The clear blue of the sky mingles with the steel grey of sea waves. The white, circular structure of the sea link and skyscrapers in the distance angle for view. It’s a beautiful day to be out in Mumbai and young Bruzo is making the most of it. A handsome brown and white indie dog with a curled tail and sharp, pointed ears, he is the apple of his adoptive father’s eye.
Today he is being photographed. Yet Bruzo, it turns out, is camera-shy. Despite the best attempts to appease him with his favourite treats, he remains uninterested in posing. His treats catch the attention of a flock of crows. Watching the birds muscle in on his territory, Bruzo suddenly comes alive. A crow flies into the air and he hops up to face the sea link, keeping his eyes on the prize. “That was the final shot,” beams Prathima Pingali, Mumbai-based photographer and founder of Pawparazzi Pet Photography.
“I love indie shoots,” says the 25-year-old who founded Pawparazzi in 2018. “Each dog has different triggers. They could be sounds, certain locations, or types of clothing owing to some past trauma,” says, Pingali who claims to be India’s leading pet photographer—which certainly seems true based on the 15.3k followers on her Instagram page @pawparazzi.petphotography. In love with dogs as a little girl, her dream was to be a veterinarian. But a strong creative streak attracted her to photography. In 2013, at the age of 15, she came first in an international photography competition; and so began her journey into professional camera maven.
“I have always strived to give back to society,” she says. Animal cruelty was a pet peeve, which prompted her to create eye-catching images of street dogs and adopted indies to raise money through her annual Pawparazzi Indie Calendar, which debuted in 2019. Priced at Rs 999, it is sold through her website, pawparazzi.in. Over the years, the sale helped raise money for dog charities. For instance, this year, she is raising funds for Paw People, a rescue mission based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, which is central India’s first recovery home for street dogs.
Her images have also raised global attention; she collaborates with Tails of the World, a collective of international professional pet photographers who raise funds for animal rescue by celebrating local canines. The collective recently launched a coffee table book featuring pet portraiture from artists worldwide. Pingali is the only Indian whose work is included in it. “I want to show the beauty of indies through my lens,” she reveals. Every day is dog day.