The San Francisco call., 1906-09-23
By Griffin Barry

II so much for dogs as for their
photographs. He himself does
not possess a dog-except the
vibrant animals in his pictures
but he IS seen at dog shows UP and
down the Pacific Coast, is an expert
and sought OF experts; gives, in fact.
his tine, talent and substance to the
beasts. His dog photographs cost him
in money far more than they yield him.
In valuable time he is even more the
loser. out of 5000 pictures Of dogs he
Aas taken but half a dozen are salts
fying-are worth keeping. he says
But in those haif-dozen Csome of them
are shown here) the animals start up
as II they had been recreated.
The head OF this Pasadena picture
maker. Walter A Parker. is photo
graphing for the market mountains
and desert views. Missions and flowers
and marines. Bat his soul is in dog
photography. He made that line his
own when he learned from the first few
photographs OF dogs what individuals
the beasts can be. He saw new world
open, beside which the sea. and land
scape and plants were tame and gen.
eraL Now he photographs dogs with the
same aim that others photograph peo-
ple-to show character. He had taken
10 outdoor photography and not to por-
traits because he liked the fresh air
and sun and needed il. Then he found
that dogs combined the vigor of the
free life under the sun with personal
ity which artists like TO deal with.
Since then Parker has made dog pho
tography his artistic dissipation, where
IN he spends himself without hope Of
any return save pleasure.
! watched him one day working for
an effect from r. F. Halsted's Check
ers, a jumping fox terrier. half sprite,
half imp. lie made exposure after ex-
posure only 10 find that in the picture
TIE dogs face was half hidden. that an
4Toluntary lUrch forward had thrown
I be animal out Of focus. or that a tail
wag had blurred the plate. once, when
the little terrier stood still. and his eyes
were on the high-light IN the lens, the
PHOTOGRAPHER snapped the shutter. But
an unconsciOns movement. hardly more
than heartbeat, doubled the lines of
the best picture Parker ever made
the dogs bristles half raised. his ears
cooked, his eyes interrogating. Ii was
q master piece with q film over it.
That was in the bright sun, where
clear pictures are alone taken Parker
had been wooing the dog to pose for
more than two hours, and nervous
Checkers had already tried once or
twice 70 sneak away.
The photographer lay down in the
shade moment TO think. Fifteen min
utes later he appeared with some meat
for the dog, steadied his own trembling
hands. and while Checkers Iolling
tongue, which the heat had drawn out
was busy with the meat. Parker took
the picture. The result is one of those
perfect things that happen like acci-
dents. II has the terrier expression"
which for terriers is as much a distin-
gushing mark as the bray Of a donkey
or the purr OF a cat.
"A dog is like a baby; some days he
IS q good sitter and some days unman-
ageable. says Parker. But he has
ten times the activity a baby has, and
TO me ten times more interest Then he
is ten times-nsy. a hundred times
harder to photograph characteristicaliy.
Never think that a dog is not vastly
more sensitive. venturesome and moody
than a human being. The beasts try
70 understand what / am doing with
my black box. have known intelli-
gent ones TO sniff the lens or paw it.
watch for the unconscious moments
when they are their real selves. OF
course il is my effort to reproduce all
the dogs in natural acts: the pointer
at point, the St. Bernard in watchful
dignity, the bulldog battle-worn and
surly, the lapdog pert and smirking.
The stronger ] bring out the char
acteristics Of breed in each dog the
more he looks like others of his kind
The individual vanishes and you see
the universal Why. that looks like
my dog fanciers viii say when they
see pictures over which / have worked
hard That is compliment, for I mean
10 show in each animal the signs of
the breed that link him to others Of
his kind"
Photographs the Dog Soul.
Now. it is an achievement for a pho
tographer TO show not only how dog
looks. But what he is thinking-to pho
tograph his soul. so TO speak And
Parker does photograph souls. Look,
for instance. at the expression of the
male and female St Bernards whose
pictures he shows together proudly.
The watch dog whose ancestors have
invaded the SHOWS for centuries looks
out self-reliantly and refiectively. He
seems waiting for any one who needs
hAelp on the icefields His mate. her
Fears cooked. has no repose. but great
tenderness for her young; She is alert,
even trembling. and her dark brows
give sad expression to her eyes. The
cbasm between the sexes is in the pic
lures
Bill Sykes is $4,000 bulldog
owned by Colonel II. H. Blossom, the
wealthiest man il Pasadena. People
put g price Of $4,000 on Bill because