( CNN ) -- Seth Casteel never expected his photos of dogs to make a big splash , but then again , he never expected one of his canine clients to jump into a pool during a shoot . Casteel , 31 , is the photographer behind a quirky collection of images of dogs caught in the act of diving , swimming , splashing and generally goofing off in the water . What makes the photos different from anything you 've seen before is Casteel 's perspective : below the surface , with the dogs lunging toward the camera in pursuit of a toy . Dogs are an interesting subject , he says . `` They enjoy the benefits of 21st century living , staying in a warm house , sleeping in the bed with you , '' he says , `` but getting in the water brings out the wildness in them . '' Casteel 's soggy dogs shot to stardom on February 9 , when someone posted a few of his pictures on the social sharing site Reddit and they became an overnight viral hit , spreading to Facebook , Google+ and Twitter and in short order reaching 150 million views . His website ( www.littlefriendsphoto.com ) crashed under the weight of a huge increase in traffic . `` By the morning of February 10 the pictures were everywhere , '' he said . `` It just went nuts . It literally happened in the blink of an eye . '' Suddenly he was receiving requests and offers from all over the world . One of those offers was a book deal from Little , Brown and Company , which on October 23 published `` Underwater Dogs , '' a 132-page coffee-table book ( $ 19.99 ) dripping with drenched dogs . A 2013 wall calendar also is on sale . `` I would have never known something like this could happen , '' Casteel said . `` I went from not having enough work to having too much work . '' Casteel said he wants to show the unique personality of each dog he photographs and tell its story . `` I 'm interested in how emotional they are and how similar to humans they are , '' he said . Before the shooting starts , Casteel spends time getting to know the dog and earning its trust . `` I show up , we start playing fetch , we become pals and we just move it to the water , '' he said . Casteel wears a wet suit and snorkel mask , and sometimes uses diving weights to keep himself from floating . Then he tosses a toy and starts shooting . Cooling off in the dog days of summer . He never knows what he 's going to get . Sometimes it takes two hours in the water to get a good shot , as it did with a pug named Duncan . On the other hand , Duchess , the wide-eyed black Labrador on the cover of the book , gave him that stellar image within three minutes , he said . `` I could have a great shot immediately -- or not , '' Casteel said . `` But that 's what I love about it . '' Some of the photos are downright frightening or otherworldly as the rambunctious animals bare their teeth and flail their paws in pursuit of an elusive tennis ball or other toy . `` You might get something silly or you might get something terrifying , '' the photographer said . `` Some kids think those really kind of primal , edgy shots are funny . '' The way Casteel got into dog photography is a story in itself . `` For me , it 's been like destiny if you believe in that sort of thing , '' he said . While working in advertising at Sony Pictures , he started volunteering at a Los Angeles-area animal shelter . Casteel shot flattering portraits of animals awaiting adoption , a departure from the usual shelter photos of terrified animals in small , dark cages . Nicer pictures , ones that brought out the animals ' personalities , resulted in more adoptions , he said . `` We 've gotten fantastic results from showing positive photographs , '' he said . Soon after , he and a stranger cooperated to corral a stray Weimaraner that was running around on a busy road . After the dog was safely out of traffic , the men chatted , Casteel mentioned his shelter photos and the stranger hired Casteel to take pictures of his dog . Referrals led to similar gigs . It was at one of those private shoots that a dog first jumped into a pool , and a new career was born . ( The New York Times recently hired Casteel to go to Alaska to shoot the sockeye salmon migration . A major difference between photographing dogs and photographing fish , he joked , is that `` the salmon certainly are n't interested in a tennis ball . '' ) His work at the shelter also led Casteel to create a nonprofit organization called Second Chance Photos , through which he trains shelters in the art of pet photography . That work has taken him all over the United States as well as to Australia and Great Britain , he said . `` I really enjoy it because it gives me freedom to explore what I 'm passionate about . '' `` I do n't even call it a job . It 's my life , '' he added . `` It 's kind of a dream-come-true thing for me . '' How do you think your pooch would fare in an underwater shoot ? Share your thoughts in the comments section below . `` Like '' CNN Living on Facebook .
Photographer # ##i creates a new way to look at dogs . A few ' ` underwater dogs '' photos went viral last winter . Casteel tries to capture dogs ' faces . He helps shelters by taking nice portraits of adoptable dogs .