You know what they say about never working with animals or children? Or mixing work with family? New Jersey-based photographer Robin Schwartz flies in the face of conventional wisdom with an otherworldly series of portraits of her daughter interacting with a wide range of animals — from the usual suspects, like dogs and cats, to more exotic specimens, like camels and elephants.
“I photograph myself with animals through Amelia,” Schwartz has explained. “I am an only child who has an only child. Each of us has a strong fantasy world. Amelia and I play out our eccentricities in worlds where she and animals not only co-exist, but also interact. Animals are not props in my photographs and they are not photo-shopped in. The world that my daughter and I explore is one where the line between human and animal overlaps or is blurred.”
Click through to view some of our favorite shots, and if you like what you see, pick up Amelia’s World , a lovely monograph which features an essay by Francine Prose.
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz; spotted via Super Punch
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz
Courtesy of Robin Schwartz