Winner of ProfotoPets Competition 2020
“Saying Goodbye” has won this year’s Profoto Pets Competition!
“This is a beautiful and emotional image portraying how having a pet can help those who suffer from depression.”
Travis’ entry was accompanied by the powerful story behind its creation:
"Why I would LOVE to win the Profoto B10 - In October of 2012, I was dealing with a very dark depression and came very close to hanging myself in my garage. I luckily I realized what was happening and was able to stop myself. A week later my wife and I adopted a very scared Spanish Greyhound whose owner was going to hang her in a tree because she was no longer useful to him. The irony was not lost on me.
I spent months working with her to help her learn to trust people again, and because of this, I forgot about my depression. She literally saved my life. She passed away in April of 2015. Now when I find myself in darkness, I think about her and I can feel her next to me comforting me. This image is to honor her and to thank her. Leena is the reason My wife and I started an adoption group for the Hunting Dogs of Spain. When I said good-bye to Leena, I promised I would be a voice for her and all the Hunting Dogs of Spain. I purchased my first DLSR in August of 2014, with a goal to tell the story of these dogs through photography and show how I see them through my eyes. Leena gave me this new voice through photography and my goal is to share her story with everyone I can.”