However, this time, I wanted to go even deeper and focus on specific objects that, within an instant, anyone can understand the dog’s style of living. With us as a human being, things all around us, such as our belongings, what we like, what we enjoy doing, the music we listen to, the things we read, and even the things we must do no matter what define who we are. The same applies to dogs. But sometimes it isn’t much of what they have, but rather an object or scene that surrounds them which enhances their personalities and tells you more about who they are. But, what are these objects?

To figure that out, I had to get to know the subjects. So I spoke to each of the owners about their dog. I looked at photos and asked many questions. Each dog has or does certain things in his life that define who they are or what are they going through.

After that, I took a look at each dog’s belongings and understood how his possessions “matched” what the owner had to say about their dog’s lifestyle and personality. The objects that “went with” each dog truly exemplified who the dog really IS. Using the dog’s belongings allowed me to go deeper into the life of the dog, and opened my eyes into his real world. So, for this project, I chose to represent their true stories in two frames: the dog and his world.

The addition of objects creates meaning, draws conclusions, and brings attention back to the subject in the photo. So when looking at this series, you will first see the dog and his gaze, then you will look at the objects and suddenly, that gaze you just saw one second ago will become a gaze with impact and meaning. Vote for your favorite!