WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START RAGAMUFFIN PET PHOTOGRAPHY, AND HOW DID YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH YOUR DOG INFLUENCE THIS DECISION?
Caitlin: “In my early twenties, I was dedicated to a career in commercial photography. I'd studied it on a scholarship in New York as a teenager, then returned to Australia to get my degree. It's a cut-throat industry, and I was very much in the trenches, feeling lost and stressed out. Then I adopted a little puppy named Lyra and she turned my entire life upside down. She was my soul dog, and inspired me to quit the fashion industry altogether and launch Ragamuffin Pet Photography. She passed away earlier this year, peacefully in her favorite spot in our garden at the age of 14. I will be forever grateful to her for the path in life she took me down.”
PLEASE SHARE MORE ABOUT THE MISSION AND VISION BEHIND THE TAILS OF THE WORLD COLLECTIVE.
Caitlin: “In 2015, I published my first book (Tails of Melbourne). The concept was simple: I photographed local dogs at iconic locations around my city, and donated the photo session fees to animal rescue.
After refining the process, I started teaching other photographers how to publish their own fundraising books. Running your own business can be a lonely gig, and I loved connecting with other photographers who were equally passionate about using their talents to make a difference. I launched the Collective so members could publish their own "Tails of ..." books and we would have one place to promote them all.
Then in 2022 we did our first big collaborative project. Photographers from all around the world ran fundraising photoshoots for local pet rescues, submitted the resulting images to be published in Tails of the World: The Book. It was a huge success, so I repeated the project for Volume Two in 2023 and to date we have raised over $95,000 for charity by photographing more than 1,150 dogs in 14 different countries! We're now in the midst of photographing for Volume Three.”
HOW DO YOU SELECT THE DOGS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS FEATURED IN THE TAILS OF THE WORLD VOLUMES?
Caitlin: "Due to space limitations in the book, I have to cap the participants at 100 photographers and 10 shoots per photographer. Applications for photographers are open at the beginning of the year, and I only accept one photographer per location. This year, the spots filled out in less than a week, which was so exciting. The dogs are chosen by each photographer.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS AND LOGISTICS INVOLVED IN CREATING AND PUBLISHING THE TAILS OF THE WORLD BOOKS?
Caitlin: “Fortunately for me, I'm an organization geek. There is a LOT of logistics involved in publishing these books. I created a detailed workbook for the participating photographers, which covers everything they need to know. Each photographer partners with a local animal charity, where they donate all their photoshoot fees. Once they have completed their shoots, they submit everything through an online portal (the photos, info about each dog, fundraising info and a bit about their location).
Once the submissions are in, I spend about a month writing and designing the book (and obsessively checking and double-checking my system to ensure no dogs are missed!). When I'm happy with the printed proof, the book is ready to be published. I list it as available for distribution online, so book retailers all around the world (like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles) can choose to stock it.
100% of the book sale proceeds are donated to animal rescue. I choose one charity each year for that donation.”
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A PART OF THE TAILS OF THE WORLD COLLECTIVE?
Kristi: “I saw the Tails of the World book last year and thought ‘What a cool project with some really wonderful well-known photographers participating.’ I felt it was a fantastic way to help rescues with much needed fundraising while allowing pets to be the superstars. I'm a huge dog lover and I love photographing pets, so I always admired all of the photographers who had images in the book! Then this year I received an email asking if I wanted to participate and my immediate answer was "Yes, of course!"
HOW DO YOU SELECT AND PREPARE THE DOGS AND THEIR OWNERS FOR THE PHOTO SESSIONS?
Kristi: Selection was based mostly on the stories about the animals. I have some that are heartfelt and some that were just so funny I couldn't wait to meet the pups.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE OR REWARDING EXPERIENCE WHILE WORKING ON THE TAILS OF THE WORLD PROJECTS?
Kristi: “So far I think the sweetest was meeting a little guy named Shu that had just finished cancer treatment. He was such a joy to be around, and so well behaved. What I loved the most was how adored he was by his mom and vice versa. Shu never let his human get far from his side. It was wonderful to see how happy they both were.
I'm also excited about a session that I just completed. I have a client who I've photographed for before. She had the most wonderful therapy dog named Winnie and I fell in love with the pup the minute I met her. She was the true essence of a therapy dog. The kindest, sweetest demeanor you could ask for. She died last October; but she touched so many lives as a therapy dog. Her human mom now has two pups; one is a therapy dog and one is working on his certifications. This is why I love dogs so much; they can heal the hearts around them. Sometimes rescue pups make the best therapy dogs, certified or not, so we have to support our rescues!”
HOW DOES BEING A PART OF THE COLLECTIVE BENEFIT YOU BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY?
Krisiti: “The main benefit is for my chosen rescue to receive much needed funds. The rescue I chose is Hootie's Rescue Haven. They are a farm out in St. Clair County, Mo. Dr. Kim Lynch and her husband Tim run the rescue. While Dr. Kim is at her practice at Spoede Animal Hospital, Tim is on the farm taking care of horses, chickens, geese, ducks, emus, dogs, cats and any other animal that folks might drop off. As soon as Dr. Kim gets home, she is hands-on at the farm as well.
Hootie's is not only a rescue, placing dogs and cats in their forever homes, but they are a sanctuary that takes in animals that can't be placed in a forever home because of their need of ongoing medical treatment. Not only do I admire all the work they do, I consider them friends with absolute hearts of gold."