Getting to Know working dog photographer,Holly Cook.

Hey there!

I'm Holly, and I am bonkers about dogs! I hail from Michigan (and if you're a UofM fan, you'll get the pun!) where I thrived as a professional dog walker, dog trainer and award winning pet sitter for nearly 25 years. I also am a certified dog psychologist. (Yes, it's a thing!) I have spent my entire adult life building a business that centers around dogs.

When we moved to the PNW in 2015, I was recovering from compassion fatigue. As I traversed the emotional path to recovery, I found that writing about my experience was cathartic for me. I ended up creating a book about my experience, in the hopes it will help other pet professionals who are suffering from compassion fatigue.

This was not the end of my journey with dogs, however.

I knew I still wanted to work with dogs, and, once I had recovered and felt healthy again, I picked up my camera. I attended photography classes at New York Institute of Photography for 18 months. By May of 2018, I was ready to get to work.

I hung out my shingle and my journey into the world of dog photography began. I continued to study and become a member of Hair of the Dog  Academy, studied commercial art and became a contributing artist for Animal Haus Media (a pet stock photography company) while doing volunteer photography for Seattle Humane.  In 2019, I became a member of Unleashed Education and took part in a series of pet photography challenges.  In 2020, I self published a book called "Send Me; Working Dogs of the Pacific Northwest" which features over 70 working dogs. (Creating this book was photography boot camp for me!)  I created the book as a fundraiser for Project Canine, in Seattle. Then, in 2020, when the world stopped due to the pandemic, I realized that the therapy dogs for Project Canine couldn't do their therapy visits. With the help of Project Canine, I created a book called "The Dogs of Project Canine" that featured images of the therapy dogs and their messages to the humans who couldn't see them. The books were donated to local hospitals, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, children's hospitals and the local VA. Over 2000 books were distributed.

Also in 2019, I became a founder of The Limelight Pet Project. The mission of Limelight is to feature harder to adopt dogs with professional photography, videography and interviews of the people who know the animal the best. We are partnered with Fox13 Seattle who feature these pets on their Sunday Morning News Show. Every Tuesday is Limelight Day for me.

My passion is for all dogs, but I have a special affinity for working dogs. When I say working dogs, I mean any dog that has a job. From hunting dogs to therapy dogs to scent detection dogs, I love them all. Probably because I identify with them. They need a job and without one, they will create one. I'm kind of the same way. A border collie in human form, if you will. I will go out of my way to work with a working dog team and they are my top priority. I feel the need to not only photograph them and tell their story, but, also, to educate the public about working dogs and the many, many, many jobs they are capable of. 

My hands on experience training dogs includes: working dogs, bird dogs, scent detection dogs, leader dogs for the blind, dock diving & obedience. I could go on and on about this, but I will leave it here.

If you have read this far, I will reward your patience with 5 things that are uniquely me:

1. I love coffee. I drink it black and strong, but not bitter. It's a mid-west, hard working person's coffee and it got me through some very long days as a pet sitter.
2. I am a dog alchemist. What does that mean? Well, I connect with dogs, so much so, that people like to call me a dog whisper-er, but, I hate that label. So I decided to call myself a dog alchemist. I believe in dog magic.
3. During a photo session with dogs who were  participating in helicopter lift training, I too, was lifted and flew in the helicopter along with the dogs and their handlers. It is still one of my best days ever.
4. I have photographed working dogs on Lumen field, where The Seattle Seahawks play.
5. Once, when I was headed into a outpatient surgery, under the effects of anesthesia, I told my doctor she reminded me of a Irish Wolfhound. To be fair, she did have the essence and the hair of an Irish Wolfhound, and to me, I was paying her a high compliment.

If you've read all of this, you will now understand why I work with dogs. I strive to create images that highlight a dog's character & showcase her  magic. I choose epic locations so that your dog will feel like the superhero she truly is.

Dogs are amazing creatures and, as their stewards, we must give them the very best we have to offer. 

If reading this has inspired you to book a session with me, the process is super simple!
Check out my home page for the current photography experience and then send me an email.
It's really that simple. If we decide to move forward, I'll send you a questionnaire about your dog, so I can get to know her a bit and we will set the date. I hold dates with a $199 booking fee, unless you are an active working dog handler.  If so, your booking fee is waived and you will be extended a 25% discount on all printed products. (Just my way of saying thank you for the work that you do!)

Let's Chat!