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April 21, 2022 by Terran Leave a Comment

Photography for a Cause

My life’s mission has been to do good and put joy back out into the world through my photography. I’ve always had this unwavering determination to do… to achieve… to make a difference… and I knew from a young age that working with and for animals was my calling.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend their entire career mastering the art of getting dirty just to capture a single moment of pet life? (Can’t we agree that animals just have more fun?)

As photographers, we’re in a unique position to make pets (and people, too, I suppose) happy and improve the world through our art. Today, I want to highlight a few ways Westway lives out our “photography for a cause.”


This is Why We Do What We Do:

To Make Houses Warmer…

“Every time I turn the corner and see the pictures, they make me smile!” – Tammy S.

Two words, one hashtag: #nailedit!

One of my favorite aspects of working with families is seeing beautiful artwork of their animal companions go on their walls. Take a look at this fine art family pet portraiture I had the pleasure of creating and installing!

And Memories Stronger.

“I had seen Terran’s work with my friend’s dog. The pictures were beautiful! When my vet told me to consider my awesome little buddy of 16 years as being on hospice, I knew immediately I wanted to do a legacy shoot with Terran and Westway Studio. Terran’s attention to detail, ability to work with my dog’s quirks and my very emotional state created several keepsake pieces. Terran is so compassionate and professional. It’s hard to put into words just how important the entire process has been in my ability to grieve my little Licorice. I cannot recommend working with Westway Studio enough. You will not be disappointed!” – Lisa L.

It doesn’t get any easier on the gut or heart to do legacy portrait sessions as a professional pet photographer, but it is oh-so important and worth every tear shed to capture beautiful memories like these:

This is why we do what we do: to make good moments good memories… and good memories good reminders… of the joy it is to love a pet.


Living Out “Adopt Don’t Shop”

It’s amazing what a good photo can do and even more amazing how misleading a bad photo can be. Consider, for a moment, a senior rescue dog who is scared and confused in an unfamiliar place. The setting hardly makes for a happy subject, right? Now factor in an animal-loving — but perhaps photographically-challenged — volunteer with a cellphone in dim light and you have the recipe for a not-so-great adoption picture. This is where Westway’s photography for a cause comes in!

Through our photography, we’re helping adoptable senior dogs find their forever homes. Showing them off in professional imagery and spreading the word on the benefits of adoption.

Annual calendar fundraiser for Lionel’s Legacy

We photograph the Lionel’s Legacy senior rescue dogs a few times per year, then LL sells sponsorship pages in their annual calendar that will get your name/business on listed on the page and allow you to choose which rescue pup gets to be featured that month. I volunteer my time, skills, and passion to design the calendar and use one of my trade printers to get the very best pricing for Lionel’s Legacy.

We aim to raise $10,000 annually for the senior dogs with this!

Want to help, too? Consider making a donation to Lionel’s Legacy to help care for these wonderful pups or choose a rescue close to your own heart, and community, to put a little good back into the world.


Giving Back to the Community – Teaching Style

I L-O-V-E teaching! Here’s what I love most about teaching others the joy of photography:

Helping aspiring photographers achieve a-ha moments in their photographic skills and business strategies — seriously, watching those lightbulb moments when everything just *clicks* is the most rewarding feeling!

Lending support to others who are having trouble seeing the forest through the trees. Sometimes an outside perspective is all it takes to help things come together

Sharing knowledge about best practices for running a successful business. I love helping others learn how to make a living through their own hard work and determination. Live to work, not work to live.

Helping others put their own impact on the world through the things that are important to them.

^ Terran speaking at Animal Image Makers 2022

Empowering others expands positive change.

When you hone a skill set, you ignite passion. When you ignite passion, you spread positivity. Who doesn’t want more of that?

Expansive impact on the pet industry.

Teaching means more people are now capable of reaching pet parents, shelters, rescues, and pet businesses with their work. As pets become more and more a part of our families, we are breaking down the stigma of having beautiful portraits created of your pets. We love our pets like children and they deserve to be celebrated and remembered.


Giving back comes naturally when you’re surrounded by things that inspire you & kick your passion into high gear. What is that for you?


