'Dogist' makes dogs look human

LOS ANGELES -- Elias Weiss Friedman has photographed thousands of dogs for his blog and book "The Dogist." What sets his pictures apart is how human he makes his canines seem.

He achieves the look by getting down on their level before shooting, making eye contact and creating a connection.

"When I'm shooting photographs of dogs, I'm trying to get them looking right into the lens. It makes the image feel dramatic. That's what makes a great image, taking something ordinary and making it feel dramatic," said Friedman, 27, who gets down on the dogs' level despite his 6-foot-3 height.

Friedman, author of "The Dogist" (rhymes with August), started with a blog a few years ago. Along the way, he's posted more than 3,300 images and gathered 1.5 million followers on Instagram, 50,000 followers on Tumblr, 70,000 on Facebook and 20,000 on Twitter.

In "The Dogist" book, already on The New York Times best-seller list, he features 1,001 dogs from cities around the world.

This undated photo provided by Artisan Books shows Elias Weiss Friedman photographing a dog in New York. Photos taken for his blog, "The Dogist," have been collected in Friedman's new book of the same name. (Jeff Hodson/Artisan Books via AP) Excerpted from "The Dogist" by Elias Weiss Friedman (Artisan Books). (Photos by The Dogist, LLC)

The Associated Press recently asked Friedman about his work. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What does "dogist" mean?

A: I consider a 'dogist' to be 'one who dogs.' The name was inspired by the fashion blog 'The Sartorialist.' It's not a real word, but it conveys the simplicity and silliness that lives throughout the project.

Q: What is your favorite medium?

A: I like to explore the different mediums. I can do a five-picture series in a book with different aspect ratios and include outtakes that didn't make sense for a blog.

This March 4 photo provided by Artisan Books shows Sammy, an 18-month-old Whippet, at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Photos taken first for the blog, "The Dogist," now have been collected in a book by Elias Weiss Friedman of the same name. Friedman says it's important to make eye contact with a dog before you photograph it. And he doesn't like to put people in his photos, but sometimes they work well as background.

The online social media experience is sort of fleeting and has a short attention span, so you view the image and then you go back to what you were doing and you see another one later. It's like a feed, whereas the book is something you can hold and revisit and explore.

The blog is how people follow me and it gets updated every single day. There is something in a coffee-table book, something you can hold and share. I think of it as a yearbook, the culmination of two years of work, the best of the blog, plus outtakes, plus my own stories, plus images people haven't seen, a chapter in the project.

Q: What makes an unforgettable, photogenic dog?

A: Moses has wrinkles, teeth, ears, eyes, nose, cheeks and forehead that are remarkable. He looks human in oh so many ways. As a dog photographer looking for interesting variable elements, rare breeds, flat wrinkled faces, young puppies and a big underbite are like gold for me.

Q: Why so few people in your photos?

A: It's too hard to get people to forget they are being photographed. It's nice to include someone's smile, hand or face blurred out, but if they are in the image, it can be very distracting. This is the dog's moment.

Q: What kind of camera do you use and what are the best conditions for shooting?

A: I use a Nikon D750 and use natural light. I typically prefer the closer 24 or 25 mm lenses so the working distance between me and the dog is close. I can reach out with my hand and brush a treat by his nose to re-engage him. I also like to shoot with a longer lens. You get a different portrait aesthetic.

Q: What is next for you?

A: There are dogs doing incredible things around the world like rescuing, herding and hunting. There would be a National Geographic attitude about it. Dogs in their element. That's what I am excited about.

Driving around the country finding dogs doing things in their natural setting and showing people things they never saw -- that interests me as a dog fan and a photographer. There won't be any people. Dogs are always more interesting than people.