A dog lover would count his/her dog or — after the beloved pet is gone — its picture amongst one’s most prized possessions. That look, no matter how many times you have seen and fallen in love with it, and that pose, no matter how many times it has been struck, appears new and adorable. With photography increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily lives — what with social media taking over our lives — the desire to have that moment shared with everyone has become even stronger. So, besides gourmet dog food, dog couture, pool parties, dog fashion shows, beauty and grooming, yet another visible trend on the horizon of the thriving pet industry is that of pet photography. If there are people desirous of getting an image done with their pet or of just their pet, there are photographers who offer these specialised services.
Owned by photographer couple Meher Malhotra Kamath and Chandrakanth Kamath, Idis: In-Depth Image Studio, based in a farmhouse in Jonapur in Delhi, practises pet photography among several other genres of photography. One of the very few to be doing it, the studio has seen a steady increase in demand for such kind of work. “From when we started in 2008 there has definitely been a growth though it’s still very niche. What has also happened is that while earlier people would only ask for the portraits of their pets, now they want their pictures with their pets. The idea is to have their bond captured in a photograph,” says Meher Malhotra Kamath.
Big dog lovers themselves and operating out of a farm house, they have the luxury of space. “So we have many people walk in with their pets and have photos clicked. It’s not easy to manage these dogs but since we have a lot of space we don’t mind them walking around. And we love dogs so we understand,” adds Meher. On a good day, working with a well-behaved dog, she says, takes about an hour and a half and generates five shots. “Winters bring in more such assignments than summers but whenever it is, you require a lot more patience than ordinary shoots. And you really can’t control pets. Pet owners also don’t want to have posed photos. But by now we know what works. We make sounds, rattle something and as we get their attention for a split second, we just get it.”
Another Delhi-based photographer who practises pet photography is Parav Sahni. “I think most of the people who get these portraits done are the ones for whom there is no difference between a child and their pet. That’s the kind of approach I have when I take these shots. I shot a British lady with her pug once in Goa, and when I visited her later I found the dog is no more and she had blown up the photo I had done and put it up. She calls it amongst her most prized possessions,” says Parav who charges Rs.30,000 for a session.
“Not everybody can afford it so yes, such assignments are not huge in numbers, but definitely higher than before. But a lot of people also hire inexpensive photographers for such work.” He recently shot author William Dalrymple with his huge bunch of pets — parakeet, strays, goats etc.
At Studio Idis too, it is an expensive affair. A set of 10 images cost Rs. 10,000. “We are very particular about prints so we print it ourselves and we do art prints,” says Meher.
A surge in demand by individuals aside, the growth of pet industry has also an impetus to the genre. Pet photographer Sanjeev Kumar who owns Scoopy Scrub, one of the earliest professional pet grooming parlour and dog salon chain, agrees. The company that has now evolved into one stop destination for pets and their needs launched their hi-end pet calendars. “We started with Delhi-based celebs posing with their pets in 2012 and for 2015 we are doing Bollywood pets in which we have stars posing with their pets. So yes, things like dog fashion shows, dog weekend get-togethers, have pushed it to an extent. When I started 10 years ago, there was hardly anything of the sort happening.”
