Alumni Profile: Kerry Martin
After a 16-year career in the Navy, Kerry Martin picked up a camera and pursued her true passion - capturing the joy dogs bring to our lives.
Published on the 26 July 2024 by Georgia Hamon
UNSW Canberra alum Kerry Martin has made a successful career as a pet photographer. Photo: Puppy Tales Photography
Kerry Martin was on what she thought to be her intended career path in the Royal Australian Navy, but it wasn’t until she bought a camera on one of her deployments that she discovered her real passion.
Kerry’s academic foundation began at UNSW Canberra, where she studied a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with majors in Management and Information Systems, followed by a Master of Business and Technology from UNSW Sydney. Her decision to study at UNSW Canberra was rooted in her commission with the Royal Australian Navy, with studying at UNSW Canberra an integral part of her initial training at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
After graduating, Kerry spent a year writing an honours thesis that examined the impact of stress and eustress on the retention of Seaman Officers in the Navy. This research laid the groundwork for her understanding of the profound effects of stress, and the potential benefits of stress-relief mechanisms. The following year Kerry herself began Seaman Officer training in Sydney and Cairns, and on several naval ships—experiences that were as challenging as they were formative.
UNSW Canberra alum and pet photographer Kerry Martin with her canine companions. Photo: Puppy Tales Photography
Kerry joined the military when she was 17, she turned 18 on the battlefields of Gallipoli during military adventure training, and throughout her 16-year Navy tenure, she was lucky enough to travel extensively, hone her work ethic, and spark an interest in photography. Kerry initially photographed people and places during her Navy travels, but her real joy was found in photographing dogs and their families. Upon leaving the Navy, Kerry embraced that joy, and merged her love for travel and photography into a new career – dog photographer.
Kerry wrote the guidebook, Dog Tales of Australia, capturing adventures with her pups. Photo: Puppy Tales Photography
Kerry wrote her first guidebook, "Dog Tales of Australia," after an initial trip around the country, and in 2020, after her Navy experiences highlighted the importance of pets for overall well-being, she started the Australian Dog of the Year Awards which celebrates the incredible contributions of dogs to individuals and communities. Kerry’s proudest professional achievement came when she was awarded the Australian Pet/Animal Photographer of the Year in 2015, a recognition that validated her passions but also solidified her as an expert in the pet photography field.
Kerry’s husband describes her as ambitious, hardworking, and generous. Hardworking as she is, it means Kerry’s downtime is limited, but in it she blends her work and passions, exploring new locations with her dogs which doubles as location scouting for her photography sessions.
Kerry has explored some of Australia's most magnificent locations with her dogs. Photo: Puppy Tales Photography
Today, while traveling across Australia (with her husband, two dogs, a cat named Mr. Magoo, and their car and caravan combo, Matilda and Mawson!), Kerry is working on a coffee table book, "Dog Tales of Australia 2," that captures the beauty of dogs in various Australian landscapes.
You can learn more about Kerry here, or better yet, book a photography session for you and your pup!