The Importance of Shelter Pet Photography
Posted by Caroline Aro on 11/17/2025
We’re sure you’ve all seen shelter animals on social media or shelter websites showing their intake photos where they look sad, scared and might as well have Sarah McLachlan playing in the background. Did you know that there are people out there working to take professional, quality portraits of shelter animals to boost adoption rates? Photographers like James Ketola work to capture quality adoption portraits which, in turn, saves thousands of lives.
“… A great photo can dramatically improve [shelter animals] chances of finding a home.” - James Ketola
We got the opportunity to speak with James Ketola, an international award-winning pet photographer who is local to us here in the DMV! James’ photography journey started at the Prince George's County Animal Shelter as a volunteer to capture adoption portraits.
James recognized the urgent need of shelters and shelter animals, especially after the surge of adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adoptions slowed, people returned to work and now we are at a point where shelters are overflowing and overcapacity. This is where James saw a great opportunity to make a difference. A good adoption photo can reduce the average length of stay by up to 66%, which effectively triples the shelter capacity. James photographed over 2,000 shelter pets at the PG County Animal Shelter, which saved countless shelter animal’s lives.
Pets have so much love to share with us, and that’s one of James’ favorite parts of working with animals. Capturing that love and personality in adoption portraits make for a great first impression and can help increase adoption rates.
James is also the founder of Happy Paws Photography - created to better serve the pet community by providing professional pet portraits to local pet parents, bringing expert craftsmanship to pet-related non-profits, and working with the local pet industry to improve the quality of life for pets and, by extension, the residents of the community as well.
Nowadays, James primarily partners with Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, VA as their “furtographer” for events and fundraisers, volunteers time at the Prince George’s County Animal Shelter as a photography instructor and has a hand in supporting almost every local rescue through their adoption events. James also donates 10% of profits from Happy Paws Photography to animal advocacy groups.
Keep reading for the full interview!
Q: Introduce yourself!
A: I’m James Ketola, an international award-winning pet photographer based in the DMV. I founded Happy Paws Photography to better serve the pet community by providing professional pet portraits to local pet parents, bringing expert craftsmanship to pet-related non-profits, and working with the local pet industry to improve the quality of life for pets and, by extension, the residents of the community as well. My business has a focus on love, sustainability, and community, and embodies these values in every process. The love is focused on pets and includes the 10% donations I make to local animal non-profits and the hours that I dedicate to these groups. Sustainability is integral to how I run my business, as seen in the healthy and sustainable Chippin treats I use to solicit my photos, the lab I partner with that operates on recycled and renewable resources, and even the computer I edit on due to its low power draw combined with high performance. Community is in who I partner with and where I show up. I love supporting and promoting the local pet events, fundraisers, adoptions, Yappy hours, Dog Fests, Dog Walks, and local pet businesses in Maryland and Virginia that really bring us together.
Q: How did you get into photography? And more specifically, how did you get into pet photography?
A: My photography journey started at the Prince George's County Animal Shelter, where I spent years volunteering my time to capture adoption portraits. What started as a fun experiment and foray into photography turned into somewhat of an obsession. I photographed over 2,000 shelter pets there, knowing that a great photo can dramatically improve their chances of finding a home. Today, I donate my time to teaching the staff and other volunteers at the Shelter how to improve the quality of their intake photos, and I’ll donate to raffles and other events they host for fundraising and community engagement.
Q: What led you to partner with local animal welfare organizations to provide pet portraits to shelter animals?
A: The dire need of these animals. When I started, I didn't realize how overflowing the animal welfare organizations were. Much of this overflow was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic because there was a surge in adoption - which also meant a surge in breeding. When adoptions slowed and people returned to work, the animals were still there, and not everyone had expanded this supply ethically. The capacity to rehome them was insufficient to meet the needs of these animals. I remember reading that a good adoption photo can reduce the average length of stay by up to 66%, effectively tripling the capacity we have. It was the greatest impact I could have on this issue to save their lives. I can't imagine a world where I couldn't partner with them.
Q: Which organizations do you partner with?
A: I primarily partner with Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, VA, often as their furtographer for fundraisers and events, Prince George's County Animal Shelter as a photography instructor, and almost every local rescue to support their adoption events. I also donate 10% of all profits directly to animal advocacy groups. Typically, I'll do this based on referral sources so that I can provide additional support to the organization in supporting my small business.
Q: How much of an impact does a good portrait really have for shelter animals?
A: I’ve read several articles at this point that have said it can reduce the length of stay by up to 66% or effectively triple the capacity of a shelter. Even if exaggerated, based on euthanasia rates at PG County Animal Shelter, good portraits would eliminate the need for the shelter to kill for space, saving over a thousand pets a year. I can tell you that my best photos didn’t stay up on the website for long; many of them only lasted a day before an application came in.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working with pets?
A: The love! Whether it’s five minutes at a shelter or an hour-and-a-half during a client session, these pets have so much love to share with us, and it really is a bonding experience. I do bribe them with treats and toys, and also offer them mental stimulation with some new and novel noises, so that may play a big part in why we’re usually best friends afterwards. Seeing them again after and seeing them light up, even if it is just to beg for another healthy and sustainable Chippin treat, is amazing. One of my favorite moments was seeing a dog I photographed at the shelter on Instagram and instantly recognizing him because his profile photo was his shelter photo! His name is Soda, and apparently, he’s absolutely spoiled, and I love it!
Q: What would you say is the most important thing to capture when photographing shelter pets?
A: Their personality! Some pets are shy, some are regal, some are bougie, and others are total goofs! Learning their personality and then taking an image that matches it helps them to find the right home! This improves the keep rate and also speeds up the adoption process because people are seeing the same dog in the photo that they’re meeting at the shelter, so they get to yes faster.
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Want to make a difference for shelter pets? The giving season is upon us! Check out our ShelterBeds donation program: donate to the Prince George's County Animal Shelter and Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and find out more at shelterbeds.org!