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| © Brooklyn Industries / Photo by Shaina Fishman |
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| Dixon is one of the contenders in the 2007 Brooklyn’s
Top Dog contest, hosted by Brooklyn Industries. |
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By Jackie Johnston
Last month, Brooklyn Industries (a Brooklyn-based design
and apparel retailer), hosted the Top
Dog Contest to find “Brooklyn’s coolest canine.”
Brooklyn pet owners were invited to stop into different store
locations to have their dogs’ portraits shot, while
the public votes on their favorites (beginning July 18th).
The photographs, however, are not your typical pet shots.
Each captures some essence of the dog’s distinct personality,
sense of humor or expression. This is all thanks to up-and-coming
pet photographer, Shaina Fishman.
When Brooklyn Industries contacted Fishman, the collaboration
seemed to be a logical fit. “Christine Hooker, the marketing
manager at Brooklyn Industries, got my name through a recommendation
from the former New York Dog magazine editor, Leslie
Padgett,” Fishman says. “I have been shooting
for The New York Dog for more than a year.”
A 2004 Syracuse University graduate with a degree in photography,
Fishman’s ambitions initially lied with fashion photography,
but less than a year after graduating she was having second
thoughts. “I wanted to get into the fashion industry
but I wasn’t shooting and I wasn’t getting involved,”
she says. “I hadn’t taken a picture in six to
eight months after graduating and I needed to start taking
pictures of something.”
Fishman began to shoot casual photos of her dog, Cosmo, when
they would go to the park together. “When I got my first
roll back and looked at them I thought, ‘hey this is
pretty good,’” Fishman says. “So I just
kind of stumbled into [pet photography] that way.”
Fishman says that like any other photography genre, pet photography
is all about marketability. “There are so many different
outlets: greeting cards, commercial work and things like that,
so you have to find what works for you.”
But for Fishman, it’s furry photos from here on out.
“I will definitely not go back to fashion,” she
says. “I’ve always had pets and loved pets, and
I just love working with dogs and with dog people.”
You can see more of Fishman’s photographs at www.shainafishman.com.
The photos for the contest are posted online at www.brooklynindustries.com
where viewers will be able to cast their votes for their favorite
pet, starting July 18. The winner of the contest will receive
nothing less than the royal treatment including cash, prizes,
and even a session with a dog massage therapist. |
