Hunter and Sarah Lawrence travel all over the world taking incredible photos, but while their work is undoubtedly amazing, public attention has been focused on one of their works of art in particular: Their dog Aspen.
The four-year-old golden retriever is a mountain pup who’s all about enjoying the fresh air and exploring what nature the world has to offer.
In short: He’s Instagram’s latest sensation.
A lot of the time it’s difficult to say what exactly makes a photo or video go viral, but with Aspen, it’s the organic connection between photographer Hunter and his dog that makes his photos resonate with so many fans – over 200,000 of them, to be exact.
Sure, it sounds a lot for a dog, but between the breathtaking North American landscapes, Aspen’s gaze into the camera lens and the reflection of pure happiness, it’s hard not to fall in love with these captivating shots.
And it doesn’t hurt that Aspen is clearly loving himself in them:
Surprisingly, Aspen’s humans Hunter and Sarah were unsure if they wanted to put their dog on Instagram in the first place.
Once they saw how the photos turned out though, they were convinced they were worth sharing.
And they definitely were:
And that incredible eye contact? It’s no pose.
“Aspen’s as organic as it gets. Camera or no camera, it’s the same dog,” Hunter told The Dodo. Noting the difference between working with a human and a dog, he said: “There’s always the risk as soon as you pull out a camera that people will get shy. He’s fully secure. There’s just this connection between he and I.”
And the same goes for that smile. Hunter said: “We’re not doing something to make him smile. He’s just genuinely happy.”
The combination certainly makes for some incredible photos.
