Go get’em!
Your friend,
Fisher
and Baked Potato Productions
Dear Fisher,
I gotta tell you, I am really getting a little grumpy about all the photo ops I am expected to come up with. Every holiday season we go through a lot of posing and primping to get the picture just right. This year they wanted to have a picture of me with a Santa hat on and it was way too small and made me look like a pinhead. Really, I am not a hat dog anyway, so yeah, the picture was kind of off and I was kinda goofy looking.
So, what do you know about taking pictures of critters that I might pass on to these caring people?
Duke
Dear Duke,
There are a few simple tricks that even an amateur photographer can do. We all know that the professionals are really good and worth every penny they make, but realize, you do not have to leave your home or your comfy chair to be “the Star”. Your humans are likely aware that going to a pro would be out of your comfort level, and they are looking after your best interests. So cut them a little slack and think more positively. I have in mind that a photo op could be a treat op. Sound like something that would interest you?
Some animals get very nervous when the camera and an enthusiastic amateur photographer show up in their face. It is very important that everyone remain calm and casual about the whole affair. Sometimes candid shots are best and sometimes a posed setting is better. It depends a lot on your personality.
The eyes should be the most important thing to focus on. If you open yours, it would be very helpful. You can look up, straight at the camera, or to the side, but your eyes should show the endearing expression they are looking for, not the dread of the camera. Many times the person with the camera will offer a treat. If you accept it, do so with the knowledge that you are getting asked to look alert. As the photographer, your human should get down to your eye level or bring you up to theirs (via a high chair you could sit up on). From that vantage point, they are making sure the top of your head is not the focal point.
If a posed photo is planned, it is a good idea to do a little staging. What a shame it would be if your picture turned out great, but the pair of socks left on the floor by your chair were equally as sharp. Try to keep a simple background, void of clutter. It makes you look more like the star. Another thing is to try different angles, and not to feel your entire body should be in the photo. After all, if you are a very big dog, your eyes are not going to stand out in all that mass of fur.
I suggest you tell your people to look up How to Take Pictures of Pets at
How to Take Pictures of your Pets. It is well written and the steps are easy to follow. May you all remember that photos become memories, and cooperation in the project will make them real keepers.
Your friend,
Fisher
published in tbt* Tampa Bay
Dear Fisher,
I’m trying so hard to be calm, but the excitement of the Holiday has really gotten me going, and going, and going. I am pretty sure it is starting to annoy my people, because now they do the Christmas wrapping behind closed doors. Boy, I wanna help!
Then last night, they were having a quiet moment and all snuggled on the couch looking so cute, and silly me jumped up on the coffee table and was going to jump into their laps, but on the way, my furry tail crossed over the top of the candle. Boy, nothing like smelly singed cat hair to interfere with a little romance. I really feel bad about it. What can I do to make it up to them?
Maggie
Dear Maggie,
I remember well how much fun it is for a kitten to get into the wrapping paper and then bounce around on 3 feet because the Scotch tape is stuck to the 4th foot. But, be very careful about some of the dangers of the Holiday hoopla at your house. You already know about the candle! I am just glad you were not hurt. Your people were not as mad as you might surmise, but rather they were worried for your safety and maybe felt a little embarrassed about having a lit candle around a “lit” kitten.
Kittens have a tendency to want to explore anything new, and the gift wrapping and ribbon can be too much to ignore. Your people are wise to put all the fixings out of your reach because you could get all caught up in the ribbons and bows, tape and stickers, and whatever else they are using. It would not take a very long length of ribbon going down your throat to cause a serious digestive problem. And, of course, everyone knows you would not cause trouble on purpose. It is just your youthful curiosity.
Our friends at the ASCPA have published a helpful list for you and your folks. Their advice includes: do not sample the lovely floral arrangements, boughs of holly and live mistletoe - they can make you very sick. Do not drink Christmas tree water – it is a breeding ground for bacteria. No chocolate! No people food hand-outs! There is more at their site ASPCA. If you are starting to feel like the world is against your having fun for the Holiday, just remember that everyone cares about you, and you are having a fine life without getting into these possible dangers.
Make sure your people see this: If you suspect that your animal companion has eaten a potentially toxic substance, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s emergency hotline at (888) 426-4435 for round-the-clock telephone assistance. A fee may apply.
I found a really fun account of “Wrapping Christmas Presents With a Cat in the House” at wrapping presents. I hope you get a chance to check it out. While you are reading it (and totally relating to it), I want you to realize it would not have been written if not for so many other joyful little kitties getting into the same mischief. You are the essence of a kitten, and that is a good thing.
Your friend,
Fisher
published in tbt* Tampa Bay
