A West Hartford pet photographer who was moved to launch her career to help shelter animals find homes, is offering a sponsorship program.

By Grayson Rivers

“Capturing” and “shooting” – words no one wants to hear in a rescue dog story. But for West Hartford pet photographer Sara Huber, capturing and shooting portraits is her way of bringing rescue dogs to their forever homes. 

Owner of the photography business Paw Print Studio, Huber has been offering her expertise to various Connecticut rescues since 2016, free of charge. Now, local businesses have the opportunity to join her new “Rescue Photoshoot Sponsor” program, covering a day-long photoshoot for a minimum of 10 dogs while at the same time boosting their exposure. 

This program comes at a great time, too. With the adoption-frenzy of the COVID-19 pandemic slowing to a halt, animal rescue organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to secure new pet parents, an important task that allows dogs from out-of-state to escape packed kill-shelters. 

That’s where Huber comes in, providing the nonprofits with professional headshots for use on adoption sites and across social media. 

“People have to be able to envision a rescue dog as a pet,” the photographer says. With her resources – professional lighting and staging equipment used in her client shoots – Huber is able to communicate a rescue dog’s unique personality. 

“I just love dogs as a subject,” Huber says. “When you isolate their faces, they’re so striking!” Her close up photos freeze her subjects in time, offering a high resolution snapshot of each future adoptee. 

Lulu’s final headshot to be used in her adoption process. Photo courtesy of Sara Huber

Her stunning portraits don’t come out this way by accident, either. Huber balances her highly technical lighting and camera knowledge with a heightened understanding of canine behavior. 

Her skills are especially important for photographing black dogs, which are adopted less often than other dogs. Their black fur poses a unique challenge for rescues; their coats can’t be properly captured by cell phone cameras, and demand a pro’s expert equipment. 

Huber’s repeated posing and reposing (often with the help of peanut butter and squeaky toys) allows potential adoptive families to see each dog for who they are. And with support from local businesses, Huber can devote more of her time towards her important free shoot days. 

Sara Huber can be contacted on her website (pawprintstudioct.com) and via Instagram and Facebook (@pawprintstudioct). All inquiries about supporting the Rescue Photoshoot Sponsor program are welcome, she said.

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