“People ask me what's your favorite thing to photograph? And I say dogs, because in the 27 years of doing it, I haven't had a single one complain about the picture,” said Scott Gianchetta, owner of The Photo Box. 

Since 2009, Gianchetta and his family have run companion animal portrait events with organizations like the Humane Society of Utah to raise funds for the animals they serve. 

“One hundred percent of the proceeds upfront go to [the Humane Society],” Gianchetta said, “and it gives people an opportunity to get a really good shot, outside of having to pay a session fee.”

Most recently, The Photo Box and the Humane Society of Utah hosted the Palentine’s Pet Portrait event at their Murray headquarters. People with companion animals could book a time slot for Feb. 7. 

Gianchetta has set up a real studio experience for participating animals, with multiple backdrops and curated lighting. His daughter, Violet, worked on editing from the sidelines. Participants receive multiple shots and leave with one edited and printed 8x10-inch photo to take home. 

Slots for the event were fully booked days before it occurred.

People with companion animals were immediately impressed with the shots they received. 

One participant, Cindy, came following a recommendation from her mother. Her black lab and German pointer, Cooper and Toby, have made it hard for her to get good pictures in the past. 

“My dogs are old, but they're full of energy, and so getting good photos of them is super hard,” she said. “So, I’m super excited to see what comes up.”

Marie, who had previously attended the Christmas photoshoot fundraiser, came in with her dogs Misa, Gidget and Rip. Marie and a Humane Society volunteer did their best to wrangle the dogs for group shots and solo portraits. 

“I just think this photographer is excellent,” she said. “The Christmas shot that we got turned out really good.” 

Over the years Gianchetta has perfected tricks to grab the perfect shot, using treats, a duck call and an array of other attention-grabbing antics. 

“We always joke, we just need 1/20th of a second. So that's it, because the rest of time they're spinning in circles and it's chaotic,” Gianchetta said.

It’s not only dogs bringing chaos to the shoot.

“I mean, the different types of animals that come in are amazing to me,” he said. “I mean some of the photographs of skunks, horses… different things like that.”

Despite doing the fundraiser for more than a decade, Gianchetta has yet to tire of the work. “I always like the reactions I get from the owners, because they can't believe the pictures that are being produced,” he said. 

Since the event has remained a hit over the years, Gianchetta hopes to one day pass the torch on to someone within his company, possibly his daughter Violet. Repeat participants can look forward to more years of quality companion animal portraits, for a cause.

Scott Gianchetta, owner of The Photo Box, gets a group shot of Gidget, Misa and Rip. (McKinna Baird/City Journals)