Award winning photographer Carolyne tells how she is creating a book of dog portraits to raise funds in honour of her mum Margaret
“My mum Margaret is an amazing woman. I have her to thank for my love of photography, dancing, dogs and so much more.
“She’s very intelligent and adventurous, and everything she did was always meticulously planned. When she was younger, she studied in Berlin, learned to speak Esperanto and went on to work as an executive PA at a big London firm. She also loves sequence dancing – which is how she first met my dad Dave – and ran a dance club for years.
“My parents are from Fife but moved to London before I was born. Growing up, mum took me to all kinds of museums and landmarks across London and encouraged me to take part in lots of hobbies. Dad was all about hands-on fun – being outdoors and flying kites. They were dedicated parents.
“We moved back to Scotland when I was 13 and I went on to work as a professional dancer, a model and professional music gig photographer. I bred and showed award-winning dogs for nearly 40 years with my husband Alasdair at shows like Crufts, before retiring and opening up our dedicated dog photography studio in 2015.
“After my dad passed away, mum came to live with us. A few years ago we started noticing small signs, like repetitive behaviour and forgetfulness. She was eventually diagnosed with dementia in 2022. We cared for her at home as long as we could but last year we had to move her into a care home, which was very hard. She’s 98 now and we visit her as often as we can.
“Our previous fundraising projects have been in aid of dog breed rescues, raising nearly £30,000 in the process. But this year we wanted to do something different in honour of my mum.
“We came up with the idea of creating a book of dog portraits to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland. Our goal is to publish a glossy hard backed album showcasing 125 dogs, each with their own double-page spread, for £100 per dog. Our target is to raise £12,500 for Alzheimer Scotland.
“There will be space for a small description too. The owners don’t have to have a connection with dementia to take part – the portraits could be dedicated to a loved one or be just about the dog.
“We’ll have to fit the portrait sessions in around our privately commissioned dog photoshoots, which will likely take the project into 2026. It’ll be hard work, but it’s all for my mum.
“I would love to see the money we raise go towards the dementia dog programme, and also to help Alzheimer Scotland support other families like ours whose lives have been impacted by dementia.”
Huge thank you to Carolyne for sharing her story in honour of her mum Margaret.
Find out more about the dog portrait project here.