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Bo meets snow, or Snowpocalypse Dog
By Christie Keith
February 9, 2010
As Washington DC and all points east get hammered under inches and even feet of snow, Bo the First Dog took to the tundra. And despite the fact that the U.S. government is shut down due to the weather, White House photographers Pete Souza and Charles Dharapak got the pictures for the American people.
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I’m really happy for the Obamas and for Bo. Have no idea what really goes on in the White House for any president, of course, but this *seems* a good match all around.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 10, 2010 @ 6:58 am
Also, he’s very very cute.
Comment by Christie Keith — February 10, 2010 @ 8:10 am
Any more puppy pictures, Christie? Been a couple days, and the “wee bairns” are likely bigger than most cats by now …
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 10, 2010 @ 8:36 am
Wonderful to see Bo enjoying this snowverkill we’re having! He’s adorable. Even my ex-Florida greyhound enjoys bounding in the drifts (on lead, of course).
Comment by Carol — February 10, 2010 @ 8:37 am
We would be hard pressed to FIND Bo in the snows up here inna Hinterlands of Carroll County.
My largest dog is a stout 27.5 inches at the shoulder and weights in the neighborhood of 90 pounds.
When he went outside just a few minutes ago, I could see his pointy little ears and that’s about it.
It took him about 45 seconds to git’er done and get back inside.
Comment by Linda Kaim — February 10, 2010 @ 10:14 am
You know, I’m disappointed in the quality of the photos.
These guys are supposed to be professionals, no?
The composition of the first one is terrible, typical crummy pet snapshot. The second one is just mediocre, the sort of shot that I might take and neither discard nor spotlight.
Yes, photographing black dogs in snow is a technical challenge because of the extreme contrast, but a pro should be able to get some decent, fun action shots and know enough not to shoot head-on from above.
Comment by H. Houlahan — February 10, 2010 @ 1:12 pm
There is a two-time Pulitzer prize-winning WaPo photographer who used to work at The Sacramento Bee. He’s very, very, very good.
He can’t (or at least couldn’t) take a good picture of a pet to save his damn life. I developed my own theory of why this might be:
He didn’t see them as individuals. He saw them as objects. No empathy.
Just used Teh Googles to look at a ton o’ official White House Bo picks, and they wouldn’t win any contests, that’s for sure. With one notable exception:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/asse.....g_blog.jpg
OTOH, it could well be the Pete Souza, the official White House photographer, was freezin’ cold and just wanted to get the hell back inside. And so did the dog. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 10, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
My experience of young PWDs suggests that it probably took his entire Secret Service contingent to pry him out of a snowdrift and drag him back inside. (And then another team to get all the ice dingles out of his curly coat.)
Photographers is another matter.
Interesting about the SacBee photog.
Usually the mode of failure when people are taking photos of their own pets is the same as the mode of failure with family snapshots — poor composition, bad lighting, ugly, cluttered backgrounds, unflattering angles. Stuff that any pro should reflexively avoid — and stuff that regular snapshot takers can learn to improve a lot by reading a short newsletter article or web page that gives tips.
They are definitely seeing their pets as individuals — so much so that they aren’t thinking about the photograph as photograph. I hadn’t considered the opposite mode of failure.
The photo of Bo head-on from above, eyes lost, body lost behind head, leash taking up most of the composition is exactly the kind of picture that I started rejecting as a newsletter editor. The only thing missing is a television (turned on) in the background.
Comment by H. Houlahan — February 10, 2010 @ 3:28 pm