It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea on I Heart Radio.
Welcome to Maria's MutS and Stuff. And with me is Aliza Eliyazarov. And
I hope I said your last name correctly. Eliza did I you did?
I did? Yay? Okay. Well, the big thing is you are
an award winning photographer and you have a brand new, gorgeous book called The
Best Dog hilarious to heartwarming portraits of the Pups. We love that you did
with your partner. Correct, that's correct? Okay, So you are you're
both photographers, is that right? Yeah? We met New York in photo
school at the International Center of Photography in two thousand and eight, and we've
worked on a few projects together. Oh that's so cool. And of course
we have to give him props Edward Dody, Is that correct, Dody?
Yeah? It is? Yeah. Okay, So I don't want Edward to
feel like we we like them out so okay, Well this is great.
So what made you decide to do this book? I know you have on
other books, but what made you decide to put this book together? Well,
when we were making our first book on the farm, or my first
book on the farm. We were traveling all around the country and photographing heritage
and rare breet farm animals on location. And of course there's always a farm
dog or two or four on every farm, and my stock guardian dogs and
herding dogs are an important part of every farm, and even the house dog,
the farmhouse dog. And so of course when we were there, every
farmer always requested, right that we also take a portrait of their dogs,
because the dog is a heart, you know, even if you have a
farm full of a menagery of animals, right, the dog is the heart
of every home. Of course. Yeah, it's perfect, you know.
I have to give it kudos on that because I never really heard it.
I never heard that, but that's exactly what a dog is. You're absolutely
right. It's the heart of every home. Whether it's just you live by
yourself, you live with a giant family, uh, you live with kids,
the dog is always the heart of the home. I love that.
Yeah, it's true, It's so true. And yeah, and then I
was in New York. I was living in New York and I was an
in house photographer for bark Box, which is a company that made sure dog
toys and dog treats. Yes, so was their in house photographer for two
years, which was a dream job. And you know I spent for over
two years photographing photographing dogs playing, playing and eating treats. Yeah so that
doesn't suit you know, Yeah, yeah, that's fun. Yes, Yes,
it was super fun. And you know they do a lot with helping
get dogs adopted, so we'd have team up with foster rapped out of foster
dogs, a shelter dogs that would be part of our campaigns, and it
just made sense. It would just seems like the natural next step was a
dog book. It was in the cards. You know, it had to
happen, sure, And how long did it take you to do because I
mean I saw I guess I don't know if it's called a preview. I
saw a little bit of the book because I know it's not out yet.
First of all, they're gorgeous photos and they're just you know, dogs in
action and just dogs being so cute, so and there's so many So how
long did it take you to get all of those photos together? And then
actually, I'm sure you had to narrow it down to what you put in
the book. Well, the making of a book is just complicated. It's
such a project. Yes, yeah, it's so long. It's so long.
So this is my second book. I feel like I, you know,
from just from making these books, I feel like I have a master's
and how to make a book, you know. Yeah, no, yeah,
I'm sure. It's like making a movie. It really is. It's
like making a movie. Sure. Yeah. And so at first we we
just well, we got when we got when we decided to do this book,
we hadn't even adopted our dog yet, and it was deep COVID,
and we really pitched this book before we got before we got our dog,
Ducky. And then we adopted Ducky and who was a great Parentmese border Collie
mix eight pounds, and we started researching it and it was still deep COVID.
So the project ended up taking so much longer because of COVID COVID restrictions
for our last book, and how we work, as we usually travel to
different locations and we photographed them people's homes and we go to people that it
became apparent after months and months of trying wait it out, that it wasn't
going to be possible. And then we waited even a little longer, and
then Omicron came up, and then travel things everything, of course, so
it ended up being a little more regional and photographing and studios than going into
folks homes just for safety reasons. Sure, so it got a little stretched
out because of that. But overall, like from pitch to publication day,
I want to say it's three years, but the majority of the book was
probably done in a little over a year. Wow. I mean, that's
that's a lot, and that's a little Does that make sense, you know
what I mean? Because of COVID has gotten away. I mean, COVID
gotten I have so many things and so many professions like yours. But then
to actually get it to down to a year, that's that's actually pretty good.
Know Was it hard to narrow down to the photos you decided to put
in the book? Oh yeah, I'm sure right, that was. You
know the term kill your darling, it's hard to kill your darling? Yes,
and yeah it's hard. I love, you know, I love every
dog I photographed. I thought in love with every animal I photograph I love.
