New Year's Resolutions
Every year it's the same.....my New Year Resolution is that I'll drink more water and run 5 miles a day. Well, we all know that's not going to happen but I like to think it's the thought that counts!! What I will be doing this year though is taking more photos of my dogs Betty and Hector and I really do urge you to do the same with your pets.
The photo below is actually one of my favourite photos of Betty. Taken on the day we rescued her it was the first time she felt safe enough to come and take a treat from me. Now technically it's not a perfect photo but that really doesn't matter. I look back on it and all I see is how young and scared she was. It's something I often forget about as she is such a different dog now, but this image makes me smile and I'm so glad I have it. Just looking at it takes me back to that day and the happiness I felt.
There is a well used hashtag doing the rounds on social media at the moment which is #makingmemories and it's true!! Photographs make the most amazing memories and those fleeting moments in time with your dogs need to be captured. Doesn't matter if you use a fancy camera or your mobile phone! Just #makememories. This is what I will be doing more and more of with Betty and Hector in 2019 and beyond. I want to capture them at their craziest, woofiest and doing everything they love to do plus all those little things that are particular to each one of them.
It's true what they say, the only thing wrong with dogs is that they just don't live long enough so make sure you create those memories one way or the other. Give me a shout if you need a hand!
Year of The Dog
Did you know that the Chinese New Year begins on January 16th and as 2018 is Year of the Dog I thought I'd tell you all a little bit more about some of the myths and legends.
The Dog is the eleventh of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Monkey, Rooster and Dog were in another country, helping a god defeat evil spirits. After, they set off to the party together. Because they arrived at the same time, the Jade Emperor went by the order they met the god in the other country. Thus, Dog became eleventh.
If you are born in the year of the dog you are likely to be faithful, honest and ready to serve others. Believe in truth and justice and loyal to friends. Always willing to listen to people’s problems and is able to gain the respect of others. Will share their thoughts but do not easily forgive those who cross them. Trustworthy. Tend to worry too much. Hmm...... now what breed does that remind you of!!
You are a “Dog Chinese zodiac animal” if you are born in one of these years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018.
The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens to come to a house, it symbolizes the coming of fortune. Well that's good news then!
Stay.....stay.....STAY!! How to photograph groups of dogs.
Hello
Welcome to my new blog! It's one of those things I've been meaning to do and finally I've got a 'round tuit' as my Grandma used to say!!
Recently, I asked the lovely people on my Facebook page Rae Prince Photography what were their biggest challenges when photographing their pets and the first post was specifically about 'how do I photograph and manage groups of dogs?' I'd like to say, "it's easy!" but of course that isn't always the case, so here are a few little tips you can use at home and hopefully you'll find them helpful.
Practise! Practise! ....and practise again!
Spend some time teaching your dogs a reliable 'sit' or 'down' and a 'wait/stay.' A few minutes each day and they'll soon have it nailed. Make sure you do it somewhere without distractions so that they can concentrate on you. All the dogs in the picture above are agility trained so they have rock steady waits. Believe it or not, this was the first take!
Use your best behaved dog
Put your most obedient one into place first and arrange the others accordingly. This way they won't get too bored and run off after the squirrels.
Sshhhh....don't say a word!
Once you have them all in place, don't utter a word other than the occasional 'STAY!' if needed. Trust me, they will use any excuse to get up and come and see what you're doing if you start to talk. Also, think about who likes to sit next to who so there's no arguments.
If all else fails.....
.....keep them on a lead and either carefully arrange it so that it's hidden for the shot or edit it out afterwards. It will be our little secret and I won't tell a soul!
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