Global project documenting families and pets in lockdown

A wedding photographer who watched as her work completely dried up overnight when the pandemic hit last March, has a novel new project underway.

Amy French is capturing families and their pets from all around the world, remotely from her home near Lough Owel in Mullingar.

She is now managing to document the life of pets and their owners in lockdown, with the use of smartphone technology.

“I get a shot of everybody on their couch because that’s where everyone spends most of their evenings in lockdown,” says Amy, who is a native of Melbourne, Australia originally, but living in Mullingar since 2001.

She aims to document 100 families and their pets, and once the project is complete hopes to publish a book on the unique stories she’s come across of families and their pets during the pandemic.

“I usually ask for a short background story of how each pet has helped their family get through the pandemic,” she tells the Westmeath Examiner.

“From my own experience of the first lockdown, I was living on my own but my pets got me through it. I didn’t feel as isolated because I had them,” explains Amy, who has six indoor cats, an adopted whippet, a horse and a pony!

“I kept hearing stories of people taking in pets and adopting them, suddenly people were working from home and they either took in an extra pet or their first pet. So I decided to launch the Rubizoo site and take photographs of pets officially.

Pandemic

“Basically I went from a full book of weddings last March to most of them cancelling. I shot five weddings when I should have shot 25,” continues Amy, who is still reeling at how life changed suddenly overnight.

“I’ve always done pet photography but not officially, and I had wanted to do more of it, so in a way it was just the right time.

“I had no weddings coming in, I had to go on the Covid payment, I had to take a mortgage break, I mean it all just changed so suddenly. I was due to go to Manchester to speak at a conference because I teach wedding photography and everything just got cancelled.

“It went from Covid happening to somebody else to it happening to us.”

After officially launching Rubizoo.com, Amy began operating her unique portrait project by photographing families and their pets remotely across the world from her iPhone, using an app that takes high resolution images on their smartphone.

“We were in lockdown so of course I couldn’t go to people’s houses to take photos. I saw that another wedding photographer in the UK began doing remote shoots, high fashion portraits through Facetime.

“I thought, ‘I could do that but with pets’, and so I found an app which was developed in Russia that takes high-res images.

“And while they’re not from a professional DSLR, the quality is really really good and it’s all done remotely.

“As long as you have a smartphone and the internet, this works.”

Her first shoot was of one of her friends in Sydney.

“She was in lockdown there too and had got a whippet, and the photos turned out amazing, I was really pleased with them.

“I started doing eight or nine shoots a day. I send out a booking calendar online so people can book in the slot that suits them for their timezone.

“I was getting up really early in the morning and staying up really late to make sure it worked with the different time zones and to capture the early morning light.”

Niche

Amy is the only photographer taking photos of families and their pets, and has done so in countries across the globe, from Australia to Belgium, France to Budapest, and Canada to Ireland.

So far she has photographed dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and even a hedgehog.

“I as the photographer I still have control of the light, control of the pose and the composition. I get people to take me on a tour of their house first to see where the best light is,” Amy continues.

“And it’s been super fun. If you had told me a year ago that I’d end up doing all these remote shoots around the world I would have said you’re mad! But actually it has been amazing and very worthwhile.

“It’s been a hard time for a lot of people, and for me as a fully self-employed person who shoots events, it was devastating. But this project has helped me as much as it has helped other people.

“The people who’ve taken part so far have absolutely loved the experience and it’s gained quite a following on Instagram. It’s created a bit of a buzz and for me it’s given me a purpose.”

Stories

They say never to work with children or animals, but for Amy, the biggest thing to have come out of the project was the uplifting nature of pets, and the stories behind them.

“Pets are amazing. Not only are they good companions, but it doesn’t matter how depressed you are you still have to get up in the morning to feed them.

“And I’ve absolutely loved hearing other people’s experiences and stories. I had one lady who had just overcome a battle with breast cancer. She lived on her own and when she went into lockdown she adopted a dog, and she spoke of how he helped her through it.

“That’s one of just many amazing stories. So while the project hasn’t made me rich because I don’t charge anyone taking part, it has kept me busy and it has really inspired me.

“It’s kept me active and focused during some of the darkest days of December and January, and on top of that I feel it’s a really worthwhile cause. I’ve not seen anyone do anything like this before.”

It has also turned into a unique business venture, which Amy can explore further once the project is complete.

To qualify for the project, you need to have adopted or taken on a pet during lockdown. To sign up, all you have to do is go to Rubizoo.com, and to follow along with the project go to Rubizoo on Instagram.

To check out Amy’s wedding photography page, check out Rubistyle.com.