Tag Archives: bloggy business

Interview with Seth Casteel from Second Chance Photos: Part I

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As you may remember, last month I attended a fantastic workshop by Seth Casteel, the founder of Second Chance Photos.  Second Chance Photos is a non-profit that is dedicated to helping shelter pets find homes through photography. A good photograph can make the difference in the life of a homeless animal – better photos help animals find homes.


After the workshop, I emailed Seth to see if he’d be willing to do an interview for my blog. He graciously agreed.  


Below, you’ll find Part I of our email interview, which included a few questions from me as well as some from you.  Today, learn about how Seth got started as a photographer, how he started working with shelter pets, and some practical tips.  I’ll be sharing Part II of the interview next week.


How did you get started as a pet photographer?


I’ve always loved animals and photography, but two things in my life launched this new career path. I adopted a dog from the local shelter and started taking snapshots of her for fun. I really enjoyed the unique challenge of working with dogs as well as the rewards of capturing a special moment – a glimpse of her personality.  About the same time, I heard about some kittens that were found on the movie studio lot where I worked. The kittens needed to find forever homes so I volunteered to photograph them to help catch the attention of potential adopters. All of the kittens found homes. From there, I began volunteering at the local shelter. Then landed a private client. Landed a magazine cover from that first private client shoot. And then wheeeeeeeeeeeee.

How did that work lead you to taking photos of shelter pets?


Shelter pets started it all. When I first started volunteering, I didn’t realize pet photography would become my career though. It was a nice surprise!

What is the biggest difference you find between shooting rescue and non-rescue dogs?  Have you found that certain types of dogs are easier to photograph?


Zero difference. I’ve worked with thousands of dogs – a wide range of breeds, ages, backgrounds and personality-types. Some of the most photogenic and cooperative dogs have been shelter dogs and some of the most challenging “models” have been pets with homes. You just never know. 🙂

What do you think makes a dog more photogenic?


There is a great picture for every dog – you just have to find a way to figure out what that picture is.

Do you have any tips for taking photos of “ugly” dogs or dogs that may not be quite as cute on the surface?  (I admit, this one’s not from me – I have puppy blindness and think all dogs are cute.)


Both photography and the appearance of dogs are subjective – so it really depends on who is viewing the photos. The key to any good dog photograph is emotion. If you can capture emotion in a photo, no matter what the subject looks like, you’ve got a winning shot that people can relate to.

Do you have any tips for handling a photo shoot with a fearful dog?


Patience. If you try to force a photo shoot on a fearful dog, the photos are going to be negative. Try to understand what the fear is – the camera? you? the world? At some point, you may just have to put on a long lens and hide in the bushes. 🙂

It’s both refreshing and inspiring to talk to Seth… I can’t wait to share Part II of the interview with you next week!  Stay tuned (and if you have any additional questions for Seth, please feel free to share them in the comments).




Oh, and don’t mind Bella… she thinks she’s some sort of hotshot reporter now that we’ve scored this interview.

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I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite.

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It’s time for another holiday edition of No Frown Friday.  I’ve got an overload of awesome linkage for you today… consider it my Festivus gift to you.

  1. Your punny pet name: Yukong Cornelius.
  2. Self-promotion alert!  I updated the baking blog this week.  Check out these candy cane cupcakes. Bella and I were also interviewed at Coffee with a Canine – swing by and say hi!
  3. Hey, girl… this video contains the cutest sleigh full of reindeer ever (although these guys are giving them a run for their money).  It also contains Ryan Gosling.
  4. Two words: puppy Christmas.  (A reminder, however – a pet shouldn’t be an impulse buy or a last-minute gift idea.)
  5. The title of this post is “Light the Meownorah” – that’s just awesome. (While I’m at it, here’s some more Ryan Gosling.)
  6. Speaking of brilliant names… Ham Skillet may be my new favorite dog name.
  7. An easy way to help shelter dogs this Christmas – toss a virtual Angry Bird at your friends.
  8. Still have gifts to wrap?  Maybe your dog can help.  (Be sure to wrap the gifts… not the cat.)
  9. If not, perhaps they can help you with the caroling instead.  (Feel free to go traditional or mix it up a bit.)
  10. Finally, just for fun… here are a few of my favorite pop culture things, including holiday TV, Christmas movies, and the best Christmas special ever.
Maybe next year I should videotape Bella’s Christmas card shoot…
That’s all I have for you today… although I do encourage you to answer the phone all weekend by saying, “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?“

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A holiday bonus for you & for the animal charity of your choice

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As I mentioned the other day, I’m taking part in a fantastic event this holiday season – Social Media for Social Good.  (Thanks to Two Little Cavaliers for the opportunity to be involved!)

