A big part of photography is the relationship process — meaning both sides of the camera must help each other play their roles through communication in addition to helping themselves in the process. Being a photographer is just one side — directing the camera as well as the model in unison to get the appropriate message across; however, being a model is the other side. A model is more than just eye candy — they must command the attention of the camera as if it were the audience, including the photographer who, ironically, must see past the looks in order to get the whole picture of the personality they are trying to capture. A photographers words must be as good as their camera work… even when very few words are needed.

The model in this section is unlike most models. Apart from humans, who are capable of understanding how other humans work, and inanimate objects, which are capable of being controlled into whatever position the photographer desires, animals — or in this case, “pets” — have their own form of reasoning. They cannot communicate in the ways a human can, but they aren’t as compliant in the ways an object is. The key in such a relationship is emotion, and lucky for me, that will not cause a hinderance to our relationship — only deepens it.

The photos below are a result of me putting my relationship with both the camera and my dog to the test. Through simple commands like “sit” or “smile” in the midst of him doing his own thing, I was able to convey his personality better… and as he watches me command both him as well as the camera, he was able to catch glimpses of mine. It was truly a moment of understanding… with hardly any words at all.