Dog Mum and Obsessed with the colour green!
One thing you should know about me is my LOVE for the colour green! This is why I gravitate towards Forest Photography despite living about 2 minutes away from the beach.
I have 2 beautiful dogs; Luna (8 year old Rescue Lab x Staffy) and Willow (3 year old Aussie Shepherd x Kelpie). We can’t forget to mention my beautiful angel dog Patch who passed at the end of 2023 at the age of 19 just two weeks shy of his 20th birthday.
How did I meet Luna and Willow? Well, this is an interesting story!
I met Luna in 2019 at an animal shelter I worked at. She came from a not so great background and the second she walked in I just knew that she was coming home with me. I adopted her on my birthday too! Sign from the universe? I think so!
Willow I met at a photoshoot! I was photographing her littermates from the age of a few days old right up till 8 weeks. I was there every week photographing her and her siblings. Was I planning to get a puppy? No! I already had Luna and Patch at the time and I had absolutely no intention of adding a third dog to the family.
But, she’s adorable! And she fell asleep in my lap and that was me in love. 8 weeks later, I was packing up my camera bag and my new puppy and I have no regrets!
Rescue is at the heart of everything we do
My Journey
Before pet photography, I was a university student studying Biomedical Science with the aim to go into Veterinary Science when I graduated. I worked at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Koala Rehabilitation and at an Animal Shelter in both the cattery and dog sections. I also volunteered for a Wildlife Rescue organisation.
In 2019, the animal shelter I worked at asked me if I would do their Santa Paws event because I knew how to use a camera. I reluctantly said yes because it was terrifying! But there’s a quote that has stuck with me my whole life… All you need is 20 seconds of courage.
Turns out, saying yes was the best decision I ever made. I had such a blast at this Santa Paws event, my parents came to support me and I met so many dogs and their parents who would become my very first clients when I launched Courtraits Photography in 2020.
Because of this animal shelter giving me this chance, I continue to have such a deep respect and love for animal rescue. We donate money, our time and participate in giveaways for animal shelters and rescues across Australia.