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‘COMPAWSSION’ CREATES AWARENESS OF RESCUE DOGS

 

Book of canine portraits ‘is all about creating awareness’ of rescue dogs, says author/photographer 

By MARCIA GAWECKI

Former Hollywood actor Frank Bruynbroek developed a love of rescue dogs two decades ago. And the actor-turned-photographer channeled that passion into a book that features humanlike shots of the canines while bringing attention to those that have been neglected and abandoned. “Compawssion: Portraits of Rescued Dogs” is a glossy hardcover book of 100 black-and-white photographs, and a 15-year project of Bruynbroek’s. The book’s growing appeal is largely due to Bruynbroek’s interviews with 25 celebrity-activists, including Dr. Jane Goodall, Diane Keaton, Ellen DeGeneres, Jackie Chan, Kim Basinger and Brigitte Bardot. Bruynbroek conducted in-person and phone interviews with the stars, some taking years to complete. For example, he flew twice to Paris to meet with Bardot, only to interview her over the phone. “All of them talked about their passion for dogs and why they rescued them, as opposed to buying them,” Bruynbroek said. “The stories are about love and respect.” He said Kim Basinger’s animals are an antidote to what she considers a noisy world where most people are either living in the past, or in the future. “Dogs don’t have that battle. They are present beings,” Basinger said in “Compawssion.” “They’re so good at the mundane things. They’re very still in their communication. Their voices are so loud to me. In their stillness, I really hearsomething that’s valuable.” On Saturday, Café Aroma of Idyllwild will host a book signing. “This book is all about creating awareness,” Bruynbroek said during a recent interview at his gallery in Oakbrook Village in Idyllwild. Tee, a female pit bull rescued from a junkyard, was asleep at his feet. The portraits come from Bruynbroek’s early days as an activist, and from later commissioned portraits. “I think people like them because they look a lot like people,” Bruynbroek said. Dogs may not be the easiest subjects to photograph, but one owner whose pet is featured in the book says she believes they’re cooperative because of Bruynbroek’s demeanor. “I think dogs know that Frank is safe,” said Tawny Crist, of Banning, whose 15-year-old female German shorthaired pointer, Mic, is featured in the book. “He doesn’t do ‘cutesy,’ but brings attention to abused and neglected dogs.” “Compawssion” was released in mid-October and by mid-November had sold 70 copies at $75 each. A Collector’s Edition sells for $395. On the “Compawssion” website, there’s a list of eight animal rescue groups selected to receive a portion of the book’s proceeds. The book has been featured in national newspapers and magazines. “Entertainment Tonight” was expected to feature a spot on Friday. Cesar Millan, of the popular “Dog Whisperer” TV series, wrote the foreword, while the back features a quote by William Wegman, famous for his portraits of dressed-up Weimaraners. “Each portrait is a searing guided missile straight to the heart,” wrote Wegman. Two decades ago, Bruynbroek was rescuing homeless dogs with his girlfriend and aggressively trying to find homes for all of them. “We would set up with our donated van on different sidewalks each weekend in L.A., trying to place homeless dogs. It was a crazy time,” Bruynbroek said.         

 

