FURRY FRIENDS FOR ALL. Bettie Scott Photography believes everyone deserves to capture snapshots of time with their loved ones, including their furry friends. (Submitted photos)

If you keep up with the Eau Claire County Humane Association online, you may recall earlier this year in the spring when the organization commemorated kitten season with a devastatingly adorable, heart-warming maternity photoshoot for one of its expecting cats. That cat maternity photoshoot is one of many projects area photographer Bettie Scott has taken on in collaboration with a local organization — all for free.

Bettie Scott Photography is a new business, having started just last year, but Bettie has loved photography since her mother bought her her first film camera at a thrift store for 25 cents when she was a child. Of course, her skills and gear have expanded since then, and she took her beloved hobby to the next level with the business, which is operated by Bettie and her husband.

“As a hobby, I took photos for families, friends, coworkers, neighbors, things like that. It brings me a lot of joy,” Bettie said. “My favorite thing to photograph is animals. I’m a huge animal lover of all kinds from typical domestic pets like cats and dogs to livestock like cows. It would be amazing to go to Africa and shoot a safari at some point, but that’s not within my budget yet,” she laughed.

Getting your photos professionally taken is a luxury, so we do our best to keep fees low (for regular client services).

Bettie Scott Photography has collaborated with a number of area pet-focused organizations including the Chippewa Humane Association, ECCHA, the Coulee Region Humane Society, Pleasant Pasture, and others.

“When we agree to work with an organization whose mission we agree with – which is all of them, really – it’s free,” Bettie explained. “The way we’re able to do that is through all of our other client services, and we also do fundraisers for different organizations.”

Taking into consideration the vision an organization has for a photo shoot as well as what the use of the photos is, whether they will be used as website photos to promote adoption, staff or facility photos, images for public relations use, etc., Bettie and her husband’s work has a distinctly them twist. The duo emphasizes comfort and reality in their photos, meaning they steer away from the traditional style of portraits.

“We really try to capture the uniqueness of everyone’s personality and the dynamics of the subjects we’re photographing,” Bettie said. “We believe everyone deserves beautiful photographs and to capture these memories.”

Being able to give back to organizations whose purposes strike a personal chord for the photographers is part of the joy of their work, and aligns with their mission to make photography accessible.

“Getting your photos professionally taken is a luxury, so we do our best to keep fees low (for regular client services),” Bettie said. The photography business also offers wedding services, senior photos, family photos (including pets!), sports photography, and more. Clients receive all photos from their shoot that turn out, at no extra charge.

Learn more on Bettie Scott Photography’s website. Keep up with the biz on Facebook.