Dogs Unleashed // Emma O'Brien
About the Exhibition
Dates: 11 - 24 April 2022
EXTENDED UNTIL 15 May 2022
Venue: FotoZA Gallery, Rosebank Mall, Johannesburg
Opening & Walkabout: 15th April 2022 (RSVP Here)
Time: 11:00 - 13:00
Pet Friendly Weekends: For the 15 - 18 April and 23 - 24 April 2022 you are invited to bring your dogs to the gallery to enjoy the exhibition with you! Please ensure they stay on a lead at all times and are well behaved and socialised with other animals.
Dogs Unleashed is a brand new series of work by award winning dog photographer Emma O’Brien.
As a passionate advocate for mixed breed shelter dogs over the last decade of her career, Emma has turned her attention, for this collection of images, to purebred dogs. You might be surprised to know that even the most pedigreed of dogs often end up in need of new homes and there is a dedicated rescue organisation (or two) for pretty much every breed you can think of.
Pedigree dogs find themselves in ‘rescue’ for a variety of reasons, the predominant ones being:
A lack of understanding about a specific breed’s requirements
They are no longer of use to a breeder
Puppy mill breeders being closed down or going out of business
Some of the dogs featured in this exhibition have been in multiple homes because they were not given the exercise, training or specific attention their breed requires (Leila the Bluetick Coonhound has been in seven different homes, Eddie the Beagle & Gunther the Great Dane have been in four). Many are ‘retired’ breeding dogs on the senior side of life (Mia the Beagle, Linka the Vizsla, Maverick the Toy Poodle, Queenie the Chihuahua & Lisa the Schnauzer to name a few). The rest found themselves unwanted or abandoned.
The good news is that all of the dogs in this exhibition are now in their forever homes with owners who understand them and dote on them. As you’ll see from Emma’s portraits, they are all full of character and fun.
You’ll find details of where each dog was adopted alongside their individual images and you can also collect a list of the rescue organisations featured - you’ll find this next to the guest book.
Prints are available on request. Please ask our gallery team for more info.
About Emma O’Brien
Emma O’Brien has been working as a professional photographer since 2004 and specialises in photographing dogs and other pets. She began her career as a wedding photographer in the UK, then switched to just shooting portraiture after relocating to South Africa in 2009. Her foray into dog photography, however, only began in 2011 when she adopted a Dachshund called Jeremy from Sandton SPCA.
After volunteering her services to help the Sandton SPCA with fundraising (she’s been photographing their annual calendar since 2012), Emma has consistently had dogs in front of her camera and has gradually filled her house with shelter dogs.
Emma’s work has won multiple international awards, been featured on Bored Panda & The Daily Mail amongst other major entertainment sites and her commercial clients include Woolworths, Pick N Pay, Land Rover, Dotsure & BOSS Dog Food. She is also a Nikon school trainer and creative business coach.
Promoting the adoption of shelter dogs of all kinds is something Emma is incredibly passionate about and the Dogs Unleashed exhibition comprises images from a brand new series of her personal work, featuring previously unwanted pedigree dogs.
‘My aim with this series is to demonstrate that it’s not just mixed breed mutts who find themselves at shelters. Purebred dogs also end up unwanted and in need of new homes. If you’ve got a favourite dog breed, I guarantee you’ll be able to find one you can adopt.’
Find Emma online:
Website - www.emmaobrien.com
Instagram - @emmaobrienphoto
Facebook - @emmaobrienphotos