About

This multi-media long-form narrative feature and website was undertaken as my Journalism Major Project, the final part of my Master in Journalism.

I have drawn on all my professional practice skills gained in subjects such as Research & Reporting, Storytelling with Sound and Image, Feature Writing, Editing & Design, Journalism Studies and Investigative Journalism. All this has been shaped in the context of the new media news landscape that is the internet and social media. 

For academic and intellectual reasons, I chose to investigate aspects of the pet  industry as I was intrigued by the huge amount of money Australians spend on their pets, as indicated by industry and related organisations in surveys and reports. And I was interested for personal reasons — I have had three dogs, five cats, two birds, two rabbits and many fish.

As well as investing considerable time in research and reporting and writing this narrative, I took many photographs as a parallel form of storytelling.

In the subject, Journalism Studies, I learnt the importance of bearing witness and was inspired by freelance photojournalist Penny Tweedie who says, in Denise Leith’s book, Bearing Witness, “I don’t feel that I am a voyeur. I am right there sitting in the dirt listening to their stories and photographing what is going on and I try to convey some of that pain and suffering through my work.” 

Through Storytelling with Sound and Image, I have become more conscious of the principle of the ‘thirds’ in composing a photograph, although in this case, it is a tough challenge when your subject is an active and uncooperative bundle of fur.

In the process of writing and photographing, I have made many new friends including my fur friends. It is hoped this site will be a platform for all to share the important, loving moments we have with our pets. 

SIAM LIM

June 2015