Isaac Alvarez is a Los Angeles based commercial photographer, director, and artist. He studied photography at the Art Institute of Los Angeles in Santa Monica.
Isaac started to build his career in California by assisting well-known photographers and working in photo studios. Now his work is mainly portrait and commercial photography.
In this project, Reflection of Me, Isaac worked on the perception that people have of dogs, depending on their breeds. “I always wondered if dogs lived like humans, how will they act or what jobs will they choose,” he tells us. “This was always constantly coming in and out of my mind, but I never realized that I was going to do a project like this. This was simply an idea that bloomed into a portrait series. I can honestly say that this project originated from hurt.”
“Reflection of Me fits the series because ultimately our dogs are a reflection of us. There’s a saying, “There is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners who raise them.”
He contacted friends that were dog owners and posted an announcement on Facebook and got a lot of responses. He explains more about the process,“Every time I see a series, it’s usually done with white background and clean, smooth lighting. I wanted to be different and go dark and dramatic, which is my signature touch on photography. I then analyze the photo of the dogs and owner to see how I should pose or create a character for them. For most of them, I told the owner what attire to wear, the rest I ask if they can wear something that matches their dog’s personality.”
“I photographed the dog first then the owners. Based on the dogs’ pose, that determined how I pose the people.”
The intent of the series, Reflection of Me, is to create awareness about the ignorance and the unjustified fear that surrounds some breeds. For example, a majority of dogs in the pound are pit bulls.
More info: isaacalvarez.com | Instagram