Of course, a little bit of my heart goes into everyone. I
feel a connection, and that's really a part of my process as I photograph
is I always try to take the time to be really centered and quiet in
the presence of every animal and really spend time looking at them and observing them
and connecting to them and waiting to see what kind of is illuminated to me.
And there you meekness of personality, or the way they they're, the
way they start, the funny way that was sick, or wage their tail
or cock their head or whatever, or I get to see after spending a
few after spending a few minutes or or a few minutes or even an hour
with an animal, you see you see their personality. And for me that
my work is all about forging a connection between the animal and the observer and
the viewer of my photograph and the viewer of my people who view my work.
So I try to do that first and really really see that and really
forge that connection so I can capture that on camera. Yeah, and I
think that's why you are so good at it, because I think, and
I won't I'm not going to generalize and say most photographers, but I think
many photographers who are taking photos of animals are just doing it as opposed to
You're very passionate about it and the fact that you you bond with the animal
and that comes across and in the photos. Thank you, But it's true.
I mean I just from what I saw. I mean that's and then
you're describing it and I'm like, yeah, that makes complete sense. You
know, I appreciate that. Well, it's it's also a unique skill,
and I think that you're probably too humble to admit that you have it,
but as an outsider looking and hearing what you're saying, I think it's a
very unique skill. And it's not just being a photographer. It's you got
like the soul of the dog coming to you. Yeah, you know,
kind of like a person. Yeah, yeah, thank you so much.
I really appreciate that. Yeah, that's what I try to do. I
don't try to just take a cute picture, even though some of them are
cute. And I think I forged those skills by photographing farm animals. Actually,
people who are like you know, would never consider a pig, you
know, a pig or a turkey, or just stop to consider the animal.
I my job was to get the person to really book at a turkey
or a pig or an animal that they would never consider as as as a
being and and bring out that personality. And so that's was so much harder
to do with ducks and and in geese and turkeys and cows and and you
know, all of the farm animals. So I really I honed my skills
doing that. Okay, but that makes sense, that makes sense, yeah,
of course. And honestly, I think you know, and it's I
mean, for me personally, I don't eat meat. So when I see
a photo of a cow or a pig, it's just like a gorge just
animal to me, you know, just because you're looking at it so closely,
obviously different than if you can't see it up close, because you know
it's an animal, but meaning like if you see a beautiful photo of it
like yours, and you can see how beautiful the animal is, like the
different colors and the you know, on their skin and the wrinkles or look
at their eyes, and I think a lot of people miss that, yeah
you know, yeah, yeah, So anyway, I'm sorry, I don't
mean to go off on that tangent, but but no, I just think
that your book is just so gorgeous. So let's talk about because I know
you also are very involved with the Humane Education Department for the New Hampshire SPCA.
So you do a lot with rescue and I know so many like I
did so many people. I know. We find our dogs, cats,
we find our pets through you know, what is it called pet Finder Shelter
Pet Project meaning through photos of pets of dogs and cats. And as a
photographer tell me, because I think it's very very important that even for someone
who wants to volunteer at a rescue, who's an amateur, but taking a
good photo is really key to getting that that pet, that dog or cat
adopted. Correct, key, yeah, key, yes. I mean we've
all been on pet Finder and seen seeing a photo that's in some dark room
at night and you're like, what what's his photo? You know, you
see the photo with blurry it's this It is horribly lit. You're just like
this isn't this guy's not going to get it almost makes you upset seeing the
photo correct, right, So yeah, so it's everything. I mean,
first of all, lighting, you know, lighting, good lighting outside.
You don't have to be a master and lighting. You cook great picture on
a sunny day, Take the dog outside on a sunny day and get the
light in their eyes and get a good photo on a bright sunny day.
