Photographer follows her animal instincts

ALEX Cearns always had a love of animals and after 20 years in the workforce finally turned her passion into a career using the power of photography.

Photographer follows her animal instincts

RAISED on farms, CommBank’s Australian of the Day Alex Cearns says respect for animals was instilled in her early on. “My parents always had rescued joeys at home, or we were rehabilitating echidnas,” Alex recalls.

After 20 years working for the WA Police and auditing airports for the federal government, it wasn’t until a trip to Tasmania with a friend who had an SLR camera that Alex started to hear her true career calling. It was the animals.

She bought a camera in 2006 and “dabbled shooting wildlife” for three years. “Then in 2009 I noticed no one had a studio just doing animal portraiture, like you see for kids and families,” she says.

There is now. Perth’s Houndstooth Studio is wildly successful due to Alex’s innate, multi award-winning talent for animal portraiture and wildlife photography.

As her reputation and skills developed (”I have no technical training!”) Alex was drawn to animal welfare and conservation groups. She works with 40-odd charities around the world from Free the Bears in South East Asia to Tasmania’s Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and her recent appointment as an ambassador for Guide Dogs WA which is deserving of being named CommBank’s Australian of the Day, that is a program recognising the good works of people in our communities.

This year there’s room for some interesting commercial work, too. Designer Peter Alexander is producing a sleepwear range featuring Alex’s animal portraits and in November she’ll launch her book, Zen Dogs in New York City. “It’s basically a book of dogs with their eyes closed, looking like they’re meditating,” chuckles Alex. “Normally I used to delete them but I guess it shows that even when they’re asleep animals are awesome.”

We want everyone to know that we’re a country full of amazing people achieving incredible goals. We are just that but many of those people remain unrecognised and choose to fly under the radar. Let’s celebrate their achievements through the Australian of the Day program. Devised by CommBank, with News Corp Australia as a partner, the stories of these great Australians will resonate with anyone who admires those who roll up their sleeves and get things done. Go to

australianoftheday.com.au to read all their stories and also nominate someone you know.

Originally published as Photographer follows her animal instincts