Area Woman Uses Photography to Help Animal Rescues

Kelly Nye, a former Highland resident, has always had a passion for photography and a love of animals. Nye is now putting her photography skills to use and helping to give back to animal rescues throughout the area.

Nye, who owns Creative Dog Photography with friend Sue Zieske, said that while they do have an LLC, they don't consider themselves a business.

"We are not interested in doing this (taking photos) for personal profit, we are just a couple of avid photographers who want to use our hobby to raise money for various animal rescue organizations," Nye said. "I've lived in and around Highland and White Lake for the last 25 years. I love it here. We do many of our photo shoots in the beautiful parks and rural settings this area has to offer."

Creative Dog Photography started in 2011, and has been taking off, Nye said.

"Mostly, we do dog photography, but we have photographed other types of pets —cats, horses, and we even did some photos of some donkeys last summer," she said. "We love to capture the bond between pets and their people, so we often photograph pets with their family members at their home, or in outdoor locations that are special to them. We love photographing pets in all stages of life, from rambunctious puppies to the wise old seniors. We want people to be inspired by the treasured memories we document through our photography, and in knowing that the money is going to a good cause."

A love of rescue animals

Nye, who works in the medical field, said photography has always been an interest of hers. The self-taught photographer said it’s fun to be able to break up all that science with creative pursuits like photography, "It’s what keeps me going day to day."

"We are both animal lovers, and have both had many pets throughout our lives —some since they were young, and others adopted through rescue," Nye said. "Right now, I have four dogs and three cats, all rescues."

For Nye, it's the bond formed between the pets and their rescuers that make the photos so special.

"It’s so hard to help all the needy pets out there, sadly you can never save them all. Creative Dog Photography is our way to help those needy pets financially, enjoy our favorite hobby and provide people with memorable photos of their pets, all at the same time," she said.

Most memorable photo shoot

Nye said she has had many memorable experiences, but there is one in particular that stands out. It's the photo shoot that inspired Creative Dog Photography.

"The one that stands out in my mind was a shoot I did for Sue’s two senior Great Danes," Nye said. "Nova is blind and has had an amputation (due to bone cancer) and Emmy is right by her side, all day, as her seeing eye dog. The bond between these two Dane sisters was incredible. Shortly before the shoot, Nova was diagnosed with a possible brain tumor, so Sue thought she wouldn’t have much time left. She wanted some special photos to remember her by, photos that illustrated the bond between the three of them. It meant so much to me to be able to do this for her, and it meant so much to her that she decided she wanted to be a part of bringing the same joy to other pet owners. And we both felt strongly about supporting animal rescue. So after the photo shoot, Sue and I decided to join forces to make 'pet photos for donation to rescues' a reality."

If you're interested in having your pets photographed by Nye and Zieske you can reach them by emailing creativedogphotography@yahoo.com or calling 248-808-1708.