How One Self-Proclaimed Dogtographer Uses Her Camera to Change Lives

Some photographers view the craft of images as an artistic pursuit that enriches their lives on a deeply private degree, whilst others are motivated through source of revenue or social media consideration. Some are pushed to make use of their cameras to impact exchange. Self-proclaimed “dogtographer” Kaylee Greer is one such one that makes use of images to inform the tale of safe haven canines on the lookout for a loving house.

These days, you’re prone to in finding Kaylee touring cross-country in an RV en path to a given safe haven in Anytown, USA, on a challenge to be sure that an lost sight of canine receives the eye it must develop into a member of a circle of relatives. She has noticed firsthand how human lives will also be progressed through adopting a canine that wishes not anything greater than a possibility to present and obtain love. It’s the type of dream undertaking many photographers would really like to be a part of, however Kaylee’s tale doesn’t start with a noble challenge or perhaps a fancy digicam. Some 15 years in the past, Kaylee was once a recent school graduate on the lookout for function and that means in her existence.

In 2010, I had simply graduated from school and located myself staring my long run within the face. At the time, it felt like having a look right into a black void—I used to be a misplaced soul, desperately making an attempt to determine what my function was once in the world. I used to be operating for Apple, which was once cool, but it surely wasn’t surroundings my soul on hearth. I wasn’t specifically keen about computer systems or how they have been constructed; what I cherished was once the ingenious tradition at Apple. It was once a spot the place I might be myself—I may game loopy, colourful hair and a large, unfiltered persona—and I felt loose to be an artist and a dreamer. Apple was once a horny forward-thinking corporate, and so they truly embraced that.

Then at some point, a buyer threw his iPhone at me—he was once so pissed off through some technical failure that he misplaced keep an eye on. I believed to myself, “What the heck am I doing?” In that second, I knew that troubleshooting tech was once surely no longer the item that I used to be put in the world to do. I truly had to in finding my function. I took a troublesome have a look at myself, and after some soul looking out, I noticed that the brightest mild—and the best pleasure I may ever in finding in my day by day existence—had at all times been within the eyes of any passing canine. In that unmarried quick, I determined to visit the safe haven and volunteer to paintings with the canines there. I had no giant concepts or plans for what volunteering on the safe haven may in the long run imply for me; I merely sought after to present one thing again to canines—the ones creatures that had given me such a lot during my existence.

When I arrived on the safe haven, I helped out with no matter they wanted on any given day. I normally spent my hours cleansing cages, strolling and feeding the canines, doing laundry, helping with forms—you identify it.

Kaylee came upon that the safe haven used pictures of the canines to help of their adoption. Typically, a random busy and distracted staffer would temporarily take a snapshot of a canine and percentage it on-line within the hope of discovering a possible house. Although the pictures weren’t technically robust, Kaylee spotted {that a} unmarried symbol had the facility to rewrite the finishing to a canine’s tale. She hooked up with the canines on a deep degree, working out the persona of each and every one, and felt that the photographs despatched out into the arena through the shelters in her house weren’t absolutely succeeding in taking pictures the wonder and area of expertise of the canines’ personalities.

At that point, the volunteers taking the canines’ pictures have been doing the most productive they may with what they’d. Most of the time they used telephones, and the pictures appeared like one thing corresponding to motive force’s license photos—there was once no soul or spirit captured. It was once exhausting to peer any of the canines’ personalities coming thru. It was once heartbreaking to volunteer there and spot positive canines languish behind their cages. The longer they stayed, the extra they started to damage down mentally. So after six months or extra—for instance—of nobody noticing them, the little mild of their eyes would begin to noticeably fade.

Although she had little revel in with images, Kaylee grabbed an previous point-and-shoot digicam from house and started photographing the safe haven canines. The pictures weren’t as much as the factors she holds as of late, however they have been a limiteless development over what the canines had earlier than. “People were starting to notice, to see this little sparkle of spirit begin to appear in the pictures. My photos were placed on online adoption websites like Petfinder, a platform featuring thousands of adoption profiles that list dogs by city or ZIP code, along with details about their personalities. One day, the shelter director came up to me and said, ‘Kaylee, you’ve got to keep taking these pictures.’ My photographs were helping people connect with the dogs in a way they hadn’t been able to previously. As a result, adoption rates increased drastically, and he felt that such a strong boost had to be linked to my photography. It was the first time in my life that I could use my skills to make a difference in the lives of the dogs I love so much—dogs that deserve a second chance,” mentioned Kaylee.

Although Kaylee’s technical talents have been restricted within the early years of this enterprise, she understood the significance of humanizing the canines. Simply telling those who loads of 1000’s of canines wanted houses didn’t have as a lot have an effect on as sharing the tale of a unmarried canine in want. “It doesn’t touch your heart until you see the faces of these dogs, look into their little eyes, and see the souls in there,” she mentioned.

Before lengthy, the safe haven started asking Kaylee to {photograph} canines steadily. She began photographing as much as 20 canines every week and shortly discovered that every one was once distinctive.

