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A smiling elderly man in glasses and a brown cardigan poses cheek to cheek with a black German Shepherd on a sunny porch. 27 / 36

Grandpa Otis Tried to Take One Selfie With Bear on the Porch

AI imagegerman shepherdselfiefront porch

Cheek to cheek and squinting into the sunshine, Grandpa Otis is clearly having the time of his life. He leans in close for the selfie, glasses catching the light, gray beard neatly trimmed, a brown cable-knit cardigan buttoned over his chest. His smile stretches from ear to ear. Bear, pressed against his shoulder, gazes straight into the lens with warm amber-brown eyes and ears tilted at a curious angle, as if he understands this photo is a big deal. Behind them, porch steps with potted plants lead down to a quiet, sunlit street lined with houses.

Getting a good photo with a dog takes a bit of patience. Natural daylight, like the soft sun on a porch, is usually more flattering than a flash, which can startle some dogs and cause glowing eyes. Holding a treat or squeaky toy just above the camera helps a dog look toward the lens. Short sessions work best, since dogs lose interest quickly, and rewarding them afterward makes future photo shoots easier. Getting down to the dog's eye level, as Otis has done here, usually produces a more natural, engaging picture than shooting from above.

This one is clearly a keeper, the kind of picture that captures a whole friendship in a single frame. If Otis prints it out, it deserves a spot right on the front of the refrigerator, where everyone who visits can see it.

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An elderly man in a tan cardigan holds a leash beside a smiling black German Shepherd at an outdoor produce market.Grandpa Otis Only Needed Apples. Bear Turned It Into a Parade.An elderly man in a brown cardigan hammers a broken wooden fence while a black German Shepherd holds a stick in its mouth.Grandpa Otis Needed One More Board for the Fence. Bear Brought Something.An elderly man in an olive cardigan smiles on a wooden bench by the beach as a black German Shepherd looks up at him.Grandpa Otis Came to the Beach for the Ocean View. Bear Had His Own.An elderly man in a green cardigan pours grain into a pond full of mallards as a black German Shepherd sits nearby.The Ducks Came Paddling Over for Breakfast. Bear Was Sitting Right There.