Doing it Backwards: Why Rescue Photography Fills My Soul

This is Vessey, a GEARS animal that I photographed a few years ago that won a best in class award for Animal Portrait in Alberta in 2024 for the Professional Photographers of Canada

Time is precious, and I tend to over commit. My weekends especially fill up fast and are hard to schedule. A few priorities guide how I spend my time, though. One of them is photographing animals for the Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society (GEARS), so that every animal has professional photos to help them find a home. It’s one of the highlights of my month, and I love the time I get to spend with the animals.

Buddy, an elderly dog that I photographed for GEARS in January 2014 (my first animal photo for them). I visited the home of the foster to capture this image. (I take better images nowadays)

I’ve been photographing for GEARS since 2014. A year earlier, I took an in-person course on photographing animals, and for me it was life-changing. I already loved photography, but I discovered I had a knack for photographing animals and really enjoyed it. That surprised me a little, because many photographers dislike working with animals (they think they are unpredictable).

Jack, my own dog, photographed when he was young as part of getting my accreditation in Canine Portraiture through the Professional Photographers of Canada

At first, I volunteered to build my skills. At the humane society and at a small relatively new rescue that was willing to have me help (GEARS). As time went on, I realized how much it filled something in me to help animals who started life at a disadvantage get to a better place. So I made it a priority, even while I was still working as an engineer, and eventually I was doing monthly sessions. GEARS has always been wonderful to me, and I have deep appreciation for the women (it is almost always women) who run the organization.

Four eight week old puppies in GEARS care that I photographed in Oct 2026

Over the years, it became a habit, but it has always stayed a priority. It fills a bucket in my soul. Still, I only realized how lucky I was a few years ago.

Walking into the Shutterhounds Conference in Vegas at the Mirage in 2023

In 2023, I attended Shutterhounds in Las Vegas, an amazing photography conference put on by renowned dog photographer Kaylee Greer. She had brought together many of the best dog photographers in the world to share their work and their insights. The talent in the room was incredible, both on stage and in the audience. I got to meet many of my heroes in person.

Lori and I got to meet and spend time with Andrew Knapp who photographs and authors children’s books about his dogs Momo, Boo and Yaya (AndrewKnapp.com). Great guy!

I’ve been to many conferences over two careers, but I’ve only been to a few where everything spoke to me. At Shutterhounds, every session was relevant and informative. I watched presentations and live demos from people doing exactly what I was doing and what I wanted to be doing.

This is Murphy, one of the dogs I photographed at the Strathearn Art Walk (September 2026)

One thing really stood out. Many of these accomplished, highly skilled photographers shared the same dream: to photograph shelter and rescue dogs without having to worry about earning enough to put food on the table. That was their goal.

Mocha, my dog, that I adopted from GEARS after photographing her in my studio in July 2020. She is my heart dog

That’s when it hit me. I was doing things a little backwards. I was already doing what so many of them aspired to, and I was looking for more opportunities to photograph other dogs and cats. Since retiring from engineering, being able to focus on this work has made my life truly full. I’ve learned so much about dogs and cats, and I keep learning. They are amazing creatures who add so much to our lives, even when they drive us nuts.

Porter, our new puppy, also from GEARS. His gotcha date was August 11, 2026

Life is good. I’m doing so many things that fill my spiritual bucket, and photographing dogs to help them find their forever families is a big part of that.

If you are looking for an animal to fill your life with joy and fill your own spiritual bucket, I highly recommend the Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society https://edmontonanimalrescue.org/