When his beloved pit bull, Rosalie, died, Bruynbroek vowed to create a broader awareness with his photographic skills. As a Hollywood actor, he knew the value of celebrity, and set out to interview celebrity-activists. Luckily, one of his dog-portrait customers put him in touch with actress Diane Keaton. “Diane was my first celebrity interview,” Bruynbroek said. “She could afford any breed she wanted, but she chose a mutt.” Keaton’s rescue dog, Red, is featured in his book. He said that talking to celebrities was easy because it was all about the dogs. “I love seeing tough guys like Gene Simmons from KISS, ‘kootchie-kooing’ with his five dogs,” Bruynbroek said. He met other celebrities, such as Jackie Chan, on a movie set. “We were filming ‘Rush Hour 3,’ and Jackie Chan was in my scene. So I gave everyone on the set my dog calendars, including his assistant who set up the meeting for me,” Bruynbroek said. No photos of celebrities are featured in the book; only six select portraits of their dogs. Simone Reyes, who works with Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, rescues dogs that nobody wants. Reyes’ dog with no eyes is the last one Bruynbroek featured in the book. “I wanted to show that eyes or no eyes, they don’t care,” Bruynbroek said. “They still give us love and have no complaints about life.” Bruynbroek uses black-and-white film and a professional printer to process his photographs. Sometimes the first image works, while other shoots take longer. “I don’t use a digital camera, so I take my time to get the right shot,” he said. Mecca, a 4-year-old English deerhound, was rescued by Idyllwild residents Gretchen and Jack Peckham, who are greyhound rescue activists. “Mecca was on her third litter of puppies, and was living with Jose, a homeless man, with three other adult dogs in the back of a truck,” Gretchen Peckham said. A woman affiliated with a dog rescue group near Sacramento persuaded Jose to let Mecca birth the puppies in her home. Two of the 12 died while Mecca was sick with heartworm. Later, the woman sent out an email to place the puppies, but Gretchen Peckham was interested in Mecca. “She was in pretty bad shape, but survived the painful heartworm treatment,” Jack Peckham said. They won a dog portrait at an Animal Rescue Friends auction, and Mecca was the first of their many dogs to be photographed by Bruynbroek. “Frank really captures the essence of their personalities,” Gretchen said. Café Aroma owner Hubert Halkin, who lives in Idyllwild and La Jolla, was impressed with Bruynbroek’s book. “Café Aroma welcomes dogs of all kinds, and quite a few of them have been beautifully photographed by Frank,” Halkin said. The “Compawssion” book signing will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Café Aroma, 54750 N. Circle Drive in Idyllwild. A portion of the proceeds will go to Animal Rescue Friends.

To order the book, visit www.compawssion.com.

 

 

Good Morning America

Good Morning America and George Stephanopoulos have Compawssion!!!

Holiday Coffee-Table Books Make Great Gifts

"GMA" takes a look at some of the biggest trends this holiday season.
12/12/2012

TRANSCRIPT: This one is just incredible. "Compawssion" It's all rescue dogs.

It was done to raise money for the Brittany Foundation, a nonprofit charity to rescuing dogs. I think we're going to show Betty Lou.

A 17-year-old chihuahua. She was left abandoned as a tiny, little baby. The new owner did not let her be put down.

Now, she's 17 years old




Idyllwild Town Crier

 

Us Weekly BUZZZZ-O-METER

 Us Weekly, Decemeber 10, 2012 issue / BUZZZZ-O-METER!!!

 

 



BOOKS: ‘Compawssion’ creates awareness of rescue dogs

 

Book of canine portraits ‘is all about creating awareness’ of rescue dogs, says author/photographer

Idyllwild — Former Hollywood actor Frank Bruynbroek developed a love of rescue dogs two decades ago. And the actor-turned-photographer channeled that passion into a book that features humanlike shots of the canines while bringing attention to those that have been neglected and abandoned.

 

“Compawssion: Portraits of Rescued Dogs” is a glossy hardcover book of 100 black-and-white photographs, and a 15-year project of Bruynbroek’s. The book’s growing appeal is largely due to Bruynbroek’s interviews with 25 celebrity-activists, including Dr. Jane Goodall, Diane Keaton, Ellen DeGeneres, Jackie Chan, Kim Basinger and Brigitte Bardot.

 

Bruynbroek conducted in-person and phone interviews with the stars, some taking years to complete. For example, he flew twice to Paris to meet with Bardot, only to interview her over the phone.

 

“All of them talked about their passion for dogs and why they rescued them, as opposed to buying them,” Bruynbroek said. “The stories are about love and respect.”

 

He said Kim Basinger’s animals are an antidote to what she considers a noisy world where most people are either living in the past, or in the future.

 

“Dogs don’t have that battle. They are present beings,” Basinger said in “Compawssion.” “They’re so good at the mundane things. They’re very still in their communication. Their voices are so loud to me. In their stillness, I really hearsomething that’s valuable.”

 

On Saturday, Café Aroma of Idyllwild will host a book signing.

 

“This book is all about creating awareness,” Bruynbroek said during a recent interview at his gallery in Oakbrook Village in Idyllwild. Tee, a female pit bull rescued from a junkyard, was asleep at his feet.

 

The portraits come from Bruynbroek’s early days as an activist, and from later commissioned portraits.

 

“I think people like them because they look a lot like people,” Bruynbroek said.

 

Dogs may not be the easiest subject to photograph, but one owner whose pet is featured in the book says she believes they’re cooperative because of Bruynbroek’s demeanor.

