I am the Founder and Creative Director of Frog Dog Studios located in Melbourne, Australia. I began my journey into photography in 2010 when I decided things needed to change. I was incredibly unhappy. So after yet another miserable drive to work one day, I quit my job that I hated and enrolled in a Diploma in Photography. I was terrified. I now had no income, no savings, and no backup plan. 

I arrived at the college that first day without a clue. I mean literally, I didn’t even know what aperture and shutter speed were. I hadn’t ever even held an SLR camera. I almost walked out that first day as I was so embarrassed with all these teenagers around me who seemed to have so much experience and confidence. But I didn’t. I stayed and I made that darkroom my home that first year. And then in the second year, I turned to digital and learned everything I could about the tech side of current photography practices. 

In 2011, I completed my Diploma but because I seem to love torturing myself and at 32 years old, I still didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, I applied to RMIT University and was accepted into their BA Fine Art degree. Now this was a tough three years of blood, sweat, tears and noodles for dinner. But I got there. I graduated with distinction. I was stoked but had no idea what I was going to do now. I needed to get back to working full-time. It seems you rack up a bit of debt as a student. So I did. I was lucky enough to be able to increase my hours working at the Lost Dogs Home (the largest animal shelter in Melbourne) and eventually ended up working in Animal Management for a local council. I’ve worked with animals for the majority of my working life and dogs are my world. Working in Animal Management and enforcing laws really wasn't how I saw myself spending my career and I knew a change was imminent. During all this, I was applying for jobs in the arts constantly. For two freaking years. And I never heard back from any of them. 

So one day after some soul searching and a couple of other failed ideas, I said to my better half Tony, I’m going to take photos of dogs. ‘Righto’ he said. Six months later of working full-time and setting up my studio in the evenings, I photographed my first client. Three months later, I dove in head first and quit my job. Once again, no money, no backup plan. It seems to be a running theme with me.

Those first five months were tough. Thank Dog for the credit cards. But then things started to happen. By the end of 2017, my client base was growing and my work started to get recognized. Now, people travel from all over to have their best friend photographed by me. And I travel all over the world teaching other photographers what I do. It's incredible. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be doing what I love. Every single day.

To me, the most challenging part of photographing pets is also the most rewarding part. It is quite often that we will have a dog or cat come into the studio who is very hesitant, scared and/or anxious. These poor puppers don't really know what's about to happen so it is our job to work with them to make them feel at ease in the studio. Luckily, I am able to use my 22 years of experience working with difficult and dangerous dogs to be able to calm them down and help them to feel comfortable enough that we will eventually be able to have a great time and produce some fabulous results. 

The most fun part is when you get a ball-crazy pooch in and they go nuts playing. I get some amazing results and I love to encourage them to be naughty and have as much fun as possible. 

One thing that I believe sets Frog Dog Studios apart is how we work with our subjects. What me and my handler (who also happens to be my husband) try to do is let them be themselves. We love to play with the dogs and do silly things that they react to. When I am looking through my viewfinder, I am often looking for those quirky moments. The moments that our dogs have when no one else is looking. The moments that crack us up but aren't as funny when you try to relay the story to someone that wasn't there. 

Our pets are inherently funny creatures by nature, so one of the traits I concentrate on is capturing humorous moments.

Photography as a medium itself is an incredible thing. The ability to capture a moment in time that we can go back to in future years is really something. I mean, how good is it when you go through your parents' old photo albums? 

For my work with animals though, I really want to celebrate them as the integral members of society that they are. They're family. They make us laugh, they love unconditionally, they entertain us and they comfort us. They teach us to be more compassionate and empathetic human beings. And they do it all with a healthy dose of humor. 

This is not my first post on Bored Panda. For more funny dog photos, check out my previous articles by clicking here, here and here!