Dorothy O’Donnell begins all her days at home in San Francisco with a coffee and a dog walk. The street photographer lives in North Beach, an area she loves “for its diversity and old San Fran charm. The combination of colourful characters and old Victorian buildings with interesting architectural details makes this area something of a street photographer’s paradise. There’s no shortage of photo opportunities, and plenty of cute cats and dogs, too.”
The ears of Lucky, her chihuahua and miniature pinscher mix, are pictured here, frozen at the sight of a sworn enemy. “I have no doubt this cat could take him down!” O’Donnell says. “We’ve seen him a few times, monitoring the neighbourhood from this window.”
The image’s slanted sidewalk is very characteristic of hilly San Francisco. “I had to back up a bit and crouch down to get the shot,” O’Donnell says. “At first, I wanted to try to get his whole body in, but I decided I liked it better with just the back of his head and distinctive ears. I thought it made both the image and the story stronger. Sometimes less is more.”
O’Donnell used her phone, along with Lightroom for some very minor edits. “I hope the photo makes people smile,” she says. “It makes me happy that such a random, spontaneous moment turned into a cute photo that tells a little story.”
