In the summer of 2015 we did our first photo shoot with the dogs Che & Atlas, together with art student David Pujadas Bosch. David needed animal models to test various exposures and backgrounds — and, believe it or not, we were the only ones who responded. So we had an entire afternoon all to ourselves in the studio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna — how lucky is that!
How does something like that work?
Once we arrived, Atlas and Che used the time to get acquainted with the studio. Everything was inspected and sniffed out, and the two photography students were deemed acceptable. Once David and his fellow student had finished setting up, it was time to help the two dogs get over their wariness of the floor surface and the flash. A little bribery won Che over pretty quickly (typical Che: as bold — or rather as food-driven — as ever), and with a bit more patience and some treats we managed to convince Atlas too that the floor really wasn't so bad.
David largely gave us free rein: we decided which poses to strike and what to ask of the dogs. That way we worked at our own pace and made sure not to overwhelm Atlas & Che. Both were completely engaged, and we had the feeling that the two of them actually enjoyed being the centre of attention!
See for yourselves what wonderful pictures came out of it:
