Andrew at rest; a rare thing photo by Linda Yuen

Andrew Fladeboe's series The Shepherd's Realm is the product of extensive international travel. He has journeyed from the U.S. to the Netherlands, Scotland, Norway and now, New Zealand, to create striking portraits of working dog breeds. Inspired by the tradition of British animal portraiture, his images reference the 18th-century paintings of George Stubbs and the 19th-century canvasses of Edwin Landseer.

“I've always loved animals. I have a sincere reverence of the natural world; to me animals are proof of something greater. I have been working with animals for much of the past 10 years in my photography. My interest in dogs came from my desire to focus on one type of animal and learn as much as I could about it. Dogs were a natural fit because they are a universal part of human culture and can be found in almost every society in the world. The more I researched dogs the more I fell in love with them and their story. Dogs have been utilized for an amazing range of jobs since they were domesticated roughly 30,000 years ago. They truly are the noble beast of the animal kingdom and have been by our side since we made that initial pact. It’s my interest in working dogs that has lead me to my year in New Zealand photographing dogs. New Zealand is a culture where dogs serve such an incredibly important and integral economic, cultural, and historical role.”

Andy’s pictures have been featured in publications including American Photography, The Vice Photo Book and the forthcoming publication Identities Now: Contemporary Portrait Photography. He is a graduate of the prestigious RISD art school and was awarded a 2014 Fulbright Grant for Photography in New Zealand. Plan to see his work at a solo show at Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art at Site 109 in NY in October 2015.