pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

Sitting Pretty

Photo of the artist
© Amanda Jones

Skip the squeaky toys. Leave the bows and tiaras at home. When Amanda Jones is hired for a pet portrait session, she attempts to go beyond the surface and get to the essence of her furry subject.

"I guess I don't have the sense of humor necessary for those types of photos... I find those works demeaning."

Instead of gimmicks, Jones says she searches for the beauty inside each dog. It makes sense that Jones studied both cinema and photography at Ithaca College. Her photos have a narrative quality -- unusual for her subject matter. It appears her technique is popular among the pet set—Amanda Jones can demand $850 for a portrait session.

Before the photographer starts snapping away, she sits with the pet's owner for a ten or fifteen minute interview. The purpose of this discussion is to discover the dog's unique quality: perhaps a Greyhound is haughty and proud of its gorgeous long legs, or a vain Vizsla has silky ears.

"My clients are so hopeful. I know they are spending a lot of money on this portrait and I want to be very attentive to their needs," says Jones.

The images are captured with a digital camera. The fee includes 1 1/2 hours of studio time, 150 shots, proof sheets, and five prints. The basic rate accommodates up to two animals, after that, add $150 for each additional pet (hurry, rates will be going up in 2007!).

© Amanda Jones

Some assignments have given Jones more challenges than others. Her largest commission was a group of five Bullmastiffs.

"They literally wouldn't fit into one frame. I had to take the shot in sections." On the plus side, the gentle giants proved to be laid back. "Once I had them in place they didn't move," said the photographer.

Her trickiest session involved a litter of golden retriever puppies. The dozen pups were inquisitive and extremely squirmy. Jones and an assistant had to keep piling the fluffy rascals on top of one another to get a good shot.

Jones stumbled upon pet photography. She worked as a commercial photographer for a few years in San Francisco. In 1995, Jones had an artistic epiphany when photographing a friend's new puppy. After that fateful session, her career took off. A recent article in the New York Times "Sunday Style Section" cemented her as Manhattan's hot pet photographer. Since then, it's been nearly impossible to wrangle a sitting with Jones.

To keep up with the nation-wide demand for her portraits, the 39-yer-old Jones travels 120 days a year. Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Miami are on the regular touring schedule and Jones visits each city at least one time per year. She adds new cities to her schedule when potential clients clamor for her work via her website, e-mails and phone calls. If she feels the market is ripe, she'll arrange a trial visit. This year, she's heading to Dallas for the first time.

© Amanda Jones

Will Hassett, founder of Pawtisserie Gourmet Bakery in Princeton, NJ has worked with Jones for the past four years. Hassett has introduced nearly 75 families to Jones for portrait sessions. He says, "Her ability to retain her luster emanates from the charm and warmth she shares with each guest from the second she greets both pet and person. Her passion for what she does is so tremendously obvious upon each initial encounter with both anxious pets and people alike."

A typical road trip doesn't offer much relaxation. She schedules 20 or more sittings over a 10-day period. Even with her packed calendar, there is still a waiting list to get an Amanda Jones original.

This artist wants to be more than a temporary trend. She feels her portraits have a timeless quality, and hopes her pictures become precious keepsakes for pet owners. After twelve years in the business, she's seen quite a few golden retrievers and Labradors. Jones admits it's not easy to consistently come up with inspiration. To stay fresh, Jones and her husband/manager, Chris, try to schedule "down time" into the calendar. Her husband and daughter are frequent companions on her journeys. And sometimes Lily comes along for the ride. During road trips, the family will earmark days for sightseeing. Back in Massachusetts, her precious nonworking hours are spent digging in her garden and hiking in the Berkshires. Jones feels stepping outside the studio is key to maintaining her energy level.

Home base is North Adams, Massachusetts. Her studio is located near the illustrious MASS MoCA, a modern art haven, and the gorgeous Berkshire Mountains. The clean lines and unfussy atmosphere of New England suit Jones just fine.

Jones has always been an animal lover and grew up with a steady supply of cats in her childhood home. Her husband, Chris, and 4-year-old daughter, Sophie, share in her passion. Lily, a long-haired Dachshund, who served as a canine inspiration for Jones' most recent book, Daschunds Short and Long, is their beloved family pet. And if Sophie has her way, the family will soon be adding a Basset Hound to the mix.

© Amanda Jones

Due to her reputation, some commercial business has landed in her lap. Iams, the pet food company, recently contracted Jones to shoot images for a new advertising campaign. The work is a departure from Jones' normal sessions; for a commercial assignment the client calls all the shots. According to Jones, while theses jobs are nice for the cash flow they don't represent her core business and she'll never be lured away from taking portraits.

"Dogs are great to work with, I understand how they think," says Jones, "Dogs want to do whatever you want them to do to make you happy."

With three books to her credit, Jones eager to talk about her latest project: a collection of mixed breed beauties. The tentative title for this new book is A Breed Apart. The photographer is hoping to elevate the standing of pound pups and shine the light on their unusual characteristics.

Commercial clients, books, and full bookings -- it's clear that dogs will be an important part of Jones' life for quite some time. Catch her if you can as she jets from coast to coast immortalizing beloved pets.

Books by Amanda Jones:

Dachshunds Short and Long

Greyhounds Big and Small: Iggies and Greyts

Frenchie Kisses