portrait of photographer and CPA Ross Dance

The profession

This CPA’s photo broke the Internet

Wedding photographer Ross Dance has had his pictures published in the New York Times and National Geographic

portrait of photographer and CPA Ross Dance CPA Ross Dance started his own dog-photography business in 2009 before moving to family photos and weddings (Photograph by Chris Bolin) 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY?

Both my parents were photographers. They have a room of floor-to-ceiling drawers, filled with every photo they ever took. When I was 10, my dad taught me the settings on an old Canon camera. I would develop the film in our basement darkroom.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ACCOUNTING?

My father encouraged me to pursue something practical so I could get a job, and I thought, “What’s safer than an accounting designation?” I earned a double major in accounting and philosophy from St. Francis Xavier. It was the only university that let me do it.

DID YOU CONTINUE WITH PHOTOGRAPHY?

I moved to Calgary in 2006 to work at EY. The next year, a hobby photographer friend of mine and I went to Banff, and it rekindled my love for photography.

TELL US ABOUT THE PICTURE YOU TOOK THAT WENT VIRAL.

In April 2017, I photographed a wedding in Jamaica where a man proposed to the maid of honour. The Huffington Post published the photo, and the next morning I woke up to it being on the cover page of MSNBC. It was in Cosmo, the New York Times, People, Good Morning America. I had to take two days off work to answer all the media calls.

HOW DO PHOTOGRAPHY AND ACCOUNTING COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER FOR YOU?

I’m privileged to have two jobs I love. Because they engage different sides of the brain, I find one pursuit re-energizes the other. I am more productive at work the week after shooting a wedding. I find what I do—forecasting, planning and budgeting toward a common goal—so fulfilling.

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS?

Black dogs rarely get adopted because it’s more difficult to capture the soulfulness of their eyes in photos. So I volunteered to take photos for dog-rescue organizations, and then started my own dog-photography business in 2009 before moving to family photos and weddings.

EXPLAIN WHAT’S EXCITING ABOUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?

I love the adrenalin rush of wedding photography. It’s like a sporting event: you have to anticipate moments, get in position and capture everything without being a distraction. You get a backstage pass to these authentic moments that are captured forever.

HOW HAS YOUR CPA DESIGNATION HELPED?

Being a CPA has allowed me to grow as an artist. A lot of artists struggle with the business side of their operations. Thanks to my education, things like bookkeeping, records management and paying tax are second nature to me.