Etsy

I'm a photographer/graphic artist who is delighted to have figured out how to combine two of my passions - collecting old photos and (seemingly) collecting pets. I have been a photographer/graphic designer for 20 years, and Photoshop user oh, er - I mean costume maker, for about 14 years. I've also been an animal lover all my life and I go to the animal shelters once a week to take photos of adoptable animals for the newspaper. Some of those animals are seen here, but only the ones that were eventually adopted.

Here are a few photo tips for you:
1. Get a helper. They can keep Fluff more or less in one place, distract pet with funny noises (dogs) or swinging toys (cats) It's often a great idea to have helper pick the animal up (since we only need a good head shot here). Even large dogs, if you can comfortably (for you AND the dog) pick up Fido, they often freeze in surprise (for a sec or two)...
2. Which leads me to ACT FAST - take a LOT of photos to get one or two good ones (photographer secret!) Get close and focus well.
3. If you are by yourself, then I suggest shooting Kitty (sounds terrible) when Kitty is relaxing. For Fido - put Fido on leash, tie leash to something sturdy, stand just out of Fido's leash range and make funny noises. Snap, snap, snap.
4. Don't make all this last too long - it gets boring for Fluff, as well as annoying if you use flash. Heck, a nice post-photo-shoot treat might be in order for both of you.
5. If you have a few great photos and can't decide on the best one, send, them and I will help you choose. Send the highest resolution possible to wonderbarn [!at] bellsouth.net. Red-eye is not a problem.


If you would like to see my more serious side, check out my other shop - blackcatgraphix.etsy.com

"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to 99 cents a can. That's almost $7.00 in dog money."
-Joe Weinstein