Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Dempsey and Brooks Morrison.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Honestly, we both just love hilarious photos of pets. Our texts and DMs from the past decade of friendship are littered with weird photos of huge cats, dogs wearing clothes, head replacements, and other rad animals. After collaborating on a few different projects together – as well as recognizing an animal theme in both of our personal creative endeavors – we really wanted to start something new in LA that honors both what we love and what we’re good at. Thus, we figured a custom pet photography company was a great merging of our talents and interests. Most importantly, our company credo has always focused on building an everlasting memory for our clients to honor their pets forever. And while the average pet portrait company is great, we wanted to design a more bizarre experience that fits our style.
Please tell us about your art.
We are an adventurous pet photography business. We play in the realms of magical realism, gravity, and humor. We love the process of working with our clients to customize the perfect photo that encapsulates their relationship with their pet. We want to illuminate what makes someone’s pet so unique with an equally unique photo.
Typically, each client fills out our questionnaire to give us a better sense of who they are, what they love (or even hate) about their pets, and what their wildest expectations are. We then work together to pitch 3-4 different ideas that excite us before deciding which concept to move forward with. From there, we source props and find the ideal location. Our human clients can either jump onto stunt mats, balance on a ladder, jump off a trampoline, contort their bodies, or do whatever it takes to get the image. Then, we enter “pet time,” where we’re somewhat at the mercy of orchestrating an authentic moment of that pet.
In the edit, we stitch everything together to make a fantastical situation appear realistic. Haters say it’s Photoshop. It usually is.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
Art can be totally lonely. As our homie, Stephen King says, “it’s like crossing the Atlantic ocean in a bathtub.” But part of our business model, along with what we love most about this project, is that it relies on collaboration. Not just between us as business partners, but also as a one-on-one relationship with our clients. If they’re not happy, we’re not happy. We work together to create something that is more than just a photo – it’s a wild, lovely memory. Sometimes the process is more important than the outcome, and we’re incredibly grateful to build each scenario with completely different perspectives.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Sup Dog Photography exists primarily on Instagram and our website, but we have lots of exciting plans for expansion in 2019. We want a mobile pet studio to drive around the country. We want to print multiple books. We want to shoot with Beyonce (Does anyone here know her?). Literally, anything we can do to keep this project going will be considered a victory. The best way to support our work is to tell your friends. We do gift certificates, events, holiday deals, and could shoot cute ‘lil pets all day long. Hit us up for rates and dates.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.supdogphotography.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @supdogphotography
Image Credit:
Mike Dempsey and Brooks Morrison
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