Our Team
Ken Drake
Master Photographer and Pet Parent
Ken grew up in London and spent 18 years building a career in software. After moving to Australia in 2006, he began photographing animals, mostly as a challenge for himself - and that’s when the passion began pouring in. He had always been an animal lover, but several emotional shoots with early clients reaffirmed how important pets are as family members and best friends, how much they are missed when they are gone, and what a comfort images on a wall can be.
Ken’s the type of guy to set a goal and achieve it with pristine focus - he finds a way or makes a way. It didn’t take him long to become a certified Master Photographer, or one of the most awarded animal art photographers in Australia. He has been recognized for his beautiful animal portraiture all over the world, published books on four continents, and taken first prize at major international photography competitions including Australia’s Animal/Pet Photographer of the Year in 2016. A keen advocate for animal welfare in all its guises, he is a proud supporter of animal welfare charities.
When Ken isn’t photographing animals, he is either spending time with his furry or feathered family, creating ‘masterpieces’ in his workshop from scrap metal or wood, pottering around his Tasmanian farm in jeans and a work shirt, or watching the wildlife near his house wondering what they might be thinking and how he would photograph them.
Beck Drake
People person and Pet Parent
Beck isn’t just a pet person - she’s also a fantastic people person. After moving back to Australia she ran her own event company - until she saw what a blast Ken was having photographing pets and decided he couldn’t have all the fun. She’s now the MBA-holding, client-embracing, high-achieving partner that drives Ken Drake Photography’s business.
Beck is obsessed with customer service (...also The Walking Dead, and the piles of interior design magazines on her floors at home, but we can talk about that later). She tends to the brilliant connections we have with our clients and Facebook fans. She fully understands how clients and friends relate to their fur kids - she shares her bed with four dogs, three cats and one husband so has plenty of experience!
You’ll talk with Beck as you plan your session, then again during your Design and Order Consultation. This is where her obsession with interior design benefits you - she’ll ensure you receive beautiful wall art designed with your tastes and furnishings in mind, and that you feel the connection you have with your pets have been fully captured. Beck is herself an artist (from a long line of artists), with an intuitive understanding of light and space, which means your home will have exactly the right art images in exactly the right sizes to make it look effortlessly put together.
When she’s not dreaming up new ways to delight clients, you can find Beck with inky fingers in her craft room, or baking delicious cakes (duck eggs are her secret ingredient). She puts up with Ken after work, too.
What People Are Saying about Ken Drake
“Ken Drake is making his mark as Australia's leading pet and animal photographer”
— Australian Institute of Professional Photography Journal March 2017