The Omlet Blog Archives: October 2018

Fall Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake


Holiday baking is so much better with eggs fresh from your backyard chicken coop. This pumpkin cheesecake is the perfect dessert to serve to guests. Deceptively elegant but surprisingly easy to make, it’s great for holiday parties because it can be made a day or two in advance.

Sharing this yummy recipe from guest blogger Lisa Steele, Fresh Eggs Daily.

 

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This entry was posted in Recipes on October 18th, 2018 by sammorley


How to take better pictures of your pet

If you’re looking to get some great shots of your furry or feathered friends, follow these tips so that you can master the art of the perfect pet pic!

Long haired dog sat in front of Omlet Eglu Cube Chicken Coop

Patience

The first thing to remember is that pet photography requires patience. It doesn’t matter if you want a posed photo of your rabbit or an action shot of your dog, you’re probably going to get rather frustrated when your models are not behaving in the way you want them to. So arm yourself with patience, and never force your pet into doing something they don’t like.

Get help

If you have a family member or a friend at hand, it’s always useful to ask them to assist you. They can use toys or treats to get the attention of the pet and direct their gaze while you focus on getting a great photo. If you’re by yourself you’re going to have to find other ways. Sometimes making a sudden noise can get the attention of the pet, but probably only for a second or two, so make sure you’re ready. Depending on the type of photo you’re after it might be easier to have the photo session after you’re played together for a while and the pet is less excited and bouncy.

Use natural light

If you’re not a professional photographer with access to different lenses and flashes, you’re probably going to want to take advantage of the natural light. Try starting outdoors, or if you’re indoors, by a window. The light will make the photo look better, and will give you more freedom to experiment. We would suggest going somewhere where both you and your pet feel comfortable, maybe a place that means a lot to you and where you have created lots of memories together. Try to choose a place with a relatively clear backdrop, like a while wall or a grassy field, as a messy background can be distracting.

Try to focus on the eyes

If the eyes are blurry or out of focus the photo will look slightly off. The camera will automatically focus on what is closest to the lens, which in most cases will be the nose of your pet rather than the eyes. This is especially important when you’re taking close ups.

Closeup of guinea pig in tunnel in their Omlet Outdoor Guinea Pig Run

Get down to their level

This might mean you have to crouch down in the mud or crawl on the floor, but in return your photos will be significantly more unique and interesting. Try taking photos from different angles: from above, below, in front of your pet, behind it. You’ll get to see your pet from all sides, and sometimes the photos from the weirdest of angles are the ones you will love the most.

Have their personalities in mind

The whole point of taking photographs of your pets is to try and capture their personalities, so try to make sure that their characters are showing in the photo. If you cat is the lazy ruler of the house you probably want to capture it yawning in their favorite spot on the sofa, and if you have a dog that bounces around the house and is impossible to tire, you probably want to capture its liveliness in the middle of a jump or running towards you in the park.

Quantity is key

The more photos you take, at different times and locations, the more likely you are to get that one amazing shot. This will also mean that you get loads of photos of your pet in different places, moods and positions. Get used to taking photos when you’re out on walks, playing in the garden, or just relaxing at home, and try to spy on your pet to catch what they’re doing when you’re not around. And remember to always take 20 photos instead of just one.

Use treats

If you’re trying to have a properly arranged photo shoot, try using treats. Depending on what pet you have, and their personalities, offering treats can make them sit still and look at the camera. Others will just walk up to you to get the treat, or ignore the treat completely, but it’s worth trying. Make sure that you reward your model throughout the shoot.

Include props

Props go a long way when getting a great picture of your pet. Not only are they a great way to make your shoot more fun, but they can make your pet look even cuter! Why not feature some of their favorite pet toys and accessories in the background of some of your shots, or you can even smarten fido up with a fun dog bow-tie and adorable dog fleece. Of course, it again goes without saying that if your pet doesn’t feel comfortable with any props you’re using, then stop using them. Remember – no one likes a pushy petographer! 

Add humans to the photo

Having family members in the photos with your pet makes the pictures even more special, and they are the ones that you will come back to and look at. A photo of your child playing with your dog or feeding the chickens will capture their characters in a way that a posed photo very rarely does.

Man with his two cats on the Omlet Indoor Freestyle Cat Tree

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This entry was posted in Pets on October 15th, 2018 by sammorley


World Egg Day!

Happy World Egg Day! World Egg Day is celebrated on the second Friday of October every year, and around the world events are held celebrating the egg.

To celebrate, we want to help our friends at The Livestock Conservancy, while also giving you the chance to win a Chicken Swing to say thanks! To enter simply like our Facebook page and comment on the World Egg Day post how you like your eggs in the morning. For every comment we receive we will donate $1 to The Livestock Conservancy! We will also select 2 entrants at random to WIN a Chicken Swing. Competition closes at midnight on 16th of October 2018. Good luck and don’t forget to share with your friends! Enter here!

 

Terms and Conditions:
The competition closes at midnight on Tuesday 16th October 2018. To enter please like our Facebook page and comment on the post for World Egg Day. $1 for every comment posted will be donated to the Livestock Conservancy. The maximum amount donated will be $250. Two entrants will win a Chicken Swing. The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and notified on Wednesday 17th October 2018. Omlet reserve the right to withdraw the competition at any point. Prizes cannot be transferred to cash. This competition is only open to US residents. This competition is not open to Omlet employees or members of their immediate families. Likewise, it is not open to the Employees of Omlet Partners who may be involved in promoting this competition. Omlet may cancel or amend any competition, competition information, or these terms and conditions without prior notice. Any changes will be posted either within the competition information or these terms and conditions. All entries must be made on the relevant competition post.

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This entry was posted in Competitions on October 12th, 2018 by sammorley


A Customer Review of the Outdoor Cat Run from Omlet

Do or Don’t??

 

Are you considering buying a run for your cat?

5 degrees outside, oh how we’d love to open a window or the French Doors, but we have two indoor cats that might attempt to get out.
This is how we first got the idea for a cat run.

My husband is very determined that the house and garden should look good, so fencing in the whole garden was not an option for us. Anyway, fencing might keep our cats in, but it wouldn’t keep other cats out.

Next idea, should we build a run ourselves? No, it won’t look good next to the house and it’s not flexible.
I was looking around for something movable and flexible, but it just didn’t exist! Or did it? Suddenly I came across Omlets solution – exactly what I was looking for.

An outdoor run for which I would be able to decide the length and width myself. Easy to move, pack up, make smaller or make larger – and it’s green like the garden. One of the things I fell for is that you can place the run directly on the grass, so the cats have a natural floor to play on. The roof is made up of the same netting as the rest of the run, so the cats can keep an eye on what is happening in the sky, whether there’s a bird, a plane or something else.

When it rains the run can be covered so you can use it with your cats like a kind of covered terrace. The same covers can also be used to create shelter from the wind, shade from the sun or a guard to give the cats some peace and quiet.

Some people might feel it’s not right to put cats in a cage, but I don’t see it as a cage at all. I call it the cats’ outdoor space. We keep them there to protect them but at the same time it gives them the opportunity to experience nature and get some fresh air without the risk of getting run over or get into other bad situations. Both our cats love their outdoor space and they use the entire run like one big climbing frame.

Now we can enjoy life outside with our cats

No more being woken up in the middle of the night or early in the morning – now we have two happy cats that get all the mental and physical stimulation they need in their outdoor space.

The Omlet Outdoor Cat Run has given us our outdoor life back and given our cats a better, healthier life.

– Maria, Roskilde

 

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This entry was posted in Cats on October 2nd, 2018 by sammorley