Portraits of Rescued Farm Animals
This project considers farmed animals as sentient beings with distinct personalities, relationships, and individual lives. I visited ten farm sanctuaries across the United States dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and providing lifelong care for abused and neglected animals. At each sanctuary, I created formal black-and-white portraits of the animal residents in environments where they felt comfortable. Each portrait is titled with the animal’s name and sanctuary location, emphasizing identity and presence. Together, the animals portrayed represent the fortunate few living in safety, in contrast to the billions of farmed animals who remain largely without meaningful legal protection.
To make the portraits, I spent time observing and waiting for the animals to approach me, allowing trust and a sense of connection to develop between photographer and subject. I watched for subtle expressions, gazes, gestures, and shifts in body language before releasing the shutter. These encounters challenged familiar assumptions about farmed animals and revealed complex forms of intelligence, attachment, curiosity, and social connection. I witnessed strong maternal bonds as well as unexpected interspecies relationships, including Barbie the hen and Rambo the ram resting together at Catskill Animal Sanctuary. By presenting each animal as an individual rather than as a type or commodity, the portraits invite viewers to reconsider how farmed animals are perceived, valued, and treated.
The project was published by Charta Art Books as Sanctuary: Portraits of Rescued Farm Animals. The book pairs the photographs with handwritten stories about each animal by sanctuary founders and caretakers, along with essays by animal advocates. Proceeds from book and print sales have been donated to the featured sanctuaries in support of their work.