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About Andrew Grant

Advertising, portrait, fine art and pet photographer

Andrew Grant, known for his work in advertising, fashion, magazine and portrait photography, is now also nationally recognized for his special photography of dogs as subjects. Andrew’s images of actors, authors, celebrities, kids, models, musicians and professional athletes including Alicia Keys, Kurt Warner, Joe Montana and many more have been featured in hundreds of advertisements, magazines, books and product packaging. While Andrew continues his commercial photography, his attention now also includes capturing the beauty, grace and souls of all types of dogs—big, small, purebred and mixed, and most importantly, homeless pets.

His first book, Roverwas featured on national television shows including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and EXTRA. Andrew began production of the second book, Rover - Woof Editionwhen the first edition sold out in just a few months. He has since produced six additional editions of Rover. The series of Rover dog books have generated over $3 million for animal rescues across the country!

Andrew attended the renowned Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. The Institute is regarded as one of the top three photography colleges in the world. Andrew's philosophy is that great shots rarely just happen and that skilled photographers don’t rely on luck to get the shot. He is a meticulous professional with years of experience, the technical skills and creativity needed turn a creative director’s conceptual vision into a compelling image.

Andrew has been living on the road since December of 2012 while raising money for pet rescues across the country. Dog photographers Andrew Grant and Amanda Hedlund will continue to raise money for pet rescues everywhere by photographing donor's dogs and sponsored homeless pets.

Andrew is an portrait, advertising and fine art photographer. View his work here.

Contact us if you'd like to schedule a shoot at our studio or in a studio near your home.

 

About Amanda Hedlund

An advocate for kids and critters

Amanda Hedlund is Director of Marketing and Operations at Rover Works. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing business operations, strategic initiatives, social media, PR & communications. Amanda handles day-to-day logistics of a national tour raising funds for pet rescues in over 20 cities while increasing Rover book sales and distribution. Amanda spearheads partnership efforts with pet rescues, philanthropists, retailers, media and key partners.

Prior to Rover Works, Amanda was responsible for developing strategic online content and media plans for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She led efforts for web development, search engine optimization (SEO), external communication, media relations and social media promotion. Amanda won several PR and design awards for external communication. Because of her artistic perspective, Amanda’s role expanded to an associate producer where she supported the creative and storyline functions for Imagine, an Emmy award-winning broadcast series and other various promotional videos for the hospital.

Amanda’s background includes over 15 years of marketing, media, sales and web experience. Before Children’s Hospital, she was the Sales, Marketing and Events Coordinator at 944 Magazine, a national Fashion, Entertainment and Lifestyle publication. As a college intern, proving she was an asset to the company by coordinating one of 944’s most successful events and was hired through to help launch the Los Angeles office.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Business & Communication, and a minor Certificate of Mass Communication of the W.P. Carey School of Business & Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University.

It is through Amanda’s passion for serving others that inspires her philanthropic activities. She was a member of the Step Up Women’s Network in Los Angeles, serving and mentoring underserved teenage girls. She coordinated and hosted fundraising events to raise money for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and is an active volunteer with other children and animal-focused organizations.

View Amanda's fine art photography at DwellDekor.com.

Amanda Hedlund - Rover Works - with Riley Hedlund - Rover Coffee Table Book of Dogs Co-Publisher

 

About Riley

An advocate for homeless animals

Riley is Pawsident of Animal Services at Rover Works. In her role, she is the snack inspector-in-chief and demands the best quality treats during photoshoots (and just in general). Riley is also responsible for endless entertainment for the team while traveling from city to city. She is the world's best bell ringer and piano player. She has quite a few jingles for Rover and will be planning a world tour in the coming months. She likes to document her travels on her Instagram page: @RileyOnTheRoad.

Riley Hedlund from RoverWorks - Pawsident of Animal Services - Rover Coffee Table Book of Dogs

The Rover Story

By Andrew Grant

We are truly blessed to have animals here with us. They enrich our lives in so many ways. They make us laugh. They provide us with companionship. They give us a sense of purpose. They protect us. They have an uncanny ability to provide comfort when we need it most. But most of all, they show us what it means to love unconditionally. But we can’t forget that they’re just innocent animals that depend on us to provide them with food, care and shelter. It is our responsibility to take care of them, and we’re failing them. Millions of them.

