Of Dogs and Hermit Crabs

What do dogs and hermit crabs have in common?

I wonder what kind of answers I'd get if I strolled down a typical busy shopping mall and asked random passers-by this question?

Well to start with, dogs and hermit crabs have two eyes. Perhaps you could even draw some tenuous connection between kennels and shells. But really, why would I even pose such a question? From my point of view it is all about having a willing photogenic subject.

For divers, hermit crabs are one of the easiest critters to photograph. They go about their business regardless of being observed. Even if you do startle them back into their shell it doesn't take long for them to re-emerge. And, if some unscrupulous diver were to pick one up and place it somewhere particular to stage a photograph, the hermit crab would happily show itself again when the coast was clear and carry on about its business.

So in my opinion, dogs and hermit crabs both make the most awesomely photogenic and most easy-to-photograph subjects.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Of Dog and Hermit Crabs' 1/160s f/22 ISO160 100mm