Perfect Stumpie – Tuesday 7th September 2021

Perfect Stumpie

I’ve been thinking about what makes the perfect stumpie. Mum and I have taken so many different photos around trees recently that it has been high on both our minds. Does it have to be a stumpie at all? Does a loggie count? Then there was the question of the stump that was so hollowed out that I was more sitting inside it rather than sitting on it. Is that allowed? It has led us to have an interesting and to be honest inconclusive debate.

Essential ingredients of a stumpie

The essential ingredients to achieve the perfect stumpie are:

A camera – any camera will do. You just never know when the opportunity is going to arise, so the easier it is to carry and set up quickly the better. As you will realise, even those of us trained in being models won’t wait forever and have our off days.

A dog – I’m sure another cute animal might work, but be honest, how often do you have a spare guinea pig on you when going for a walk in the woods? You might persuade a passing squirrel to cooperate. However that means carrying a bag of nuts with you and you might find the guinea pig is lighter.

A tree stump – but this is where the argument comes in. Can the tree be living? We found some lovely trees with trunks that split in different directions leaving a platform I could sit on. Could that be counted as a stumpie or are we into the realms of a whole different class of photograph. In its most basic form a stumpie needs a tree stump of a cut down or fallen tree. Normally a cut down one as one that falls down rarely leaves a flat surface to sit or stand on. I do like loggies but they just aren’t the same as stumpies and need to be judged as a different genre.

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Good lighting – oh I know this is the same for all photography, but we’ve had ‘perfect pictures’ that just aren’t perfect because the lighting was wrong. It’s much harder if you are in a forest setting, although it can create a nice atmosphere if you get it right.

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A bag of treats

It goes without saying that you are going to need a big bag of treats. What self-respecting dog is going to stand in position for you just so you can take a good photo? I know some of us are vain, and believe me, that helps. For me however the bag of treats is essential. To be fair, I’m so used to photo opportunities now that I’ll do them without Mum actually holding the treat at the same time. I know I’ll be given one afterwards. I also know some hand signals of the things Mum wants me to do as well as the command ‘to me’ when she wants me to look in her direction.

Most importantly, the whole photo shoot has to be fun or there just isn’t any point. I’m looking forward to when Mum’s better so we can have another go at one or two loggies on the tree we have now memorised the location of (after having lost it for a week).

Love

Wilma