I 2009 I worked as a commercial advertising photographer with a studio in Oceanside, California. I was shooting an ad campaign and catalog for Chef Works at a Bulthaup kitchen showroom when the owner’s two French bulldogs, Gaston and Napoleon, kept wandering into the picture. Rather than ask the gracious owner of the store to keep her dogs away from the busy set, I simply included them in the shots with the various models. At the end of the day, some of the most evocative and winning shots were of the dogs at the centerpiece. I enjoyed working with the dogs so much I started thinking about someday making a photo book of dogs.

“Well, ‘someday’ quickly became next week, when I learned just how many dogs and cats enter shelters every year and the dramatic effect the recession and housing crisis were having on rescues. There was an immediate sense of urgency, as I knew a book like this could bring attention to the crisis.”

My idea was to photograph dogs living in rescues or shelters. A book filled with portraits of shelter pets would be incredibly poignant, moving and powerful, as readers wouldn’t know the fate of any of the faces in the book. Were they adopted, still living in the rescue or euthanized? Unfortunately, when confronted with the incredible costs associated with producing, printing, distributing and marketing a book (along with the logistical challenges of photographing dogs in rescues), I was forced to consider other alternatives, and that would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

I never photographed a dog in the studio before, and I put my first subject, a large husky, on a large table with a rather slippery surface. He slid around and didn’t seem very comfortable. I quickly determined I would have to photograph the dogs while lying on the floor with them. The first few shoots were very difficult, and I didn’t capture many compelling shots, as I had very little experience working with dogs and knew very little about training them. Eventually, I learned how to make my subjects more comfortable and how to elicit and capture compelling expressions that capture their diverse personalities. During the next six months, I photographed about 100 dogs for the first 300-page book and spent hundreds of hours preparing images and designing the book. At first, it seemed impossible to complete a book in just a few months, but I had an incredible amount of serendipity in my life when I began production of the first book. Everything I needed to produce the book seemed to fall directly in my lap. So much so that I was able to manifest an idea into a book in just six months. I had the idea for the book in February of 2009, began photographing dogs in March, finished preparing the images and designing the book in August, performed color press checks in September, and the book was featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in December. That serendipity remains in my life today and is a constant reminder that I’m on the right path.

During the next 12 years, I’ve spent about countless hours photographing over 1,200 dogs and thousands of hours preparing the images for print, designing the books, organizing fund raisers and promoting the books. It’s a tremendous amount of work, but it’s worth it. I’ve watched and listened to people as they flip through the books. I’ve seen how people react to the dogs’ faces, and I’m certain Rover has inspired many people to help rescue pets.

Every year, millions of cats and dogs enter pet shelters and rescues in the United States. I believe animals must feel lost, displaced and alone when they’re living in a rescue. Many of the dogs I visit at rescues seem scared and sad. It’s unmistakable. But the moment you take them for a hike, they come out of their shell and their true personality is revealed. It’s clear that their only want in life is a home.

Most of the dogs inside these pages, including the purebreds, once lived in a rescue or shelter. Some of the dogs were living in a rescue when they were photographed and remain there today. Some of the dogs were rescued after being discarded on the streets. Some of the dogs were rescued after their family was forced to give them up after losing their home to foreclosure. One of the dogs, “Hero,” was once used as “bait” for dog fighting. After years of gentle and patient care, he’s a happy, playful, trusting soul.

Some of the dogs are cared for by pet advocates who made a generous donation to have their dog photographed and featured in the pages of Rover. This program generated donations of over $2.5 million to rescues we selected in several states. Immortalizing your best friend in a popular book is an extraordinarily unique opportunity. As a result, the rescues we’ve selected to benefit are able to recruit and attract new donors who weren’t familiar with the rescue’s efforts in the community. It excites me to know those donors will continue to support those worthy organizations for many years.

Finally, Some of the dogs in the Rover books were rescued literally minutes before they were scheduled to be euthanized. Each and every time I see their pictures, I am struck by the fact that their precious experience of life was nearly ended years ago, simply because nobody offered to give them a home. There are absolutely beautiful, smart, fun, healthy purebreds and mixed breeds available for adoption at rescues. I hope the grateful and loving faces inside will inspire you to welcome a shelter pet into your home.