25 Adorable Moments Between Children And Their Animal Companions Captured By Andrea Martin

Bored Panda reached out to Martin to learn more about her creative process and her personal journey. The photographer shared that her journey as a photographer began when she had her first two children. "I’ve always loved art, and photography became another medium for me to express myself!"

We asked Martin how she handles unpredictable situations while photographing kids and animals. "Luckily, most kids love animals, and my shots are of kids interacting with animals, so nothing is really forced,' she said. 'Also, I think animals can sense the kindness and innocence of children. Once in a while, I’ll have a child who isn’t willing to cooperate, usually because they’re not feeling well. In these cases, I just reschedule, but it’s very rare.

I always make sure the kids have been around animals before, so they’re not freaked out or scared. If at any time I sense that either the child or the animal is in danger, I separate them. The only animals that I find some babies are scared of are ducks because they quack loudly. In those cases, I’ll take pictures of the child by themselves and the duck by itself, then Photoshop them together."

The photographer shared that she’s drawn to landscapes with textures and colors. "I like to tell a story not just with the animal and child, but also with the child’s clothing colors and the landscape. So, I base it on that. I also love beautiful light, so I choose locations that have pretty lighting as well."

When asked what she hopes viewers take away from her photographs, Martin replied that she loves when people tell her her images bring them happiness or nostalgia. "There’s a kind of innocence in the images that I hope makes people smile. There’s so much sadness in the world today, but I hope looking at these images brings a sense of peace and hope."