Interview: Laurie Freitag & Diana Lundin
Beautiful Beasts & Lockdown Dogs: A Conversation on Photography and Animal Rescue with
Laurie Freitag and Diana Lundin
Laurie Freitag: During the COVID-19 lockdowns, dogs were adopted in record numbers as people searched for connection during a period of profound isolation. When life resumed, many of those same animals were returned to shelters. When I encountered Diana Lundin’s The Ruff Sessions: Portraits of Beautiful Beasts, I felt an immediate connection to my own series, Lockdown Dogs. My work reflects on the troubling cycle in which companionship was embraced during crisis and, in many cases, abandoned when circumstances changed. Diana’s portraits confront another dimension of the same issue: the overlooked dignity of large shelter dogs in Los Angeles. I reached out to Diana to begin a conversation.
Diana, what first drew you to photograph large shelter dogs specifically, rather than dogs more broadly?
Diana Lundin: Laurie, I think we're kind of on the same wavelength about animals being adopted during the pandemic. My speciality is pet photography and over the 13 years Ive been working with dogs and cats, I've done quite a bit of rescue work, whether raising money through silent auctions, sponsor events, and adoption portraits for shelters and rescues. We all read about how many shelters were cleared out during the pandemic when people began working from home. Then, of course, after people began returning to their offices, some started seeing their pandemic pets as problems and surrendered them back to shelters. This was very overwhelming to the once-again crowded shelter system and many of the animals returned were large dogs. There can be landlord issues, breed restrictions, size limits, and really any number of obstacles in adopting out big dogs, especially for renters. Puppies and small dogs get adopted much more quickly than big dogs.
After photographing several regular adoption sessions for the big dogs needing the most help at the Los Angeles East Valley animal shelter, I wanted to create something that captured attention and leaned toward the idea of beautiful beasts. I began photographing them wearing ruffs made by a Ukrainian artisan, which I adapted for dogs. I have a painterly style in my regular client work so I just wanted to make these big shelter dogs into a work of art, quite literally. Regal and dignified. You wouldnt believe how many huskies are in the shelter as well as German shepherds and pitties. Huskies, for example, are not the best choice for apartments because they tend to vocalize, need a lot of exercise, and are really not suited for the heat of Los Angeles weather (thanks, Game of Thrones and its dire wolves for creating the husky craze). Beautiful Beasts helped some but a few of the stories didn't end well.
Laurie, what impressed me about Lockdown Dogs was the authenticity and immediacy of the moments captured. Mine is anything but. But we are on the same path, showing dogs that emphasize a point about our society and treatment of animals. I always marvel at the relationships humans have with their animals and its hard to see how you can give up an animal for inconvenience, though I do empathize with circumstances that lead to owner surrender.
What drew you to the dogs? Do you have animals? Did you know any of these dogs? What made you put together a collection? Were you shooting like a photojournalist, capturing the moments? I love the dog in the VW, the lighting on that one is quite amazing and I'm very jealous I didnt take it.
Laurie Freitag: I am, by nature, a documentary photographer, so the work really began simply by noticing the dogs in my surroundings. During the lockdown period I was spending a great deal of time in the homes of the children I nannied, and dogs were part of that domestic landscape. I would also see them while driving around Los Angeles— in cars, walking with their owners, or simply waiting in line at the post office. I’m not what you would necessarily call a “dog person,” but I’m very interested in how animals respond to the world around them. Dogs seem to have an inherent understanding of the rules of the environments they inhabit. The dog in the Volkswagen, for example, was clearly enjoying the ride, lifting his head to the wind and the light, but he wasn’t trying to jump out. He seemed perfectly aware of his place in that moment.
The dog at the rain-streaked window reacted to the weather outside, watching the movement and the sounds, yet he remained calm—observing rather than reacting wildly. In that sense, dogs often remind me of cameras themselves. They watch quietly and take in the world around them. They seem to absorb what is happening without needing to control it. As a photographer, that kind of attentive observation is exactly what I’m drawn to. I was simply responding to those moments as they unfolded, the way a documentary photographer does—capturing small pieces of a day. Over time the photographs began to speak to one another, forming a collection of quiet observations about how closely our lives are intertwined with the animals that share our spaces.
