Dogtography. Kaylee Greer
DOGTOGRAPHY
A KNOCK-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF GUIDE TO CAPTURING THE BEST DOG PHOTOS ON EARTH
Kaylee Greer
Project editor: Maggie Yates
Project manager: Lisa Brazieal
Marketing manager: Mercedes Murray
Copyeditor: Maggie Yates
Interior design: Aren Straiger
Layout: WolfsonDesign
Cover design: Aren Straiger
ISBN: 978-1-68198-647-0
1st Edition (1st printing, December 2020)
© 2021 Kaylee Greer
All images © Kaylee Greer
Rocky Nook Inc.
1010 B Street, Suite 350
San Rafael, CA 94901
USA
Distributed in the UK and Europe by Publishers Group UK
Distributed in the U.S. and all other territories by Ingram Publisher Services
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020932502
All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.
Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.
Printed in China
FOR JOSHUA
The brightest light on four legs.
Who knew that the very thing that people search their whole lives for, I would find in you? Like glittering plunder, I’ve unearthed the world’s single greatest treasure from the back of a shelter cage. Wiggling. Wagging. With an untold gift inside your heart. Flickering inside your eyes, I’ve discovered a once-in-a-lifetime tincture made of 1,000 shades of light that could heal every wound of human madness. It’s the kind of love that could move the earth and sky. The kind of love that reminds you exactly what a gift it is to be alive and breathing. The kind of love that serves to be the reason we’re all here, wandering the earth wide-eyed, adventuring through these grassy fields, tromping along through city streets in frenzied search of one thing. Our reason. All of humanity’s reason. And you and I, we smirk together, because we know we’ve found the secret. A secret made of courage, kindness and bravery. You are the living embodiment of the power of second chances. No physical limitations of earth, space, or sky could keep me away from you. You are the kind of soul that I will wait for in the stars one day. You are my forever.
Joshua, my shining light, my very good boy, this one’s for you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing a book is hard. (Understatement of the century.) And all the tiny steps it took to get where I stand today were somehow even harder. There are countless hearts behind the one I call my own. People who have come into my life and sprinkled their particular brand of light through the streak of my reality. They’ve molded me, supported me, loved me, and inspired me into existence. In some small way, they’ve all had a part in the making of this book. For all the parts of these pages that are me, there are a thousand tiny parts that are them. Here’s my moment to make sure they know it:
Some people give you life and leave it at that. Others give you life and then teach you how to fly. How lucky I am that my parents came together to be two of the latter.
To my dad, Charlie, the brightest light in any room, anywhere on earth—thank you. You taught me genuine kindness. You taught me honesty. With your hands, decorated in the battle wounds and scars of endless years of hard work, you taught me perseverance. I will never be prouder to have the kind of dad that shows up in dirty jeans, with calloused hands and motor oil-covered shirts, rather than having the kind of dad who wears snazzy business suits but never shows up at all. I will never stop trying everyday to be just like you.
To my mom, Lauri, whose astronomical ability for support could carry the entire sphere of earth on her tiny shoulders—thank you for always believing in me, especially at those times when even I didn’t believe in myself. The kind of love you’ve shown to me cannot be replicated anywhere, in any capacity, in any corner of the earth. You’ve guided me through all the hard parts and cheered me over every mountain. You light up my life with love.
Together, Mom and Dad, you both taught me that I could do anything. And I believed you.
To my soon-to-be second set of parents, Fran and Dave, who have accepted me into their family with the warmest open arms. Their support has never wavered. They lent the money for my first-ever camera, believing in me from the very first moment I began to dream this very big dream. Thank you. This is a gesture of love that I will never forget, and one that I will never be able to properly repay. Your love and support drive me every day.
To Ted Waitt and Scott Cowlin at Rocky Nook—thank you for looking at me and seeing more than just a hyperactive, overexcited kid in red overalls. Thank you for believing in me and all my wacky dog hair-covered adventures, and for inviting me to be a part of the family of renowned and talented Rocky Nook authors.
To Maggie Yates, my kind and brilliant editor. Thank you for your hard work and for dealing with my many dissertation-length, emoji-laden, 1 a.m. emails. Thank you for knowing when to take out the extraneous stuff, but more than that, thank you for what you let me put back in.
To Scott and Kalebra Kelby, Jean Kendra, and the whole team at KelbyOne. I will never forget the kindnesses you have shown me and how you lifted up an errant redheaded girl with nothing but a camera, some dogs, and a dream. You helped me share my story with the world. Your support and friendship is a gift that I cherish everyday.
I am lucky enough to call some of the most talented colleagues in this industry my dearest friends. A handful of those legendary talents leant their patient eyes and ears to me as I navigated the challenges of the writing of this book. For everything from the cover design to proofreading the content: thank you to Craig Turner-Bullock, Terran Bayer, Charlotte Reeves, and Nicole Begley for your unending support.
To Joy, Meghan, Alayna, Emily, Paul, Doug, and Dobby. You guys rooted for me the whole way through—thanks for checking in and lending your hearts when I needed the shoulder of a friend. And yes, the last name on that list is a dog. As it should be.
To all the shelter dogs who have inspired me, to all the clients who have turned into lifelong friends, to all the fellow artists who have shared kind words, to all the perfect strangers who have followed my adventures and enthusiastically supported me over the years—thank you.
And last, specifically because