Photography is a pet project and more for La Jolla High School senior Sophie Boxwala

For just about all of her 17 years, La Jolla High School senior Sophie Boxwala has been passionate about animals. As she grew older, that developed into wanting to help them any way she could.

When she took up photography as a pre-teen, she combined the two passions and now runs her own fundraising initiative.

To date, she has raised and given more than $1,400 through Pet Photos by Sophie, a project in which she takes pictures of pets for donations. She suggests a minimum contribution of $60 per pet and gives the money to the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas or another animal sanctuary of the client’s choice.

“It really makes me happy to know that I’m contributing to a good cause in a way that combines my passions for animals and photography,” she said. “It’s been a great and rewarding learning experience. I’m extremely grateful.”

Sophie took up photography in seventh grade, and that summer, she went to an event at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society and asked if she could volunteer or lend her burgeoning photography skills to the organization.

As a preliminary project, she took photos of kittens that were available for adoption so they could be put on the Humane Society website. “I was still learning, so it helped me build my skills,” she said. “It was a great opportunity to put in the time and practice and help animals in the process.”

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and opportunities for community service were reduced, she could not continue her volunteer effort.

“I still wanted to be able to help them, so I brainstormed another way and came up with this project to raise money for them,” Sophie said.

When she launched Pet Photos by Sophie last summer, she started with friends, family members and neighbors.

“My first customer was my neighbor who has a poodle named George,” Sophie said.

From there, word started to spread. She launched a website and more and more people started to contact her for her services.

However, Sophie said she takes fewer clients during the school year and schedules more sessions for summer break.

She revved up the project this summer and returned to volunteering at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society to take photos of fundraisers and other events. She donated two photo sessions as prizes for a raffle.

“Most professional pet photos cost hundreds of dollars, but [this is] a way to get them for less while helping other animals in the process,” she said.

The majority of her photos have been of dogs, though she has had two sessions with cats. The results have been “some of my favorite photos I have ever done,” she said.

“The dogs are always frisky and can be hard to photograph, but cats are sometimes a little more still and their eyes are very colorful and beautiful. I grew up practicing my photography on my cats, so it was nice to shoot other people’s cats.”

The key with dogs, she said with a laugh, is “lots of patience and lots of trial and error. You have to take so many shots. I’ll take hundreds of photos with the hopes of getting some good ones. Dogs move around a lot, so you have to take the photos really fast. And then you get to search for the treasure. … It’s a great experience for me.”

Client Linda Kao said it was a great experience for her as well.

Kao, a local author, had Sophie take photos of her dog, Kylo. “She brought such excellent energy, patience and professionalism throughout the entire session,” Kao said. “Her love of animals is apparent. Kylo usually isn’t fond of strangers, but he adored her!

“Sophie managed to capture his playful spirit, tossing a ball with him while snapping pictures, and she showcased his quieter moments as well. His close-ups are sweet and thoughtful, and I think she did a fantastic job.”

Sophie said she will continue to accept new clients until she goes to college next fall. Learn more at petphotosbysophie.com.

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