Giving back to save lives
Adoption Pawtrait Experience Partnership Dog Rescue Newcastle
I am proudly aligned with Dog Rescue Newcastle, whose shelter is located a mere 1.5 hours drive south of Wootton.
I am delighted to contribute to their invaluable mission through my Adoption Pawtrait Experience program.
With the assistance of a dedicated volunteer, a shelter dog is chauffeured to our studio, where they leap into a two-hour frolic of studio and countryside bliss.
During this immersive experience, I craft captivating imagery that supports their adoption profiles and seeks to attract their perfect forever family.
Together, we are making a difference, one pawtrait at a time.
The very beginning of my rescue journey
Giving back to save lives through great photography is a huge part of who I am and where I've come from. Advocacy for animals is embedded into the very heart of my being.
My journey into shelter pet photography began way back in September 2011. I was undertaking a voluntary transport assignment for a rescue group and picking up two dogs from one of Sydney's largest pounds. This pound no longer exists.
I took my camera with me and snapped a few photos of these dogs. Then a couple of other tiny dogs being collected by another rescue group.
This other group picking up dogs that afternoon was the now-famous Mrs PFT of "Paws for Thought" Rescue. Marika was there to collect her latest rescues... Wallace and Grommit.
Starting the journey
A week or so later, I woke up on Saturday morning with a revelation. I leapt out of bed having decided to head out to the pound again and start photographing the animals. Surely this would give them a better chance of being noticed by potential adopters.
The pound was a 75km round trip from Kogarah. From that first Saturday, I continued to go out there on a weekly basis for over four years.
In the later years, I enlisted the help of a couple of other talented young photographers. We set up a roster so I could start to have some weekends off to spend with my family.
Renbury Farm Animal Shelter faces from the past
The beautiful faces below are just a few of the thousands of dogs and cats I photographed at Renbury Farm Animal Shelter.
Valuing their volunteers
I left this pound in February 2016 and went on to volunteer for Australia's No. 1 council-run animal shelter... The Sutherland Shire Council Animal Shelter.
It was an honour to be a valued volunteer from January 2017 to December 2019 before moving north to our farm.
Now based on the Barrington Coast of NSW, I partner with Dog Rescue Newcastle by providing their most in-need dogs with a Pawtrait Adoption Experience at our countryside studio. This, combined with emotive storytelling helps their companion animals find wonderful forever homes.
Since 2020, I volunteer my technical expertise to Let the Ladies Go. I designed and implemented their online adoption process early in the early days of COVID. I provide ongoing support by helping schedule hen adoption days.
ANIMAL CHARITY PARTNERS & AFFILIATIONS
Since 2011, I've also supported many different rescue groups. From photographing their adoptable pets or events to helping fundraise by creating beautiful calendars, providing imagery for greeting cards, or helping with marketing materials. Below are the groups I have collaborated with:
"PAWS FOR THOUGHT" RESCUE
GREYHOUND RESCUE
LIFE OF PIKELET
SOI DOG
CRUELTY FREE FESTIVAL
SYDNEY ANIMAL SECOND CHANCE INC
MAGGIE'S RESCUE
DOG RESCUE NEWCASTLE
SWEET PEA ANIMAL HOSPITAL & RESCUE
JACK RUSSELL RESCUE
ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE NSW
THE COMPANION ANIMAL PROJECT
NO KILL PET RESCUE
LET THE LADIES GO HEN RESCUE
AUSSIE ARK
I am a proud HeARTs Speak Artist Member joining a global network of photographers, artists, authors, graphic designers, and advocates who believe in the power of collaboration to be the ambassadors of change.
In January 2017 I was appointed as the volunteer professional photographer for Sutherland Shire Council Animal Shelter and continued this on a pro-bono role on a weekly basis until I left Sydney in September 2019.