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Our pets are our babies—they’re our best friends and the loves of our lives, and even if they sometimes make a mess out of our stuff, we have to admit that our lives would be less colorful without them. Our hearts break every time we leave them at home when we go on vacation, and we can’t stand the sight of their sad, hopeful eyes as we close the door behind us on our way out.

Thankfully, dogs and cats are more welcome everywhere these days, and thousands of establishments across the USA have opened their doors towards our furry friends. Here are some excellent vacation spots where both you and Fido can have fun this summer.

Huntington Beach, California

This Southern California city is one of the most famous pet-friendly destinations in the USA. The city’s main draw is Huntington Dog Beach, a 1.5-mile stretch of sand where your pooch can run free. The city also hosts several events for our furry friends, including Corgi Beach Day, a gathering of corgis and their owners, and Surf City Surf Dogs, an annual dog surfing competition. After a day of frolicking under the sun, you can stop by one of the city’s many animal grooming centers and pet-friendly cafes to unwind.

Nantucket, Massachusetts

Nantucket, a quaint island off Cape Cod, has a great variety of trails and beaches that your pooch can explore to its heart’s content. You can even visit a farm or go sailing with your pet! You also shouldn’t miss exploring Nantucket’s historic downtown with your pooch—don’t hesitate to pause every once in a while to admire the architecture of the town’s well-preserved buildings. Just make sure your pet is on a leash when you’re exploring, and you’re good to go.

Bar Harbor, Maine

The town of Bar Harbor loves dogs so much, the townspeople named a beach after a local yellow Labrador named Brady. Start your day with a handcrafted cup of joe at Coffee Hound Coffee Bar, which is run by a dog-loving couple, and stop by the aptly named Bark Harbor dog store to pick up some treats and supplies for your pooch. When you’re all fueled up, go hiking at Acadia National Park, and finish your day with a sunset cruise.

Lake Placid, New York

Beautiful Lake Placid is one of the oldest vacation destinations in the USA, and one of the most pet-friendly. People will stop to pet your dog, and some shopkeepers will gladly offer your pooch treats. Got an active dog? Walk the 2.7-mile trail around Mirror Lake, and unwind on the beach while your pooch swims in the clean water. You can also visit the John Brown Farm, which has a nice trail suitable for pooches of any age.

Key Largo, Florida

A vacation in the Florida Keys is always a good idea, especially when you’ve got a furry friend or two in tow. Key Largo, in particular, has several pet-friendly resorts, as well as restaurants with outdoor patios for your dog or cat. Dogs are also welcome at a number of attractions and parks in Key Largo and the surrounding islands. You can bring Fido to the National Key Deer Refuge (but be on the lookout for alligators), as well as Jack Watson’s Nature Trail in Big Pin Key.

We wish you and your pet nothing but happy, sunny days this summer! Don’t forget to capture your vacation memories on a Nixplay Frame! Get 15% off selected frames, only until June 30!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

If you’re a budding photographer, there are no limits to the camera skills you can learn. And when it comes to animals, the results can be truly mesmerising when working with different colors and filters. Whether you’re taking cute snaps of your puppy at home or you’re out in the wild shooting some candid animal photography, here’s 5 reasons why you should make the switch from color to noir. You might even learn some cool animal photography tips on the way!

1. It Helps You See Differently

Who says that everything always has to be colorful? With black and white effects, you’re capturing more than just a photo. But why does it work so well with our furry friends?
With animals, it can be tricky to portray the mood and feeling of a photograph. But by making the switch to black and white animal pictures, you can provide more emotion. The subtlety of tones that black and white images can have helps us to feel more connected to a subject over a colored version. This one simple color change removes any distractions, and helps the viewer to focus on other aspects of the photo, such as the textures, shapes, patterns and the composition. It’s just like magic!

2. It’s Timeless and Classic

Black and white takes everything back in time, and is still looked at as the purest form of photography by most professionals.
Another reason to give black and white animal photography a try is that the black and white effect is timeless and elegant. This impact completely transforms your photos, and might even spark ideas for the future. After looking at animals through the black and white camera lens, you won’t want to look back.

3. It Tells a Story

Our whole world is in color, so it’s easy to see how colored photography depicts a more realistic view. But when you experiment with black and white tones, your work can be viewed as a rendition of reality – or how you interpret what you see. This helps you to explore a subject more and create different ways to tell a story. If you’re working on wild animal photography for example, you can’t rely on movement, position, angles or expressions for the best visuals. In this scenario – and any other animal photography scenario – pictures really do paint a thousand words. And when you take away color, you’re encouraging viewers to discover the stronger, more powerful elements of the scene.

4. It Makes You More Creative

Photographers are always looking for fresh new ways to enhance their camera skills. But when you’re shooting with animals, it can be a challenge to make the most of your talents, as you can’t afford to be picky about lighting, camera angles or positioning – and it’s not like we can ask them to sit nicely and smile for the camera! With black and white animal photography, you can still capture something that gives you a bit more creative edge, even if the shot is a little blurred and they’re not directly looking at the camera.

5. It Makes Candid Animal Photography a Breeze

Have you ever tried to take a photo of an excited little puppy that just won’t stay still? Or a beautiful, majestic bird nestled on a tree who flies away as soon as you press the shutter? Working with animals isn’t a walk in the park, but this is where candid animal photography really shines. With a candid, you want to make sure that your subject is in its natural element and living in the moment – which is all you really can do with animals. But when you’re aiming for the best black and white animal photography, try introducing a prop or getting more of a landscape view. That way, the candid is made up of several other elements that a viewer can focus on without the distraction of color.

<h2>Black and White Animal Pictures: Nixplay’s Favorites</h2>
Are you a budding photographer? And an animal lover? If your answers to both are yes, our hand-picked selection of gorgeous black and white animal pictures is perfect for you. Look through them below for some inspiration and ideas!

When you’ve achieved the perfect visual masterpiece, you’ll want somewhere just as perfect to show it off. Check out our range of Nixplay Smart Frames for a unique spin on displaying your photographs.

All pictures selected are free to use and download. Feel free to upload them on your Nixplay Frame!

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Tag: cat

5 USA Vacation Spots Where You Can Bring Your Pet