I’ve often wondered whether dogs actually learn by watching us and the environments around them. I suspect there must be studies about that, because it certainly seems that way when you spend time observing them.
Diana, when you photograph in a shelter environment, how do you help the dogs relax enough for their personalities to come through? After spending so much time photographing dogs in shelters, have you noticed certain traits or behaviors that surprise you? What kind of response have you seen from people who encounter the portraits? Do they react differently once they realize these regal-looking animals are actually shelter dogs?
Diana Lundin: Interesting questions, Laurie, we generally dont have a lot of time with each dog. Its a quick in and out from their kennels to the makeshift studio so that it isnt very relaxing. I think its stimulating for the dogs to be taken out of their cages for a while and the people who handle the dogs for the portrait have spent time with them so they know the dogs. I wouldnt call it enrichment but it is something different for them and in the end, we are trying to get them attention for adoption. Its just a fairly fast process. But the usual way of photographing them still holds, Im generally using sound to get their attention but it can be a little more challenging in the shelter environment where they are already numb to noise. And they dont know what a toy is so you cant use those as attention grabbing lures. Where you observe moments quietly, I am trying to create what I need quickly. It's a very different way of working even from my normal client work where I have the time to be more engaged with the dog to create a studio portrait or when I do end-of-life sessions in which I work photojournalistically, to document the end of a loving relationship between pet and owner (though I am loathe to use the word owner to describe that relationship).
Most people who have seen these portraits know they are shelter dogs but they do comment how they look like paintings, my intention along with getting them adopted. Of the images we created, I know one dog was adopted to a loving home in the midwest expressly because of these portraits. I know some were adopted, some were euthanized, and not all had happy endings. They all broke my heart in little and big ways but I Ioved making them look majestic.
Laurie Freitag: Speaking with Diana reinforced how many different ways photography can advocate for animals. Her portraits transform shelter dogs into regal subjects, giving them the dignity and presence they deserve. My own photographs approach dogs more quietly, observing the everyday moments they share with us. Though our approaches differ, both bodies of work ask viewers to pause and truly see these animals—not as conveniences or temporary companions, but as beings whose lives become deeply intertwined with our own. In the end, that act of seeing may be the first step toward treating them with the care and responsibility they deserve.
For more information about Diana Lundin-
www.dianalundin.com
Laurie Freitag and Diana Lundin
Laurie Freitag: During the COVID-19 lockdowns, dogs were adopted in record numbers as people searched for connection during a period of profound isolation. When life resumed, many of those same animals were returned to shelters. When I encountered Diana Lundin’s The Ruff Sessions: Portraits of Beautiful Beasts, I felt an immediate connection to my own series, Lockdown Dogs. My work reflects on the troubling cycle in which companionship was embraced during crisis and, in many cases, abandoned when circumstances changed. Diana’s portraits confront another dimension of the same issue: the overlooked dignity of large shelter dogs in Los Angeles. I reached out to Diana to begin a conversation.
Diana, what first drew you to photograph large shelter dogs specifically, rather than dogs more broadly?
Diana Lundin: Laurie, I think we're kind of on the same wavelength about animals being adopted during the pandemic. My speciality is pet photography and over the 13 years Ive been working with dogs and cats, I've done quite a bit of rescue work, whether raising money through silent auctions, sponsor events, and adoption portraits for shelters and rescues. We all read about how many shelters were cleared out during the pandemic when people began working from home. Then, of course, after people began returning to their offices, some started seeing their pandemic pets as problems and surrendered them back to shelters. This was very overwhelming to the once-again crowded shelter system and many of the animals returned were large dogs. There can be landlord issues, breed restrictions, size limits, and really any number of obstacles in adopting out big dogs, especially for renters. Puppies and small dogs get adopted much more quickly than big dogs.
After photographing several regular adoption sessions for the big dogs needing the most help at the Los Angeles East Valley animal shelter, I wanted to create something that captured attention and leaned toward the idea of beautiful beasts. I began photographing them wearing ruffs made by a Ukrainian artisan, which I adapted for dogs. I have a painterly style in my regular client work so I just wanted to make these big shelter dogs into a work of art, quite literally. Regal and dignified. You wouldnt believe how many huskies are in the shelter as well as German shepherds and pitties. Huskies, for example, are not the best choice for apartments because they tend to vocalize, need a lot of exercise, and are really not suited for the heat of Los Angeles weather (thanks, Game of Thrones and its dire wolves for creating the husky craze). Beautiful Beasts helped some but a few of the stories didn't end well.
