New Adorably Expressive Photos of Wet Dogs by Sophie Gamand

On October 17, 2015October 16, 2015 By LindsayIn The Hydrant1 Comment

Over the past few years, French photographer Sophie Gamand has captured our hearts with her dreamy portraits of pit bulls and funny shots of dogs during bath time. Now, we’re happy to announce that Gamand has crossed over from photographer to author with the release of her first book. Her charming Wet Dog series, which documents the intimate experience of grooming, has been published as a 144-page collection just in time for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month.

More than 120 portraits—many of which have never been seen before—capture the hilariously expressive faces of drenched canines during their least favorite activity as they mirror human emotions like judgment, despair, and anger. Gamand says she chose to photograph bath time because it’s an unnatural process for dogs, yet it’s become a necessary activity as a direct consequence of the pooches’ cohabitation with humans.

“Dogs have become more than animals and have acquired a status of persona, especially in big cities like New York,” Gamand explains on her website. “People here have difficulties developing meaningful relationships with their peers, and often turn to dogs instead. The dog becomes the confidant, the best friend, replacing spouses or children. Throughout the past millennia dogs have been subdued, manipulated genetically, trained, modified into perfect companions. Dogs are the first example of Man acting like a God towards Nature.”

You can buy Gamand’s book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks, and other retailers. Wet Dog will also be available for purchase at the official launch and book signing this Sunday in Brooklyn.

(Via: My Modern Met)

Professional Portraits of Hairless Dogs Captures Their Hilarious Expressions

On February 9, 2015 By LindsayIn The HydrantLeave a comment

They’re not the most attractive breed of dogs, in fact, some would call them quite hideous. Photographer Sophie Gamand, of the Wet Dog and Flower Power series, is back and this time she’s pointing the camera at hairless dogs. She likens their faces to those of “old wise men or philosophers, shamans from a different era, maybe a different universe.” Focusing on two major hairless breeds, the Chinese Crested and the Xoloitzcuintli (or Mexican hairless dog), as well as mixed hairless dogs, she captures their portraits in a professional way. One can’t help but laugh at their goofy expressions.

For this project, Sophie approached private breeders as well as rescue organizations specializing in hairless dogs. She had a lot of stories to tell, saying, “Hairless dogs are very unusual dogs. Not only in the way they look, but also in their personalities. I wonder if their personality is the result of how people treat them? Many of my models’ parents confessed to be attacked or mocked in the street when they walk their hairless dogs. One of them was insulted because people thought he had abused his dog. Someone else told me their dog got kicked in the street by someone who referred to it as a rat.”The Chinese Crested dogs I know seem to be generally shy and skittish. It takes a long time for them to let strangers touch them. Xolos are very skittish too, but there is nothing shy about them. They are strong-willed. They are physically very powerful. It was very difficult to photograph these dogs, especially because I wanted to be ‘in their face’ with the camera, something lots of dogs are uncomfortable with. But hairless dogs even more, it seemed. Some of the Xolo models simply refused to pose. One of them got offended when I used baby voice during our shoot to address him. Suddenly he looked straight at me, with a deep offended look in the eyes, and turned his face away. I was never able to catch his attention again. His mom sighed and said, ‘Oh oh, oh no, you used the baby voice. Now you’ve offended him. He will want nothing to do with you for the rest of the day.’

“I worked with lots of Xolos from the dog show world. Show dogs are different than regular pets, so it was very challenging. For example, they don’t learn to sit because they should not sit in the ring during competitions. They don’t respond to stimuli the same way other pet dogs do.

“My work is always fun, at first, but I try to have deeper meaning to it as well. In this case, people react to the funny faces, the ugly faces (or what they think is ugly), but the series is also an interrogation: what do we do to nature, in this case, dog breeds? How can we manipulate breeds, animals, genetically and turn them into things, for our sole pleasure (that’s the case for Chinese Crested dogs). Nature does a beautiful job already (Xolos). This series invites the viewer to go beyond the funny faces.”

(Via: My Modern Met)