The text message popped up on my screen.
“Hey Mike, do you have any plans from 1:30-4:30 on Nov. 23?”
It was from my friend and former colleague at the St. Cloud Times, Kate Kompas.
No plans, I replied, although my spouse had raised the prospect of traveling to Evanston, Illinois, to watch the Gophers-Wildcats football game that weekend.
“Want to be a photographer for a TCHS event?” she replied.
Kate now works for the Tri-County Humane Society and I knew their big fundraising event, Santa Paws, was coming up.
As a newspaper photographer since the 1970s, I’ve photographed all kinds of things, but I’ve never taken animal portraits. About as close as I’ve come is shooting dairy judging at the Stearns County Fair.
Portrait photography is an entirely different genre from news photography. I’ve been asked to shoot weddings, but with one exception, I’ve declined. Dealing with high-strung brides and grooms or drunken parents is way more stressful than photographing a police standoff or a championship football game.
But I agreed to help. When I was an editor and Kate was a reporter at the Times, she often bailed me out by offering to cover an unexpected assignment. I certainly owed her a favor.
Then I found out not only would I be shooting animals and their owners but also Santa, played by another longtime Times friend and colleague, sports reporter Tom Elliott.
Tom and I reported together for more than 35 years. We roamed the sidelines at high school football games and soaked up summer sun covering amateur baseball.
Tom’s a great Santa, not only because he fills out the suit, but his gentle and gregarious nature brings the Santa role to life.
My Santa Paws photo session turned out to be more of a Times reunion when I learned the photographer working before me was Melissa King, another friend and co-worker from my Times days.
The four of us enjoyed the reunion but we also had a serious mission.
More than 200 pet owners scheduled a photo session over three days last weekend – that’s one pet family about every five minutes. For the Humane Society, the event raises more than $8,000. Volunteers help with herding the pets, posing the humans and animals and transferring the photos to flash drives. Other volunteers donate materials and equipment to cut down costs.
Dogs big and small and a few cats arrived with their families during my three hours. Some folks donned Christmas costumes while others just wanted a simple family portrait.
My favorite family, two dogs included, wore matching holiday scarves. A very colorful, yet subtle touch.
One couple showed up with a pair of very large dogs. The owners said they wisely took the dogs for a run before the photo session. Fully exercised, the dogs were ready to pose.
The day ended with two women dressed as Whoville characters, along with two tiny costumed dogs. A man, wearing a full green Grinch costume, joined the group, although I’m thinking based on his demeanor, the others talked him into the Grinch persona.
Kate warned me that more than cats and dogs would be in the lineup. In the past, people have arrived with horses and goats.
Earlier on Saturday, Santa Tom posed with a guinea pig, “some sort of lizard thing” and the “biggest rabbit you’ve ever seen.”
The three hours flew by, thanks to lots of happy people, sometimes cooperative pets and helpful volunteers.
Tom reflected on his day as Santa: “It’s a fun job but it doesn’t pay very well, a lot like journalism.”
