Sarah Ainslie Pooch Portraits for Roman Road Festival 2014 [Photoessay]

Gina’s Closet teamed up with local photographer Sarah Ainslie to create a pavement shoot for dogs and their owners on Roman Road during Roman Road Festival 2014.

Gina’s Closet owner Jeanette styled an eclectic outdoor drawing room using a mix of  antique, vintage and kitsch furniture, lamps and acccesories from her shop.  With old vinyls crackling out of  record player and glasses of rosé wine being poured, the scene attracted a crowd of onlookers and interested dog owners wanting to be papped with their pooches.

Using this eclectic backdrop photographer Sarah Ainslie worked the models to create this series of beautiful dog portraits – the Sarah Ainslie Pooch Portraits collection.

Ainslie was also joined by local illustrator Sara Pitta, Roman Road Festival’s roving caricuturist, who penned fast and fabulous sketches of the dogs and owners too.

Sarah Ainslie is a freelance photographer based in London’s East End. Her projects include Arsenal football supporters, working women in Hackney, Smithfield Market, Spitalfields, Shoreditch at night, strip pubs, and quite a few East End dogs.  “I criss cross the theatrical world of the rehearsal process and that of exploring the theatre of the street where the lives of the people living and working in the area become integral to their environment,” says Ainslie. “Over recent years I have been a contributing photographer on the Spitalfields Life blog, and continue to be inspired by living and working in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington areas.”

Sarah Ainslie also facilitates photography workshops for elders, young people, teenage mums and the homeless. For more information about her work and workshops, or to request a £20 A4 print of one of the images below, visit Sarah Ainslie’s website here.

Your local news is at risk

Yes, let's do it!