Waltonpets Furtography Session: Cosmos

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A simple setup.

Wednesday, 8:57 AM - “He’s a big ol’ bear!” That’s what a shelter co-worker affectionately exclaimed as I walked Cosmos out for his glamour photos. And truly, at 82 pounds, he is a big, fluffy, teddy-bear ready to give some lovin’. His calm demeanor, wonderful heel while on leash, and willingness to sit on command endeared him to my heart. 

Cosmos was picked up stray on Monroe Jersey Rd on May 2, 2017. He had no collar, tag, chip or other way to find his way home. It is hard to believe that no owner came looking for him.

Other than being heartworm positive (which the antigens are very low - - the positive dot barely showed up), he seems in perfect health. When I knelt down to draw blood for a heartworm test, he bowed his head and tenderly licked my hand, even as that evil little needle poked his arm. I vaccinated, dewormed and gave him a shot of flea spray. His teeth, eyes and coat all look great. But the greatest thing about him is his big loving personality!

I remembered a blog post on woofliketomeet.com I had read several months ago about photographing black dogs on a black backdrop. Why not give it a try? Simple enough, hang up a black sheet and fire away!
 
I draped a cheap, black, twin sheet over the fence in a shaded spot next to the shelter. Next to it I hung my more expensive muslin background. I used a carabiner to attach the leash the fence just below the backdrops and paraded out “Cosmos” for head shots.

He sat pretty well for his session, but was a bit antsy that I didn’t walk him first. So, in protest, he hiked his leg on peed on my backdrop!  Of course, he missed the cheap black sheet and instead drenched my more expensive muslin. 
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The in-camera results were okay, but really began to look good with some post-processing. I used adjustment layers to darken the backdrops a bit more, and some dodging and burning to bring out their eyes and coat highlights. A nice change of pace from the “dog in the woods” shots I’m always posting. 

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​Friday, May 5, 8:11 AM – since Cosmos’ previous photos were all headshots, I wanted to get some full body shots… and to take him on that long walk I didn’t deliver before the last photo session! We out back behind the shelter near the pond and, once again, he was the perfect gentleman, posing for his photos while gently wagging that curled, fluffy tail! 

​Cosmos was photographed on May 3 and again on May 5, 2017 for the Walton County Animal Control shelter and posted on the adoption website www.waltonpets.net. Cosmos went for a weekend home visit on May 6 with a fellow county employee and friend. He was a smart boy and played it cool with Linda's several cats, securing himself a good home for years to come!