ABOUT ME...

I'm Terran Bayer, the owner of Westway Studio. I grew up in a barn, on horseback, with dogs underfoot, in a family of artists. My inspiring grandmothers and aunts produced watercolors, pen and ink, and oils, but when my aunt Joann, the photographer, gave me one of her old 35mm’s, I fell in love. I’ve been connecting with and photographing landscapes, nature, and wildlife ever since. I’m a passionate advocate for animals, I volunteer my time to rescue organizations, and I’ve even done a little solo rescue work on my own. Fine art pet portraiture is where my life-long passions converge.

I have technical chops: I studied photography and graphic design in college, and I have a B.S. in Electronic Media, Arts & Communication. I use my aesthetic hand-in-hand with sophisticated technology every day in my work as owner of Westway Studio. The art of photographic portraiture happens as much after the shot now as it does before: I don’t just have the artistic ability to capture the perfect shot, but I have the technical ability to process the image into a work of art that you can make the focal point of your collection.

A portrait is so much more than a mere image; it should show what’s inside, not merely what’s on the surface. I connect with animals in this way because I grew up loving them, caring for them, and feeling at home around them. I think animals can feel when a human radiates compassion toward them, and they respond to it — and this is what shows in the eyes of the dogs, cats and horses I’ve photographed.

I know what your animal means to you, whether vertebrate or invertebrate, warm-blooded or cold-blooded, because I rescued Roxy three years ago from a shelter, and she is my fur-kid. Her photos are all over this site, taken from the minute we brought her home to, very likely, as recently as this week. I know what I see in her eyes, and I look for that same love, joy, exuberance and soul in your animal’s eyes. Your dog, cat, rabbit, turtle or horse is an original — and would make a fine subject for original artwork. I’ll discover what it is you love so much about her, and capture that — so everyone who looks at her photograph will say, “I see now why she means so much to you.”