Kai & Dana

A few months back, SHAID Tree Animal Shelter reached out to ask if I'd be interested in donating a photo session gift card to their annual auction which I had done the year prior. I was more than happy to support such a great cause. A couple of weeks after the auction had closed, Dana messaged me on Instagram letting me know that he'd been the top bidder of the gift card. He was looking to have a photo session done with his pup Kai who'd recently been diagnosed with an aggressive tumour. Dana had wanted to wait for warmer weather but the tumour was growing fast and he was worried his time left with Kai was numbered. We decided to meet up at Rissers Beach that week to get some sunset photographs of the two of them together. We couldn't have asked for a better evening. The sun hovered over the horizon as we watched Kai run wild along the beach and through the surf. I tried to capture it all; his joy, his spirt, his love for his best friend, Dana. It was an extremely emotional shoot but one I was so glad to be a part of. A few weeks after the session, I received the message I had been dreading; Kai had passed. Pet photography is a tough niche to choose. Very few people want to pay to have photos of their pets. But I think Kai and Dana are the perfect example of why I chose this. I have loved and lost some incredible pets and there are many times I wish I had more pictures of them. Not just any pictures; the ones that you can look at years from now and be taken back to those moments. I want those memories to wash over you and fill your heart with light again. The same light you saw in their eyes when they'd look up at you, begging for the last piece of food on your plate. I want you to reach down and feel the soft fur behind their ears again and hear their bark echo across the water as they chase gulls down the shore. I want my photographs to bring them back to you, if only for a second. I only met Kai the one time but knew he was special. The love he had for Dana was undeniable. I'm forever grateful to have met such a sweet dog and hope these photos do him justice.