The winner of this event will win cash and the chance to donate cash to the animal charity of his or her choice.  Pretty cool, right?  (For more specifics, check out my earlier post or visit Two Little Cavaliers.)

Today, I’m here to share another opportunity to enter.  Have a Twitter account? All you need to do is follow me on Twitter using the Rafflecopter below.  (If you’re already a follower, you can still earn an entry by confirming that you already follow me – just click on the Rafflecopter for instructions.)  You can earn additional entries by following the Twitter accounts of the other bloggers participating in this great event or doing the other items listed in the Rafflecopter.

Don’t have a Twitter account?  You can also enter using your Facebook account – please check out last week’s post to do so.  (Even if you have a Twitter account, feel free to do both!)

I loved hearing about the organizations some of you wanted to donate the prize to, and I’d love to hear from more of you.  If I won, I’d donate to a great local rescue like Friends of Homeless Animals. Check out some of their adorable adoptables looking for homes this holiday season in the video below, then scroll down to enter!

Such an adorable group…

Ready to get your entries on?  Here you go…


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Cash for you AND for animals in need? Yes, please!

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As you may remember, a few weeks ago I mentioned a holiday blogging event created by Two Little Cavaliers to help animals in need.  Well, the time has come… the Social Media for Social Good event is here!

So, what’s in it for you?  You can enter to win a cash prize – if you win, forty percent will go to you and sixty percent will be donated to the animal charity of your choice.  It can be any 501(c)(3) that helps animals (or a properly recognized charity in your country if you’re not in the U.S.). 

Good for you AND for animals in need – what more could you ask for?

All you need to do is Like this humble blog on Facebook using the Rafflecopter below (after the jump).  Just scroll down to find I Still Want More Puppies on the list and click “Do it” for instructions.  (If you already Like our page, you can still enter – after you click “Do it” you should have the option to enter as well.)

For more entries, you can Like the other great bloggers participating in the event as well.  Check out the list via the Rafflecopter or through the Linky at the end of this post.  (You’ll have more chances to enter in the upcoming weeks using Twitter and Google+.  Check back on December 18 for another chance to enter.)

I’d love to hear about the organization you’d send the donation to if you won.  If I won, I’d send the money to a local rescue to help adoptable pets like this adorable guy, Riker.  He’s currently at Friends of Homeless Animals and is looking for a home in the Northern Virginia area.

What about you?  In the comments, tell me a little about the organization you would like to donate to if you win.  (As you can see from the Rafflecopter, commenting on this blog post will earn you another entry… so go for it!)

Good luck to everyone – hope you have a great Wednesday!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meet the other participating bloggers…

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A paw in the hand is worth two in the grass

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Please excuse the tortured saying in today’s post title. I wanted to share a few photos I shot as part of the Daily Dog Challenge group on Flickr (created by our pals at Tales and Tails and BZ Training), and my brain apparently decided to stop working properly.

Anyway, the Daily Dog Challenge is pretty fun… there are daily prompts that encourage you to take photos of your furry friend.  It’s a great way to get your creative juices flowing while working on your photography skills.  (After all, practice makes perfect).

For example, I took the photo below in response to this prompt: “Take a photo today that shows a paw in a hand.”

View on Flickr

Bella doesn’t really like when people mess with her paws… so I took a rather liberal interpretation of the “hand” part of things. Want to see what other photographers did with this prompt?  Check it out!

Another recent prompt was: “How does your dog react to his reflection? Show us today with a photo!”  I submitted the shot below:

View on Flickr

There were a lot of great photos submitted for this one.

