Photographer Carli Davidson previously released a book of adorable doggies of all ages shaking away their woes, but her second installment in the series focuses solely on the particular preciousness of puppy faces. Her inspiration came after visiting a second grade classroom taught by a friend and showing the children her first book. When she asked what they’d like to see in the next one, they all agreed on two things: “puppies!” and “color!”
Davidson was happy to oblige, but finding four legged models who were exclusively under a year old did become a bit of a challenge.
One huge difficult factor came from her refusal to work with unethical breeders.
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Instead, she only worked with rescue shelters and pet owners to ensure she wasn’t promoting the terrible puppy farming industry.
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She met with around 100 different cuties and includes about 70 of those shots in her newest book.
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Because the youngsters were more sensitive to the moisture, Davidson says she had an easier time getting the perfect snaps than with older dogs.
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Sessions took place both in her studio and on location at owner’s homes.
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Her priority for ethical breeders sometimes led Davidson to travel from her home in Oregon down to California.
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Each session lasted about an hour and the pups were rewarded for their good behavior with lots of treats and play time.
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She refers to her charming models as “little clowns,” making each session entertaining with some falling asleep under the warm modeling lights, others falling over after a long shake, attacking shoe laces, and even peeing on her camera bag.
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She says the biggest challenge came form seeing puppies so in need of a home and wanting to hoard them all for herself.
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Her home did grow during the project, however not with one of her sweet photo subjects.
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Already the owner of an older dog, Norbert, Davidson was looking for a friend to keep him active in his later years.
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By coincidence, a neighbor came to her with a family friend’s older dog in need of a home.
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She loves knowing these photos can make people smile while bringing attention to a good cause.
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Davidson explains her ultimate goal as, “To tell honest stories about animals or people in our lives that inspire curiosity, and to hopefully help people recognize the sameness of all creatures.”
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She’s already hard at work on the third installment of the Shake project.
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You can purchase your own copy of all the adorable from her website!
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This behind the scene video captures every little adorable moment in between the snapshots:
There’s even more adorable to be found on her Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. You’ll definitely want to stay tuned to see what cuteness she comes up with next!
