Amusing

Dog Blog Post #255: After a picture like that, I'm thinking just about anything I write is going to be anti-climatic....

BUT

I'll give it a try anyway. As the subject line hinted, the Daily Shoot assignment for today was:

Make a photograph of something that you find amusing today.

Call me strange, but I find fuzzy/feathery antenna balls on a dog's head to be beyond amusing. I've done it a few times in the past, and the results never fail to make me smile.

(Check out Beau and Zachary celebrating this past 4th of July, plus some additional Fashion Modeling - including the very same antenna balls.)

I'm sure you know the drill by now - the ex-pen, the backboard, the black velvet, the dog pillow and leopard "fur" fabric, plus the tripod and camera with 10 second delay. The delay was critical this time, as they were quite interested in the antenna balls (gee, really?) and couldn't be left with them on between shots. So I would push the button, and count out loud (one...) while getting them back onto the pillow (two... three...) then lying down (four... five...) and facing where I wanted (six... seven...) then pop the headbands on (eight... nine...) before CLICK!

Then I snatched the headbands back as I gave them their cookies, checked the camera to see if they were actually in the frame, and start all over again!

I must say the color came out particularly true this time, although I'm not sure what I did right vs. all the other times. I did crop the heck out of the top shot, lopping off more than half the picture to get in tight on Henry's head to get the contrast between his stately bearing and those goofy balls!

(One of these days I'm going to have bite the bullet and do some "color studies" with a stand-in critter (probably the Jungle Kitty) to see what settings produce the best color at the time of day I usually am  shooting.)

I was very proud of both my boys for putting up with me. Zachary, who used to hate things on his head, seemed to actually enjoy the process (see alternate photo, below). And Henry, Mr. Evil Jingle Collar himself, didn't try to shake them off once.

Perhaps he was in a state of shock that I would actually do such a thing!

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