I attended an opening reception today despite the threat of an impending ice storm and temperatures hovering in the low 30s—very cold for Austin, Texas. The 30 Wet Dogs exhibit by professional photographer Will van Overbeek is being held at the Neill-Cochran House Museum just west of the University of Texas campus.
The event was packed with friends, creatives, photographers, and some heavy hitters in the Austin community. I only knew a few people, and I’ve met Will once a long time ago, but my friend Kirk filled me in on the lay of the land. Everyone was friendly, casual, and warm, which was welcoming on such a cold day. It was an impressive and loyal community of people willing to be out on such a pre-storm day when the rest of Austin had already shut down.
Will generously showed attendees how he transformed humble 3MP files into works of art. He shot these dogs with various early digital cameras from around 2003 through 2006. And despite the low resolution, he created spectacular 16” x 20” prints that belied their humble origins.
In addition to great photography and a fun concept, the post-processing elevated the imagery. Many looked like paintings instead of photographs.
Here’s a selection from the 30 on display. Click on the pictures to see a larger version. My favorite is in the middle photo on the left with the blue water background.
Here are some more dogs being admired by the attendees.
The Neill-Cochran House Museum displayed all of Will’s photos in a large room that felt like a Victorian parlor rather than a stark, modern art museum. The museum itself is housed in a Greek Revival Mansion and has a long history.
I brought one camera to the event: my “Full-frame Fujifilm,” the Nikon Zf with the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.2 lens. That’s the same setup I used to create my recent portraits. It shows that this lens is versatile beyond portraiture. It worked particularly well for this event, allowing me to isolate individuals. I shot almost all of the photos with the 50mm and often wide open at f/1.2
I brought a second lens. The tiny pancake Brightin Star 28mm f/2.8. I used it briefly to get a broader perspective of the room, as seen above. However, the image lacked the pop and acuity of the Voigtlander, so I switched back to the 50mm in short order.
Will gave a short thank-you speech, introduced by Rowena Houghton Dasch, the Executive Director of Neill-Cochran House Museum.
This is one of my favorites, documenting others as they make a portrait of Rowena and Will.
I’ll finish the coverage with this close-up of a cocktail table with empty drinks, with the soft blur of Will’s dog portraits courtesy of a f/1.2 aperture. I left 30 minutes early before the ice storm started in earnest.
The 30 Wet Dogs Exhibit will be on display from January 21 through May 24, 2026. Will is giving a free artist talk on Sunday, February 22, from 2:30-4:30 at the museum. Be sure to stop by if you live near Austin.