About Me

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Becoming an author wasn't a dream. It fell upon me like silken bedsheets. Smoothly transitioning my life from photography to writing. I dove into writing children's books; right into the deep end. Then I almost drowned in my ignorance of the publishing world. It took six years for me to get on track. I have no money to invest in my future. But I have time. Using free resources, I learn the craft of writing. My ambition to write more than a simple book, clutches my mind. I write and I write, but have yet to publishing any of my growing body of work. Will people like them? Will others even be interested? One day, I will overcome my insecurities about my own words and take the plunge. But I will ensure I don't wallow in the deep end this time.

Take a peek at my writing.

What we write, inevitably, is a window to our soul.

How do you get your dog to do that?

People have asked me, "How do you get her to do that?" and my answer is always the same. Jazzy is motivated by food.  It can be the smallest morsel and she'll do almost anything to eat it. (Unless it's rain, she loves to drink from the hose and doesn't mind getting wet that way, but rain and puddles are off limits. )

And let's not forget patience.  Sometimes it takes many repetitions to get the image that I want.  I have to make sure that I don't get irritated with Jazzy when she jumps the gun or goes another direction than I want her to, and I have to know when she is done and try another day.

I've been working with Jazzy a long time and I know her quirks. I know how long I can keep her in a sit-stay before I have to give in and hand over the treat.  She has learned that a photo session earns her many treats.

We often play "Go find it" in the house. I make Jazzy sit-stay and I hide treats in another room. When I tell her to go, she spends a few minutes looking for them.  This comes in handy now that I want her to sit-stay so I can get in position with my camera.

I wanted her to be interacting with the key in the lock.  I placed the treat on top of the lock which then earns me the, "Really mom, you put it there? That's so easy!" look.
"Really mom, you put it there? That's so easy!" 

 I tell her to "Go find it!" and off she goes.  I have to alter her approach because she's jumping too soon, so I have her sit-stay a little further away from the door.  This makes her walk and she's not as "jumpy".


I noticed she was jumping too soon.

Having her start further away causes her to not jump so quickly or so high.

After watching her body motions I play around with angles.
My original concept was be behind her while she looked at the lock. 
As you can see, it isn't quite showing her interacting with the key, so I changed my perspective. 

She is really looking at the treat, but it does seem like she's focused on the key.  I'm closer.

This is more the angle I want, now it's all about timing my shot.  The photos are purposefully darker than my normal shots as it's supposed to be 3:00 am in this photo. 

I finally got the shot I want.... Wanna see it?  Well, then you'll have to buy a book when it comes out.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.  

Sonja


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