Photographer focuses on dogs and cars for calendar

Pugs feature in the new calendar. Picture: Barcroft Media

Lara Jo Regan, 48, embarked on the extraordinary task of snapping ecstatic dogs as they hang their heads out of car windows.

“I usually try to come up with ideas that are somewhat odd and complex to assure no one else is doing the same thing,

“But as an owner of three dogs living in the Los Angeles car culture, the idea was just staring me in the face,” she said.

The unique shoot, which took place in Los Angeles, California, was designed to explore the joy experienced by pugs and huskies amongst other breads, when a breeze hits their faces.

The calendar reads ‘whether it’s a pug in a pick-up, a husky in a hybrid, or a corgi in a convertible, these exuberant photographs will keep you smiling all year long’.

The renowned animal photographer added: “Most dogs become downright delirious over a car ride, and I wanted to capture this amazing primal energy in photographs beyond what I’d seen before.”

Lara began using her friends dogs in shoots before advertising online for other breads that she also thought would work, admitting her favourite photo was that of three pugs in a Volvo,

“A pug is naturally hilarious, but three of those faces slobbering in unison out the window of a moving car is an off-the-charts gut buster”.

The majority of shoots consisted of three people, Lara, a driver and someone to keep the dogs secure. Others were conducted car to car, with Lara being driven alongside the subject whilst in another vehicle.

Lara is also known for her photographs of her canine muse Mr Winkle ‘the cutest dog in the universe’ transforming him into an international icon, featuring in various calendars, cards and artwork.

The Dogs In Cars calendar 2014 is available at: www.officialdogsincars.com.