Molly Condit. Photo credit: Hervé Breuil
We Animals Media Contributor, Molly Condit. Photo credit: Hervé Breuil
Photographer: Molly Condit
Interview by: We Animals Media
Follow Molly’s work: www.gbearmedia.com
We Animals Media photographer Molly Condit began her professional career in the post production field in 2006, working primarily in broadcast media. After a short stint in the veterinary world and forming her own jewelry design company, Molly found her calling as a commercial and portrait photographer. Over the past nine years, she has cemented a passion for documenting humans and especially animals, and the inextricable bonds between them. Her dedication for animal advocacy has led to work with domestic rescue organizations and sanctuaries as well as volunteer work abroad – most recently documenting animal transport across borders in Ukraine and Poland. Based in Arizona, she’s fortunate enough to live with rescue felines who remind her daily just how lucky she is to be their human.

We sat down with We Animals Media photojournalist Molly Condit to learn more about her journey towards animal photojournalism and her recent work with We Animals Media

We Animals Media (WAM): Which came first for you: animals, or photography and filmmaking? Can you tell us a little about your path to where you are today?

Molly Condit (MC): Animals, 100%. We moved around quite a bit during my childhood and rescued dogs, cats and I believe a rabbit or two were part of that period. I always felt a connection to and with them, and as I got older, I wondered how best to merge that connection with a vocation. I’ve always loved photography and especially movies, so when I went to Columbia University for college, I naturally majored in film studies and worked in both production and post-production after graduation. I had a small stint in the veterinary tech world and as a jewelry designer before moving into photography full time in 2013.

There is so much to be said for the companionship and love that animals give – when my father passed away in a car accident shortly after my 16th birthday and a partner passed roughly ten years ago, the animals I shared life with were paramount in helping me move through the grief process. My passion for the journalistic work I do now is both a reflection of the inextricable bonds and love that I feel exist between our species and a deep-rooted desire to help shed light on the issues facing animals today.

Two residents at the Scooby sanctuary share a shelter on a cloudy day. A permanent home to approximately 200 farm animals, all victims of the livestock and entertainment industry or other types of abuse, Scooby provides a safe environment where these animals can live out their lives free from exploitation. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
A chicken is warmed by an activist using a heat lamp and a blow dryer. This chicken has been rescued from one of the Brooklyn, New York, USA, kaporos religious ritual sites. Many of the birds arrive with hypothermia. All these rescued birds suffer from injuries caused by exposure to the elements inside crowded transport crates left on the street without protection from the weather, the ritual practice itself, or both. USA, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
Mar Sánchez, long-term volunteer at Scooby Zamora cuddles Mary, a “potentially dangerous dog” who has been in this shelter for more than four years. Mar explains that these types of dogs are very difficult to find homes for because people are scared of them. As a result, they tend to spend much longer in the shelter. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
An American volunteer holds a Ukrainian shelter dog by the kennels at Domivka Vryatovanykh Tvaryn, an animal shelter and temporary holding facility for animals displaced by war in Lviv. Ukraine, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
WAM: Who inspires your work? Do you have any top photography influences?

MC: I’m in constant awe of Cristina Mittermeier’s work. Her images are breathtaking and hold so much power in content, composition and feeling. And, in creating SeaLegacy with her partner Paul Nicklen, they’ve been able to create real, tangible change for animals on a political and legislative scale with the visuals they create. I aspire to that.

WAM: What do you enjoy most about this work? What do you find most challenging?

MC: Every place, every animal and every human attached to a situation brings new and complex layers that must be peeled away with thought and consideration. I think pushing myself to create images that spark conversation is always at the forefront of my mind and part of what I love most while actually documenting. What’s most challenging, however, is returning to the images or video clips afterwards and facing them again while editing and captioning. It can be quite heavy at times.

Five day old Armonia, at the Gaia sanctuary, was rescued from being sent to the slaughterhouse; she has a fractured tibia and her owners couldn’t take care of a sick sheep. Spain, 2020. Ana Palacios.
Activists administer medical aid to a chicken who has been rescued from one of the Brooklyn, New York, USA, kaporos religious ritual sites. All these rescued birds suffer from injuries caused by exposure to the elements inside crowded transport crates left on the street without protection from the weather, the ritual practice itself, or both. USA, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
WAM: Earlier this year you joined PETA in Ukraine and Poland to document their animal rescue efforts amidst the Russian invasion. Can you tell us about your experience on the ground documenting these stories?

