The Year of the Dogs

By Vincent J. Musi

From an opera-loving Labrador to a tooting bulldog, a chronicle of the character and personality of everyday dogs from a National Geographic photographer.
 
Discover the stunning collection of photographs that shows the majesty, playfulness, and joy that is man’s best friend: As a National Geographic photographer, taking pictures of lions, tigers, and bears was a regular day’s work for Vincent Musi, but in 2017 he gave himself a new challenge: dogs. Using the same lighting and photographic techniques he uses for his National Geographic photography, Musi spent a year shooting portraits of dogs and compiling them into a book complete with all of the tail wags, wet noses, and dogs of all shapes and sizes.
 
With delightful and informative bios displayed next to each portrait, The Year of the Dogs will have you entertained and doggedly coming back for more.
 
“This gorgeous tribute to man’s best friend is the perfect gift for the dog-lover in your life—or anyone who needs to be convinced that dogs have just as much personality as humans.” —The Pioneer Woman
 
“You’ve probably seen work by Vincent Musi before. He’s a regular National Geographic photographer and his work has covered topics like volcanoes, illegal immigration, global warming, hurricanes and the like. His latest book, though, is quite different in subject matter. It’s a book about dogs—your average pet pooch—and it’s fabulous . . . Paging through the book is a delight.” —Photo District News
 
“For the dog lover who also loves photography, you can’t go wrong with this coffee table book from photographer Vincent J. Musi.” —InStyle (Holiday Gift Pick)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781452182094

Book preview

Introduction

The Year of the Dogs was never supposed to be about dogs.

In the spring of our son Hunter’s sixteenth year, my wife, Callie, and I realized that he was quickly turning into a grown-up and would be leaving the nest before we knew it.

Wanting to spend as much time as possible with Hunter before the metamorphosis was complete, I decided to forgo all assignments that involved travel, which was pretty much all assignments. There are no National Geographic photographers who work from home that I know of; travel to the places you are photographing is pretty much a mandatory kind of thing.

So, I reinvented myself as a dog photographer and built a studio in the back of a pet-food store. I named it The Unleashed Studio and announced that I was looking for a few good dogs. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. My colleagues felt bad for me and wondered if I was losing it. I started to wonder myself.

Callie knew I couldn’t do this by myself. A great photographer, she put her own work on hold and began to help, becoming my overworked photo assistant, expert dog wrangler, and personal psychiatrist. Hunter pitched in as well with helpful critiques of the photographs and clever ideas like challenging me to write stories and post them to Instagram.

‘Nobody cares about other people’s dogs,’ I said.

I was wrong about that.

We’ve received the kindest reaction from all over the world to these fabulous dogs.

People write to me when they laugh, when they cry, when they accidentally spit out their morning coffee over a joke or photograph. I read every comment, message, and email, and am humbled by the connection we have made.

And they are more than virtual friends. Many routinely travel hundreds or even thousands of miles with their dogs to be photographed in our studio. We are very grateful to them for sharing their dogs with us on Instagram, and now here with this book.

– VJM

Murphy

In the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a dog. A friend challenged me recently: ‘How can you be doing this The Year of the Dogs thing when you don’t even have a dog?’

My retort is simple – I’ve photographed many animals: bears, elephants, tigers, lions, sheep, and pigs . . . Incredibly, some of them were even kept as pets, but I don’t have any of those either.

Maybe I never got over the death of my childhood dog, or I’ve lived in too many weird apartment buildings. Whatever the reason, I am dogless. Yet dogs are no strangers at our home. Our front porch famously graced the cover of a coffee-table book about porch dogs, complete with a photograph of a dog that was not ours sitting on our porch.

I can say without hesitation that if I did have a dog, I would be lucky to have one as cool as Murphy. He’s a family dog, good with his paws, and has just enough scruff to be considered authentic. He’s a venerable first-generation labradoodle closing in on fourteen years of age. A loyal and friendly sort with a firm paw-shake, he needs no help opening or closing the front door of his home.

He’s welcome on our porch any time.

Daria

Daria was a flight risk. She’d traveled across multiple state lines to get to our studio, yet we didn’t see it coming.

We work from a patch of concrete in a very active 43,000-square-foot open-plan warehouse that is divided into territories like the strategy board game Risk. I currently have an alliance with a company that renovates homes; they have amassed nearly a thousand thirty-eight-gallon water heaters on our sovereign border to the south. To the north is a formidable artillery of salvaged street bricks and stacks of recycled wood. We are at peace. Daria’s entrance, planned weeks in advance, was greeted with the fanfare reserved for chow chows of her stature – similar to that of a head of state or other visiting dignitary. All seemed to be going perfectly as she reviewed the studio and personnel on hand, but then she discovered a squirrel hiding behind the water heaters.

