Why I Became a Pet Photographer
- Bre Burge
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
I get asked how I ended up here more than you might think, and it's a story I love telling.
Before The Photo District, I was working in data analytics. It's a field I genuinely enjoyed and still have a lot of interest in, but after finishing my MBA, I felt a pull toward building something of my own. I just hadn't figured out what that was yet.
I had spent five winters in the Chicago area after college, which is exactly as many winters as I needed to know it wasn't something I could handle. I met my husband there and eventually dragged him back down to North Carolina to see how he felt about living near the beach. It was during a break from my corporate hours that I picked up some secondhand photography gear and started figuring out what I actually wanted to do with my time.
The answer turned out to be right in front of me.
As many know, I lost my cat Witten unexpectedly after unknowingly bringing a toxic plant into our home. Grief after losing a pet is something people don't always talk about openly, but I know the impact it can leave. What I've come to understand is that grief doesn't really get better with time. What helps is finding something that brings you joy again.
For me, that was Isla.
Isla is my 7.5 year old lab mix and the reason any of this exists. After losing Witt, I adopted Isla and wanted to be more present with her, to work her into my life in a bigger way rather than just coming home to her at the end of a long day at a job that wasn't feeding me. I started photographing her at home, just trying to capture her expressions and the way she moves through the world.
And somewhere in that process I realized that what I was creating was something I would have forever. It also made me wish, more than anything, that I had been able to do the same for Witt.
That's when I understood what I wanted to do.
From there I started volunteering at shelters, taking adoption photos of dogs and cats who needed better images to help them get seen. That work turned into the Seen + Saved initiative and it's still one of the most important things I do.
I also met Roux at Paws Place while doing his adoption photos. He is a tripod and he had absolutely no interest in being photographed and instead just wanted to sit on me. I think he knew he was worming his way in.
I started The Photo District because I believe that the relationship between a person and their pet is worth documenting. Not because the photos are pretty, but because one day you'll be glad you have them.
If that resonates with you, I'd love to work together.
