Columbo the Beast

Edna and Columbo

   Over the weekend I was visiting my friend, Debbie in Montgomery, when innocently enough she asks "would I mind taking a few photos of Columbo for her Aunt Edna" I knew her Aunt adored this dog so I was glad to take  pics of Columbo. I also knew it would be an easy photo shoot of a docile, sweet faced basset hound.
    Aunt Edna and her sister Ruth (my friends mom) have a culminated total of 160 years of living between them. The sisters are both eloquent and kind, always welcoming you in to their home. I especially appreciate the sisters company since the Aunt Edna's and Ruth's in my life are now gone.
   Setting up for the shoot was easy enough. I just opened the front door and beautiful sunlight illuminated  the living room. I anticipated using all manual camera settings, since I was going to have plenty of time to focus on Columbo.  Everything was good to go.
   I couldn't have been more wrong about my subject. Every time I pointed my camera at him he acted as if I was a hunter getting ready to maim him, immediately moving out of my focal range.
 At one point I had to change my manual focus over to autofocus, I just wasn't fast enough for the seemingly sedate beast. Yes he now was a four legged beast to me, no longer an innocent  sleepy eyed basset hound.
   It was a test of wills, still I forged forward on all fours struggling to catch that perfect image of Aunt Edna's beloved companion. I'd  almost have the perfect shot set up, lulled in to believing he was down for the count when suddenly up he'd pop back up the second the camera was pointed at him.
   Later in the shoot I remember  hearing Aunt Edna's words of encouragement in the background " I think Columbo's about done now." While out of the corner of my eye I can see my friend contently napping on the sofa.
 
   It was now 2 hours and 236 images later with my knees talking to me and  I still hadn't captured that perfect image when Aunt Edna's daughter walks in the door and says, "oh wow your'e taking pictures of Columbo, he doesn't like his picture taken." I glanced over at my rested friend on the sofa with  a now noted smirk on her face.
   Yes a quicker more experienced  photographer could have captured that beast right at the get go but I still have a few more safari's to travel before I reach that level.
  What  I'd like to say about that day is I was able to capture a prize winning image but it just didn't happen. What did happen was I took some cute dog pictures for a grateful Aunt Edna. More importantly I used my camera for the good of someone besides myself.
   Call it what you want i.e. community service, paying it forward,  but as a photographer you have unlimited opportunities to do so much good at your fingertips.
  Photographing Columbo was a great learning experience  and truthfully a lot of fun.
  Why not give it a try and share your photographic skills?