We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Lewis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

This year I worked on a project called Tails of the World, which is a collaborative project from pet photographers all around the globe united to help raise funds for pet rescue and spread joy with beautiful photography and heartwarming stories. All funds raised for the photoshoots and book sales go to animal charities all around the world. I was able to raise $1,500 for Cherryland Humane Society here in Traverse City this year with this project. It’s incredibly meaningful for me to be able to contribute to helping support the animals in need in our community and also the people at CHS who take care of them. Shelters this year have been at capacity in many areas and often are low on resources like food needed to care for the animals. It means a lot to me that I can contribute to their care using my work to raise money and awareness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been an animal person my whole life. When I was a kid, I would tell people I wanted to be a dog when I grew up. I’ve always taken photos of my own pets since I got my first camera when I was around twelve years old. For years I told my husband (then-boyfriend) that I wished I could be a pet photographer and that was my dream job, but I never took that dream seriously because I didn’t think I could be just a pet photographer.

When my dog, Lupin, passed away very suddenly a couple years ago, I started to reevaluate everything and I decided to pursue my passion, which is animals, and more specifically, the pets that bring us so much joy. So I started to do a ton of studying about how to develop the more technical aspects of my craft and running a photography business, and by the end of the year I had started my business, Amanda Lewis Photography.

I am a pet photographer who specializes in custom artwork for pets and their people. The experience I provide is completely custom from the location to the artwork we create. My clients only purchase the photos and the artwork that they absolutely love. My goal is to create tangible artwork that my clients can look at every day and enjoy, no screens required! We all have endless photos of our pets on our phones or on our computers, but if we lose our phones or technology fails us in some way, we could lose those photos forever. (And, let’s be real, we scroll photos on our phones too much anyway and it’s not the most rewarding thing.) I do provide my clients with digital files so they can share their photos online and keep them digitally, but what I think is even more important is the tangible artwork they’re going to see every day either on a wall, in an album, on a shelf, however they choose to display their photos. This is what makes my business a little different. I don’t want to just send my client a bunch of files. I really want them to be able to actually see their photos in their homes and enjoy them instead of forgetting them in a folder on a computer somewhere!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to help people celebrate their pets through beautiful artwork that will bring a smile to their face every time they look at it. Our pets are so much more than just pets, they are our friends and our family, and we get a tragically short amount of time with them in the grand scheme of things. I know firsthand how difficult it is to lose a beloved pet, and I also know how impactful and important it is to capture these important memories so that we can cherish them forever. Like everyone, I have a million cell phone photos of my dog, but many of them are out of focus or just not quite something I’d be proud to display on my wall or in my home. I wish I had more beautiful photos of him that I could turn into amazing artwork that I could look at every day and remember him and all the happiness he brought me. That’s what I want to give my clients.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Everything about being a pet photographer feels rewarding to me. Not only do I get to hang out with adorable dogs and capture their beauty and their incredibly unique personalities, I get to capture that magical bond between them and their families. I get to witness all that love between them and turn those precious moments into lasting memories. And then I’m lucky enough to be able to help my clients choose how they want to enjoy those memories for years to come. There is nothing more special to me than my pets, and I know that it’s the same for my clients and that the artwork we create together is going to be something they cherish forever. That’s an awesome feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandalewisphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda.lewis.photo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandalewisphotography

Image Credits
Amanda Lewis Photography