Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan Greenwalt (Wag & Pose).
Hi Jan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Wag & Pose really grew out of a long career in photography, styling, and creative direction.
I spent many years in Chicago and Los Angeles photographing across a wide range of industries – from products and restaurants to nonprofit organizations, events, and large-scale galas. Over time, my work expanded beyond simply taking the photograph. I became increasingly involved in the entire visual process: developing concepts, styling, creative direction, product launches, and thinking about how every detail within a frame contributes to the larger story.
Wag & Pose became a way for me to bring all of those different parts of my creative background together and apply them to something I genuinely love: dogs.
I never wanted it to feel like traditional pet photography. I look for opportunities to give sessions and photo pop-ups a unique voice. I approach each project much more like a small creative production – considering the concept, color palette, set, styling, composition, and ultimately the personality of the dog in front of the camera. The goal is to create imagery that feels curated and elevated while still preserving all of the fun, unpredictability, and character that makes photographing dogs so much fun.
That philosophy has also grown beyond individual portrait sessions. Around Austin, I’ve been able to create experiential Wag & Pose pop-ups and brand events where I develop the idea from the ground up: concepting the experience, designing sets and props, directing the visual identity, and then photographing the dogs and people who step into it.
In a lot of ways, Wag & Pose feels like the natural culmination of everything I’ve done creatively over the years. It allows me to combine photography, styling, design, creative direction, and experience-building into one world – with our sweet furry companions at the center of it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can’t really say Wag & Pose has felt challenging in the traditional sense, because it has always been such a labor of love. If anything, the journey has been about learning not to rush something I care about so deeply and giving it the time and space to become what it’s meant to be.
Wag & Pose has always existed alongside a full-time creative career, so naturally, there is a lot of energy that goes into doing both well. I’ve had to learn how to protect the time and creative space Wag & Pose needs without feeling pressure to constantly grow, define, or accelerate it.
I think one of the most important lessons has been allowing something you love to take a shape of its own. There can be so much pressure when you start a business to immediately define it, scale it, market it, and turn every idea into an opportunity. I’ve been very intentional about resisting that with Wag & Pose. I’m protective of its sweet soul, for lack of a better way to put it. I want it to stay joyful, curious, creative, and genuinely fun – for me, for the people I work with, and certainly for the dogs.
In a way, I’ve approached Wag & Pose much like I’ve approached my relationship with my own pup, Ellie. I’ve learned to pay attention to the quiet, unspoken things – to listen, be patient, and allow something special to develop without trying to force it into a particular shape. With a lot of patience and a whole lot of love, Ellie became my soul dog. I strongly believe I’ve given Wag & Pose that same kind of love.
I’m allowing it to tell me what it wants to become. I’m also listening to the dog community and people that believe in me and what I bring to our city. And in return, this beautiful business feeds my heart and soul in ways that are honestly difficult to put into words.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional life has always centered around visual storytelling, but the way I practice it has taken many different forms.
I started my career in photography, and over time I became increasingly interested in everything that happens before the shutter is pressed: the concept, the styling, the environment, the light, the details, and the story an image is trying to tell.
That curiosity naturally led me further into creative direction and styling. For many years, I worked as an interior stylist within a photo studio, helping build and refine imagery for marketing campaigns. It taught me to look at an image and a concept almost obsessively – to think about how color creates emotion, how unexpected materials create tension or interest, how light changes the way a space feels, and how even the smallest detail can shift the entire image.
I think what sets me apart is that I don’t really see photography, styling, interiors, creative direction, and experiential design as separate disciplines. They all inform one another. I’m very comfortable moving between the big idea and the tiniest detail, and I love taking something from an early concept all the way through execution.
That mindset is also at the heart of Wag & Pose. I don’t approach a dog portrait or pop-up as simply a photo session. Weeks prior to the shoot, I’m thinking about the entire experience – the concept, palette, set, props, composition, guest experience, and ultimately how the photographs will feel. I want the work to be beautiful and curated, but never at the expense of personality, spontaneity, or emotion.
What I’m most proud of is that, after working across so many different creative environments, I’ve developed a visual language that feels distinctly my own. I care deeply about refinement and craft, but I care just as much about whether an image makes someone feel something. And that our dogs feel excited and are handsomely rewarded for participating in portraits.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Seek out mentors whenever you can, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Some of the most valuable things I’ve learned in my career have come from being around people who were generous enough to share how they think, how they work, and how they solve problems. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own. These people will become your biggest cheerleaders and that is something very valuable to have throughout your career.
I’d also say: try things before you feel completely ready. Work in different industries. Learn a new medium. Say yes to projects that stretch you. Some of the skills that have become most important to me came from experiences I never could have mapped out at the beginning of my career.
And maybe most importantly, let things develop slowly. There is so much pressure to find your niche, define your style, build a brand, and know exactly where you’re going as quickly as possible. I wish I had understood earlier that your creative voice is something you carve out over time. It comes from experimenting, paying attention to what you’re drawn to, making things that don’t work, and then making something else.
There is a lot of value in slow growth. Give yourself enough space to be curious without immediately asking whether every idea is productive, profitable, or part of the bigger plan. Sometimes the things that feel like detours are actually what make your work distinctly yours.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wagandpose/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansala
- Other: https://wagandpose.pic-time.com/portfolio
