The incredible bond between animals and people in the magical photography
Moscow-based photographer Anastasiya Dobrovolskaya is not your typical “pet photographer.” Her trademark photos look like something out of a fairytale, but everything is real—from beautiful and unique people to breathtaking landscapes, and a variety of animals you wouldn’t expect to pose alongside people.
Foxes, tigers, owls, snakes, horses, goats, anything you can think of is featured in Dobrovolskaya’s incredible portfolio, including the most-wanted bear model, Stepan, who was rescued as a cub and raised by loving humans.
In July of 2018, she started taking photos by accident that turned into a wondrous career. After three failed attempts at photography, giving up trying, and finding her way to photography again, she received a message from a woman who wanted a photo shoot with a mini pig and a rooster.
Although she had never photographed people with animals and didn’t have much experience altogether, she took on a challenge (who wouldn’t?) and fell in love. In a week, she photographed an owl and a fox, then a horse, and it kicked off from there with some of her photos going viral online. It was enough to quit her job and pursue a career in commercial photography.
The 30-year-old photographer takes dreamlike photos that capture the magical bond between animals and humans and show how beautifully diverse, yet similar we are.
“In my work, I want to show the beauty of animals and their similarity to people. I try to find common features between people and animals so that animals become more respected by people and people will do their best to minimize the harm they do to nature.
Moreover, my photoshoots emphasize the beauty of people, even if this beauty does not fit into the existing stereotypes,” Dobrovolskaya writes on her website.
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