It was once a masterclass in canine images as a result of I encountered such a lot of other personalities and temperaments. Add to that the other sizes, colours, and textures—photographing a black canine may be very other from photographing a white canine. It’s corresponding to the age-old drawback confronted through wedding ceremony photographers, the place you’ve gotten a vibrant white bride’s get dressed and a gloomy black groom’s tuxedo. I discovered precious classes about publicity and composition each and every week. Some canines are curly and scruffy, their fur catching the sunshine in a undeniable means, whilst others are easy and glossy, and so mild interacts with them another way. There have been fantastic permutations in anatomy of faces and contours—for instance, a Chihuahua has those giant, bulging eyes, while a Schnauzer-type canine may have a whole lot of darkish hair putting in entrance of its eyes,” mentioned Kaylee. Working with such a lot of several types of canines compelled Kaylee to evolve her ways to perfect swimsuit each and every matter.

All the ones permutations taught me so much about mild and digicam settings. When you {photograph} a human, you’ll ask them to face in the easiest mild and say, ‘Give me two minutes so I can look at this scene and set my aperture.’ But you probably have a canine in entrance of you, he doesn’t talk the similar language—and he’ll be transferring at 1,000,000 miles an hour,” mentioned Kaylee. In time, Kaylee discovered to make use of this loss of keep an eye on to her benefit. At first, she envied the keep an eye on portrait photographers had over their topics, however in time she discovered to embody the chaos of photographing canines.

I feel what makes pictures of canines so particular is they seize moments that aren’t in any respect scripted. The second being captured is uncurated. It’s actual. It’s original. Dogs’ expressions will also be so giant and excessive that while you do catch that fortunate second, you’ve in reality captured a work in their soul—and that may make the viewer really feel as though they’re in that second with the canine,” mentioned Kaylee.

As Kaylee’s images progressed, her paintings started to draw the eye of canine house owners. People reached out asking if she may {photograph} their pets at house. Although she took those alternatives to achieve revel in and construct her portfolio, she didn’t first of all see the opportunity of a full-fledged canine images industry. Over time, manufacturers began coming near her for advertising shoots for merchandise like leashes and harnesses. These shoppers paid upper charges than have been doable capturing standard non-public periods. It wasn’t till Kaylee was once approached through main global manufacturers within the puppy business for business shoots that she discovered simply how a lot possible she had to draw consideration and make cash together with her digicam.

I may do one business shoot and that price can be equivalent to possibly 50 non-public consumer periods. Ad businesses reached out as though cash have been no object. I got here from a modest background the place my oldsters labored exhausting to enhance our circle of relatives, and right here I used to be filing bids for those giant jobs, understanding, ‘This is what they earned in an entire year combined,’” mentioned Kaylee. By this level, Kaylee had photographed 1000’s of canines and had mastered the use of synthetic mild on location—each indoors and out of doors. Yet regardless of her good fortune as a business photographer, one thing nonetheless felt lacking.

One day, I used to be on a large business shoot with an enormous ingenious group from the advert company—even other people from HR who truly didn’t want to be there. There have been craft products and services, meals, artwork division group of workers, corporate representatives, and heaps of cash simply being wasted. And then there was once me, positioning a work of kibble for an hour below 9 other lighting, capturing it from 9 other angles. I used to be thankful for the chance, satisfied to do it, excellent at it, and I may ship superb pictures to my consumer—however I couldn’t lend a hand questioning: Was I truly put in this earth to {photograph} kibble in a kitchen? Forty other people status round discussing whether or not a work of kibble appeared higher became this manner or that means.

Kaylee couldn’t lend a hand however query the purpose of all that manufacturing and micromanagement. “My photography was being used to generate millions for a huge multinational company. And of course my intention is never ever to disparage any company—they have a job they have to do too, and I totally understand that. And man, oh man, I am truly grateful for all my clients—grateful they recognize my talent and passion and want to hire me. I’ve had some great experiences working with big brands; some have even donated large sums to causes I care about or to shelters I support. But it was in that moment where I couldn’t help but think that when I started photography, I was using it to change lives. I felt I was making a difference, giving a voice to animals who couldn’t speak for themselves. Now, I’m photographing kibble to help sell millions of dollars’ worth of dog food—and that didn’t feel aligned with my values,” mentioned Kaylee.

Kaylee didn’t wish to depart the industrial images global for excellent, however she determined to take a 12 months off from capturing commercially. She sought after to concentrate on storytelling and the use of her images to lend a hand canines as soon as once more. “You think back to certain photographs—like those taken in the aftermath of Hiroshima or that famous image by Steve McCurry of the Afghan girl with the green eyes—and you realize that photography can change the way you view an entire community or a global problem. It’s like the fires in LA; it’s hard to imagine what’s going on until you see these heart-stopping photos and think, ‘Wow, this is a huge problem.’ And so I thought, ‘I want to harness that incredible power of photography and apply it to shelter dogs again,’” mentioned Kaylee.

