March 14, 2007
"Shasta the Wonder Dog," who many believe could have been the model for the computer-animated character 'Fly' in the hit movie "Babe," was in Santa Barbara recently and stopped by the Magical Light Photography portrait studio for a publicity still.
PROPS USED TO FOCUS ATTENTION
Shasta was photographed in a natural back yard setting while staring intently at a neighbor's cat that the photographer's assistant held up and was dangling by the tail.*
In describing the creative use of props, the photographer recalled the sage advice of noted photo journalist Earl Theissen (an original 'LOOK' magazine staffer from 1930-1962) when he said, "There are times when you will have to stand on the stooped shoulders of your aged grandmother to get THE shot. And, dammit, fellas, you'd better do it!"
You can see the larger version of "Shasta the Wonder Dog" in the 'CELEBS' gallery.
Note that our lenses will again this weekend be trained on the Yosemite Horned Owl to see if anything further has developed. So, watch this space next week for details...
*No actual cats were harmed in the making of this photo. DO NOT call PETA or the SPCA.