This Photographer Takes School Portraits Of Dogs And Their Families And The Results Are Beyond Heartwarming

If there's any specific content I'm always searching for, it's photographers taking portraits of their dog/s.

image of michael scott holding a dog
image of michael scott holding a dog

NBC

So I was DELIGHTED to stumble onto Andrea Castanon's Instagram account, Bowie Shoots. Her account is dedicated to photographing school portraits of dogs and their families.

BuzzFeed spoke with Andrea, who said the idea started in 2016 after adopting her dog, Bowie.

image of a woman taking a portrait with her dog bowie
Andrea Castanon

"I've always grown up around dogs but my bond with Bowie was unlike any other. I wanted to document his growth over the years so I thought it would be funny to start taking yearbook-style images of him." That idea soon blossomed and she began photographing more school portraits of her friends' dogs.

She said that the idea of taking this on the road became more of a reality once an animal rescue reached out to her in 2019, asking if she could host some photo sessions for the animals.

"That trip motivated me to expand my reach and become completely travel based."

When it comes to actually photographing the dogs, she said, "It's actually the unpredictability of dogs that make the photography so much fun! Some dogs are understandably scared of my studio light and equipment — so for those sessions, we just find what works best for the dog, whether it's having them sit in their parent's lap or letting them play in the studio for a bit before jumping into taking portraits."

"Photography has always been a treasure to me so I try my best to provide unique, high-quality keepsakes for families and their friends to enjoy for years to come!"

Overall, Andrea said it's an honor for families to trust her with their family portraits.

Just look at Andy, who is as dapper as can be with his tie!

Or this family portrait, which Andrea captioned perfectly "Just a lil multi-generational slay."

Or this sweet boy in a suit!

So what do you think of these beyond cute portraits? Leave a comment below!