Among the "models" he got to shoot at a session in the T1 mall were some of Estonia's only native dog breed, the Estonian Hound (Eesti hagijas, somewhat reminiscent of a foxhound – ed.).

Christian Vieler's photos of dogs have gone viral on social media in recent years. The photographer's career started by accident ten years ago.

"I would like to tell the story of the great idea I had, but it was all by accident, because I was taking photos with my beloved labrador Lotte, and we were testing around a little bit; at one moment I threw a treat, then I had it on camera, and it was a starting point."

For the first few years, Vieler only worked inside his native Germany, mainly because he was terrified of flying. However, after being prescribed medication to relieve that, he was able to travel to Estonia.

Once here, 150 dogs "applied" to be photo models, with a targeted search made in respect of one special breed, ie. the Estonian Hound.

One owner, Mariliis, told AK: "I was asked if my dog could catch. When I inquired for what purpose, then heard who needed to know, I was immediately, like, 'yes, of course.' Since I followed this photographer, from a couple of years ago, I tried to do the same with my hound, and it worked."

Another owner, Janne, explained that her dog needs to be trained ahead of a photo session. "This is a new environment for them. It's going to be interesting to see how the shooting turns out, releasing them and making contact with them. So they focus on me, and not run off somewhere inside the mall.

Working with each dog is uniquely challenging, but the photographer said that rewards help out a lot. The best feedback he can get for his work is the gratitude of the pet owners.

"Sometimes owners start to cry, and especially when you have an older dog and you know it will not be living for so long, and you have the chance to get really emotional pictures – and that's what it's really all about. It's all about emotion," Vieler added.

The original AK segment is here.

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