Posted on 02/21/2012 10:30:13 AM PST by OneVike
You might think you know what a dog would look like as it dives below the surface of water to retrieve a ball, but check out these photos and think again. When you see photos of dogs diving for a ball that is sinking into a pool, you will be amazed how surreal the near weightless conditions of the water makes the dog look. These shots are priceless in the way they capture a dog's lips going flying as if the wind is blowing at them while making their ears and fur flatten back against their body. Watching a dog's jowls expand as their mouth opens in an almost vicious looking way to grab the toy that has become their only focus, produces an almost perfect image of a dog lost in his own world of joy. After all, one of the biggest reasons we are so fascinated with our dogs is their intense determination to enjoy life, while doing what comes natural for them regardless of the obstacles in their way.
Casteel who has been seen on Animal Planet first began photographing dogs underwater about 18 months ago when he was asked to do a portrait of a King Charles spaniel who wouldn't stay out of his owner's pool. To get the right photos he began by testing different weighted objects that sink at different rates to get the right image of the dog. The dogs all dive into the water voluntarily, says Casteel, who initially tested the idea with a simple point-and-shoot camera. Seth holds his breath for up to 90 seconds while he sits in the pool, wearing a snorkel mask. He's taken photos of more than 60 dogs from all over America, and even went to Australia to photograph dogs diving into pools for owners who paid his travel expenses. His photos have become so popular he's getting calls from all over the world by pet owners wanting underwater portraits of Spot jumping into the pool to retrieve a toy.
His fame grew after a selection of photos he took in Californian went viral. Someone unknown to him posted them on Reddit and Google+. Before he knew what had happened, his phone started ringing 24/7 from curious reporters and pet owners all over the world. Casteel says he will only do photo shoots with dogs that already feel comfortable in the water so all he needs to do is grab his snorkel as the owner starts tossing various toys for their dog to retrieve. All photo shoots are done on location and never in a studio. The first photo at the beginning of the article is of Seth Casteel with his own dogs Nala and Fritzon on dry land.
Casteel is the founder of Second Chance Photos. he is also the CEO / Photographer at Little Friends Lifestyle, Pet Photography along with being a marketing Consultant at Los Angeles Animal Services. Casteel can be contacted via email at info@littlefriendsphoto.com or call his studio at (310-386-2961).
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See more images plus an underwater video of one of the dogs retrieving a ball at GATE
Its rumored that there are similar pictures of Barney Frank out there somewhere.
I must confess, this is something you probably will never see a cat do. Dogs look almost like dolphins with legs when diving in the drink.
WOOF (GURGLE) WOOF
Dogs are so uncivilized!"
Haha, these are great.
When I think of the idea of seeing him in a pool, the moment in caddy shack comes to mind with Bill Murray in the pools and everyone is getting out because they think a candy bar is something else. My mind conjures up the idea that Barney is what they thought the candy bar was.
scary lol
Dogs are awesome. When I get to Heaven I can’t wait to see Wings, Heidi, Kate, Marie Casatt, Meloncollie, Happy, Seurat, Bear, Patches, and even old black Renoir. I like to think I’ll be on THEIR turf: a place for perfect souls.
This pics are awesome, I passed this thread on to some other dog owners.
My dad had a neighbor with a Golden. He loved to retrieve rocks from the lake. He never came back with the same one thrown but he loved the game.
My friend owned a Golden Retriever that would go under water to retrieve baseball size rocks we threw in the pond. It was pretty amazing how he always retrieved the same rock we threw in. The water was only 4 feet deep but the bottom was covered with different size rocks.
Was the tossed stone marked somehow to identify it (not to the dog, but to the one who threw it)?
It’s a lively theological subject of debate whether dogs have souls. The Hebrew of the biblical creation account treats what men generally know as the higher creatures with the term nephesh, which refers to both breath and soul. However, it includes vertebrate fish, which no ancient source identified as being able to breathe (that had to wait for modern biology and the understanding of gills), so that suggests soul is intended. Moral of the story: next time you have fish, think of it as soul food. And if you go to heaven (John 3:16 explains how) maybe you’ll meet your dinner again, but it won’t be angry with you.
They have to snarl like that to keep water out of their noses.
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