Kaylee then shaped a nonprofit known as the Dog Breath Foundation, whose challenge is not just to {photograph} canines in shelters around the nation to help of their adoption but additionally to show safe haven employees how one can {photograph} the canines themselves as soon as Kaylee has moved on. Today, Kaylee travels in an RV to shelters around the nation on a challenge to inform the tales of canines ready to be followed.

Most not too long ago, our direction took us to Kalispell, Montana; Astoria, Oregon; Lake Tahoe, Nevada; Moab, Utah; and Breckenridge, Colorado. We stayed for approximately per week at each and every safe haven, in search of a canine in long-term care—a canine that had long gone disregarded for some distance too lengthy. Some canines were lost sight of for a complete 12 months. Some, two years. It’s heartbreaking. So we take a canine out of the safe haven and ship it on its biggest journey—that’s the identify of our undertaking, The Greatest Adventure. The Greatest Adventure has 3 meanings. The first that means refers back to the adventure that our group is on—4 folks touring around the nation for months in a completely branded RV. The RV shows details about safe haven canines and includes a QR code with information about our paintings and how one can practice the challenge. It’s a real journey that we percentage with the arena thru our YouTube sequence, documenting all of the adventure and all of the wild and loopy stuff we see alongside the way in which.

The 2nd that means of The Greatest Adventure comes to deciding on a canine that wishes lend a hand. Often, this canine is older and has been within the safe haven for a very long time with out being followed. “We take him out of his cage and into the world on his greatest adventure—whether that means hiking a mountain, canoeing down a river, running through a field of wildflowers, or even getting ice cream. Whatever the dog enjoys, that’s what we do,” mentioned Kaylee.

Time spent with the canine is professionally filmed the use of Canon cameras, a big sponsor of The Greatest Adventure. “We take the dogs to epic places and create photographs and videos that people cannot ignore. And that brings us to the third and final meaning of The Greatest Adventure: the dog finally going home. Finally,” mentioned Kaylee. Because the group visits a number of shelters all over their months-long travels, they’re ceaselessly not able to movie the canine all over adoption or in its new house. Instead, they depend on movies and pictures supplied through the safe haven or the canine’s new house owners to percentage that a part of the tale. To lend a hand shelters rehome the canines of their care, Kaylee teaches safe haven employees and volunteers how one can take efficient adoption pictures that in reality connect to the general public.

You want to seize eye touch—particularly the ones giant, soulful eyes. Certain angles paintings wonders, and incorporating daring number one colours can support the relationship. The canine’s frame language is an important; canines are very expressive. If their ears are pinned again, their eyes huge, or there’s stress of their lips, the viewer may really feel that the canine is scared—or worse, that the canine is horrifying. You must {photograph} the canines once they’re having a look comfy, with a comfortable expression, ears up, mild eyes, a at ease mouth, and non violent frame language. Sometimes it takes as many as ten journeys outdoor to make sure they’re at ease and ok with you and the tools. For a canine, a digicam is a large, mysterious black field that covers your face, making it exhausting for them to learn your expression. Dogs would not have the similar power of the sense of object permanence that people do—while you select up a digicam and disappear, the canine cannot at all times perceive why. They get anxious, and you’ll see it of their frame language. I ceaselessly see this within the paintings of more recent puppy photographers who haven’t but discovered how one can learn that language.

You may have a technically absolute best photograph with very good center of attention and composition, but when the canine appears uncomfortable or scared, the {photograph} merely isn’t a hit. If the canine appears uneasy, other people received’t wish to invite it into their house.

Shelters are open all over industry hours—say, 10 AM to 4 PM—and all over that point the solar is overhead, and if the canine is in that daylight, the shadows are very deep. Think of a canine’s lengthy nostril casting a shadow on one facet of its face—it’s terrible, making it exhausting for the viewer to peer what the canine in reality seems like or what its persona could be like. That’s why discovering what I name ‘legible light’—even though it’s simply in a nook of the backyard—is vital. If not anything else, in finding some color. Even if there’s a fence or every other distracting component at the back of you, it’s nonetheless significantly better than being smack dab in the course of the tough noon solar. Most non-photographers don’t understand how an important lighting fixtures is.

Canon donates a certified digicam and lens for each and every safe haven to make use of after Kaylee departs, and the teachings Kaylee teaches are put to make use of through the group of workers lengthy after she has departed.

Reflecting on her adventure from unsure school graduate to skilled photographer on a challenge, Kaylee says:

It’s been an indescribably stunning experience to this point. But I feel the easiest factor that I’ve came upon thru all of that is the unprecedented energy {that a} unmarried {photograph} can hang. We can wield those cameras in our palms for an out of this world excellent. We can use them to polish mild at the issues that topic maximum—to present voices to people who haven’t any technique to talk for themselves. We can use those cameras to rewrite the tales… and in the long run—to modify their endings. And there may be in reality not anything extra wild and treasured than that. I beg you to step into the arena, and level your digicam towards your personal private function. Of all of the classes I’ve discovered upon the adventure to this point, this one is maximum vital: with not anything however your imaginative and prescient, interest, and a well-chosen focal duration—you’ll set the arena alight with magic.