Laurie, what impressed me about Lockdown Dogs was the authenticity and immediacy of the moments captured. Mine is anything but. But we are on the same path, showing dogs that emphasize a point about our society and treatment of animals. I always marvel at the relationships humans have with their animals and its hard to see how you can give up an animal for inconvenience, though I do empathize with circumstances that lead to owner surrender.
What drew you to the dogs? Do you have animals? Did you know any of these dogs? What made you put together a collection? Were you shooting like a photojournalist, capturing the moments? I love the dog in the VW, the lighting on that one is quite amazing and I'm very jealous I didnt take it.
Laurie Freitag: I am, by nature, a documentary photographer, so the work really began simply by noticing the dogs in my surroundings. During the lockdown period I was spending a great deal of time in the homes of the children I nannied, and dogs were part of that domestic landscape. I would also see them while driving around Los Angeles— in cars, walking with their owners, or simply waiting in line at the post office. I’m not what you would necessarily call a “dog person,” but I’m very interested in how animals respond to the world around them. Dogs seem to have an inherent understanding of the rules of the environments they inhabit. The dog in the Volkswagen, for example, was clearly enjoying the ride, lifting his head to the wind and the light, but he wasn’t trying to jump out. He seemed perfectly aware of his place in that moment.
The dog at the rain-streaked window reacted to the weather outside, watching the movement and the sounds, yet he remained calm—observing rather than reacting wildly. In that sense, dogs often remind me of cameras themselves. They watch quietly and take in the world around them. They seem to absorb what is happening without needing to control it. As a photographer, that kind of attentive observation is exactly what I’m drawn to. I was simply responding to those moments as they unfolded, the way a documentary photographer does—capturing small pieces of a day. Over time the photographs began to speak to one another, forming a collection of quiet observations about how closely our lives are intertwined with the animals that share our spaces.
I’ve often wondered whether dogs actually learn by watching us and the environments around them. I suspect there must be studies about that, because it certainly seems that way when you spend time observing them.
Diana, when you photograph in a shelter environment, how do you help the dogs relax enough for their personalities to come through? After spending so much time photographing dogs in shelters, have you noticed certain traits or behaviors that surprise you? What kind of response have you seen from people who encounter the portraits? Do they react differently once they realize these regal-looking animals are actually shelter dogs?
Diana Lundin: Interesting questions, Laurie, we generally dont have a lot of time with each dog. Its a quick in and out from their kennels to the makeshift studio so that it isnt very relaxing. I think its stimulating for the dogs to be taken out of their cages for a while and the people who handle the dogs for the portrait have spent time with them so they know the dogs. I wouldnt call it enrichment but it is something different for them and in the end, we are trying to get them attention for adoption. Its just a fairly fast process. But the usual way of photographing them still holds, Im generally using sound to get their attention but it can be a little more challenging in the shelter environment where they are already numb to noise. And they dont know what a toy is so you cant use those as attention grabbing lures. Where you observe moments quietly, I am trying to create what I need quickly. It's a very different way of working even from my normal client work where I have the time to be more engaged with the dog to create a studio portrait or when I do end-of-life sessions in which I work photojournalistically, to document the end of a loving relationship between pet and owner (though I am loathe to use the word owner to describe that relationship).
Most people who have seen these portraits know they are shelter dogs but they do comment how they look like paintings, my intention along with getting them adopted. Of the images we created, I know one dog was adopted to a loving home in the midwest expressly because of these portraits. I know some were adopted, some were euthanized, and not all had happy endings. They all broke my heart in little and big ways but I Ioved making them look majestic.
Laurie Freitag: Speaking with Diana reinforced how many different ways photography can advocate for animals. Her portraits transform shelter dogs into regal subjects, giving them the dignity and presence they deserve. My own photographs approach dogs more quietly, observing the everyday moments they share with us. Though our approaches differ, both bodies of work ask viewers to pause and truly see these animals—not as conveniences or temporary companions, but as beings whose lives become deeply intertwined with our own. In the end, that act of seeing may be the first step toward treating them with the care and responsibility they deserve.
For more information about Diana Lundin-
www.dianalundin.com