Daria launched an immediate and thorough assault on the fugitive squirrel, which had, by then, successfully navigated a labyrinth of reclaimed flooring and hand-hewn beams to the open front door and was miles away.

In her mind though, Daria never let go of that squirrel. She viewed me and Callie as complicit in the escape and not to be trusted – regardless of how many individually wrapped slices of low-fat American cheese Callie might have had folded up in her pocket.

Leashes were used at times, photographs were taken occasionally, and the squirrel has not been seen since.

Mary Anne

Some time ago, I was honored with a very nice profile on my work with animals in a local magazine. Not so much the dogs, but lions, tigers, bears, and that sort of thing.

Daniel works at a local eatery where the magazine can be found. Prior to seeing my profile, he didn’t know what I did for a living except order margaritas and Mama’s special soup.

He was one of the few people who did not congratulate me on the article. It’s his way, and I kind of like him for it. He simply said, ‘What about photographing my dog, or is she not wild enough for you?’ And so it was that, a few days later, Mary Anne showed up in the studio.

She’s sturdy and athletic with a no-nonsense personality, much like Daniel, except she’s not from Ecuador like he is.

Hailing from a shelter in Greenville, South Carolina, three-year-old Mary Anne is from ‘off’, as the locals might say here. An upstate dog with a negligible accent, she’s the probable love child of a boxer and a Staffordshire bull terrier.

I’m sure Mary Anne would have congratulated me, had Daniel even

Reviews for The Year of the Dogs

[gingermama-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Filled with stories and beautiful photos, this beautiful book will be sure to delight dog lovers!

[aliciaclark23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't always love all the author's descriptions, but some of them were sweet and funny. I am a dog lover so the photographs were so much fun to look at. I think the book is worth it just for the pictures.

[toobusyreading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book of studio dog photos is gorgeous. Each is taken against a dark background, and each has its own little story to go with it. The dogs show their personalities in the photos. The writing is less stellar than the photos. Sometimes its great and seems to fit the dog perfectly, but occasionally, it seems like it just tries too hard. Still, I liked knowing a bit about each dog, and also the trials and tribulations of trying to photograph these wonderful creatures. The quality of the physical book is excellent – well printed on glossy pages and well bound. The size is good, too. Bit enough to see all the nuances of the photographs but not so large as to be as unwieldy as coffee table books. Any dog lover would appreciate these photos and stories.

[briandrewz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an absolutely beautiful photographic coffee table book. The subjects of the book were captured in stunning poses by a masterful photographer. Each subject has a little bit of a story attached to each photograph, however, as other reviewers have stated, it would've been nice if they had been more personal. This is a lovely book to display in your library or on your coffee table.

[sjurban_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The pictures were amazing. I'm amazed at the quality of the pictures, and the great poses that the author/photographer caught. I was less impressed by the stories. I would have liked them to be a little more personal to the dogs. But, this is first and foremost a photo book, and is great in that regard.

[brenda63_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful book celebrating the lives of dogs. The pictures captures the souls of these wonderful creatures. Stories are told throughout about the dogs, wonderful coffee table book!

[squirrelhead_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Year of the Dog is a beautiful book. It’s one I will keep on the coffee table and can recommend it as a Christmas gift for any dog lover. Gorgeous photos with accompanying stories about each dog.Vincent Musi is a National Geographic photographer who was frequently in challenging situations photographing tigers, lions and other wildlife in the field. When he decided to suspend travel to be with his family for a year he took up a challenge of opening a studio exclusively for dog portraits.This heavy and lovely book is the result. The photo below reminds me of our old chow Sally. I wanted to share at least one dog profile so you could see one of the photos and format.Again, if you are a dog lover you’ll love looking through this book and reading about each animal.*This was a complimentary copy from LibraryThing and I was not compensated for my review. Thank you LibraryThing and Chronicle Books.

[chrisac_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this delightful coffee table book, which is perfect for any and all dog lovers. The pooch on the front cover reminded me of my beloved, long deceased wife hair terrier, Trixie.The portraits and comments capture the individual personalities of these devoted pets who love us unconditionally and become members of our families.Truly, this is my favorite of the many books I've had the pleasure of reading and reviewing for the Early Reviewers Group.

[pennsylady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was so pleased to receive a copy of The Year Of The Dogs from Chronicle Books.It is a beautiful assemblage of photography and literary sketches of canine companions that are unique and distinctive personalities.A must own for dog lovers.5 star plus a thank you to Vincent Musi for sharing this charming collection.