The Cortona Center of Photography would like to thank our Italian dog friends who have been such great models for us over the years.
They have their positions well established in the local community, with places to go, people to see. Their daily agendas are set as they make the rounds, on their own or with their people, but they always have time to stop and say hello or pose for a photo when we cross paths with them during the workshop.
We were in Montepulciano, Italy on a Fieldtrip Day for the Cortona Center of Photography Workshop that I teach every year, and were hurrying to meet up with the group to head home to Cortona. I’d gone back with Caroline to shoot a landscape view she had seen from the wall parapet, and Deanna had run ahead, down the main street to make a quick purchase at the coppersmith’s shop on the way back to the car. We got the shot, and as the two of us were hurrying down the long street, I saw this little dog and stopped to take a photo. However, my memory card was full and my battery had just quit on top of it all, and since we were running late, I decided not to rummage in my pack for a new battery and card. So letting the shot go, we rushed on and were barely on time.
Later that evening at dinner, back in Cortona, I started lamenting my lost shot and describing this dog I had seen. He was walking along by himself and somebody had been nice enough to make him a little mesh wrap-around band, since he was a lowrider and obviously suffering some gravity and dragging issues! Deanna pushed her little notebook across the table for me, and this is what I drew by memory, from just a few moments of viewing the actual subject.
Later the next day, we were meeting for our daily critique and Deanna was showing her work from our trip the day before, and as she flashed to this image, I just fell out! It was the dog! She had not really noticed him in detail, being preoccupied with her composition of these two older ladies poignantly viewing the local obituary postings. Deanna has the rare talent for catching the perfect human moment, expression or gesture, with just one shot. (To see more of her photos CLICK HERE)
It was so funny to compare, and all-in-all I think I was fairly accurate, erring on the side of too much beagle head, floppy ear, and no collar, and the real subject was more chihuahua-esque.
Thanks for sharing these Deanna and I hope to see you soon!
Robin
Photo © Deanna Chute, all rights reserved
