About Helen
Hey there! I’m Helen and I’m an award-winning natural light pet photographer, based in Woonona, but I work all over Sydney and the South Coast of NSW. I recently moved to the lovely coastal town of Woonona with my two rescue cats, my rescue dog, Oscar, and my amazing partner, Lofty.
My favourite things in the world are chilling out with my partner and my animals, and coffee…. LOTS of coffee, and when I’m not shooting you’ll find me walking Oscar on the local beach,
I got into pet photography after becoming a certified dog trainer. I just love capturing all the wonderful and silly moments for my clients, and the best thing about being a pet photographer is that I get to capture beautiful memories and enjoy my clients’ reactions when they first see their finished photos.
Few things are more rewarding than giving animals lovers memories of their beloved pets.
As a pet photographer, I love shooting everything from fluffy kittens or huge dogs to your feathered friends. It could be photos of your puppy or kitten before they grow up, or photos of your beloved pet later in their life to capture memories.
If you’re looking for a pet photographer who has experience in animal
Memberships
I am a proud Accredited Professional Photographer (ASSOCIATE level) with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).
What does this mean for you? Well, several things…
Initially, I went through a rigorous accreditation process which involved proving consistent high-quality and professional work, proving previous satisfied clients, and having a portfolio assessed by the industry experts.
And ongoing, agreeing to continue my professional development through the AIPP CPD program, maintaining up to date skills and business practices each year.
Also, agreeing to comply with all legal, ethical and moral business requirements to practice as a professional in Australia.
Above all, being bound by the AIPP’s professional code of conduct, which basically means I’m not going to mislead you in any way, rip you off, or pressure you with any hard sells. And hey, that’s just not me anyway…
Click the button below to find out more information about why you should choose an Accredited AIPP Professional Photographer…
I’m an Artist Member of HeARTs Speak (Artists Helping Animals).
Hearts Speak is a nationally recognised non-profit organisation that’s uniting art and advocacy to increase the visibility of shelter animals.
I am also a member of the Joy Session Network.
These Ruff ‘n’ Stuff Pet Photography ‘Golden Sessions’ are dedicated to terminally ill or elderly pets. They require a special gentleness and empathy throughout the entire process.
Saying goodbye to a beloved family member is one of THE hardest things
I’ve been through it with our beautiful girl Bella, and am so very thankful to have gorgeous images to remember her by.
If you are interested in a ‘Golden Session’ for your own pet, please contact me now, and I’ll fit you in…
Meet the team and my inspiration
Bella
The beautiful girl who stole my heart at first sight! My soul-dog! Miss Fluffy-pants, Prancy-pants, Floofy-bum,
I first met Bella while I was studying for my Dog Training and Behaviour Certification through NDTF. She was staying at the boarding kennels where I was doing my practical training and assessments, waiting to find her new guardians.
Well, she chose me and she taught me… boy, did she teach me!!! She was a Koolie-Belgian Shepherd-Husky cross, and smart….
She was such a happy
Well, my partner and I managed to do A LOT of work with Bella to increase her confidence and make her comfortable being alone, and she then progressed in leaps and bounds.
She was such a precious girl and we shared some amazing memories together. RIP my beautiful fuffy-girl, thank you for being my muse!
OSCAR
Oscar-pants, Scruffy-butt, Scruffernut, Oscar McDoofus Head… you get the idea!
Oscar goes by many names, the most common being Doofus, as sometimes he seems just a little special, you know, one sandwich sort of a picnic.
Anyway, he’s a special little dude who came to us when we were looking for a companion for our gorgeous girl Bella, above.
He’s a rescue dog, and came out of the Northern Territory. Because of his bad breeding, he has had a raft of surgeries, and has recently been diagnosed with IMPA (immune mediated poly-arthritis), along with IBD (irritable bowel disease), both of which have slowed his usual Jack Russellness down a little.
He still however, manages to keep us amused every… single… day…!
Pudding
Pud, Pudness, Pudness-pants, Ratbag, Her Royal Highness… I mean, seriously, just look at her!
Another rescue, but this time not from a rescue group… I found Pud one day asleep in our
Apparently, she had other plans and reckoned that she had found an alright house. She ‘sung the song of her people’ under our bedroom window all night long.
Next morning, she was still there… even though we had two doofus dogs who were most interested in her. We took her off to our local vets to get her microchip details checked, but unfortunately, they were not current. We put posters up everywhere, left them at vets and did everything we could to find her guardians. We couldn’t, and weeks later, she came back with us and settled into our home.
We are not sure why Pud chose us, but we’re sure glad she did!
Chili
Chili-pants, Fluffy-bum, Fluffy-pants, Gorgeous Girl. The model in our fur-family.
By the way, have you noticed that everyone in our house wears pants…?
We found Chili online through a rescue group, she and her siblings had been dumped. People can be such arseholes!
Anyway, I had actually gone to met Chili’s sister, who was the one advertised, but then when I got there, Chili made a beeline straight for me, pushing her siblings out the way, and proceeded to climb up into my lap, started kneading and meowing, and then promptly snuggled in for about an hour…
Well, who was I to argue with that? I knew she had chosen me (as they always do), and the decision was made.
The rescue group had to keep her another week to ensure she was healthy enough, and when my partner and I went back to pick her up, she proceeded to choose my partner, by climbing up onto his shoulder while we
She came home with us and then proceeded to turn the household upside-down. We haven’t looked back…