Pets bring comfort and joy as close companions to humans. But of course, dogs are a man’s best friend. New Yorkers have a great love for dogs. There are 600,000 dogs in New York City, and dogs make up 27% of New York households. For college students, seeing a dog on or off campus can remind them of home and provide an instant boost of serotonin or stress relief. There’s a reason why Fordham’s Pet Advocacy for Underprivileged Survivors (PAUS) club brings puppies on campus during finals week. Fordham students are lucky to be neighbors to the dogs of New York.

Dogs are clearly a huge part of our lives and photographer, Gray Malin, captures that with his photo series called “Dogs of New York.” Malin used 14 dogs and a team of 24 people to accomplish this project. He includes a total of 12 photos in the collection. He shot the dogs in one day at different iconic New York locations: Central Park, Bergdorf Goodman, Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Center and the Plaza Hotel. 

He captured various dog breeds including a dalmation, golden retriever, great dane, Irish setter mix, poodle, corgi, bernise and more. “Picnic Party” features several dogs in Central Park set up for a picnic. One dog, surrounded by lounge chairs, balloons, a picnic basket and a beach ball, is holding a baguette in its mouth. 

In another, on the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Plaza, Malin captures the dogs wearing sunglasses and “sunbathing;” the photo is fittingly named “Sunbathers.” He personifies the dogs throughout this piece to play around with our view of pets. Although we see dogs all the time, they aren’t shopping in front of Bergdorf Goodman or sightseeing on the Top of the Rock — that’s why Malin’s playful twist on perspective makes for creative art. 

 Some of my favorite of Malin’s pieces are his shots of other unique animals and his aerial beach shots. He’s included  a lion, horse, elephant, camel, giraffe, llama, penguin and   monkey. These shots are taken all over the world and set up according to the theme. 

The photos contain good contrast, color and saturation. This makes them pleasing to the eye. Malin has over 400,000 followers on Instagram and got his start selling his work in flea markets. 

He sells his photos in three sizes on his website and offers different options of frames. His collections have several themes and locations ranging from Hollywood to Antarctica. In addition to “Dogs of New York,” he also has “Dogs at the Beverly Hills Hotel.” Not only does he sell photography prints, but he also sells a huge variety of different products including puzzles, tote bags, passport cases, trays, gift wrap, candles and much more. 

His decorative and aesthetically pleasing products are of high quality and artistic value. For art lovers and New Yorkers looking for simple apartment decor, his products do the trick.