Really Good Dog Photography

by Lucy Davies, Hoxton Mini Press, Penguin Books, £35, 304 pages, hardback, ISBN 9781-84614-942-9

NOBODY can accuse the curators of this collection of titular ambiguity, and there really are some excellent examples of canine photography here, featuring such luminaries as Elliott Erwitt and Tim Flach. As well as a very erudite introduction on the history of the genre, each photographer gets a page to talk about their background and approach. There are some glorious portraits of dogs and their owners here, but the absence of Elke Vogelsang, one of Europe’s finest and most popular dog photographers, is regrettable – a cynic might suggest she lacks the art-photography credentials of some of the hipper names included here. Otherwise, an entertaining collection, and way beyond mere pet snaps.