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Martin Usborne's photographs that capture the silence and sadness of dogs in cars

Martin Usborne is a London-based photographer whose key interest is man's relationship to animals.

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All images courtesy of Martin Usborne. Via Creative Boom submission

All images courtesy of Martin Usborne. Via Creative Boom submission

Although his imagery is sometimes dark - capturing the way in which we silence, control or distance ourselves from animals - his work strives for a hint of humour. This particular series called 'The Silence of Dogs in Cars' relates to his experience when he was once left in a car at a young age, and wondered if anyone would come back - even though he was loved as a child and someone did.

He explains: "When I started this project I knew the photos would be dark. In a sense, I was attempting to go back inside my car, to re-experience what I couldn’t bear as a child. What I didn’t expect was to see so many subtle reactions by the dogs: some sad, some expectant, some angry, some dejected. It was as if upon opening up a box of grey-coloured pencils I was surprised to see so many shades inside... There is life in the darkest places inside us."

Martin is currently spending a year to see how many animals he can save in 365 days. Read his ongoing blog here.

A dog sits alone in the back seat of a vintage car with tan leather interior, gazing out the window with a melancholy expression
A dog with black and white markings sits on an orange blanket inside a parked car, gazing out through the window in warm evening light
Shaggy dog with mouth open looking out of the window of a burgundy car, bathed in sunlight
Grey dog with pointed ears sitting inside a car, gazing out through the window with a contemplative expression
White dog with dark markings looking out through a rain-covered car window at night, its breath fogging the glass
Weimaraner dog sitting in a car at night, gazing pensively through the window towards city lights
White dog looking out through the window of a weathered grey car
A dog peers out from the rear window of a vintage car, with "Slaves" written on the glass beside it
Two wolves looking out from the windows of a dark blue car, their expressions contemplative and wary
A white dog sits in the driver's seat of a car at night, gazing out through the windscreen at an illuminated cityscape, from Martin Usborne's series The Silence of Dogs in Cars
A light-coloured vintage Mini car parked in front of a wooden garage, with a dog visible looking out through the side window
Dalmatian dog sitting alone inside a dark vintage car, looking out through the window with a solemn expression
Dog looking out of the window of a stationary car parked beside a tree in a misty forest setting
Dog sitting alone in the passenger seat of a dark blue car, looking out through the windscreen with a melancholic expression
Vintage car parked in an empty industrial alleyway at dusk, lined with brick buildings and lit windows
A white-haired dog with a sad expression gazes through a grimy car window, framed by the dark interior of a burgundy vehicle
A dark-coloured camper van sits alone on a vast, wet beach at dusk, with rocky outcrops to the left and mountains visible across the water under a cloudy sky
A dark sedan parked alone beneath an industrial bridge in a shadowy urban space, from Martin Usborne's The Silence of Dogs in Cars series
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