FUREVER in our hearts
Sophie helps capture special memories for people and their pets Sophie Hart, 20, Wanneroo, WA
Snapping photos of smiling students and teachers at their Christmas parade, I was in my element. My mum, Pippa, is a teacher and in 2016, when I was 13, she’d asked me to take some photos of the end of year celebration at the school where she worked.
Since Mum and my dad, Jason, gave me an iPod that I could listen to music on and snap pics with, when I was nine, I’d loved taking photos of owers and plants. But this was my rst time using a proper digital camera.
It was borrowed from one of the other teachers, and I couldn’t believe how much clearer and brighter the photos were.
In January, Mum, my brother Michael, then 22, and I went to London to visit family for three weeks. While there, mum bought me my own camera as a late Christmas gift.
I went crazy taking photos of historical landmarks, beautiful old architecture and, my favourite, the wildlife.
‘A squirrel!’ I gasped, zooming in on the uffy critter scrambling up a tree.
Back home, our family cats, Nibsy and Milo, were more than happy to pose for me as they dozed in the sunshine in our garden.
When I started taking photography as a subject in Year 9 at school I’d come home and snap hundreds of photos of the cats, experimenting with different shutter speeds and exposure settings to capture the perfect shot.
I also took lots of wildlife photos and that year I won a community photography competition with a pic of a frog on some leaves.
‘Would you take some family photos of us?’ Dad’s friend Susanne asked me in 2018, when I was 15.
It was my rst paying job and I took beautiful photos of Susanne, her husband and toddler at a local park.
After getting positive feedback on photos I shared on Instagram, I started my own photography business in September 2020 while I was still at school. I did family portraits, as well as taking wedding and maternity pictures.
Then, in April 2023, we got some sad news.
‘I’m afraid Nibsy has cancer,’ our vet told us, explaining that our beloved moggy only had a few weeks to live.
Back home later that day, I watched Nibsy, 13, lazily icking his tail and thought about how much I was going to miss him.
I’d been just seven years old when we brought him home, and I could barely recall life without him.
Wanting to remember everything about him, I grabbed my camera and started taking photos.
I zoomed in on his soft paws, his bright, brownygreen eyes and his delicate whiskers – all the details
I captured all the details that made him unique
that made him unique.
When Nibsy passed away two weeks later, those photos became a treasured memento of the life we’d shared with him.
A month later, my friend Leah found out her childhood pet, a black and white uffy dog named Maxy, also had cancer.
‘Would you like me to take photos of
Maxy for you?’ I asked, showing her the one I’d taken of Nibsy.
‘That’d be wonderful. Thank you,’ Leah said.
We took Maxy, 10, to his favourite park and I took dozens of photographs, gifting them to Leah and her family.
‘They mean so much to us,’ Leah said when Maxy passed away a month later.
Since then, I’ve been offering end of life photos as a free service to anyone who is facing the loss of their beloved pet.
There was beautiful Shooter, whose owner Brooke wanted some photos of her best friend before he was put to sleep four days later.
And I snapped Scruffy, an elderly dog losing his
sight and hearing.
His owner, Connor, wanted photos before Scruffy’s health declined further. I’ve also taken photos of sweet Elmo, the cat, who at 18 and had been unwell for a while.
Taking the photos is always a privilege. Our furry family members are such an important part of our lives and losing them can be just as painful as losing a human loved one.
Whether it’s a dog, cat or farmyard friend, having photographs that capture the spirit of the animal you love can really help you remember all the special times you spent with them by your side.
Precious memories last a lifetime. ● As told to Samantha Ireland