MC: Joining PETA Germany’s team was an unprecedented experience and my first time in an active war zone. Listening to air raid sirens blaring as the team collected cats from a makeshift shelter in the basement of an apartment building after driving through sandbagged checkpoints into and out of Lviv was surreal. Meeting human refugees at the train station in Przemyśl who had managed to bring their animal companions with them alongside a single suitcase of belongings was at once heartwarming and sobering. And later recalling how eerily quiet the PETA transport van rides were, despite carrying multiple cats and dogs displaced by the war, was heartbreaking. It makes you reevaluate everything when you see firsthand the impact of war, especially on the animals.

Yet covering these particular stories revealed that there exists kind and compassionate responses to the violence and struggle that war creates. From the Polish woman who made extra room in her shelter for Ukrainian cats and dogs as they awaited further travel into the EU, to the American who volunteered at a holding facility in Lviv and helped move supplies around the country through personal fundraising, to the Ukrainian volunteers who risked everything to drive animals from the high conflict eastern parts of the country to the Medyka border, these individuals showed an initiative and selflessness for the sake of the animals that continues to astound me.

At Gaia, every four months, the sanctuary’s staff deworms all the birds at the sanctuary (ducks, geese, chickens, and turkeys). To do so, the staff treat each bird individually, applying a spray under each wing to free the birds of fleas, lice, etc., and giving each bird a few drops of syrup (Fembendazole), depending on the animal’s weight, to get rid of internal parasites. Veterinary protocols and routines are meticulously observed at the sanctuary. Spain, 2020. Ana Palacios
A Ukrainian volunteer carries a cat in a plastic vegetable crate to a transport van near the Medyka border crossing. These cats arrived from Korosten, an area northwest of Kyiv heavily affected by bombing. Ukraine, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
Veterinarian Irati Aldanondo performs a routine checkup on Juana together with Coque, the co-founder of Gaia and Olivia a worker at Gaia. Spain, 2020. Ana Palacios
Two Ukrainian dogs arrive at night in a PETA Germany transport van at Schronisko Orzechowce in southeastern Poland. They are temporarily sheltered here before future travel to the EU. Ukraine, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
The painter Santiago Yahuarcani shows his work “The Amazon Jungle is Dying”. Caballococha, Department of Amazonas, Peru, 2019. Ana Palacios
A Ukrainian cat, one of 20 from a convoy that traveled for nearly 30 hours in carriers from eastern Ukraine, stretches out a paw inside a PETA Germany transport van. The PETA team gave the cats a necessary reprieve before separating them into two vans and crossing the Medyka border into Poland to an overnight shelter. Ukraine, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
WAM: When preparing for a field assignment, what’s your go-to camera bag kit?

MC: It’s kind of a funny thing, but I tend to stick with one camera body (I’m a Canon person) and my go-to lens, the 24-105 IS. I find the versatility of the zoom lens allows me to catch a variety of compositions of fleeting moments quickly and efficiently. I’m a light packer, what can I say!

WAM: You recently came back from a We Animals Media assignment in New York, US where you documented the use of chickens in kaporos, a religious ritual practiced by the Orthodox Jewish community. Can you tell us about your experience on this assignment?

MC: To be honest, I’m still processing a lot of what I saw during those two days of filming. Witnessing the indifference and insensitivity that some practitioners and members of the community expressed towards the chickens was quite chilling, and our presence was contested everywhere. It was also very technically challenging with the constant rain and wind, but I think we all kept remembering how much worse it was for the animals. This was my first foray into intensive investigative work and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I was honored to work alongside Victoria de Martigny and Kelly Guerin and create visuals that have and will hopefully continue to reach a wide audience.

