Getting Fido to Sit! Stay! and say 'Fleas'
'PhoDOGraphy' offers tips on 'shooting' man's best friend
BY JULIE KIRSH Staff Writer

"Ragan" Kim Levin's latest book is a guide to "How to Get Great Pictures of Your Dog."

Frustrated dog lovers looking for that elusive "Kodak moment" of their pooch need search no further — photographer Kim Levin's latest book is a primer for pet paparazzi.

"PhoDOGraphy" is a teaching book, as Levin describes it, featuring more than 100 photos she has compiled, along with definitive tips on how to capture that perfect shot.

"This is my first book that's a 'how to' about photographing dogs. My writing has always consisted of one-liners," said Levin, who has written or contributed to 60 books. Husband John collaborated with Levin on some of her books and thought up the title for "PhoDOGraphy."

"PhoDOGraphy" consists mainly of Levin's commissioned shots and is a beginner-to-intermediate guide to pet photography, whose target audience is the amateur who likes dogs.

"My goal wasn't to teach a professional photographer all my tricks — an amateur person can totally understand it," said Levin, a Little Silver resident.

"Pepper"

Pooches featured in the book range in size from bichon frisés to Irish wolfhounds. Kylie, an Irish setter belonging to Levin's brother, graces the cover.

"This is the best representation and collaboration of my shots from the last 10 years," said Levin. Her "models" came from commissioned assignments, as well as dogs she encountered on vacation and during her travels.

"There are definitely some dogs I seek out. Anytime I do a book on a subject I don't have — such as cats and dogs together— I seek out the subjects. There are certain dogs I've photographed over the years that have touched my heart. Every single picture has a special place for me," said Levin.

She especially enjoys New York street shots, which "PhoDOGraphy" features, because they are less portraitdriven, less posed and more candid. "The key is trying to bring out the dog's personality and capture the true nature of who the dog is, to try to get to the soul of who the dog is," she said.

Being the author as well as the photographer of the book, which took five months to complete, was a challenge for Levin.

"This book in particular wasn't hard to photograph; the challenging part was the text and the ability to recall the techniques I used," she said.

More challenging might be the behavior of her subjects. Were they trained?

"Not most of them!" she exclaimed, noting the section of the book "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs" gives tips to use for photographing a trained or untrained animal.

L

evin said people need to know

their dog doesn't have to be trained to get a great picture, but it helps if they know how to sit and stay.

"I earn their trust first to let them know I'm a friend," she said.

She recalled one of the book's subjects, a dog that came up to her in a dog park and jumped on her, an image she was able to photograph. To this day, the image is one of her most successful shots.

"The most successful photographs, like a 'smile,' or an interaction, happen in a split second, a moment in time," Levin said.

Despite the occasional behavior problems with her models, she said dogs are easier to shoot than cats, which are a bit more challenging.

The owner of a border collie mix, Levin used photos of all sorts of canines, ranging from rescue dogs and mutts to purebreds, and noted that while certain dogs take great pictures, she doesn't discriminate and loves all dogs.

Fellow photographers might agree with her observation that the most difficult dog to photograph is a black dog because it's tough to find the right lighting. Some of her most photogenic canines, she said, are rescue dogs and mutts because they have great personalities.

The work is memorable not just for the photographer but for her subjects as well.

"The bichons in the book had never been to the beach and we took them there for the photo shoot, and it was like kids in a candy store — the wind was blowing, and they were smiling," she said.

Levin's subjects occasionally even "put on the dog." One of the more unusual images in "PhoDOGraphy" was of a dog "driving" a car.

"He was a stunt action dog that rode a motorcycle and

rolled on the ground with a rose in his mouth. He was really, really funny and played ham for me," Levin said.

"PhoDOGraphy" offers several helpful tips, and Levin said the most common gripe she hears from dog owners is that their dog moves too quickly and they can't take a good photo. The book suggests a tried-andtrue method Levin uses to get their attention: she arms herself with motivators such as treats, cookies, sounds and she gets down to the dog's level on the ground.

Levin will be up off all fours and on both feet during the next few months promoting her book, in addition to her

work as a commission photographer of

pets and humans. She'll also continue her support of the Monmouth County SPCA, Eatontown, where her donated photos adorn its new thrift shop, and St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Madison, as well as shelters nationwide.

For more information, including book signings and where "PhoDOGraphy" is available, visit Levin's Web site at www.kimlevin.com.