Page 32 of Finding His Fox

It was just how I imagined Cal’s place would look like. Quiet, secluded, yet cozy.

The sun was coming up quickly, and I needed to hurry up. I planned to take pictures of Max in the woods during the golden hour—the first hour after sunrise.

I was in serious-photographer mode.

After dumping the bags in Cal’s house, I grabbed the bag with my photography equipment and Max’s toys and treats bag.

We then headed into the woods behind his house.

“There’s, uh, a good spot up ahead if we follow this trail,” Cal said after a while.

Cal continued leading us deeper into the woods. Large tree roots weaved along the forest floor.

The ground was uneven and slightly damp. Thank goodness I wore my hiking boots.

I was slightly panting. Trying to keep my balance while carrying Max’s pet carrier was a workout in itself.

I started noticing odd sticks poking up forest floor. Were they… flags?

At first, there were only two or three. Further in, there were more of them pinned to the ground.

“This is the spot,” Cal said, stopping at a clearing.

The area was littered with little red flags. It seemed like this was the spot he had chosen.

“What are those?” I asked Cal, pointing at one of the flags.

“I, uh, marked some spots I thought would be nice,” Cal said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Wow! These are perfect,” I said, bending down at a spot with three flags around it.

Cal’s little flags were a godsend. They were spots I would’ve chosen myself.

A large log with ferns, mossy stones, a gnarly tree root—they all made for interesting scenery.

A story board started to form in my head. I moved quickly, setting up my equipment. More sunlight was starting to filter through the forest canopy.

At first, Max was uncooperative, running around and not staying in one place. Cal and I worked together to coax Max into different poses.

Cal would dangle Max’s favorite toy while I rewarded Max with treats after every successful shot.

Max then went into what I liked to call his ‘model mode’, which meant there was less coaxing and more clicking away at my end.

Cal and I focused more attention on adjusting the lighting and angles to make the most of the natural light, which was quickly getting too bright.

I had never thought of hiring an assistant before, but Cal’s help made me seriously consider getting one.

Once I could afford it, of course.

Although, I might have asked a little too much of Cal, ordering him around to do this and grab that.

He was panting a little when I finished taking my last shot.

“Well, I think that’s all I could do for now,” I said, turning to face Cal.

I looked him up and down and pursed my lips, trying to hold back a grin. Cal looked ridiculous.

He was still holding up the reflector while beads of sweat trickled down his face.