Claire Aubert, general coordinator at Scooby, checks each of the 50 dogs that just arrived, rescued from the Andalucía region 500km away. While they are being unloaded, Claire decides where each animal will be housed in the Scooby facilities depending on age, gender, and breed. The protocol is very clear for the workers and has to be done very quickly for the welfare of the animals who are stressed after so many hours of transportation. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
An activist gently cradles a chicken who has been rescued from one of the Brooklyn, New York, USA, kaporos religious ritual sites. All these rescued birds suffer from injuries caused by exposure to the elements inside crowded transport crates left on the street without protection from the weather, the ritual practice itself, or both. USA, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
The greyhounds Hanzel, Zara, Rhea and the little dog Gismo are four of the five dogs that Cobie Steketee, the director of this shelter, has adopted herself. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
An activist reveals the injuries to a chicken who has been rescued from one of the Brooklyn, New York, USA, kaporos religious ritual sites. All these rescued birds suffer from injuries caused by exposure to the elements inside crowded transport crates left on the street without protection from the weather, the ritual practice itself, or both. USA, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
Cobie Steketee, the director of this shelter, hugs Rhea one of the five dogs she has adopted herself. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
An activist cradles a chicken wrapped in a towel who has been rescued from one of the Brooklyn, New York, USA, kaporos religious ritual sites. All these rescued birds suffer from injuries caused by exposure to the elements inside crowded transport crates left on the street without protection from the weather, the ritual practice itself, or both. USA, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
WAM: What first engaged you about animal photojournalism and what’s your advice for other photographers and/or animal advocates keen to break into this field?

MC: I remember attending the 2018 Animal Law Conference in Chicago (thanks to my law librarian mum), listening to Jo-Anne deliver the keynote address and having one of those lightbulb moments where I realized this was a possible career path. While I already had her books and knew of her (I’m a total fangirl, let’s be honest), I was completely mesmerized by her presentation and thought “wait, maybe I could do this too!” It was an overwhelming idea at the time, but over the past four years I have slowly transitioned from pet portraits to shelter and sanctuary pro bono work when possible to jumping on a plane to Ukraine and elsewhere. Every experience has helped me become a better photographer and filmmaker and taught me how to integrate an evolving skill set to operate and document in any situation, especially those animal rights-related.

My best advice is what I would have given myself: reach out to the people you admire, donate time and service to the organizations you see that are in need and take risks. Much of what I have been able to accomplish so far is a result of listening to my gut and saying “Yes, I will make that happen. Let’s go!”

Claire Aubert, general coordinator at Scooby, checks each of the 50 dogs that just arrived, rescued from the Andalucía region 500km away. While they are being unloaded, Claire decides where each animal will be housed in the Scooby facilities depending on age, gender, and breed. The protocol is very clear for the workers and has to be done very quickly for the welfare of the animals who are stressed after so many hours of transportation. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
Joanna, the director of Schronisko Orzechowce shelter, is with rescued Polish and Ukrainian dogs. Since the start of the war, the shelter, which is just north of Przemyśl in southeastern Poland, accepts Ukrainian animals on a temporary basis. Ukraine, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
The greyhounds Hanzel, Zara, Rhea and the little dog Gismo are four of the five dogs that Cobie Steketee, the director of this shelter, has adopted herself. Spain, 2021. Ana Palacios / We Animals Media
Activists administer medical aid to a chicken who has been rescued from one of the Brooklyn, New York, USA, kaporos religious ritual sites. All these rescued birds suffer from injuries caused by exposure to the elements inside crowded transport crates left on the street without protection from the weather, the ritual practice itself, or both. USA, 2022. Molly Condit / We Animals Media
WAM: What’s next for you in your work? Are there any particular animal stories you’re particularly compelled to document?

MC: A day after Kaporos, I flew down to Puerto Rico to start what looks to be a long-term documentation of the issues facing companion animals on the island. There is an epidemic of stray cats and dogs (often pets who are illegally dumped at beaches and rural areas), which in tandem with the severe lack of basic resources such as electricity and water and limited access to affordable veterinary care has created a serious crisis, exacerbated by hurricane season. I followed the efforts of The Sato Project, which does amazing work rescuing animals and supporting local shelters. I hopped along last minute on a 3 a.m. Wings of Rescue evacuation flight transporting dogs and cats to rescues to the mainland as well as Hurricane Ian survivors from the Humane Society in Naples.

In January I’ll be heading to Kuwait to document the stories of street animals; and I’m also working on collaborations with fellow WAM contributor Thomas Machowicz and hope to provide future visuals for Voters for Animal Rights as they work to pass legislation banning horse carriages in New York City.

Photographer Molly Condit with a rescued pig. Photo credit: Thomas Machowicz
Photographer Molly Condit with a rescued pig. Photo credit: Thomas Machowicz
WAM: Where can people view your work?

MC: I’m active on Instagram @greatbearmedia and in the early stages of planning an exhibition of my work in Ukraine for 2023. I’ll keep you posted!

A selection of Molly’s images from her time documenting animal stories in Ukraine and US this year are now available via our stock collection. We’ll be adding more in the coming weeks.
Interview by We Animals Media. All images copyright Molly Condit.
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