From Homeless To Professional Photographer, Inspired By Nature & Dogs

Today, my profession is a professional dog photographer. It could have been so different though.

I grew up in a council house in Manchester and moved around a lot, I was classed as homeless at the age of 16 while I was still doing my exams.

There were things in my life I escaped into; after school art classes, reading, climbing trees. If there was a constant in my life, it was that wherever I moved, there were always pets; dogs, cats, fish, birds - I even used to rescue injured pigeons and rehome stray cats.

You can probably imagine, with grades that weren't the best, and no idea what I was good at, things could have gone either way in my life.

Somehow, my passions found me. Back before camera phones (WAY back then), I started taking photographs with a point and shoot, and decided to learn how to make them better. From the moment my husband and I decided we had the time to dedicate to a dog, and our first Whippet, Scout came into our home, everything changed. We fostered a dog who we adopted, moved to the countryside to have more space, and then rehomed three more whippets.

After I started taking photographs of my hounds and including the beautiful British countryside, I started to get commissions to do the same for other dog lovers, because they want beautiful images of them, just as they would do of their human family.

My hounds inspire me every day, on days when I find it difficult to get motivated, I know I have to get out to walk them. Being outside always lifts my mood.

I have loved watching the change in the way we, as a country, treat our pets, they are now more than pets, they are family.

If you would have told a 16-year-old me that I could earn a living doing something creative that I loved, and be surrounded by dogs, I can tell you, I would not have believed you.

These are images of my own hounds, who are my muses.

More info: whippetsnippets.co.uk