Sophie Gamand

We claim dogs are our best friends. But are we really acting like theirs?

Originally from France, Sophie moved to New York City in 2010. There, she began a passionate quest to better understand dogs and their place in human societies. Photography (portraiture and documentary) became her main means of exploring that world. Portraiture in particular, had always been a way for Sophie to create intimacy with her subjects. Battling social anxiety, Sophie found in dogs a more natural relationship, not encumbered by words and misunderstanding. Or so she thought.

Soon, she stepped into the world of animal shelters, and uncovered the many ways in which dogs are misunderstood and silenced. Not just in the world of rescue, but in our daily lives as well. Working with dogs meant she had a responsibility to serve the most vulnerable of them, and help humans become better guardians. This led Sophie on a journey to not only photograph thousands of shelter dogs around the United States, including for her world-renowned project Pit Bull Flower Power, but also to get involved with communities around the world, photographing free-ranging dogs in rural Ecuador or Moldova, or those trapped in the dog meat trade in South Korea where she created an impactful awareness campaign.

Sophie leveraged her incredibly popular Wet Dog and Pit Bull Flower Power series, which garnered large social media followings, to shine a light on at-risk dogs around the world, and raise funds for the nonprofits that care for them.

After over a decade in rescue advocacy, Sophie became ordained as an animal chaplain, to further her commitment to dogs and humans in a way that combines her art and purpose. Now living in Los Angeles, she is focusing on her multidisciplinary art career and dreams of exhibits bridging art with science and other disciplines. Her topics of interest are rooted in ecofeminism, highlighting the intersection between the way we treat our natural world (with dogs as a magnifier) and women or other vulnerable groups. These days, you will find her at the ceramic studio, creating hand-stitched embroideries, cyanotypes, paintings, or all sorts of installations. And of course, at the local shelter where she hosts an emotional support group for volunteers, and still photographs adoptable dogs.

United Photo Industries (UPI)

United Photo Industries (UPI) is a New York based nonprofit organization that works to promote a wider understanding of, and increased access to, the art of photography.

Since its founding in 2011, UPI has rapidly solidified its position in the public art landscape by continuing to showcase thought-provoking, challenging, and exceptional photography from across the globe. In its first seven years, UPI has presented the work of more than 2,500 visual artists in gallery exhibitions and public art installations worldwide.