Photos of the Week (Ending 05/04/07)

Yesterday I blogged some photos used in advertising, set up shots with lighting and backgrounds, with the final product in black and white. These two photos are also advertising photos of shots.

First, Julio, a line cook at Fresca, calmly works over a rising flame. My editor JP, said this photo (meant to be in Town Talk to raise awareness of the restaurant) made him want to eat.




Usually when I do Town Talk photos, I look for a person and a literal product. This week I found the adoption center at Pets Unlimited and just had to get a shot of Ambrose, a German Shepherd mix waiting for a home and Lisa, an attendant. When I did Pet of the Week Photos for the Pinnacle, I just shot the animals alone, but this shot in Town Talk will really go far in showing how well this dog gets along with people, and I hope gets him a new home as well.

Rats and Image

Several years ago I had a silver hamster named Lightning. He was fast and often escaped out of his cage. I had to go looking for him a few times, and he lived to about two. I never had a mouse, but thought they were pretty cute as well.

Last week when I had to photograph some rats for a story for our paper, I was picturing huge menacing creatures. To my surprise the rats, especially these baby ones were pretty cute.



As the story was about how these rats are not a threat, I showed them being held by Sara (who has two of her own) at a pet store. I think they look adorable, even the hairless one, and the hand makes them look vulnerable, too. The other photographer at the paper must have thought so, too, he thought these guys were our pet of the week, which we definitely try to make cute (and adoptable).

How "Pet of the Week" Returned to Our Paper

When I first started at The Pinnacle it had been awhile since the Pet of the Week feature had run. One of our reporters, Melissa, who is now the City Editor, did a story on pet owner rights and responsibilites, and one thing requested to be photographed was animals in cages at the local animal shelter. I did some wide shots and some tight shots, and really fought for this little Airdale to get in the paper, which he did.


I really like this photo, something about his eyes just haunts me, and the look on his face is priceless. I figured he was a survivor, and apparently I wasn't his only fan from the letters I got about him, from people wanting to adopt him or just wanted to know what happened to him. It turns out that his owner saw his photo in the paper and came to get him.

After the overwhelming responses I got I pitched bringing back the Pet of the Week to the paper and my editor, an animal lover who had enjoyed it in the past readily agreed. I alternate, dog one week, cat the next.

This week when I went to photograph the pet of the week, they told me that it had happened again, that last week's pet, a cat had had her owner call up and come get her. I love hearing that the photos helped a pet get adopted or reunited with their owners, and a good number of people call the shelter for the animals I shoot.

Danielle's 2006 Holiday Card

This is the holiday card I sent out this year (I'm still undecided on if I will try dogs again for other holidays throughout this year):


Colleen, who has been a great friend as well as assisting me with some shoots was the first person I gave the card to in person instead of mailing it:


Colleen's roommate, Rebecca's, dog, Merlot, was also one I shot for the card. This was inspired by how Merlot hears the car coming of someone she knows and peeks out over the fence. She also puts her head and paws on the fence to watch people going by while waiting for someone to come home.

Merlot is an active dog, and wasn't too keen on the ornament (or having it face outwards):

Hoping everyone is having a great holiday season,

Danielle

The Dog of Christmas Past

Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating today and Happy Holidays to all. Last year I photographed Riley, owned by my friend, Brad, for Christmas. I put her in an elf hat, a Santa hat and even ribbons.

Even though the ribbons were blue and gold, the colors of both of our alma maters (though my friend attended a different college than I), he thought she looked better without. In fact he was impressed that I was able to get her to stand still for ribbons. Actually the ribbons she seemed to like, the elf hat was the harder sell.

Brad did like the ones of her in a Santa hat, he used this image for his 2005 Christmas card:


This year my schedule didn't match up with Brad and Riley's, but I am hoping to photograph Riley again next year, maybe even with Brad in them. I did promise Brad no more ribbons on Riley, but maybe I can get Brad to join and wear a hat.

Dogs of Christmas (Out Takes)

I had a huge list of holiday cards to send out this year, and since the majority of them were going to professional photographer colleagues I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't shoot something myself for it. (Out of the many beautiful cards I've received the majority of the photographers did shoot one or more things themselves for it).

At first I tried to line up 12 dogs, as I was going to do the 12 Dogs of Christmas. These were going to be 12 different breeds each with a different oranment or Christmasy things. After one of the more challenging sessions a friend asked if I had been trying to get the dogs to act out the 12 Days of Christmas song. That sounded like a cute idea, for about a second, as it was I'm glad my friend didn't suggest that to me first, or else I might have tried with the first few dogs.

I learned that dogs do not often like posing with such items. Many of the dogs, in fact, do not like sitting/standing still at all. I can relate.

As the holiday season grew closer I realized I would be sending out quite a few cards also to people celebrating a holiday other than Christmas. Also I decided to put out postcards instead of the double sided cards I'd origninally envisioned. The total list was over 300 for me this year, I'm so glad I chose not to seal and stuff that many. So I no longer needed as many subjects (nor could I fit them all in one card.)

Tomorrow I will post the final card. In the meantime, here are three additional dogs I photographed. Thanks to everyone who let me into their homes and most of all to the dogs for being great models though they will never know why I was approaching them with strange objects and having them pose with them.




As an aside, each dog was given a safe, non-themed toy afterwards for being a good sport.