Life Saving Shots

Francine (Photo courtesy of Eric Delmar)

Meet the photographer who rescued shelter animals through more than his pictures

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

These animals are more than just a pretty face. They are former shelter animals at the Montclair Township Animal Shelter. “Former” is the critical word. All the animals in the portraits have forever homes, showing the effectiveness of Eric Delmar’s volunteer photography work at his town’s shelter.

What started out as a quick trip to the shelter to “shoot a few pictures,” became a 20-month project for the Montclair resident and clear animal lover. From August 2014 to April 2016, Delmar visited the shelter every two or three weeks to photograph animals in need of a home.

As a professional photographer, Delmar often has to practice patience in order to get the perfect shot, and this project was no exception. The photo sessions typically took two or three hours to complete and required lots of laser pointing, squeaky toys, and laying on the ground to get eye-level with the animals. After two or three additional hours of photo editing, Delmar had his glamour shots.

“My philosophy is that if a cat or dog has a beautiful portrait, then the animal must be quite a special, worthy creature – a pet you’d welcome into your home,” explains Delmar.

The adorable pet portraits were published in the Montclair Times, on posters for shelter events, and used on rescue websites like Petfinder. The shelter even provided the people who adopted the cats and dogs a framed canvas print of their new pet.

Delmar continues to capture the essence of beloved pets as part of his business. To hire him for pet photography or to purchase one of his prints, visit http://www.delmar.photos/