Pet Photographer (Bow) Wows Us With His Pup Portraitures

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
Ordinary pets are turned into works of art when world-renowned photographer Jack Kenner turns his lens on them. We met him at Woofstock and had to share his barktastic work!


Woofstock was a fur-bulous time and we loved meeting up with our favorite humans and canines, while meeting lots of new furry faces. One of our new friends is award-winning photographer and preservationist Jack Kenner. And one of the highlights of the show had to be the time we got to hang with him, chatting about how he got started and his inspiration.

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In 2004, after nearly 40 years of work in film, Kenner was struck with what he thought was a sinus infection. For days, he was unable to talk in a normal voice, and literally scared people away with his low, scratchy, and scary voice.

He realized that he was dealing with something more significant than a sinus infection and two specialists confirmed that Kenner’s laryngeal nerve was disconnected from his vocal cord, leaving him unable to barely be heard. Without knowing exactly how long he’d be like that, or whether he’d be like that indefinitely, and unable to communicate easily with his photography subjects, Kenner decided to enter the world of digital photography.

He used the time to learn all there was to know about digital photography, and realized. what better subjects than man’s best friend to practice lighting ratios and giclees printing? After all, dogs don’t necessarily need human words for communication, and understand body language and squeaky toy intrigue well enough to be excellent models.


What he found in just a short time was that he loved working with dogs. During the process of proving disability eligibility, Kenner fell into a groove he feels he may have never discovered had he not lost his voice, and coincidentally, the day he was finally approved for disability, his voice returned.

Still, he’d found a new passion, and has since traveled the world sharing photography skills and engaging in pet portraiture. While his work in film primarily focused on many different animals in the name of conservation and preservation (and still does), he’s released three books that feature some of his amazing pet portraits.


His latest, Dogs I’ve Nosed From Here To Naples, is the third in his series, Dogs I’ve Nosed, and also doubles as a cookbook full of recipes from each dog’s owner. Jack’s books are limited editions, and consistently rising in value. We’d suggest you head to his site and also check out some more of his spectacular photos.

Related: 10 Ridiculously Awkward Pet Portraits


We love Kenner’s pup pics, but we have to say after meeting at Woofstock, we just love what a nice guy he is. He’s traveled and worked all over the world, spreading awareness for endangered species and actively supports responsible zoo sanctuaries.


He tells us that he’s planning where his next adventure will be–Jackson Hole, West Virginia, Africa–but he’s never really sure because he likes to always be ready for any pups that need portraiture wherever they are. Clearly, he’s nuts for dogs, which makes us nuts for him and his work. Need we say more?

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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