CARA has thrived from the continuous efforts of many volunteers, generous hearts, and animal lovers. They are our pet’s heroes!
Gia Lara is one such hero. She is an animal lover and a passionate photographer. Petograpiya, her pet photography business, is the combination of both of these passions. She started it in 2010 and she has worked with a lot of pets since then.
She has visited CARA several times to take photos of the pets who are ready to be adopted. Her photos capture each pet’s quirky personality in their candid moments and show them in their best angle, so to speak.
We wanted to know how our pet hero started out so we asked her some questions.
CARA: How did you realize that you were an animal lover?
Gia: We always had dogs growing up and our garden always had cats visiting from around neighborhood. It was only in December 2006 when I was 24, when my eldest niece was gifted a rabbit named Booni that I voluntarily cared for him while my niece went to school. I was already working then and could provide for a pet.
CARA: How did you come to start Petograpiya?
Gia: Petograpiya started as a blog January 2010 because I wanted to have a dedicated space to document and write about Booni’s life. I was a web designer at that time, so any good idea that came to mind always started with a website. Now Instagram is my favorite space to share my pet stories and connect with the world. I have 16 cats, 3 of which are adopted from CARA.
CARA: Why do you love taking photos of pets?
Gia: Photography always intrigued me from a very young age. It was only years into my brother’s wedding photography journey that I was able to practice photography for real. With his advice and patience and then accepting freelance photography work, all while taking pictures of Booni and cats on the side, I just knew having pets as my subject made me the happiest photographer.
CARA: What’s the smallest and biggest pet (in size) that you’ve worked with? Which one was easiest to work with?
Gia: Smallest pet is a tiny puspin kitten and biggest is a full grown Samoyed dog. Small is okay but when they are bursting with some much energy, it could be very tiring having to run after them. Big dogs are fun to take pictures of but when they attack you with affection it could be overwhelming to be smothered by them but I don’t mind.
CARA: Do you have funny stories while working with pets? Do tell us your favorite funny story.
Gia: My favorite is when I’m getting ready to leave after a 3-hour shoot, that’s when the pets really like to be extra cute so I almost always extend my stay.
CARA: Do you recall an experience where a pet was difficult to work with? How did you cope?
Gia: Studio photoshoots, especially involving a lot of pets can be very tricky. One is because they are unfamiliar with the environment and may tend to mark the new territory. It can also be stressful having multiple pets around especially when they are not handled for proper introduction. Pets during photoshoots may also become a bit afraid and hide. A lot of patience is needed and it also helps when the parents are there to make their pet feel at ease.
CARA: What’s an important life lesson that you have learned from working with pets?
Gia: Everything boils down to compassion and great love. That and our pets can really teach us many things about life. I’m also always amazed at the numerous stories about pets and their owners changing each other’s lives for the better.
CARA: If you have a tip for pet parents on how to get along with their naughty pets, what would it be?
Gia: A little bit of patience goes a long way. It also helps to constantly learn and relearn how to interact with our pets. There are so many resources out there: books, magazines and online material that we can learn from. It’s also important to embrace the individuality of each pet.
Gia’s genuine love for animals and her patience to work with them shows just how much she loves her work. This also makes her the perfect person to judge the entries for THE CUTEST CAT PHOTO CONTEST.
If you’re interested in getting memorable photos of your pets, you can connect with Gia on her Petograpiya Facebook and Instagram pages.