Carmen Gonzalez, animal photographer, and Waldo, a Bedlington Terrier, in Paris, June 19, 2025. AUDOIN DESFORGES FOR LE MONDE
Carmen Gonzalez woke up early. At 8 am, she had an appointment with Napoleon, a Parisian Whippet. Dog photos, she said, must be taken early in the morning. For the past four years, the American has worked as a canine photographer. She usually lives in New York: In early June, she captured around 200 dogs there before flying to Italy, then to Paris. "The challenge with European dogs is that they behave a little less well during photo sessions. New York dogs are so used to posing that it makes the job easier. When they arrive, it's as if they already know what's expected of them."
Mylène Bertaux, author of Toutoute, an investigative book on the role of dogs in our lives from Los Angeles to Paris, acknowledged that dogs are more stressed in the French capital, but says this is mainly a matter of generations. "Millennials' dogs are more used to being handled by dog parents who are very attentive." She claims her French Bulldog instinctively looks at the camera. She keeps around 2,470 photos of Toutoute on her smartphone – almost five and a half times more than of her partner, who, incidentally, has been in her life longer.
