The dog people
What if your dog were human? Sandra Müller collates 83 portraits and a panoply of human characters into a stunning book
Ibought my first SLR camera at 14, and at 23 now shoot with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II. I have been a big animal lover since childhood – from guinea pigs to my aunt’s dog, who I spent entire summer vacations with. As a photographer, I can live a creative life and also spend a lot of time with animals and people. I especially enjoy the closeness to animals and I love to work with them.
This series of images are taken from the book Dog People, published by teneues. The images aren’t meant to be a fashion show for dogs and dog owners. This book was a thought experiment. And let’s be honest: who hasn’t given his or her dog a lengthy explanation which the dog seems to listen to raptly but doesn’t understand every word of? I wanted to provide creative photographic answers to the question: “What kind of person would this dog be?” Whether it’s Great Dane Holly as a couch potato or ‘Gismo’ riding a Harley. I shot 83 dog portraits in total.
Today, I’m the proud owner of Maja, the ‘most beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog mix in the world,’ (of course, she is in the book) and have found my calling. I specialize in portraits of people and dogs, and feel that it’s important to
capture the personality of my subjects. The series is a colourful parade of dogs, from Giant Schnauzers to Pugs, from registered purebreds to street mutts. There is also a humorous description of each dog explaining how each of the outfits was chosen.
I worked in a controlled studio environment using similar settings, so that each shot was visually consistent throughout the book (f/8 and ISO160). I also used the same lens: the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. It’s the lightest and least expensive Canon EF lens in the range, but still gives sharp images, excellent colour balance and contrast, and is great for portraits.
When taking photos, it’s important to me to respond to every character, whether human or animal, individually. Dog People doesn’t only show dog portraits, but a panoply of human characters, too.
Dog People doesn’t only show dog portraits, but a panoply of human characters, too