"Show": Breeders, trainers and pet show exhibitors

EVERY DAY PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND THE WORLD looking for new ways to tell stories or to capture what we previously did not notice. We choose interesting photo projects and ask their authors what they wanted to say. This week we are publishing the project "Show" by London-based photographer Toby Coulson. For several years now, he has traveled all over the UK and has been taking pictures of animal exhibitions — from rabbits to cats — in the hands of owners, jury members and trainers, in order to show unusual relationships between animals and people.

For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a photographer. This is probably due to the fact that my father really loved photography and this love was passed on to me. Later I received a profile education at the University of Falmouth. Most of all I like to shoot people and the spaces in which they fit. The main difficulty is that people are accustomed to constantly taking selfies and taking certain poses. My task is to make them relax, and I was able to catch and show the peculiarities of their character through a portrait.

When I first came to the exhibition of animals, I was amazed at what I saw: there were a sea of people in white coats, on the tables in front of them were pets, who were evaluated from various sides. The attitude of breeders to their wards is not at all similar to what we usually feel towards our pets. These animals are certainly loved and well cared for, but at the same time they are looked at through the prism of certain requirements, ranging from the correctness of color to the size. All animals are trimmed in a special way, combed and prepared specifically for the exhibition, and the air feels the tension of the owners, each of whom is madly worried about his pet. I shoot all the heroes of the project on a background specially brought with me, because there is always a fuss at exhibitions, and I need to make sure that the environment does not distract attention from the main thing - the owner and his pet. This is an example of an incredible relationship between humans and animals, I plan to continue this project and visit many more exhibitions.