Dogs versus cameras · Snehanjan Shome

Dogs are the purest form of love known to mankind.

I often spend hours with my camera trying to capture their innocence. Here are a few samples of my recent photographs with them. These are mostly friends and family’s dogs. I have three of my own, and love clicking candid photos of their daily whereabouts.

Octo, the October-born, staring into the sunset.

Octo and a tennis ball — Of course, Octo listens when he wants to play fetch.

The three of mine

Three live with me. Three different opinions about the camera. Three different ways of letting me know I am not, in fact, the boss in the household.

Muffin is the pug. The eldest. The founder. The one who has earned the right to be tired of everything. Devours bananas. Has strong opinions about beer.

Momo is the Dudley Labrador. My second child. Built like an industrial vacuum cleaner. There is no food on a counter Momo is not actively planning to eat.

Berlin is the chow chow. The one who would prefer I not go anywhere, ever again. Stares with intent.

Muffin the pug, my eldest, devours bananas and loves beer.

Momo the labrador — Momo, my second child, is a hungry Dudley Labrador.

Berlin the chow chow, who does not let me go anywhere.

All three dogs on a couch — They don't sit still until there is a treat offering.

The best dog photographs aren’t of the dog looking at the camera. They’re of the dog forgetting the camera is there.

If there’s a thread that runs through every one of these, it’s that none of them were staged. The shutter waits, the dog does its thing, and occasionally, for about three seconds at a time, they line up.