Pit bulls get a bad rap and have a hard time getting adopted from New York City shelters. Photographer Sophie Gamand decided to “portray this misunderstood group in a different light” with her series “Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution.”
I realized pit bulls were always portrayed in very urban, gritty photographs. The imagery associated with these dogs is often harsh, very contrasted, conveying the idea of them being tough. In my opinion, this feeds the myth that these dogs are dormant psychopaths. So I decided to take the other route and portray them like hippies, soft fairy-tale-inspired characters, feminine and dreamy.
There are many distinct breeds of and resembling pit bulls which get all lumped together, assumed to be dangerous without any account of individual temperaments. But these dogs right here seem totally fine with silly flowers on their heads, in fact, their individual sweetness, playfulness and other lovable dog-isms are finally shining despite the commonly held anti-pit bull dogma.
Photographer Sophie Gamand, who previously won the 2014 Sony World Photography Award for her portraits of wet dogs, approached three different animal rescue groups in New York City — Sean Casey Animal Rescue, Second Chance Rescue and Animal Haven. Some of these good dogs have already found a new home, but head to Gamand’s project site for more adoption info. (Images: Sophie Gamand)
