Tails of the Pandemic

We met Emily on beautiful sunny Saturday when she came to take our photos for a series of Pawstep Pawtraits.

First, we did a few in our courtyard …

Here’s looking at you, Emily!

The sun was out that day so I was squinting!

Then it was George’s turn.

Emily, make sure you get George’s snaggle tooth?

And she did!

You can read about why Emily is taking our photos on the BBC and you might just have caught her on the news about Pawstep Portraits https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-56200547

May’s comment: We were introduced to Emily Bowden, an interiors photographer. Due to Covid restrictions Emily wasn’t able to as do her regular work. Instead, she began a new project, ‘Pawstep Portraits: Tails of the Pandemic.’ It involves photographing dogs in London with their owners at a social distance in front of their doors – because that’s where we have been hibernating during the pandemic.

Emily told us the reason for her Pet Photography project –

Lockdown has been incredibly challenging for us all but for dog owners, our furry friends have provided us with a reason to jump out of bed in the morning, brought structure to difficult days and, most importantly, given us their companionship during times of isolation and loneliness. 

With this in mind, I’m looking for dog owners from all walks of London life, to tell a story via a series of doorstep portraits. In exchange for a doorstep shoot & two final images of your choice, all I ask for is a donation (no matter how large or small) either to the NHS or to Lanta Animal Welfare, a charity that has struggled to survive during the pandemic.

Lanta Animal Welfare is a charity in south-west Thailand where Emily had previously volunteered. I hadn’t heard about them before – we’ll now definitely be helping out. And also to the NHS – their work continues. They have been there for us before the pandemic, during the pandemic and will carry on when we are long past this craziness.

This is our favourite – just us three during the whole Lockdown!

It will be interesting that years later we will be able to look back at these many photographs that were taken during the past year. They have documented an unusual time of our lives, our history. And it has been acknowledged that dogs have played a very important part of these times, a companion to many, and as Emily said, they definitely gave me a structure to my days, a reason to go outside.

If you’re in London and interested to be a part of this, please contact Emily Bowden through her Instagram.