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AMANDA JONES HAS BEEN A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN
DOGS AND THEIR MASTERS FOR 20 YEARS, AND BOASTS CLIENTS FROM
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. PRODUCER DAVE FRASER VISITED
JONES IN A NORTH ADAMS STUDIO ON THE CAMPUS OF MASS-MOCA TO FIND
OUT WHY SHE CHOSE TO SPECIALIZE HER PORTRAITURE AND WHAT IT'S
LIKE TO CAPTURE THAT MAGICAL BOND BETWEEN DOG AND HUMAN.
>> I STARTED OFF AS A PERSON PHOTOGRAPHER DOING PORTRAITS,
FAMILY PORTRAITS AND WEDDINGS, AND EVERYTHING INVOLVING PEOPLE.
BUT, WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO, IN 1994, I
DECIDED THAT I NO LONGER WANTED TO PHOTOGRAPH PEOPLE.
SO, HE ASKED ME WHAT IT WAS THAT I WANTED TO PHOTOGRAPH, AND I
SAID I'M NOT SURE BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE HUMANS.
I'VE BEEN DOING THE SAME SHOT FOR 20 YEARS.
SIMPLE WHITE BACKGROUND WITH JUST THE DOGS.
NO COLLAR. NO PROPS, NO -- NO STAGING,
REALLY, I CARE WHEN WHAT THE DOG LOOKS LIKE AND THE SHAPES THAT
THEY MAKE ON MY SET. EACH ONE IS DIFFERENT.
EACH ONE LOOKS DIFFERENT, AND THEY HAVE DIFFERENT
PERSONALITIES, AND YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT AND PICK UP CLUES ON
WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE EACH ONE INTERESTING TO THE CAMERA.
SO I TALKED TO THE OWNER ABOUT THEIR DOG AND THEIR PERSONALITY.
AND I TRY AND KIND OF PULL THAT OUT OF THE DOG.
IT IS A VERY PHYSICAL JOB, AND I AM UP AND DOWN A LOT, AND
GETTING TREATS. PUTTING IMAGES ON THE COMPUTER.
COAXING THE DOG BACK ONTO THE SET, AND I TRY AND MAKE THEM AS
COMFORTABLE AS I CAN, AND THEN, GET TO WORK, AND YEAH, I DO FIVE
SESSIONS A DAY WHEN I AM ON THE ROAD SO BY THE END OF THE DAY I
AM COVERED IN HAIR AND MY KNEES ARE SORE, AND I AM VERY TIRED,
BUT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE GOT FIVE SHOTS DONE, AND FIVE CLIENTS
THAT I, HOPEFULLY, MADE PRETTY HAPPY.
AND A LOT OF TIMES, THESE MOMENTS DO HAPPEN, AND I HAVE TO
BE QUICK TO CAPTURE THEM, BUT KNOWING AND SEEING THEM COME,
HAS, YOU KNOW, AFTER 20ERS I DO, I THINK THAT I HAVE GOTTEN KIND
OF GOOD AT THAT, AND THEY DO HAVE THEM.
IT HAPPENS A LOT WHEN YOU HAVE TWO EXHAUSTION INTERACTING WITH
EACH OTHER, AND OR YOU CAN GET A CERTAIN LOOK OUT OF A DOG FROM
THE CORNER OF THEIR EYE, AND IF YOU JUST CAPTURE THE RIGHT
MOMENT, YOU CAN TELL IT'S MAGICAL TO CREATE THE SHOTS, OR
IT WILL FLIP UP, AND YOU HAVE GOT TO BE QUICK AND GRAB THAT
SHOT. I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT I HAVE
THE BEST CLIENTS IN THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY ARE DOG LOVERS, AND
ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS, AND THERE IS GENERALLY REALLY A STRONG
PEOPLE, AND ANYBODY WHO IS GOING TO TAKE THE TIME AND THE ENERGY
TO BRING THEIR DOG IN FOR A PORTRAIT, I KNOW THAT DOG IS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THEM. IT MAKES ME WORK HARDER TO GET A
REALLY GREAT SHOT, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY ARE GOING TO ENJOY IT,
FOR THE REST OF THE DOG'S LIFE. AND I DO GET EMAILS, REALLY,
FREQUENTLY, AFTER A DOG HAS PASSED, FROM THE OWNERS TELLING
ME HOW MUCH THESE PORTRAITS MEAN TO THEM, AND THAT IS THE BEST.
SO, I AM BASED HERE AT MASSMOCA IN NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS,
AND I FEEL LUCKY TO BE A PART OF THIS ENVIRONMENT AND HAVING THE
ART AS AN INSPIRATION ON A DAILY BASIS, EVEN LOOKING OUT MY
WINDOW, THE UPSIDE DOWN TREES, JUST INCREDIBLE, SO I FEEL
REALLY FORTUNATE, AND MY DREAM WAS TO HAVE MY STUDIO AT MASS
MOCA, IT TOOK ME FOUR OR FIVE YEARS TO GET HERE BUT, THE SPACE
OPENED UP AND I WAS IN A POSITION TO TAKE IT, AND I THINK
THAT I'VE BEEN HERE NOW FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS, WHICH IS
INCREDIBLE TO ME. I DO OUTPUT MY IMAGES, OLD
SCHOOL ON THE PROOF SHEETS. THEY ARE INDIVIDUALLY OUTFITTED,
BUT THEY ARE STILL PROOF SHEETS, WHICH A LOT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS
DON'T DO ANY MORE. I LIKE TO STILL HAVE THE
PHYSICAL PROOFS THAT THEY CAN LOOK THROUGH AND, YOU KNOW,
POINT AND HAVE TAGS ON. THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST PART OF
DOING ALL OF THIS, IS THE REWARD THAT I GET FROM SEEING PEOPLE
HAPPY WITH THEIR IMAGES. AND TELLING ME, USUALLY, HOW
GLAD THAT THEY ARE THAT THEY HAVE THAT IMAGE OF THEIR DOG TO
REMEMBER THEM BY. THAT'S WHY I DO THIS.