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Photography Prompts: Puppy Dog Eyes Photo Play

By Heather Eure 16 Comments

If you have a dog, chances are you have more than a few photos of him. Taking good pet photographs takes practice. Here are a few suggestions to help you snap great pictures of your best pal.

— Shoot photos in bright daylight or in sports mode. Flash photography can bother dogs. It doesn’t make their eyes look so great, either.

— Wanna get a picture of your dog smiling? Take her out to fetch, or for a brisk run. Once your dog is panting, have her look directly at you, aim and click! Smiling dog.

— Capture your dog’s personality. Get sneaky and take a photograph of the quirky stuff they do when they think you’re not looking.

— Use treats as a way to get your high-energy dog to stay still long enough to snap a photo. You can even stick a treat on top of the camera to keep his attention focused on the lens.

Photo Prompt:
Using some of the tips provided, take a photograph that captures the expressive eyes of your dog.

***

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here is a poem by James we enjoyed:

I thumb inside his big loose ears,

his eyelids descend to half mast.

a gentle paw rises to rest on my arm while

his breath, a sweet warmth, respires

from the deep hollow of divine conspiracy. our history is

natural… my ancestors, and his, ran parallel lines

along game trails lacing

pyrenean peaks,

paddling nova scotia’s icy waters, searching

through the pass at saint bernard… his specieshood

distinct, dependence shared, such witness of

evolution, the wellspring of

creation. my dog, my God, my soul confer each day

we three walk the way of work and friendship forged

through need and care. I laugh when

he dances with simple joy, bucking bronco rearing,

twisting, rolling his exultant head in circles to say

“come play! come live!”. of all the creatures come to

bless my kind, this

one

is my heart.

—by James Scott Smith

NOTE TO POETS: Looking for your Monday poetry prompt? On Photo Play weeks, it’s right here. Choose a photo from the post and respond with a poem. Leave your poem in the comment box. We’ll be reading. :)

Photo by Nick Harris. Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Heather Eure.

________________________

Sometimes we feature your poems in Every Day Poems, with your permission of course. Thanks for writing with us!

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Heather Eure
Heather Eure
Heather Eure has served as the Poetry Editor for the late Burnside Collective and Special Projects Editor for us at Tweetspeak Poetry. Her poems have appeared at Every Day Poems. Her wit has appeared just about everywhere she's ever showed up, and if you're lucky you were there to hear it.
Heather Eure
Latest posts by Heather Eure (see all)
  • Poetry Prompt: Misunderstood Lion - March 19, 2018
  • Animate: Lions & Lambs Poetry Prompt - March 12, 2018
  • Poetry Prompt: Behind the Velvet Rope - February 26, 2018

Filed Under: Animal Poems, Blog, Dog Poems, Photo Play, Photography prompts, poetry, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, Themed Writing Projects, writing prompts

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Comments

  1. HisFireFly says

    June 9, 2014 at 8:26 am

    perhaps you’ll enjoy this —

    http://hisfirefly.blogspot.ca/2014/04/aging-faith.html

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      June 13, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      What a dear photo. A beautiful dog. Your poem… I understand well. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    • Richard Maxson says

      June 15, 2014 at 9:24 am

      Beautiful photo and poem. So true.

      Reply
  2. James Scott Smith says

    June 10, 2014 at 12:23 am

    A collection of dog images… just a small sample of the canine companions I have known over the years.

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1269855584411&set=a.1040330286422.2008187.1170495858&type=3&theater

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      June 13, 2014 at 11:07 pm

      Such great photos!! You capture the souls of dogs.

      Reply
    • Richard Maxson says

      June 15, 2014 at 9:28 am

      I agree, this is pure essence of dog. Love the smile. I had a shepherd named Gracie who would wrinkle her nose in a grin.

      Reply
  3. Rosanne Osborne says

    June 10, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    http://poetryhawk.blogspot.com/2014/06/westie-lament.html

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      June 13, 2014 at 11:11 pm

      A Westie! They have such cheerful faces. A sweet poem from the Westie perspective.

      Reply
  4. Karen King says

    June 10, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    Devotion

    Wafts of white fur wrap me warm
    Burnished brown eyes bury every torment
    Black button nose sniffs a scent of perfume or cancer
    Relaxing against me in rest or sitting silent as I sicken,
    Never leaving, never needing
    Tongue washing me clean of chemo and
    kissing me at the same time
    My shadow that signals sunlight,
    The whisper that wakes my soul

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      June 13, 2014 at 11:15 pm

      Oh, my goodness Karen. Devotion, indeed. May the faithful love of your dog, heal you inside and out. <3

      Reply
      • Karen King says

        June 13, 2014 at 11:43 pm

        Thank you! It’s been a long road, but my two darling dogs, family, faith and imagination are seeing me through. For me, writing is the escape hatch, and my imagination the submarine that carries me away when I’m drowning mentally or physically or both. In an odd way, getting sick reconnected me to a more creative, more in-the-moment self. When you can’t be “busy” anymore, your mind opens wide to so many other possibilities. Thank you so much for your kind wishes.

        Reply
  5. SimplyDarlene says

    June 11, 2014 at 11:49 am

    http://simplydarlene.com/2014/06/11/eating-dog-daze-of-june/

    Here’s one. (poem & photo)

    I might have more since I’m joining miss Megan W. on the month of all things dog — inspired by the TweetSpeakers among us. 😉

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      June 13, 2014 at 11:20 pm

      Just darling! Bet it’s hard to stay mad at that face.

      Reply
    • Richard Maxson says

      June 15, 2014 at 9:42 am

      You can’t stay mad at a dog. From the minute they find us, they’ve got our number (or finger).

      Reply
  6. SimplyDarlene says

    June 14, 2014 at 12:14 am

    http://simplydarlene.com/2014/06/13/stoic-dog-daze-of-june/

    Here’s another one. (poem & photo)

    My site has gone to the dogs this month. 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Photography Prompts: Faithful Dog Photo Play 2 | says:
    June 16, 2014 at 8:01 am

    […] to everyone who participated in last week’s photography prompts. There were many terrific photos, here are just a few submissions that made our hearts melt, […]

    Reply

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