By Emily Chapman Laing
After being dismissed from her job due to an incurable health condition, Shelli Knight found her dream job photographing pets alongside her husband Tony.
The couple have taken a ’down under’ approach to capturing the adorable faces of Casey locals’ furry families, and customers are reeling.
“The images are truly amazing, sometimes hilarious but always ‘unique’,“ customer Cristy Worsteling said.
“Shelli’s ability to capture the unique personality and spirit of each pet in her photographs has garnered accolades and touched the hearts of many.
“It is not merely a photography business but a testament to the profound bond between pets and their owners, ensuring that precious moments are forever treasured.“
“Aunty Shelli“ and “Uncle Tony“ shower their canine clients with treats of all kinds and lots of loving pats, even if the pups piddle on the floor, or up against their desk.
Animals Down Under customer Sally-Ann Wratten said she could tell Tony and Shelli were “animal people“ from the second she walked in the door.
“They were excited to see our dogs both times we took them in,“ she said.
“They did an amazing job of capturing our whippets’ different personalities with one being a relatively subdued dog and the other still a crazy puppy.
“The prints are absolutely stunning and I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting pet portraits.“
Shelli was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at 30 years of age, in 1999, having suspected something was not right.
“I always had a suspicion, MS was always in the back of my mind,“ she said.
“When I was 16 I started getting the symptoms, but every doctor I went to just said I was imagining things and that it was in my head.
“As it turns out, it was in my head, I’ve got scars on my brain.“
Shelli actively chooses not to focus on her condition, and lives her life as normally as possible, though the impacts are still part of her everyday life.
“Sometimes I find it hard to get words out, I have chronic fatigue and sometimes I have loss of feeling in some parts of my body,“ she said.
“But until last year, I was still riding my horse.“
In late 2022, Shelli secured her dream job working with dogs, after being a qualified vet nurse for many years.
After spending time in an office environment, Shelli’s boss realised she was better suited to a face-to-face role.
“She had a job set out for me and she was going to show me herself how to do it,“ she said.
“I had to tell her that I can’t work in the afternoons because the heat affects me, so she gave me a morning job.“
Full of excitement, Shelli showed up to her first day at her dream job, but the day didn’t pan out how she expected.
The company had decided they weren’t able to make concessions for Shelli’s condition.
“I went in on the first day to start and she and her husband called me into their office and I was let go,“ Shelli said.
“I went home and for a couple of weeks I was just so depressed and I just felt so down about myself.
“I said to Tony I just feel so down, I feel so useless, I’m just no good.“
Tony had seen an unusual style of pet photography on YouTube years before, where pets were photographed from underneath.
“I’m always looking for a point of difference,“ Tony said.
“I thought it could be easily commercialised here, it would really take off.
“Years went by and no one ever grabbed onto it.“
As far as he could see, no one else in Australia was using this style of pet photography, and there he saw the perfect fit for his photography career and Shelli’s love of dogs.
“The first photo he showed me I was hooked,“ Shelli said.
Three months later, the duo had set up the business at Tony’s photo studio in Hallam.
“She went from the deepest, darkest place to jumping across the clouds,“ Tony said.
Animals Down Under held their first exhibition at the April 2023 Home Show.
“We also see it as home decor,“ Tony said.
“You’d see people look at the pictures and then the big smile would come and it just made me feel so good,“ Shelli added.
The couple were rewarded with a long list of bookings, and Animals Down Under was officially on the map.
Shelli and Tony are parents to four dogs, but one stands out as the clear model of the pack.
Pixel the Whippet loves having his picture taken and has been the muse for some of Animals Down Under’s best shots.
“He loves it,“ Shelli said.
“I don’t have to stand on the other side of him for the photos, I can just stand at the console and throw treats,“ Tony added.
Animals Down Under is currently taking bookings at a special price of $150, saving cost-of-living conscious pet owners a whopping $225.
“Everyone says the same thing, that when you put the pictures up, they’re a conversation starter,“ Tony said.
“Everything is depending on the budget of the person, we’re not wanting anyone to buy anything they don’t love.“
The apparatus used to photograph the model pups was built with safety in mind for all breeds.
“It takes 250 kilos,“ Tony said.
“Everything is done to Australian standards.“
For dogs who are too timid or excitable to use the podium for underneath shots, Animals Down Under offers reflective shots where fussy pups can sit on a low platform for a front-on portrait.
Tony’s other business, This Is My Life, is a photography and videography business where he captures people’s life stories.
“He’ll talk to them about their earliest life to current day,“ Shelli said.
“It’s just fantastic.“
The studio also hosts TV commercials, commercial photo shoots and music videos.
Animals Down Under can be found on Facebook, Instagram and through their website.
