In April 2014, ourselves and ElderDog Canada started The DIGNITY Project, a year-long fine-art photo project focused on senior canines.
Over that year, some 40 senior dogs were photographed at donated spaces across NS and the images used by ElderDog in various forms.
“The DIGNITY project was designed to draw attention to the issues facing senior dogs by highlighting their grace, dignity and stalwart nature.”
If you think of elderly movie stars trying to aid their less fortunate brethren, you get the idea.
While getting air-time in a saturated social media environment is tough, the project ran under the ironclad mantra that under no circumstances would any artifice be used to exploit or demean the animals:
1) Each dog was to be photographed no differently than would be a human senior.
2) The goal was respect, not visual exploitation. There would be no use of lighting or post-processing to emphasize age, illness or infirmity.
3) There was to be no cherry-picking of models for the ‘funniest’ or ‘saddest’ looking, etc.
4) All involved were to have fun.
Over that year, some 40 senior dogs were photographed at donated spaces across NS and the images used by ElderDog in various forms.
“The DIGNITY project was designed to draw attention to the issues facing senior dogs by highlighting their grace, dignity and stalwart nature.”
If you think of elderly movie stars trying to aid their less fortunate brethren, you get the idea.
While getting air-time in a saturated social media environment is tough, the project ran under the ironclad mantra that under no circumstances would any artifice be used to exploit or demean the animals:
1) Each dog was to be photographed no differently than would be a human senior.
2) The goal was respect, not visual exploitation. There would be no use of lighting or post-processing to emphasize age, illness or infirmity.
3) There was to be no cherry-picking of models for the ‘funniest’ or ‘saddest’ looking, etc.
4) All involved were to have fun.