What do you guys think of this idea?

[schrackman]

Since I love to go to the dog park to shoot pictures for practice, I've been floating this idea in my head for a while as quite a few people have asked me to email them pictures of their pets. I figure these people just might want to invest in a keepsake of their beloved pet if I make such a service available to them. So, I've designed a little flyer that I can post up on the bulletin board at our local dog park. Please give me your honest critique and/or suggestions.

p.s. I don't know if you'll be able to read it on this jpeg version, but the text around the paw says "pet approved" all the way around. Just trying to get cutesey.

Ray

[Scourh]

I think it's a great idea from a business point of view, and it can be very fun!
the only suggestion I could do it's to pick a cutter pose of the dog, clients might like it more.
Good luck I let me know how you do.

[shadz]

Yeah. hehehe. That dog's posessed. :P

[megan]

Punchy, hot ad. Good portrait.
A friend of mine from college does pet portraits as well!
She worked for Elliot Erwitt for years.
Good luck w/the business venture....

megan

[Dzerzhinski46]

Dear Ray,

Interesting picture of the dog (to say the least! ). Kind of one of those pictures that you just have to say, "Say, that's something!". Never mind my sarcastic comments.

Great idea. I'm sure, since most people with pets think of them as members of the family, that business will be forthcoming. You might want a different picture on your brochure though. Just a small bit of advice.

Dzerzhinski

P.S. By way of coincidence, I had done a photo (with no intention of showing it to her) of our neighbors two dogs. It turned out so well, that I decided to get a blow up, and give it to her, since she liked it so much. Well, her renter saw the photo, and she wanted a photo of her and her puppy. Any suggestions? I am thinking outdoor would be good, maybe black and white, but other than those two things, I am at a loss as to what to do. The photo that started it all is below.

[Janie]

ONE WORD = CAFE PRESS! Okay, I lied, that's two words. Go to http://cafepress.com and sign up - you can create all kinds of merchandise for them to check out and buy! I just created a one-year wall calendar for my dad with his red truck on it and it freaked! The quality is fantastic, you can get 1-5000 pieces, set your own price over their base price to make money - perfect stuff for christmas! ;)

[schrackman]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I hope to hear from more of you.

Regarding the picture, the reason I chose it is precisely because it is not your average doggy shot. I want to take creative shots for my customers, not your standard pose (although that does have its place). The owner of Oreo (the dog pictured) loved this photo. I'm making a print for her au gratis.

Dzerzhinski, first I would lose the chain link fence. Second, watch your background. Lots of distracting elements there. Third, try taking a few pictures on your belly, or crouching down, putting yourself on the same level as the dog and also shooting at different angles. Or try some action shots like this one below. Those are always fun.

Janie, that's a very interesting website. I'll have to check it out later when I have more time. Thanks!

Ray

[schrackman]

Punchy, hot ad. Good portrait.
A friend of mine from college does pet portraits as well!
She worked for Elliot Erwitt for years.
Good luck w/the business venture....

megan

Thanks Megan! I appreciate your comments. Forgive my ignorance but who's Elliot Erwitt?

Ray

[tijean]

Two quick things:

I don't like the header text. The font, the outter glow, everything. Everything else looks nice, clean balanced. That looks, well, it's not my favorite.

Also, I love the picture but the copy needs to tie in. Either straight copy or some quote to the effect of "Anyone who says that dogs have no soul..."

IMHO and all.

[another view]

Forgive my ignorance but who's Elliot Erwitt?

First off, great eye-catching shot. I think it's a great idea to use a shot like that - it's different and really grabs people's attention. Here's Elliot Erwitt's bio page at Magnum Photos: http://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/Tr...&E=29YL53IRYAK

My favorite of his is the the woman standing next to her Great Dane - only shows legs and feet next to each other - guess you have to see it... Magnum is the agency that represents people like Steve McCurry, and was started by a group including Robert Capa and Henri Cartier Bresson. Heavy hitters!

[Janie]

By the way - I LOVE this shot! Would be hysterical to warp the mouth and eyes a little more - especially if someone has a crazy nickname for their dog! My friend calls her dog TAZ because it runs really fast circles around everyone - I always thought it would be funny to get a shot of that and have dust and tornado tunnels around the dog. Cartoony or psycho images of pets - most pets are a bit crazy anyway! lol Can you imagine turning a stick in a dogs mouth to a TREE? Now That would be funny. ;-P

[schrackman]

Thanks tijean, another view, and Janie for your comments. I still have some work to do on this, particularly the copy. I just threw something in real quick just to see how it would look. I've rearranged the "pet approved" so that it looks more like a stamp and I might work on a few other header ideas as well.

Ray

[Cowgirl]

I love your pet approved stamp! I think the second version is soooo cool!!

You definately have a 'stand out' photo there. I don't think that I would use it personally though. But I do like the lighting.

Overall, I think that you are on to something really neat, and if it brings in good revenue then its definately awesome!

Good luck with it!

Kathy

[schrackman]

I love your pet approved stamp! I think the second version is soooo cool!!

You definately have a 'stand out' photo there. I don't think that I would use it personally though. But I do like the lighting.

Overall, I think that you are on to something really neat, and if it brings in good revenue then its definately awesome!

Good luck with it!

Kathy

Thank you, Kathy! I love using Illustrator for monogram type logo work (see http://www.luciddesignstudio.com/NewFiles/logos.html). But here's a different version, different header and copy (going with Janie's "crazy" dog idea, hehe). Not sure which I like better. Help me out!

Ray

[Dzerzhinski46]

Dear Ray,

The stamp on the second poster is much more readable. It adds to the wit and whimsy of the poster. It might be a toss up as to which (the second or third posters) is better. If you wanted to be whimsical (which you are either way ), you might go for the third poster (the ALice in Wonderland "mad watch" mood ). If you wanted a more business like feel, go for the second poster. It really is up to you.

Dzerzhinski

P.S. "There's only one way to stop a mad watch..." The March Hare ALice in Wonderland

[tijean]

Oh I love it! Very interesting and fun, but clean and professional at the same time.