Mission
the Tilly Project aims to connect pet owners with end-of-life pet photographers across the world, and to provide accessible, educational, and supportive resources for photography, anticipatory grief, and pet loss/bereavement.
What We Do
Founded in 2021 by Lauren Kennedy, the Tilly Project is an organization which has several goals:
www.thetillyproject.org
- To create an online platform/community which connects clients seeking end-of-life pet photography services with a photographer who offers them.
- To provide educational photographic tutorials for individuals + veterinary staff when a professional photographer isn't an option.
- To provide educational and supportive resources for pet owners who are living with anticipatory grief, and pet loss/bereavement.
History
In May of 2021, founder Lauren Kennedy was contacted by a friend on facebook asking: "I have a friend who needs to put her dog down and wants to find a nice urn at a good price- do you know of any places she can check out?" Lauren, who currently works for a wildlife rehabilitation center and has been involved in animal rescue for nearly her whole life, frequently gets asked questions about animals. With her background in photography, she decided to offer something else- free end-of-life pet photography for the family.
Pet loss and grief was nothing new to Lauren. In 2018 she tragically lost her soulmate in the form of a little orange cat- Tilly. The importance of honoring a pet AND making it accessible for all was something very important to her.
After the session, Lauren posted the photos (with permission) on her personal facebook page and tiktok. The response was overwhelming and it became quickly apparent that this service was very much needed. In fact, it was SO needed, that Lauren began receiving hundreds of messages a day.
So if she couldn't photograph all of these beautiful families- how could she help? And how could she provide resources specific to pet owners surrounding grief? She created a facebook group to allow networking for clients seeking the service and photographers who offer it, and frequently put the call out for other photographers who offer this service- to compile into an ever-growing list of over 300+ photographers across the WORLD! And thus, the Tilly Project was born.
How to set up a session with Sarah
Please contact me for more info or to set up a Session for your Precious Pet
sarah@itsybitsyphotography.com
951-741-8106
Thank You,
Sarah
Itsy Bitsy Photography
