Dogs grow up so fast. Before you know it, that puppy you brought home from the shelter has grown into a full-fledged adult dog. Of course, dog parents love their babies at all stages of life, but it can be sweet to reminisce about your beloved dog’s life journey.
That’s where Seeing Double Edits comes in. Mandy Helwege, the owner and head artist behind Seeing Double Edits, creates portraits of dogs that feature their adult selves Photoshopped next to their puppy selves, creating the illusion that the two exist within the same time and space.
Her business got started in 2018 when she posted a picture of her dog Photoshopped next to a picture of their puppy self. She made it as realistic as possible by fine-tuning the lighting and colors.
The image went viral — people flooded her social media asking Helwege if she could Photoshop their own pets the same way. Pretty soon, she had enough people interested in commissioning portraits of their pets that she was able to quit her job and focus on making these portraits full time.
Even though creating these portraits is now Helwege’s job, she still gets emotional every time she puts together a portrait of an adult dog next to themselves as a puppy.
“I have cried on multiple occasions,” Helwege told The Dodo.
Her favorite portraits to do are ones in which the adult dogs are cuddling or interacting with their puppy selves in some way. And she gets especially emotional when she creates portraits of senior dogs or dogs who have passed away.
“I really love the senior faces [paired] with their younger selves … You can just see how much life [was] lived between the two [moments],” Helwege said.
These portraits really make her reflect on all the experiences a dog will have in their lifetime as they grow from a puppy to an adult to a senior dog.
“That’s kind of what I see in my brain when I’m putting [the portraits] together … [The older dogs] would have so much to tell their little self about all the things [they’ve] done and all of the love that [they’ve] had,” Helwege said.
Helwege’s clients can sense the love she pours into her work. Every day, her clients tell her how much they treasure their pet portraits and how emotional they make them. That’s all that matters to Helwege.
“I just want to create art for other people that they love, [art] that’s impactful and means something,” Helwege said.
