A year before I started Printz Photography in 2005, I adopted my heart and soul dog, Iggy. The experience of adopting him changed the trajectory of my life, as it was because of him I discovered the magnitude of the problems facing homeless animals. Dogs and cats just like him were waiting for families across the country, yet the number that ultimately found homes was disproportionate to those that did not. This realization motivated me to begin using my camera to help make life-saving connections for animals in shelters and rescues in my local community.
In 2010, I founded a non-profit organization called HeARTs Speak. Born from a desire I had to connect with others and collectively tackle the problem of animal homelessness, what started as a grassroots effort quickly gave rise to a united community of passionate artists who, like me, were touched deeply by a shelter animal and moved to use their skills to help countless others and HeARTs Speak’s flagship program: Artist Helping Animals was born. The members of this program quickly grew into a tremendous force, with 5-600 photographers from almost every state in the nation and across multiple countries, working with shelters and rescues to change the way the world sees homeless animals. To this day, the work I do with HeARTs Speak is my heart's work, my priority and where I spend most of my time working to ensure more animals are Seen, and ultimately Saved.
If you run a shelter or a rescue, I am happy to donate my photography services to help shine light on the animals in your care.
Photo thanks to Caitlin Quinn