I think that is the easiest thing to do. You want light shining on
the dog's face, You want a catchlight in the eyes, you want you
want to get light on the animal. Ideally, I would say even after
a walk or a play session, their their face is going to be opened
up because they'll be panting a little bit, so it will look like they're
smiling. Yeah, how big wide smile. That makes a person connect to
the dog. Right. So the other thing is photograph the animal. Photograph
the dog and a variety of situations so that the potential adopter can envision their
future life with that dog. So maybe the dog is curled up on a
little blanket and they can picture them curled up on the picture themselves curled up
with the dog because the dog is curled up in a cute little donut on
a blanket, right, Or the dog is playing and running, and then
they can get good You get a good action shot and people can say,
oh, I could go running with I can imagine myself running with this dog
or hiking with this dog and being outside with dog. Sure, right,
you know, you get a dog doing something a little goofy and maybe that
they are making a little funny face and it makes them laugh. You know,
a good photograph, no matter if it's of anything anything, a good
photograph elicits emotion. It makes you feel something, It makes you laugh,
it melts your heart, it reminds you of something. You know, there's
a connection in an emotion. It should elict it in emotion, and it
could be funny and it could be ideally, it's a few different things to
show the range of the dog's character. Right, So, this dog loves
to play. This dog has this great smile. This dog has these giant,
goofy paws. This dog has a specific, a specific little marking in
the shape of a heart on its butt, or beautiful long eyelashes. Get
close on the dog, especially with a dark dog, well lit, close
up, get in the fake get up in that face so you could just
see that schmushy, beautiful dog right in its eyes. You know. No,
that all makes sense, And all of these tips for someone who's volunteering,
they could do it with their phone, correct, Like, they don't
need a big expensive camera. Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, you could do
You can do so much on the phone right now, and it's really it's
like take it. Don't the worst thing you can do with just stand there
with your late knees locked from one perspective and just look down at the dog
and snap. You need to get down with the dog. Shoot from multiple
angles. Get creative, Lie on your back, have the dog's rooling over
your phone and you have your camera and your face. I mean like,
if it's a jelly dog that will look hyspherical, get them sitting lying down,
you know all that, get variety, multiple angles. Move your body.
It's not just the dog moving. You need to move right. You
need to shoot. You need to get low. You need to move you
know, if you're standing in the wrong place and the lights behind you,
shift around, so the lights on the dog. If there's a weird distracting
something in the background, move your body so really the viewer is looking at
the person, not the trash can behind the dog or whatever. Yeah,
that makes perfect sense. It makes perfect sense because it's so key to getting
you know, the dog the cat adopted. It's really yeah, it's almost
you know, it's like it's like I feel like their photo is their resume
kind of you know. Yeah, yeah, and every that's the thing,
taking the time because every dog, every animal is different, Every dog has
a utile bit of unique, unique personality or unique traits. Spend the time
to find it, you know. Yeah, And shooting in a variety of
locations inside, outside, a variety of shots, multiple angles and source.
If your pot shooting with your phone and you need to get light and you're
you can't for some reason shoot outside and it's and it's not good light and
you need additional lighting. Have somebody else put on their flashlight on their phone,
on their phone flashlight mode and shine the light up from their flashlight from
their phone onto the dog. And it's like this, it's an external light
source. Wow, that's genius. See, that's why you're so good at
what you do. That's brilliant. That's something like, oh I never thought
of that. Oh yeah, you could do that with anything. Sure,
especially even if you're you know, even if you have a few people,
two people shine their flashlights. You know, it's just ad light right right
now. That's brilliant. See, that's why you do and that's why you're
so good at what you do. It's true, it's true. So when
is your book when is it officially out? Publishing day is October thirty first,
perfect on Halloween. Okay, yeah, that is so perfect? And
where can my listeners get it? Anywhere you buy books? Okay, that's
good. Everywhere and anywhere from The book is published by pay by ten speed
Press, which is an imprint of Penguin Random House, So you can get
it on the Penguin Random House site. You could get it on Amazon,
you can get at your local bookstore. Get it absolutely anywhere, Okay,
And I know that. And I don't want to put you off by asking
you this, but I want to ask you, so, is is there
anything next? I like, what's next? Even though this isn't even out
yet, so I shouldn't even ask you that, But meaning, do you
see another book from photos that didn't make this one? That didn't make The
Best Dog? Or you know part two? Marie? I know it's just
I know, but Maria, I could spend the rest of my life talks
and their stories. Sure are you know? I would? And I would
if I could. We'll see Okay, yeah, I will. All right,
No, that's perfect, that's perfect because I know I hate to ask
like what's next when you're like, seriously, we're talking about this book's not
even out yet, but no, because sometimes I know that when photographers because
they have so much and it's like, well, I'm thinking of making a
series. I'm thinking, you know, but yeah, and you know,
it's not like you're ready to stop doing what you do because you shouldn't because
you're so good at it. So so yeah, I'm sorry to ask that,
but well, good luck coming up coming out on Halloween. That's excellent
the best dog hilarious to heartwarming portraits of the pups we love, and I
love it just seeing the preview of it. I can't wait to see it
and get it when it comes out. So thank you, Eliza so much
for sharing your knowledge and your expertise and your talent and skill with all of
us, because you really are doing, probably more than you realize that you're
doing, to get so many dogs adopted and getting there forever homes. So
for those of us on the other side of it, we thank you for
that. Thank you so much, Maria, I so appreciate it. It
was so nice talking to you. Gator operator and this part see later were Regator