Want to chat about an upcoming lifestyle pet photography project? Get in touch:
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Home » Photography for a Cause

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Based in San Diego, CA
Traveling the U.S. in 2022
(858) 848-9378
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There was a small delay with the arrival of our Ai There was a small delay with the arrival of our Airstream but we get to pick her up TODAY! We are so excited to finally begin this new adventure!​​​​​​​​
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Are you following along in our Instagram stories?
How stinkin' adorable is this??? Sweet Riesling ab How stinkin' adorable is this??? Sweet Riesling absolutely LOVED being in the photos with her mom and dad! This photo is one of six that make up a collage of rustic barnwood-framed canvases above their fireplace!
I always love seeing my photos on my clients' webs I always love seeing my photos on my clients' websites! Spotting Arlo's photo on West Paw's was no exception! ➡️ Swipe to see!
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I love the little moments like this one, which was I love the little moments like this one, which was captured during our session with Willow this past autumn. It was just a few short months before she crossed the rainbow bridge. I think of her often and wanted to share one of my favorite photos of her with her mom. ❤️ Willow was such a sweet & happy pup who loved her people so, so much.
As we plan our big journey, the question I get ove As we plan our big journey, the question I get over and over is about exact timing of our stops. My go to answer is "I don't know yet but I suspect it'll be sometime around..." ​​​​​​​​
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Here's the thing: with a few minor exceptions, we aren't on a set schedule. If we find someplace we'd like to explore for an extra day or two, we will. If we get in somewhere and think, "this really isn't for us," there's nothing keeping us there. When things go wrong, we will do our best to roll with it and remember that nothing ever goes exactly to plan.​​​​​​​​
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This is a whole new mindset to get used to but we're excited to give it a try! Do you think you could travel this way?
Here's a little Sunshine to brighten your day! ☀ Here's a little Sunshine to brighten your day! ☀️
When Riesling's mom contacted me for a session, sh When Riesling's mom contacted me for a session, she said she really, really, really wanted a silhouette shot. I think we absolutely nailed it with this one! Riesling is a little kangaroo and was having an absolute BLAST running and jumping as we wrapped up our afternoon together!
Do you ever have those moments where everything ju Do you ever have those moments where everything just feels like it is perfectly in place? I know they're rare but they DO happen — and this was one of them. As we wrapped up a very big day of adventure in the Eastern Sierras, Roxy lay down in the cold, sparkling snow just as the last rays of sunshine kissed the mountain peaks goodnight. My heart felt so full and I'm so grateful I had my camera ready to capture this moment + feeling for all time. 
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I have a hard time putting my own personal memories out into the world sometimes (hello, guarded introvert here!) but for Earth Day, I couldn't think of a piece of work more perfect for me to share than this one.
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We love getting out in nature, hiking, exploring, and adventuring. We are grateful for this incredible place we call home and are so excited to see more breathtaking landscapes on our upcoming six-month road trip (which begins in just two weeks)!
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Happy Earth Day, everyone! Let's celebrate this beautiful planet we share!
For the past few years, Greg and I have been dream For the past few years, Greg and I have been dreaming a very, very big dream — but it always felt like it was light years away from ever being possible.​​​​​​​​
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As the pandemic turned the world on its head, though, we realized life was too short to spend just dreaming. We knew it was time to make a giant leap of faith and live our dream of exploring this beautiful country we call home. ​​​​​​​​
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And now, in just a few short weeks, Greg, Roxy, and I are setting off to travel the US for the next six months in our Airstream and photograph dogs all along the way!​​​​​​​​
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We will be starting in Tampa, FL in mid-May and working our way up to the northeast for summer. Eventually, we will head back to San Diego for winter. There's no set schedule; no hard timeline. We are going to see where the road takes us!​​​​​​​​
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I will be posting lots of photos here on the Westway Studio Instagram & Facebook along with monthly blog posts on my website. If you want to sign up for our monthly email newsletter so you never miss a blog post, just go to westwaypets.com and scroll down to the bottom where you can sign up in the green box.​​​​​​​​
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Shameless plug: if you are on our basic route (FL > NY, VT, NH, MA, ME > San Diego (exact route home undecided)) and are interested in a portrait session, commercial project, or private mentoring, reach out! :) If you're in San Diego and would like to get on my 2023 waiting list, reach out, too!
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