As you can tell, I’ve been experimenting with the mood of my photos lately – these photos were taken with customized settings to create an amber glow.  (Camera settings – and great Nikon D7000 user’s guide – courtesy of Ken Rockwell.  If you want to learn more about photography, check out Mr. Rockwell’s site – you’ll find user’s guides for a variety of cameras as well as some fantastic tips.)

For good measure, here’s one shot outside with a different feel, shot in response to the prompt: “Around the world, the seasons are different. Take a picture today that shows us what it’s like in your corner of the world!”

View on Flickr

You can see the other photos submitted in response to this prompt here.

Feel free to check out my other submissions here, or visit the group pool to see what others have submitted.  I don’t manage to keep up with every challenge, but I really enjoy it! 

Sounds like fun right?  If you’re interested in joining the Daily Dog Challenge, go here to learn more.

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I like big mutts and I cannot lie…

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First off, happy National Mutt Day!  I’d like to dedicate today’s post to all of the awesome mutts out there, including my own.  (Considering adopting your own mutt? Check out a really cool way to announce it and help other shelter pets, courtesy of Bocci’s Beefs.)

Now, back to your regularly scheduled linkage:

  1. Your punny pet name: Johann Sebastian Bark. (Also, this week’s award for awesome punnage goes to… Goatzart.)
  2. It seems that one local law school has taken a cue from the extremely awesome TV show Community – George Mason University has enlisted some cuddly puppies from a local rescue group to help law students relax during exams.  (Perhaps they got the idea from Yale, but in my mind the administrators are just big Community fans.)
  3. Speaking of TV, I really enjoy that the worried dog from that insurance commercial is starring in a happier commercial.
  4. So, has anyone seen the new Muppets movie yet? I really want to see it this weekend. After all, I can’t wait to see the next stage in Ms. Piggy’s style evolution.
  5. This next video has the perfect soundtrack… and it made me giggle, alot (typo intentional).
  6. I think we can all agree that dogs are cute. (If not, how did you end up reading this blog? Go watch this video and then come back.)  Today, let’s also appreciate some cute from off the beaten path.
  7. Um… on a related note, hedgehog bathtime is awesome.

I think this week’s video really ties it all together…

(via Paw Nation)

You know, I had to give Bella a bath last week in preparation for her holiday photo shoot.  Why couldn’t she be into it like that guy?

I’ve been battling a sinus infection this week – however, new research shows that the doctor should prescribe a glass of wine and a bubble bath.  Now that’s medicine I can get behind.  (See how it all relates? My mind works in odd ways.)

Don’t forget – if you have any questions that you’d like to ask a professional pet photographer who also photographs shelter pets, send them my way.  I hope to have some answers for you in the near future.

Have a great weekend!

 

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Calling all bloggers: Holiday help for animals in need

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Two Little Cavaliers and Pamper Yourself in Pink have put together a fantastic holiday blogging event to help animals in need.  I’ve joined, and I hope you’ll consider doing so as well.

Several pet bloggers will be participating in this event, which will include a giveaway of a cash prize.  The cash prize will be split between the winner and an animal charity of his or her choice (a 501(c)(3) organization that has a history of saving animals).

Bloggers can sign up to promote their Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter links, and their Google+ pages by chipping in $10 towards the prize.  (At the end of the event, 60 percent of this money will go to the winner’s charity and 40 percent will go towards the winner’s cash prize.)  It’s a great chance for bloggers to promote their blogs while helping animals in need during the holiday season.  Win-win, right?  

Are you a blogger who wants to be part of this great event?  Head over to Two Little Cavaliers for all of the important details.  If you sign up, please make sure to mention I Still Want More Puppies as the blog that referred you.

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Book this cat for your post-Thanksgiving massage…

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Perhaps you, like me, were a busy bee preparing for Thanksgiving.  Although it’s fun, Turkey Day can be a lot of work.  With that in mind, it’s important to take some time to relax now that it’s over.  Maybe I’ll book a massage…

Your regularly scheduled No Frown Friday will return next week… this week I’m being lazy.  I blame the tryptophan.  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Weight Loss with a Wag Blog Tour

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I have a real treat for you today… my pal Peggy Frezon, the author of Dieting with My Dog, has offered me the chance to ask her a few questions as part of the “Weight Loss with a Wag” blog tour.  Fun, right?

