Photography by Brian Jamie

Reprinted from DOWNTOWN Summer 2025 LGBTQ+ Issue

When the world hit pause in 2020, I leaned into something I’d loved for a long time: photography. I’d always had an eye for capturing a moment, but during the stillness of the pandemic, it became a focus. I threw myself into learning, practicing, and sharpening my skills. And what I wanted to photograph was dogs, their amazing personalities and hilarious moments on the streets of NYC.

I saw something magical in the way dogs just are. They live fully in the moment — whether chasing a squirrel or belly-up on the sidewalk. Capturing them lit me up — even when, a few years later, my world turned upside down.

In April 2023, I was diagnosed with glioblastoma — GBM. It’s aggressive. It’s serious. But from the moment I got the news, I made a choice: to meet it with heart, humor, and to keep finding joy.

That same joy I’d been following through the lens — I held onto it tightly. It became an essential part of how I faced each day. And at the center of it all was my muse, Misha our senior American bulldog-mastiff and the greatest co-pilot I could’ve asked for.

During my recovery from brain surgery, Misha helped me rebuild my strength one block at a time. Our walks became therapy. The camera, my rehab.

After surgery, my ability to focus, to think clearly, was foggy. My brain felt like it was buffering. But picking up the camera gave me structure. I was challenged to relearn creative skills. Little by little, frame by frame, my mind sharpened.

We said goodbye to Misha this past January. It was a deep loss. He had carried me through the most vulnerable time of my life and, in his own way, passed the torch forward. A couple of months later, Corinne and I met Riley — a rescue with a gentle soul and endless energy.

With Misha, with Riley, and with NYC as the backdrop, I’ve taken thousands of photos. And with the encouragement and help from someone near and dear to me, Kim Baker — my “CEO,” as I like to call her, because she helps guide me with wisdom, and heart — and Corinne, the love of my life and my anchor through it all, I decided it was time to share them in a book.

It’s called Pawzitivity, and it’s more than just dog portraits. It’s a celebration of resilience, joy, healing, and the soul of this city through its four-legged citizens. It’s a love letter to what keeps me going.

A portion of proceeds is going to Lenox Hill Neurology, where I’m lucky to be cared for by the incomparable — Dr. John Boockvar and his team. Their research and commitment to finding a cure for GBM are extraordinary, and supporting them is one way I can give back for all they’ve given me.

I believe, deeply, that happiness heals. That little moments of beauty aren’t extras. They’re essentials. They’ve helped me feel like me, even in the hardest chapters of my story.

Place camera over bar code to purchase Pawzitivity New York City Dogs, by Josh Owens.

So if the book finds its way to your hands, I hope it reminds you to look for joy, even on the days it feels out of reach. Because joy can be found right in front of us — sometimes on a leash, tail wagging — we just have to be willing to see it.

Thanks for walking with me. @photographerjoshowens PhotographerJoshOwens.com. DTM