 

“I think dogs know that Frank is safe,” said Tawny Crist, of Banning, whose 15-year-old female German shorthaired pointer, Mic, is featured in the book. “He doesn’t do ‘cutesy,’ but brings attention to abused and neglected dogs.”

 

“Compawssion” was released in mid-October, and by mid-November had sold 70 copies at $75 each. A Collector’s Edition sells for $395. On the “Compawssion” website, there’s a list of eight animal rescue groups selected to receive a portion of the book’s proceeds.

 

The book has been featured in national newspapers and magazines. “Entertainment Tonight” was expected to feature a spot on Friday.

 

Cesar Millan, of the popular “Dog Whisperer” TV series, wrote the foreword, while the back features a quote by William Wegman, famous for his portraits of dressed-up Weimaraners.

 

“Each portrait is a searing guided missile straight to the heart,” wrote Wegman.

 

Two decades ago, Bruynbroek was rescuing homeless dogs with his girlfriend and aggressively trying to find homes for all of them.

 

“We would set up with our donated van on different sidewalks each weekend in L.A., trying to place homeless dogs. It was a crazy time,” Bruynbroek said.

 

When his beloved pit bull, Rosalie, died, Bruynbroek vowed to create a broader awareness with his photographic skills. As a Hollywood actor, he knew the value of celebrity, and set out to interview celebrity-activists.

 

Luckily, one of his dog-portrait customers put him in touch with actress Diane Keaton.

 

“Diane was my first celebrity interview,” Bruynbroek said. “She could afford any breed she wanted, but she chose a mutt.”

 

Keaton’s rescue dog, Red, is featured in his book.

 

He said that talking to celebrities was easy because it was all about the dogs.

 

“I love seeing tough guys like Gene Simmons from KISS, ‘kootchie-kooing’ with his five dogs,” Bruynbroek said.

 

He met other celebrities, such as Jackie Chan, on a movie set.

 

“We were filming ‘Rush Hour 3,’ and Jackie Chan was in my scene. So I gave everyone on the set my dog calendars, including his assistant who set up the meeting for me,” Bruynbroek said.

 

No photos of celebrities are featured in the book; only six select portraits of their dogs.

 

Simone Reyes, who works with Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, rescues dogs that nobody wants. Reyes’ dog with no eyes is the last one Bruynbroek featured in the book.

 

“I wanted to show that eyes or no eyes, they don’t care,” Bruynbroek said. “They still give us love and have no complaints about life.”

 

Bruynbroek uses black-and-white film and a professional printer to process his photographs. Sometimes the first image works, while other shoots take longer.

 

“I don’t use a digital camera, so I take my time to get the right shot,” he said.

 

Mecca, a 4-year-old English deerhound, was rescued by Idyllwild residents Gretchen and Jack Peckham, who are greyhound rescue activists.

 

“Mecca was on her third litter of puppies, and was living with Jose, a homeless man, with three other adult dogs in the back of a truck,” Gretchen Peckham said.

 

A woman affiliated with a dog rescue group near Sacramento persuaded Jose to let Mecca birth the puppies in her home. Two of the 12 died while Mecca was sick with heartworm. Later, the woman sent out an email to place the puppies, but Gretchen Peckham was interested in Mecca.

 

“She was in pretty bad shape, but survived the painful heartworm treatment,” Jack Peckham said.

 

They won a dog portrait at an Animal Rescue Friends auction, and Mecca was the first of their many dogs to be photographed by Bruynbroek.

 

“Frank really captures the essence of their personalities,” Gretchen said.

 

Café Aroma owner Hubert Halkin, who lives in Idyllwild and La Jolla, was impressed with Bruynbroek’s book.

 

“Café Aroma welcomes dogs of all kinds, and quite a few of them have been beautifully photographed by Frank,” Halkin said.

 

The “Compawssion” book signing will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Café Aroma, 54750 N. Circle Drive in Idyllwild. A portion of the proceeds will go to Animal Rescue Friends.

 

To order the book, visit www.compawssion.com.

 

 


 

Famed dog photographer captures the canine spirit

 

 

The portrait of Aja is haunting. Her missing eye and her other luminous green one are almost closed, ears pinned back, a serene look on her face. The black and white portrait of the red-nosed Pit Bull terrier possesses a hauntingly beautiful aura, sort of like a canine Mona Lisa.

