Jonathan Posner started capturing moments with his cavachon dog, Daisy, during their frequent strolls around the Heath.
His initial idea was to create a small booklet of their memories for when she died.
Four years later, and the project had evolved into a full-length book, featuring hundreds of pages of photographs and 47 stories, musings, and reflections, The Whole World and His Dog.
He said: “So in a very tangible sense, this book became a love story.
“Yes of course for my cavachon dog, she who became the most precious thing in my life, it has to be said.
“But also, little did I realise that after a lifetime working in TV and film production, mostly on a gritty London crime dramas, and then latterly in fashion photography, that Hampstead Heath would come to indulge my pure love of colour and composition to such the degree that it did.”
While the book features Daisy, Mr Posner emphasised that it is neither a dog book nor a photo book in the traditional sense.
He said: “And though of course you’ll notice the photographs first and observe Daisy peeking out from amongst the pages here and there, I’d also like to think that some of the writing might resonate with an audience beyond the mere dog-lovers and photography fans amongst us.
“All of us do, after all, lay down memories and later on in our lives retrieve them; many of us fall in love and either remain in that condition or say farewell to it; we wonder about the lives of the strangers we pass; we reflect on sadness and grief and loss and, of course, those missed opportunities.”
Mr Posner paid tribute to Svetla Meijer, “the most talented designer I’ve ever met” – who he said became “the deepest of soulmates” during work on the book.
The Whole World and His Dog, published by Buchanan Press, is available for £45.
