Let the dog sniff you and, provided you don't smell like a cheeseburger, there's a better chance that they'll calm down for you.

Feeding time
Even among domesticated animals, some critters are more skittish than others. Alpacas, for instance, are descended from prey animals. Their instinct is to keep their distance from you.

Once again, you can rely on your zoom lens to get some cute shots of those bashful barnyard beasts. Or, if you're ready for some furious up-close-and-personal action, get someone to bribe your subjects with food, as alpaca rancher Ruth is doing in Figure C.

FIGURE C


One four-letter-word is the secret to photographing shy animals -- food. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Food is a natural magnet, which is why petting zoos sell you grain in those little sugar cones. If you think goats, sheep and horses like being groped and grabbed by little brats, think again. But they'll put up with a lot for a snack.

Again, you'll get the best shots if you crouch down to the animals' eye level. If you can, use an SLR camera with a wide-angle lens and snap away like crazy.

Animals tend to dart about quickly. Their flurry of motion can confuse your camera's auto focus. So, try some pictures with the auto focus on, then turn it off and use your manual focus ring. If you take enough photos both ways, you're bound to capture some sweet shots, like Figure D.

FIGURE D


Shoot a whole slew of critter pictures and you're bound to capture the perfect pose. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Just like supermodels, Camarra and Isabelle are temperamental. But if you work at it long enough, you can catch them looking absolutely mah-vuh-lous.

Jorge Sosa is writer/photographer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached via e-mail at jsosa1234@yahoo.com.