Ralph, a snow-loving, hundred-and-eighty-pound Saint Bernard from Georgia, who was competing at Westminster for the first time.  All Images © Landon Nordeman for the New Yorker.

Landon Nordeman, shooting for the New Yorker, spent some one-on-one time with fabulous prized canines, gathered at the Pennsylvania Hotel for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February 2013. The goal of this two-day project was to photograph the personality of the dogs. Technically it was challenging because once you take a dog off a leash, no matter how trained they are, they can be very unpredictable. Nordeman said, “My assistants used dog toys and treats to try and get the dogs to sit still and look at the camera, which was easier said than done.” See Ralph pull a little ‘tude on this behind-the-scenes video.

Today, April 11th, is National Pet Day, founded by Colleen Paige, and is sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation & Network. Give your pet a little extra love today.

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“Saratoga, California.” May 28, 2012  All Images © Theron Humphrey

Maddie—the coonhound star of the popular “Maddie on Things” Tumblr—and her photographer owner Theron Humphrey want to meet ya’ll! The pair is traveling the US to promote a new book based on the Tumblr, and are working on a new project documenting stories of rescued animals and their owners in all 50 US states. The Maddie Book Tour kicks off in Austin, Texas on March 8th making stops across the United States. Check out the map to see when they’re coming to your town to make new friends, sign books and continue shooting the Why We Rescue project. The site will be updated every week with new work. Humphrey’s book “Maddie on Things: A Super Serious Project About Dogs and Physics” is published by Chronicle Books. For more, check out the video. (more…)

Ringo, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 2012

The series of photographs by Charlotte Dumas called Anima was commissioned by and recently exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and is comprised of portraits of the majestic burial horses of Arlington National Cemetery. Dumas photographed these animals in their stalls as they relaxed and moved towards sleep after a day of work. Exposed only with available light, these pictures are both powerful and intimate. She has also created a video work that will be screened in the project gallery portraying the animals as they drift in and out of sleep. Anima is on view at the Julie Saul Gallery until March 9, 2013.

For more, see PDN’s article about this exhibition:  A Fine-Art Approach to Photographing Animals

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King Cobra, 2011. © Mark Laita

Snakes have been used to represent the duality of human nature in literature, religion, psychology and art for centuries. Throughout Mark Laita’s new book, Serpentine, there are quotes to remind us that snakes are the manifestation of good and evil—the beauty and the bite of the serpent. Yet the reptiles take on another level of representation in Laita’s images, becoming abstract patterns and colors and forms.

By photographing the scaled carnivores on a simple black background, as Laita has done with other animals, they pop off the page and for a moment, we forget how dangerous these beautiful creatures can be. A timber rattlesnake wrapped around itself, the mesmerizing pattern of its stripes ending in a shock of blue before its rattle reminds you of its venomous bite. The sleek silver of the Mexican black kingsnake is so deceivingly shimmery, it comes as a surprise to learn it eats its own kind, not to mention birds, mammals and other reptiles.

The serpents’ pliable bodies twist and turn into more than just a singular line. We wonder: Did Laita manipulate the urutu into the shape of a heart, or did the viper become that on its own? How can an albino black pastel royal python, which reaches three to five feet in length, so delicately wrap its yellow and white body into a knot, appearing as if it has no head or tail?

That nature can create such fascinating beings is reason enough to celebrate their gorgeous glory.

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All images © Michael Patrick O’Leary

“This series of animal portraits came as a result of a benefit I helped out with for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. They gave me behind-the-scenes access to all of these animals so that I could produce prints for the benefit auction. These animals were amazing to photograph. The lions were particularly striking. Their strength is always very apparent, yet their personalities so different. The male lion roared loud enough that I couldn’t hear the zookeeper standing right next to me. He wasn’t happy about my presence and made sure I knew it with his lingering, harmonic growl. The female was the complete opposite: I was able to kneel inches from her and photograph her indefinitely. So peaceful, just laying there staring into the lens. Animals keep you on your toes. It’s just a dance you have to do with them to try to frame something unique, find that window of light that will silhouette them cleanly.” –Courtesy of Michael Patrick O’Leary

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