Here is some information about DogRead from the press release, which you can find here:

The group was founded in March of 2000 by Treshell Jones and currently has over 5700 members. Members can search the extensive archive of more than 70,000 posts from over 130 guest authors and members. Many DogRead authors have been recipients of prestigious writing awards and have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller lists. For more information or to become a member, visit http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DogRead .

I hope to see you there!

Below is information about the event, with a letter from Heather Speeks, chair of the The Artistic Expressions Art Auction. As she notes, tickets are complimentary by request only through their website (lilospromise.com)

Date/Time: Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.
Place: Collingswood Community Center
Collingswood, NJ
Website: www.lilospromise.com

Picture your adored pup in an abusive home or facing euthanasia after a long stay at an animal shelter. Lilo’s Promise Animal Rescue, located in Voorhees, NJ, removes dogs from these situations, loves and trains them until they are ready to take the next step toward being a treasured pet. Lilo’s helps all breeds, but specializes in our beloved pit bulls. These misunderstood and mismanaged kids get trapped in the system and need every advantage they can get.

As chair of the The Artistic Expressions Art Auction, I am dedicated to raise the funds needed to achieve Lilo’s goal of doubling the amount of dogs saved in 2009. While this is a huge undertaking for us, we are determined to reach our goal to help the dogs that need us.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. on April 10, attendees are invited to whet their palates with a Wine Tasting and Meet the Artists Hour sponsored by local vendors. A Live Auction, beginning at 7:30 p.m. will feature an amazing and eclectic assortment of art, with opening bids ranging from five dollars into the hundreds.  A current listing of our local, national and international artists donating work is available on our website at www.lilospromise.com.

Please join us for an exciting evening of food, wine and art and help Lilo’s Promise continue to rescue homeless animals.  Tickets are complimentary by request only through our website (lilospromise.com).

We hope to see you there!
-Heather Speeks – 856-783-2024 – HSpeeks@msn.com

Below is some information about the book as well as a way to get bonus gifts and be eligible for prizes when you order the book on Wednesday, 3/31/2010. You’ll also be supporting a great cause because on March 31, each order supports the American Humane Association whose mission is about the human-animal bond much like the message of the book.

Prizes and Bonus Gifts include: website creation, online shopping sprees, a modern platform dog bed, personalized dog birthday party, sterling silver necklace with yellow sapphires, gift certificates, business tips from Rich Dad, Poor Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki and Entrepreneur Mack Burnett III, Pet Photo Secrets, coaching advice, audio of World Peace Diet, dog training tips and much more!

For more information, visit:  http://LeashesandLovers.com/thebook

There are two ways people can win prizes in the contest (text below is from the contest website):

Your pet will be instantly entered in the Judged Category. Our panel of photographer judges will pick 36 winners based on your pet’s photo and a few simple questions that reveal your pet’s personality. The winners all get prizes!

If you choose, your pet can also compete with other pets for votes in the Fundraisers Category. Just choose the charity that you and your pet would like to support, forward your pet’s photo page to your friends and family (don’t worry, we make this step easy for you), and then ask them to donate to vote for your pet! Every dollar donated in your pet’s name will help spay and neuter pets to control overpopulation—AND give your pet another vote. If your pet finishes in the top 600 in votes, you’ll win great prizes.

For more information about Spay Day or this year’s contest, visit this page.

Feel free to use coupon code EXHNJ for 37% off the online ticket fee.

For more information and show hours, or to register visit:
http://www.SuperPetExpo.com

Below is an excerpt from the review, or you can read the entire review here on Shutterbug.com:

“…With the aid of this handy guide, photographers of all skill levels can produce heartwarming shots that are certain to delight any pet parent. Andrew Darlow offers advice on composition, lighting, setting up fun shots, and printing the best quality images so you can produce top-quality work that will set you ahead of the pack.” -Shutterbug Magazine

I’ve been a longtime reader and fan of Shutterbug, and find it a valuable resource for learning about all things related to photography. I especially like their product and software reviews. They also often include book excerpts, which are a great way to determine whether a book might be right for you.

One article from the February issue that I particularly enjoyed, and that you can find online in its entirety is titled: A Body Of Work; Do You Really Need One? You can read the article here: http://www.shutterbug.com/pointofview/0210body/

Exposure Compensation: What it is and How to Use it
One of the most useful exposure controls available on all DSLRs and most point and shoot cameras is Exposure Compensation. Your in-camera meter wants to essentially make everything it sees a medium gray tone (about halfway between white and black), so that means if you are photographing something that has a large area of white in the scene (like a white dog), your image will probably look too dark if you don’t use exposure compensation. You can remedy this by dialing in an exposure compensation adjustment of about +1 EV to +1.5 EV. Conversely, if you have a large area of dark colors in the scene (like a brown or black cat), your image will probably look too light if you don’t use exposure compensation (-.5 EV to –1.5 EV is recommended in this case). Exposure Compensation is also covered in Chapter 3, Tip 28.

Auto Exposure Bracketing: What it is and When to Consider Using it
One of the most useful exposure controls available on most DSLRs and some point and shoot cameras is Auto Exposure Bracketing. Setting this option will tell your camera to take multiple pictures consecutively at different exposure levels. For example, you can set your camera to take a picture with no compensation, then -1 EV, and then +1 EV. When you review your images, you will see three images, all with a different brightness range. Setting your camera to continuous shot mode (as opposed to single shot) is a good idea when using this mode because you may want to borrow elements from one photo (for example, a sky) and paste them into another. This technique works even better when you use a tripod.

Your shooting mode (for example, Aperture or Shutter Priority) will determine whether the camera changes the aperture or shutter speed when it brackets. In most cases, when shooting Raw, I would recommend a +/- 2 EV for AEB. For those who shoot only JPEG, I would recommend +/- 1 or +/- 1.5EV AEB. Though mentioned elsewhere in the book, a major advantage of shooting Raw is that it’s almost like shooting in AEB mode. You can process the same Raw file multiple times and merge the files together to expand the highlight and shadow details in your images.

Some cameras allow you to auto bracket the white balance, and at least one (Nikon), has a feature called “Auto ISO” that allows you to set a maximum ISO (for example, ISO 1200) and optionally, the minimum shutter speed (for example, 1/30 sec.). Your camera will then sense when it does not have enough light to expose a scene properly at 1/30 sec. at your camera’s widest aperture, and it will adjust the ISO up to a high ISO such as ASA 1200.