Happy National Pet Week! And what a better way to kick it off than to take a look at the joy and happiness our pets bring us and celebrate that bond! I was fortunate enough to speak with Johanna Siegmann with regards to her wonderful book, In Good Company (Notable People and Their Pets). This is a book that captures the unique bond shared with our pets through photography. Johanna brings stunning visualization to the magic that exists between pets and their people.
Through Johanna’s interpretational photography we can see how people and their pets go about and live their lives together, and get to the heart of the incredibly special relationship that exists between us and our pets. I purchased a copy of this book, and I can tell you it is nothing short of incredible and moving. I experienced a whole host of emotions from smiling and laughing to being brought to tears. You can feel the emotion through the pictures and Johanna’s comments on each one.
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How It Began
Johanna’s love of photography started at an early age when she was given a Kodak Instamatic! She came from an artistic family and found her voice through writing. However, she found that a bout of chemotherapy changed how her mind processed things impacting her writing. As she wasn’t able to write anymore she found instead that she could capture a story through a single image and the concept was born.
I asked Johanna what led to the inspiration to capture people with their pets. She had been doing a photography shoot and at the end she was asked to take a picture of her client’s older dog. The ageing dog couldn’t get off the floor though, so the owner went down onto the floor with her dog and Johanna ended up down on the floor as well to capture the picture.
The owner and the dog leaned into each other, and in that moment she had an epiphinany that this was it, and that’s when the magic, the connection, the energy happened. This was what she was supposed to be doing.
And Johanna loves pets of all kinds, and has photographed 28 species (including us)! She loves to meet the pets and their owners and has a true passion for animals which is very evident in her magical photography.
The Concept
I found it very interesting to hear the process with regards to getting that perfect shot. And it starts well before the camera comes out! Johanna gathers detailed information about each one of her clients before the photo shoot through an intake process. From that she takes great care in coming up with a creative concept for the photograph which is unique to each and every one!
So before she even shows up at the door she already has it all planned out! The only things she doesn’t know are where the shoot is going to happen and if she will click with your pet. The end result makes it all worthwhile, with truly incredible photography that is able to capture that perfect moment between pets and their owners.
The Meeting
And I’m sure that you can imagine that pets might not necessarily be the most cooperative subjects! I can’t even imagine what it would be like with my crew…So when she gets through the door she calibrates her energy to the pet when she meets them. She gets on their level. There are no theatrics or trying to get the pets to do new tricks. Johanna wants them to be themselves and act as they normally do! “Discovering part of their lexicon” in her words.
Her number one rule is never stress out the pet. When the pet is done, she is done.
Next Steps
After the meet and greet, the next steps are exploring and finding a place to do the shoot, setup wardrobe and lights and take some test shots. Pets are the last thing to come! Again, referring to the never stress out the pet rule she understands that pets can and usually do have a limited attention span. Some more than others…my Benson being a good example of minimal attention span!.
So Johanna knows the animals and is patient but ready to be extremely fast to truly capture the best shot! She knows to never take her eye off the pet. I know how hard it can be to get that picture! By the time I’m fumbling around with my phone or camera the moment has usually passed…Or I end up with a blurry or extremely unflattering picture! Capturing that perfect moment truly is a gift.
Sometimes the pet is still engaged after the initial concept is complete so she may try something else! So you may see more than one photo of that person and pet, a series that tells a story.
And it amazes me that the entire photo shoot is done within an hour! This is due to the amount of preparation that has already gone into the entire concept and she shows up ready to execute on that concept. In the rare occasion that the first concept doesn’t end up working out she usually has enough for another one that works just as well!
Our Quirky Pets
So I just had to ask Johanna which pets were her favorites to work with since has worked with so many species!
She is a cat person herself and told a rather funny story that she saw when it went viral on the internet. Its about three cats who fought and lorded over an empty box for 8 weeks before the owner could get that box away from them! According to Johanna, snakes are beautiful to photograph because of all the beautiful shapes and movements they make, and birds are funny. But donkeys are her favorite after visiting a donkey sanctuary! In her words, “they are just the best”.
Apex Protection Project
Part of the proceeds of purchases of this book go towards the Apex Protection Project. This is a non-profit organization for the protection of wolves and wolfdogs. They not only rescue them, but they also work to educate people and ranchers on understanding the importance of protecting the wolf population.
When I asked Johanna why she chose the Apex Protection Project as her charity of choice, she said that it was because of how important it is to have wolves for the ecosystem and sustainability due to the balance that they bring. And this was one single thing that she could do to have a direct impact. She mentioned what happened in Yellowstone, when wolves were eradicated in the 1930s and the ecosystem started to fail. Since their re-introduction it is beginning to thrive again!
Some Final Thoughts
I think Johanna said it best. “Pets are the most spiritual guide to becoming a better person. They humble us, don’t care about the mortgage. They are a gift to us”. And I couldn’t agree more. Her book captures the pure joy that pets bring us, the love between people and animals, the caring and compassion.
In Good Company is the perfect way to start celebrating our pets for National Pet Week! It is a book that would be enjoyed by any person who loves their pets, great for yourself or as a gift. You can find it online, at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and you can contact her though her website, johannasiegmann.com. Be sure to pick up your copy today, you won’t be disappointed! I can tell you that I was deeply, deeply moved.
And I can’t help but wonder what concepts she’d come up with for my diverse furry crew!
Note: all images used in this post are used with permission and are Copyright Johanna Siegmann 2023. Images may not be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission from Briton Publishing, LLC.
