Unplanned Opportunities

In the ten years I've been shooting digital, I've rarely staged a photo. I'd rather take thirty photos of one cat or kitten for CAWS than settle for one mediocre shot. Just my nature. Don't know if I'd have that same philosophy if I was shooting on film, but with the instant gratification of digital, why settle?

That works for cats and kittens, but dogs are a different matter. Just their nature makes for the necessity of a bit of staging. Getting them to sit, for example, particularly if there's a lack of training, well, patience is a virtue. Fortunately, though, staging isn't necessary all the time. Sunday afternoon was one such opportunity that I couldn't pass up...

Princess and Bambi were in "need" of going out, but I knew better - they were actually in need of cooking their insides by laying in the sun, as most dogs will do, even when people would rather lay under a shady tree. Princess took up a spot on the grass, while Bambi took a position on the hot concrete. She laid out for a while, and I got off a few shots, but they weren't really great, if only because they were from the rear. Not a good angle, even for Bambi. So I sauntered around to the side, and squeezed off the shot below.

The money shot.