Photographing Pets

We’re a world of pet lovers, and I’m no exception. That’s why I’m always delighted when a client asks me to photograph a pet—in this case, an adorable puppy named Amber. I loaded backgrounds, baskets and a wooden pirate’s chest into the car, along with lights, light stands, my camera and all sorts of other gadgets and props, and set everything up when I arrived at my client’s home. Soft surfaces work best for pets. I don’t want them to slip or be uncomfortable, so the posing table this time was a couch (hidden by my black background drape). I’m also armed with a bag full of squeak toys and my arsenal of animal sounds because the puppy should be looking alert and into the camera as much as possible. You never know what’s going to work and for how long because each pet is different. This was one bouncy, active puppy. In the end, though, we got enough cute photos to make a multi-picture wall hanging.  Which one is your favorite?

Classic Cars and a Dog

It was a party on wheels at the Windward Mall in Kaneohe town, Oahu, Hawaii, and all the classy guys and dolls were there—Bel Air, Mustang, Model-T, Corvette and the rest—decked out in their finest chrome, perfect paint jobs polished till you could see your reflection, and scandalous enough to permit a lingering look under the hood. My fisheye lens and I were covering the event and getting a little too close for the comfort of one four-legged partygoer who eyed me suspiciously. Anyway, the motor oil was flowing freely, and everyone was getting a little tipsy on the nostalgia. All that finery was making me a little giddy, too, and I forgot to jot down make, model and year. So I turn to you, dear reader, to help me out. Do you recognize any of the subjects in these photos?

classic car show

classic car show

classic car show

classic car show, interior

classic car show

classic car show, detail

classic car show, attendee

Hawaiian-style Delicacies and a Strawberry Tart

spring rolls stuffed with kalua pork

Broke da mouth. That is what we say in Hawaii when something we’ve eaten is more than just delicious. A recent meal with a group of friends was just that—broke-da-mouth good. And broke da diet, too. Full credit goes to the cooks, Jan and Nadine, and the photos are also theirs, not mine. In addition to pot roast with carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and gravy, here’s what we had at our small gathering:

Have you ever had a salad wrapped laulau style? Undo the string, and the leaves fall open, petal-like, to reveal mixed lettuce and veggies, plus mandarin-orange slices and strawberries.

Strawberry Delight: ginger strawberry tart with a gingersnap-cookie crust, strawberry filling, and a topping of sliced fresh strawberries and strawberry jam.

Peaches and Cream Torte with a graham-cracker-crumb crust, and a filling of sliced peaches, cream cheese and Cool Whip.

cute party crasher

Dogs and Angels

Angels can appear in the most unexpected places

Many years ago, I was walking the country lanes in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii, when a pack of angry dogs attacked. That story, “Four-Legged Angel,” was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Book of Miracles. I just heard this morning that my story will get a second life. It was chosen for Chicken Soup for the Soul’s newsletter, “Positively Pets.” You can sign up to get the free newsletter here: http://www.chickensoup.com/form.asp?cid=signup

 

Waimea on Dwellable