‘It reminds me of the love I feel for my faithful friend’: Tony Hertz’s best phone photo | Drawing

Lolly – a chow-chow-cocker spaniel mix – was Tony Hertzdog for 15 years. Hertz said: “He had long black hair with a little white in his mouth, ears, eyebrows and feet, and his tongue was slightly curved.” He was very handsome.

Hertz and Lolly lived in Pismo Beach, California, when they took this photo. At the time he was working on a series of photographs and books about shadows, and he took him on his regular sunny trips. It’s over a task that takes thirty yearsHertz has photographed queens, popes and presidents, but this was an attempt at something personal. The photo was taken in a grassy area near Walmart. When Hertz sat down on the bench to rest, he saw in their shadows that Lolly was looking at him. “I put my phone out of the shade, I took the picture and looked at Lolly so that our history would match,” she says. Hertz often dons his brimmed hats when looking for new additions to his collection, “to match the noir look”.

Lolly died in November of kidney failure. Hertz said: “There is an empty space in my house. Even though he lived a long time, I still miss him very much. This picture reminds me of the love I had for my faithful friend.”