Majestic Transformation w/ Winnie Au

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Photographer Winnie Au Turns ‘Cone of Shame’ Dog Series Into New Book

About The Episode

Dog photography typically tends to focus more on just cute images of dogs, without too much thought or artistic intention behind them.

However, there have been some great photographers over the years. One standout example is William Wegman and the fascinating portraits he’s taken with the Weimaraner breed during his career. 

In our modern generation, one of the current artists leading the charge of fine art dog photography is Winnie Au. She does editorial and commercial freelance work as well, capturing great portraits of people, but her personal work has primarily revolved around dogs.

Winnie does not exclusively seek to make beautiful images. Her largest body of work to date looks at the stigma of the medical “Cone of Shame” dogs are forced to wear to prevent them from interacting with their wound or rash or stitches. 

Through her colorful and vibrant photos, she sought to strip the negative connotation and turn it into a positive and fun object – complete with custom cones by Marie-Yan Morvan, costume designer on the project. This reflects what she views as part of a transformation for dogs, who are left in a better condition by the help of the cone.

When last appearing on Dog Save The People for the first time in 2020, Winnie had created the initial set of 12 images for the Cone of Shamel series. Now, with a total of 60 images, she is releasing a book on Sept 2024 that features the series. (The Cone of Shame book is available for pre-order now. The project also raises money for Animal Haven's Recovery Road Fund, which helps provide financial assistance for dogs in need of medical care.)

As part of the series, Winnie wanted to try photographing her senior basset hound, Clementine, who in the past was forced to wear a cone after being rescued from a puppy mill. Due to this experience, it has taken a lot of work for Clementine’s anxiety and fears to diminish. However, she has made great progress over the 10 years of being in Winnie and her husband’s life. For this project, she was able to photograph her dog in a studio and create a lasting image that reflects how far Clementine has come since she had to wear a cone after being initially rescued.

After her and her husband took care of Clementine for years, which wasn’t easy, they felt that they had learned a lot of lessons about taking care of another being – and about each other. They realized, eventually, that they were ready to have a child. While they were a little anxious about how Clementine would react, it turns out that their senior dog and toddler have turned into great friends. In this new phase of motherhood, Winnie has found a family balance that fits her and her husband just right.  

About The Guest - Winnie Au

Winnie Au is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her editorial and fine art work focuses primarily on both people and dogs, sometimes both. Winnie has worked on several dog-related projects over the years – including Canine Chronicles (a book that reimagined famous people owning dogs and how those dogs led to their success), Dog-Friendly New York (a Four & Sons guidebook for dog lovers to explore the city), and her new At Home series (photographing people with multiple renditions of their dog inside their home). Her biggest series, however, is Cone of Shame – with a book releasing September 2024, seven years in the making, that tries to flip the negative stigma around dog cones.

About The Host - Dr. Sharon Holland

Dr. Sharon Holland is a Distinguished Professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina (UNC). She teaches a popular class on animal studies, where Sharon challenges students to re-think the way we co-exist with other beings in the world through philosophical discussions. Her most recent book, an other: a black feminist consideration of animal life, explores this concept from a personal perspective as well. She is a lifelong equestrian, who has found strong connections with both horses and dogs. Sharon currently lives in North Carolina with her two rescues: Winnie, a senior lab mix, and Saol Sa'ed, a German Shepherd / Husky / Cattle puppy.

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