I always used to think the answer to a question like this had to be something exotic like elephants or tigers, but the truth is, my favourite subjects to photograph are much closer to home – I love working with dogs! They are my favourite animals and favourite subjects to photograph. Nothing makes me smile more than spending time with dogs and laughing at their zany, adorable antics. To me, dogs are love and light. They are always joyous and give so much back to us. They are our best friends and our loyal companions, are always pleased to see us and happy for each day they get to spend with us. They are pure of heart and just want to please.

Dogs can be really easy to photograph, or really difficult. It depends on how they feel about strangers and new environments. They are very aware of everything going on around them and can sometimes think the studio is the vet clinic. I use body language and 17+ years of animal behaviour knowledge to put them at ease. The most important thing to me during a photo session is that my subject is relaxed and comfortable. This makes it a fun experience all round and gives me the best images.

My lifelong love of animals began during my formative years in outback South Australia where my father was a sheep shearer and wool valuer. As an only child, my constant companions were my dogs, guinea pigs, horses, rabbits and bottle-fed lambs. My family had a great regard for Australian wildlife, and I often helped my mother rescue and care for a wide array of injured joeys, birds and other creatures until they could be released back into their natural habitat. 

Photography became a serious passion in 2006. On occasion, I’d used a point-and-shoot camera and film camera until then, but when a friend showed me the scope of digital photography I was hooked. Never one to do things by halves, I spent every spare moment studying photographic literature, and practising the craft on my own pets, those of friends and family, as well as farm animals and wildlife. I tried a few other genres such as landscapes and people, but animals enthralled me more than any other subject. Within a short period of time, I knew animals would be the focus of my lens. 


Fast forward to today and I’m very clear on why I get out of bed each day to take photographs. I want to show people how beautiful animals are through images and support, promote and endorse animal rescue.

Photography has taken me to all seven continents and definitely broadened my worldview. I’ve been very blessed to meet amazing people who work so hard in animal rescue and advocacy to make the world a better place for animals, and I always aim to support them with images in any way I can. I've achieved things through my work that weren’t even in my wildest dreams, like being an Ambassador for BenQ and the author of seven (soon to be eight) published books.

I also received an Order of Australia Medal for services to animal charities through photography which still surprises me and makes me feel like I need to do even more to help animals to fully deserve it. Something I learnt early on was to keep my ego in check – I'm only as good as my last photo and if I don’t keep my clients happy, my whole business could fall in a heap. This has stood me in good stead despite the books, awards, and ambassadorships and I hope I always stay humble and grateful for the wonderful experiences and opportunities photography has given me.

My main interests outside of photography are pretty simple and I don’t need much around me to be content -  my number one is spending time at home with my partner and our two adorable fluffy special needs rescue dogs, Marshmallow (3.5 years) and Gigi (7 months.) I also enjoy going to the cinema (this is what I missed most during our COVID lockdowns back in 2020!), spending time with friends, gardening, watercolour painting (pretty badly but I like trying!), visiting Rottnest Island (home to a unique animal called the quokka), going to our favourite café for a hot chocolate and playing virtual reality games through my Meta Quest 3 VR headset.

On my to-do list is learning Spanish and how to play the drums and opening up three more businesses! I also love travelling and leading local and global wildlife photography tours where I get to visit incredible places with like-minded photographers. 

I’m self-taught in photography so the key to growth for me was self-auditing – really going over my work and trying to tweak it to let my style evolve even more. I’m still trying to capture that elusive “perfect shot”. 

Having a niche is something that has benefited me too, as I just get to focus on animals as my subjects and given that I’m a huge lover of animals, this makes my day job an absolute joy. To succeed in business as a photographer, developing a business mindset and building a solid foundation to work from is essential. You can’t service customer needs to the required standard if you don’t have systems and processes in place. 

It's also important to take action if you want to move forward in a certain area. Take that leap and go for it! I’ve always taken calculated risks in my business and I’m not reckless when it comes to trying something new, but I am fearless. I won’t make a decision that could tank my entire business or undo my years of hard work, but I also understand that to move forward I have to put myself out there. This is something I continue to do even after being in the industry for 17 years.  The goals which are never attained are the ones you didn’t bother trying to achieve. I don’t like to ever wonder “What if” when it comes to business and my photography. I would rather attempt something and have it not work out (and learn the lessons that come with it) than never give something a go at all.