Animals. Love that knows no boundaries. And because of that, I have a tiny problem. I don't have a place to put 3 dogs, 4 cats, 2 ducks, and a bunch of chickens. In my childhood, space was never an issue. My grandma had a big farm with so many animals. Seeing dogs and cats running around was just amazing. Part of the farm was for cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and she even had one donkey. I loved them all—except the turkeys. They were aggressive and loud, and it was never a good idea to be in their territory.
Chickens and hens were my friends, and every morning we would collect eggs. I still remember crawling inside their coop looking for eggs. Grandma also taught me how to milk a cow, but believe me, I never want to do that again. She also showed me how to pluck a chicken for roasting. And of course, we had pigs, and we all know what happens when a pig gets big and fat. During the worst part, we kids were not allowed to be present, but we knew what was happening when fresh meat suddenly appeared on the table.
Despite all that, I always enjoyed working on the farm and learning how food gets on the plate. Now, no one can make me be around for that anymore. But the animals were free, running around, and grandma always took good care of them.
Let's leave it at that because that's not the point of this article. The point is, I now love seeing animals running free, being outside, and having the opportunity to photograph them. All kinds of animals. They are tough models, but if you're quick, you can take beautiful photos.
I really don't want to know what people think when they see me smiling at their dogs, not the owners. I talk to the dogs, telling them how beautiful they are and asking how old they are—still talking to the dogs, not the owners. I often ask if I can take a picture, and the owners usually say yes because they see my smiling face and probably don't have the heart to say, "No, lady, leave my pet alone." 😉
So, let's see how good animals are at posing for my camera! 😉
"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ~ Martin Buber