Before we dive into the questions, I’ll share some quick background.  Peggy has written a book called Dieting With My Dog: One Busy Life, Two Full Figures, and Unconditional Love.  I know I’ve had my own struggles with weight, although I never stopped to think about how that could affect Bella.  Peggy’s book is definitely food for thought (pun totally intended).  She muses, “Were my bad habits causing my dog to gain weight too?”  It’s a great question.

However, it’s more than a book about weight loss – it’s about a journey that Peggy and her pup Kelly took together and the bond that they have.  I couldn’t wait to ask Peggy some questions about the book.  Read on, friend…


1. What inspired you to write this book? 
When Kelly’s vet told me that she needed to lose weight or she’d be at risk
for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and more…I realized,
I’d heard all those same warnings from my own doctor. I also realized
that there was a connection between overweight pets and overweight pet
parents, and many others were struggling the same as I was. I hope the
book will inspire others who want to get fit with their dog.

 

2. What is your biggest weight loss challenge? 
Probably exercise. I just don’t really enjoy running, dancing, lifting,
pedaling… and I’ve found that I have to keep doing it, and keep
working harder, in order to keep the weight off.

 

3. What did you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process? 
The writing part is easy, and I was lucky enough to get an agent right
away. Then came the long process of finding a publisher. This is
a difficult time in the publishing industry, with a shift toward ebooks,
and no one quite knowing how that is all going to fall, so editors are
skittish about taking new, unproven authors. I was lucky and my book was
accepted by an awesome publisher of great dog books.

 

4.  Do you have any tips for dieting with an older dog? 
Kelly is 9 so I guess she’s considered a senior now. I think it is always
important to have your vet check them over to make sure there are no
underlying problems that might contribute to weight gain. Next, I think
it’s important to know their limitations physically. Some older dogs
tire easily or have joints that hurt to walk and run. I think finding
the best, low fat, good nutrition food for your senior dog (whether you
prefer home made or commercial) will really help best in weight loss.
Also of course, healthy snacks like carrots and bananas.

 

5. Finally, a slightly off-topic question… what’s your favorite TV show? (You know I’m a pop culture junkie.)
Fun! Ok this is going to sound like I watch way too much TV!  I assume you
mean currently running TV.  I think 30 Rock is my favorite. No, Big Bang
Theory. Wait, I mean Modern Family. Parenthood. Wait!  I love Gordon
Ramsey! Ok, ok, do I have to admit it? I really enjoy Survivor.

Thanks again to Peggy for giving me the chance to interview her.  (Also, no shame on that TV answer… if I told you how many I watch, you’d think I do nothing else.)

You can learn more about Peggy’s book by following the “Weight Loss With A Wag” blog tour – so fun! You can also like Dieting with my Dog on Facebook.

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Take the pledge: don’t support puppy mill pet stores

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You may recall that for October’s Blog the Change for Animals, I joined several other bloggers to tell Petland USA to stop selling pets in its stores.  (If this issue is new to you, learn more about the pet store/puppy mill connection here.)

Over 45,000 people  have signed the petition, but Petland USA has not changed its ways.  For that reason, I’m sharing a call to action from Mary Haight (of the Dancing Dog Blog), who led the charge on this issue in October.

Want to get involved? Join us in telling Petland USA that until they stop supporting puppy mills, we’re not supporting them.  I’ve reproduced the instructions below.  For more info and background, visit here.

From Change.org:

Sometimes pictures can be more effective than words. Since
they have the power to help stop this, remind Petland USA what breeder
puppy mill dogs look like.  Estimates report there are more than a
million of them trapped in hopeless lives.

We need your help THIS WEEKEND with this simple action. It should only take 10 minutes of your time:

1) Download the images in this blog post to your computer (right-click and “save as”).
2) Post these images to your Facebook profile and ask your network to share.
3) If you have a blog, please re-post these instructions and
share widely! If not, please email your networks with a link to the original blog post.

[Editor’s Note: Over on the Change.org post there are actually 4 steps – however, upon learning of this weekend’s call to action, Petland blocked postings of these images to its franchise Facebook pages.  Guess they don’t want their customers to see where their pets might have come from….]

Spread the word and take the pledge – don’t support puppy mill pet stores!

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