As photographer to the bovine stars, Patty Jones has changed the way animals are marketed in Canada and around the world. Her shot list is as extensive as the pedigrees she’s profiled in pictures, with more than 65,000 photographs taken over the last 44 years.
Patty owns and operates the largest livestock photography business in Canada – Canadian Livestock Photography Inc. – with an extensive inventory that includes works of several fellow photographers. After studying photography at Sheridan College, she gained her early hands-on experience alongside livestock photographer Bob Miller.
Her passion for the industry goes beyond photography. Patty was raised on a dairy farm in Quebec, and is the owner of Silvercap Holsteins that buys, sells, shows and breeds Holstein and Jersey cattle.
Over the past four decades, Patty’s photographs have made an immeasurable contribution to the Canadian dairy cattle industry – bringing genetics to life to help breeders market cow families and breeding stock. The Canadian artificial insemination industry has used her bull and daughter pictures of proven sires as an effective marketing tool for the global frozen semen market.
Patty’s signature style, skill and patience gets the perfect picture every time – making the animal and handler at ease, and making her the world’s leading dairy cattle photographer.
Patty’s autograph on a photograph quickly became synonymous with success. She’s photographed cattle in the UK, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Australia, South America and the U.S., photographed Royal Agricultural Winter Fair champions in every dairy breed, and provides photography for national, provincial and regional 4-H shows.
Patty was the official photography for the Canadian Classic 4-H show until 2007, a show considered one of the greatest dairy youth shows in the world. She was also the official dairy cattle photographer at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair until 2007 and went on to assist the next photographer in that role for many years.
In 2012, Patty received high honours from Holstein Canada with its Certificate of Superior Accomplishment for her outstanding business achievements, mentorship, leadership and promotion of the Holstein breed.
With a passion for people and cattle, Patty mentors and inspires aspiring photographers and is a longtime contributor to the Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund.
Patty is a lifelong ambassador for Canada’s dairy industry. She’s created a priceless visual history of breed improvements in Canadian dairy cattle over the last four decades, and her uncompromising passion for excellence has helped Canadian genetics become the envy of the world.
