Our blog is intended to inspire and educate others about documentary photography. In our Behind the Frame series, we’ve asked staff and students to go back to their favorite images over the years and tell us, “Why does this stand out to you as an exceptional documentary moment?” We hope you enjoy what they have to say!

Student: Michael Booth
Workshop: Project Los Angeles 2016
Nonprofit: SPCA-LA
Instructor: Jamie Rose

“Whenever we work with animal nonprofits on our Project Series: Working with Nonprofits workshops, I explain to the student assigned to them, “It’s not about the animals. I don’t want to see a series of portraits of dogs and cats in the final portfolio. We want to see interactions with the animals and the humans who are tasked with saving them. That’s where the honest, touching documentary moments will happen.”

Michael took this advice and ran with it. He did a tremendous job of capturing that intimacy, especially with a series he did on children who came in to help with the animal’s that needed training before adoption. The tension in the dog’s body of this image is so well captured, you can almost see him quivering for the treat.

I just love the framing, the subtle moment, and the gentleness of this image. Michael’s whole portfolio of these darling animals and their caretakers was lovely. Most importantly, the spcaLA can help find “forever homes” for even more animals thanks to his great work!”

Please join us for the next Project Los Angeles in February 2017 at the gorgeous flagship Leica Store in West Hollywood, California. For more information and to reserve your spot, click here.