Photog takes a bow (wow)

A new 2009 calendar features photographs of the furry, four-legged inhabitants of Balboa Island’s picturesque shops and homes — all snapped by a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.

“I probably know the dogs better than I know the people on Balboa Island,” said Corona del Mar resident Patsy Metcalf, publisher of the “Balboa Island Canines and Felines” calendar.

The calendar features candid shots of dogs and cats.

“I walk the island a couple times a week, and you get to know the pets,” Metcalf said.

Metcalf recruited her longtime friend, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut, to take the photographs for the calendar. The two met while Metcalf was working in Los Angeles for USA Today.

“We just instantly hit it off, and now he’s one of my oldest and dearest friends,” Metcalf said.

Shooting cuddly dogs and cats is miles away from Ut’s day job. He’s been a photographer for the Associated Press since he was a teenager in Vietnam. Ut’s photograph of a naked 9-year-old girl running from a napalm attack on the village of Trang Bang during the Vietnam War won a Pulitzer Prize. He was wounded three times while covering the war.

Now based in Los Angeles, Ut also took the famous 2007 photograph of Paris Hilton crying in the back of a police cruiser after she was sentenced to 45 days in jail for a probation violation. The iconic image of Hilton was snapped 35 years to the day after he shot the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of the napalm attack in Trang Bang.

Ut frequently visits Balboa Island to see Metcalf, who works at Island Real Estate on Marine Avenue.

The photographs are from Ut and Metcalf’s walks around the island during his visits.

“I walked around Balboa Island — big photographer, very famous, and people are saying, ‘I want you to take a picture of my dog.’ It’s very funny,” Ut said.

Ut looked for humorous, lighthearted shots for the calendar, he said.

A photograph for the month of April features a white, shaggy dog sandwiched in between two black dogs — a doggy Oreo of sorts. Mr. February is a floppy-eared black lab clutching a squeaky toy in his teeth.

“I’ve covered wars, and never taken pictures of dogs and cats. I’ve seen people die. This is different. People can see the animals and smile,” Ut said.

The calendar also features the dates of local events, such as the Balboa Island Artwalk and the Newport Beach Jazz Series.

“I think the market is really ripe here for a hyper-local calendar like this,” said Metcalf, who already is accepting submissions for next year’s calendar — she’s thinking of focusing on Corona del Mar or Newport Coast pets for 2010.

A portion of the profits from the $16 calendar will be donated to the Pet Food Bank and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

HOW TO HELP

For more information, or to purchase a copy of the “Canines and Felines of Balboa Island” calendar, call (949) 629-1280 or visit www.balboaislanddogsncats.com. The calendar costs $16, and a portion of the profits will go to the Pet Food Bank and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

To have your pet considered for the 2010 calendar, or to submit event listings, e-mail patsy@patsymetcalf.com.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.