The key to expressive animal portraiture is eye contact. In the case of Olympia, a Bearded Collie, the eyes are critical because the rest of the face is essentially a mask of flowing hair, a living abstraction. I spent fifteen minutes photographing Olympia at close range with a wideangle lens, trying to stress her eyes above all. My own abstracted hand appears in the upper left hand corner – a gesture of love for this affectionate dog who belongs to my son and his wife. By petting Olympia while photographing her, I was able to distract her from smelling or licking the camera. The image is a study in incongruity – the single eye with its catch-light reflecting a nearby window contrasts strikingly to the heavy coat, which distinguishes this breed. Since Olympia is a monochromatic subject, some might wonder why I chose to use this image in color. The answer rests in my flesh colored hand. In black and white, the hand would appear as a mysteriously abstracted distraction, while in color, it becomes an essential part of the portrait.