May 9, 2020Mr. Wapojif

Underwater Dogs by Seth Casteel

Underwater Dogs by Seth Casteel
Woof.

Dogs, eg? And the water. Underwater dogs! Seth Casteel’s photography book is something of a unique insight into the way we see dogs. And water.

This book (and his pictures) were a big hit around 2012. And we decided to dig up that history and remember it all here eight years later. Hurray!

Underwater Dogs

Casteel is a dog enthusiast (obviously) with a fondness for swimming pools. And photography. Combine all three for epic results.

He’s a self-taught photographer with no fancy degrees, he just used patience and a canny idea to create this epic book.

So, right off, the main draw here is dogs pulling funny faces. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Underwater dog chasing a ball

It’s a momentary, instantaneous snapshot in time. Of a goofy expression us humans would otherwise normally miss.

You can see some of his underwater dogs pictures over on his site. He’s said of the pictures:

"It is one of my life's pursuits to explore the emotion of dogs and is my belief that they have a range of emotions similar to human beings. Buster helped me to realize that many dogs have an incredible connection with the water that goes back thousands of years when dogs were wolves. Today, in many homes, dogs enjoy a life of luxury - sleeping in bed with us, fancy treats, the pet salon. As much as they enjoy these things, dogs have wild instincts and have a need to explore them. The water is simply one of the best ways for them to do this. Curious - Playful - Focused - Primal. All of the dogs featured in this project chose to participate of their own free will. Before meeting me, most of them had never been underwater before and some had never even been swimming. Dogs prove to us that if you just jump in, you might have fun along the way. Dogs inspire us!"

We think the pictures caught everyone’s attention as they highlight why we love dogs (well, why sane people love dogs).

That manic enthusiasm and total disregard for dignity. See ball? Hurl oneself into the water like a maniac. Fun!

Couple this with Ralph Steadman’s Extinct Boids and you’ve got a good old time of it.

However, and weirdly, some people accused him of faking the pictures. As the tennis balls are seen to sink.

Obviously, he’d adjusted them in a way so they’d sink. And there’s plenty of footage of him taking the pictures in pools. So this isn’t much of a conspiracy theory.

Underwater dog chasing a toy

See? Fake! Anyway, we don’t want to include too many of these images. As we don’t wish to breach copyright laws! These are all by Seth Casteel. Go and buy his book!

He’s done a few more since 2012, including Underwater Puppies. Plus, there’s Pounce. Which is about cats and how they’re really fancy jumpers. Good, eh?

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