stepped outside of that circle and met others who also did not value the creative path. So I listened. I went to school, earned a bachelor’s in psychology and then a doctorate in audiology, and practiced for years. My mom was proud to tell everyone her daughter was a doctor, and I was proud of the care I gave to my patients and the lives I touched. But deep down, I always knew my true calling was elsewhere.

The truth is, no one except for my current partner understood why I would ever leave a secure medical career with a good salary, benefits, prestige and a retirement plan to pursue a creative business that seemed riskier, less profitable, and more demanding. And yet, that is exactly what I chose. Because here is what I think many non-creatives may not realize: this path is not about comfort. It is about alignment. It is about authenticity. And this kind of self growth is not comfortable. As creatives, we are not simply making a career choice, we are following something we cannot turn away from.

I do work more than a nine to five, and it does not come with the same perks I once had in the medical field. But I wake up every day knowing I am living in my purpose. When a creative turns away from that purpose to do what others say is more comfortable, something in us aches. We fade. To create is not optional for us, it is as necessary as breathing. And having the opportunity to make a living, even if it looks different than what others feels is a comfortable life, doing what I am meant to is truly something I cannot turn away from.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oliveandfable.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliveandfable
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliveandfable