‘It’s as if Arya, my great dane, is contemplating time and memory’: Johan Van Aarde’s best phone picture | Photography

Arya the great dane was two years old when this image was taken. She was at home in Pretoria, South Africa, with Johan Van Aarde and three other dogs. “It was May 2021, which is our winter season,” van Aarde says. “The courtyard doors that lead to our pool would usually be open, but as the sun and the moon exchanged places and we started getting cosy inside, I closed them.”

That evening, as he prepared dinner, Van Aarde noticed Arya sitting on the sofa, gazing into the distance. “It was as if she was contemplating time and memory, admiring the reflection of the moon on the pool,” he says. “Great danes are majestic creatures with gentle souls who communicate their thoughts with their facial expressions – and, oh boy, do they tell a story.”

Just before Arya’s second birthday, she got lost. She was found safe and well the next day, and Van Aarde remembers ending that evening with “a glass of wine, warm soup and good music”. But the incident had quite an impact on him, and how lucky he feels to have her around. The average life expectancy of this breed is between eight and 10 years; Arya is seven now.

“Great danes are soulmates for life, but as a result of their size the time they share with you is limited,” Van Aarde says. “The photograph evokes a feeling of sadness and longing for me, and the fear of ever having to say goodbye.”