Last Updated on 06/01/2014 by Michelle Rae Uy
All photographs taken by and used with permission from Sophie Gamand.
For almost four years now, French photographer Sophie Gamand has been photographing man’s best friend, studying and working closely with them in an effort to understand human nature and behaviors better.
Clearly a dog lover like many of us, she’s done everything from sassy dog fashion photos shoots and dog pageant coverage to taking poignant photographs of the stray dogs of Puerto Rico to document their horrible conditions and raise awareness.
It’s the latest series she’s working on, however, that’s got our (imaginary) tails a-wagging.
Rather than take those usual photos of adorable well-groomed fluffy dogs mid-silly face or human-like act that we see everyday on the Web, she took on a completely different approach in this series entitled Wet Dog. The idea was to take photos of the dogs while they were completely drenched and dripping in bath water.
Of the series, Sophie says that while grooming is an important (and necessary) part of a dog’s life, “Dogs hate bath time. The wide range of expressions they are able to display is another example of how close they are to us. Photographing them at such a vulnerable moment allowed me to capture these expressions.”
Dogs are cute, no matter what, and her strategy of photographing them in such a condition was always going to work. It’s the incredible, and at times miserable, expressions on their faces, making them look like grumpy old men or kids that just awakened from their naps, that really makes this series amazing and all the more lovable. So much so that it’s already won first place in the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Portraiture category.
“I believe dogs mirror us and say a lot about our own solitude and the challenges we face in the human society. To think dogs were the first example of artificial selection is fascinating. That means they stopped being animals a long time ago, in my opinion. Now they are somewhat between animals and humans. They are pets. Companions.”
The Wet Dog series will appear in an upcoming book by Grand Central Publishing, to be published in the Fall of 2015.
Sophie Garmand is a New York-based photographer who spends her time working with animal rescue groups and shelters. See more of her work on her website. To purchase her prints, click here.
Follow her on Instagram at @SophieGamand and on Facebook at Sophie Gamand Photography.