Former corrections officer gives shelter pets hope for a new life

In many ways, Hannah Lee Bratz’s journey as a photographer has been defined by second chances.

Bratz, a former corrections officer who now does pet photography, including working with local shelters like the Craven-Pamlico Animal Services Center, often sees those she works with in temporary space. While working in a prison infirmary, she met people deep in the valley, hoping to make a difference while they were with her.

Today, Bratz spends time helping pets find new homes by photographing shelter animals. Hopefully they will only spend temporary time in a shelter before finding their forever home.

She was inspired after seeing some of the photos a local animal shelter was using and knew she could show the pets in a better light – literally. When she can’t take photos outside, Bratz says she quickly purchased a lighting setup to improve the atmosphere of the shelter. From there, she did what the best pet photographers do (and the most fun part of the job) and made sure all the animals were relaxed and comfortable. Bratz says she creates a quiet, enclosed space where they can feel more relaxed. She then lets their personalities shine through. She’ll even throw in some fun backgrounds, like a recent one she made for Easter.

Bratz says PetaPixel she is often drawn to creative pursuits, so it should come as no surprise that she took up photography after receiving a camera as a Christmas gift from her mother. Bratz says she became fascinated with the macro setting, finding beauty in the small details of nature.

“It’s things like that that people don’t normally see,” says Bratz PetaPixel. “It’s the little things that I find beauty in and I hope that other people will look at them and say, oh, I’m going to take the time to look at this flower here. Landscape stuff. It’s just something peaceful.”

If you work in a prison, the rule of thumb is that for every year worked, you feel more like five years, she explains. Bratz shares her experiences in the infirmary, where she encountered people working through addiction, struggling with their mental health, or even experiencing a miscarriage. She says her job was to help the nurses, but beyond that, it meant finding compassion in a place you normally wouldn’t. It’s taxing, and photography was Bratz’s relief.

And even though Bratz may not be working as a corrections officer today, she says PetaPixel she still uses many of the lessons she learned from that experience. When she was younger, the photographer notes, she wasn’t much of a conversationalist and mostly kept to the company of her horses. But working in a prison gave her a boost and saw her not only opening up and talking to people, but doing so in a high-stakes environment.

“I can start a conversation with anyone, especially if they are grieving,” she says. “I’ve dealt with prisoners where they came to prison and they did what they did because of a certain circumstance. I can really bring people down and I can find that common purpose and common ground with people.

When she works with shelters, she often sees people desperately looking for an animal to be adopted in time. Due to limited space, some shelters are forced to euthanize pets that do not find permanent homes within a certain time frame. And no one, especially shelter employees who want to help animals, wants to be in that situation, Bratz notes.

In addition, Bratz shoots private portraits of pets, as well as the work she does with shelters. While this is normally a joyful experience, she also offers a ‘Rainbrow Bridge’ package for end-of-life photo shoots.

“They’re just not there as long as we would like, and I feel like everyone needs a little memento of that to help those who are grieving,” Bratz said. Additionally, she spends $50 of the proceeds from those photo shoots to sponsor an animal at the shelter she works with. In this way, the end of one pet’s life can help save another.

Even on days when Bratz isn’t shooting in heartbreaking circumstances, she still finds value that comes from her background as a corrections officer. For example, her ability to multitask is incredibly useful when dealing with pets of different personalities. In a prison, Bratz explains, there is only so much time to get things done and prioritizing is essential.

But the work is worth it for Bratz, who has found a community through her photography. Of course, there’s the symbiotic social media relationship where they and the shelter will promote photos of the pets, but that’s the reason behind that that’s so satisfying. The photos she takes get pets adopted, and the more those images are amplified, the more likely these animals are to find homes. Bratz says PetaPixel she is still a potential pet owner who takes in animals from multiple states. All because they saw the right photo.

“I tell their story,” she says, “and give the dogs an identity that other people will read and look at the pictures and say, ‘Oh my God, I need her.’”

Image credits: Photos by Hannah Lee Bratz