When Rylee Nixon was contacted about having her photographs of a family pet published in a book, she said she was “completely shocked.”
The 20-year-old aspiring photographer from Fort Frances said she always had an interest in photography.
“I just like taking pictures,” Nixon said. “I really got serious last year.”
To display her work — mostly of her two sisters and a menagerie of animals — Nixon uploaded her photos to www.Flickr.com, a photo sharing website for amateur and professional photographers.
“It was just a way for me to show off my pictures,” she said of the site.
Among the more than 200 photos Nixon had included under her Flickr profile, were two of her sister, Angel and Angel’s rabbit, “Peanut Butter.”
Cecile de Vries of the Netherlands, who is the book’s author, came across Nixon’s photos and contacted her for permission to include them in her book, “Bunnies for Bunnies.”
“She e-mailed me and asked me if she could use my pictures,” Nixon remembered. “I didn’t even know what she was talking about at first, I was so surprised.”
The book is full of unique photos of the floppy-eared creatures taken by 22 international photographers. “Bunnies for Bunnies” proceeds will go to the Rabbit House Society — an international nonprofit organization that rescues rabbits from animal shelters and educates people on rabbit care and behavior.
When the book was released last month, Nixon said seeing her work published made her feel like she was taking a step in the right direction. Holding the book she explained, “I just didn’t think it would be so amazing. If I can do this, I can do more.”
In the future, Nixon hopes to open her own business to focus on portraits and more photos of animals.
“Bunnies for Bunnies” can be purchased at www.blurb.com/ bookstore/detail/2115354 and Nixon’s work can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/rylee-nixon/5702040195.
For more information on Rabbit House Society, visit www.rabbit.org.