Yet this is not a one-time-get-lucky Kodak moment. Photographs as rich as this are commonplace for Los Angeles-based dog photographer Frank Bruynbroek ("Brin-brook"). He's best known for capturing canine souls and personalities in dramatic black-and-white portraits too emotionally charged not to be called works of art.

Originally from a small town on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium, this modern-day Renaissance Man tried his hand at everything before finding his true calling: French teacher, motorcycle tourist, wedding photographer, light-show designer, ski instructor, commercial director, background singer. At the age of 29, he moved to Hollywood to try his hand at acting, and found out he was good at it. From securing side roles in "Godzilla" and "Rush Hour 3" to landing commercials, television spots and voice-over work, Bruynbroek found himself immersed in the Hollywood dream. In between acting jobs, he dabbled in his hobby—photography.

It was during one of these "dabbles" that Bruynbroek stumbled upon his life's path. In 1997, while taking headshot pictures of a fellow actor, Bruynbroek turned around and saw his Pit Bull/Boxer Rosalie, 1 year old, just staring at him in the most intriguing way. Acting on instinct, he snapped the shot and, suddenly, knew he was on to something. Shortly after that, Rosalie died unexpectedly of an illness, and Bruynbroek realized how precious that one, perfect photo embodying Rosalie's image and soul was to him.

Years passed, more acting commenced, and then came the photo of Aja, another of Bruynbroek's beloved rescues. The sun slanted through the yard just right, Aja beamed into the lens and Bruynbroek struck gold. The image of his canine soulmate further launched his photography career. The pieces formed years ago with Rosalie's one and only snapshot began taking shape. That portrait of Aja wound up winning contests and being sold numerous times to various publications, mainly because it says so much, says Bruynbroek.

"I want to show that dogs, no matter how cruel we were to them, they bounce back and they love back," he says.

And he's giving back. Having adopted Rosalie, Aja and his other Pit Bull Sophie from the Brittany Foundation, a non-profit all-breed dog rescue in Los Angeles, Bruynbroek is no stranger to the joys of rescuing dogs and the need to bring attention to dog rescues.

An idea about creating a photography book featuring rescued dogs photographed in the soulful, black-and-white close-up portrait style Bruynbroek is famous for began brewing. Called "Compawssion," this book is an homage to his Rosalie, as well as the countless other homeless dogs needing homes and the former orphans now living good lives with loving owners.

"Why don't I use my talent with photography to help the cause," he remembers thinking 15 years ago when this project started forming. "I began looking at my art differently….The cause of rescue dogs became bigger, almost a humanitarian cause. It's almost like my calling. It's definitely a great new chapter of my life I embrace."

In "Compawssion," stories of dogs' love written by celebrities will round out this coffee-table book, with proceeds going to dog rescue organizations. Bruynbroek will be signing his book this month all around the Southland. Click here for dates and times.

Owners often hire Bruynbroek to take portraits of their pets, many of which are rescues that will wind up in "Compawssion." Sometimes, Bruynbroek will approach owners of interesting-looking dogs at popular dog hangouts, like the hiking trails near his home. He spends hours with his canine subjects in their own environments, waiting patiently for that one moment—that one look—so that what he captures on film (he's old school, no digital cameras here) not only makes a good picture, but symbolizes what that dog is all about. No silly hats, wigs or funny poses in a studio setting here; Bruynbroek's style is all about finding the soul and letting it come through the lens.

"Dogs live in the moment—that's when I connect with them in my camera" he says. "They're very much like Zen masters. Animals are freer than we are. They don't judge."

This feeling of peace and tranquility is exactly what he tries to provide in his gallery, Oh My Dog, in Idyllwild, Calif., near Palm Springs. Featuring approximately 70 large-scale black-and-whites of dogs, the gallery introduces visitors not just to Bruynbroek's photographic talents, but to the world of rescue, too.

"It's the seed I plant in people's brains with art and soulful pictures," he says. "It goes beyond a canine picture. If I can be inspirational, it's my duty to inspire people."

Even though his three Pit Bull girls are gone now ("Every time a dog goes, it's devastating," he says. "It's a way to show us that nothing lasts forever and death is a part of life. [Maybe] they show us the way."), Bruynbroek hasn't given up on fostering orphans, which he does mostly through the Brittany Foundation. Perhaps history will repeat itself and he'll adopt one of his fosters as he did three times before. But one thing's for sure: he'll probably be photographing those who stay with him on a temporary basis. Because canine photography is more than a job for Bruynbroek. It's his mission.