Flower Power: See Pit Bulls in a Whole New Light with Sophie Gamand’s New Series

Last Updated on 08/12/2014 by Chris Gampat

All photographs by Sophie Gamand. Used with permission.

New York-based French photographer Sophie Gamand does irresistible well, and she does it right. It’s hard not to when you’re working with man’s best friend and coming up with endless adorably imaginative ways to photograph them. In fact, she’s got us hooked here at The Phoblographer the first time we laid eyes on and featured her quirky Wet Dog series.

This time around, Sophie has a message to send with her new but equally adorable series, “Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution,” which lovingly features the notoriously and unfairly misunderstood group of dogs we know and fear as pit bulls. Contrary to popular opinion, pit bulls are affectionate and gentle animals, especially to children, who just happen to be powerful and built for the hunt. As Sophie herself explains,

“‘Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution’ is about challenging oneself to look at pit bulls differently. They have a bad reputation and are victims or prejudices. In America, 1,000,000 pit bulls are euthanized each year. The truth is that the great majority of pit bulls are harmless and very affectionate. I realized that the imagery associated with them was always harsh and gritty. They were always portrayed as badasses. I myself was prejudiced until I realized you can’t judge an entire group based on a few bad elements. So I took a different route, to invite people to look from a different perspective.”

And in a different perspective, she does. In Flower Power, she is working with pit bulls who are all currently living with 3 different rescue groups and waiting to find new and loving homes, dressing them up in colorful flower crowns and setting their portraits up in soft and pleasing aesthetics. Sophie’s crafty ways, along her four-legged subjects’ sad puppy dog eyes, produce her intended result.  The overall effect leaves us wondering why we have this irrational and paralyzing fear of pit bulls and definitely makes us see them in a different and kinder light.

See more photos from the wonderful series after the jump.

Sophie Gamand is currently running a social media campaign around the Flower Power series, inviting everyone to post a picture of their pet with flowers (or wearing flowers!) on Facebook and/or Twitter and use #PitBullFlowerPower to show support for shelter pit bulls, fight prejudices, and remember the 1,000,000 pit bulls we euthanize each year in America. 

For prints of the Flower Power photos, visit her online store. Sophie is also set to release a 2015 calendar featuring the Flower Power photos that will be available in the store in a few weeks. All proceeds go to the 3 rescue groups involved in the project. 

Sweetheart (sophiegamand.com / via nycsecondchancerescue.org)

“Sweetheart was probably treated poorly in her past. She is missing some of her front teeth from either being filed down or ripped out. She doesn’t like many hard treats because it is hard for her to enjoy them as she would have normally it’s just not something she prefers. She is very loving and affectionate.” 

Lucy ( sophiegamand.com / via animalhavenshelter.org)

“Lucy was abandoned at a vet’s office when she could not use her back legs anymore. The shelter took her in, she had surgery and everybody is working hard for her to walk again. She is 9 years old.”

Fancy (sophiegamand.com / via nycsecondchancerescue.org)

 

Europa (sophiegamand.com / via animalhavenshelter.org)

“Europa came from the city shelter with her 9 puppies.“

Cali (sophiegamand.com / Via nyanimalrescue.org)

 

Baby (sophiegamand.com / Via nyanimalrescue.org)