halloween

Good evening to all ghoulish fiends. Leia and her giant friends went trick or treating (I think they will get some looks from all the parents):0! They will have a splendid evening. The weather cooperated-you could wear shorts and flip flops if you desire. Experimented with xposures on the jack-o-lantern. He was fun to carve after all! A lil feller with an upset tummy. Innards went everywhere:( I felt like Linus tonight and got lazy with the treats. Just speeding up the process for the trick or treaters. Besides, the dogs go baserk

small dog studio test

Now these dogs are perfect models. Well behaved, patient and attentive. Small dogs seem to be like that-at least these two breeds. So my project was to test with my flash indoors. The white balance is incorrect so it requires planning and I don't have all the studio lights set up-the ones I have aren't effective enough. I need to do some research. A strobe would be ideal. Anyway, I'd like to include some studio and more location/candid/documentary style work. The studio certainly is a challenge. I think these are okay. A little on the cheesy side. First attempt, it's all good. Remember it's all about the lighting! And then of course an expressive animal too.

kenobi in the park

Kenobi and I went for a walk and he behaved! With me holding the camera and such. On overcast days I need to set the iso to about 400 and my shutter can be around 1/500-1/640+. This park is perfect for colors and pathways. Good boy!

In the Park

Her after school attitude shines in these shots I did of Leia one fine autumn day. This past week it's been doom and gloom weather. Brisk and chilly yet pleasing light for photography. Oh yeah, I was not going to miss this opportunity. My 40-150mm zuiko is fantastic and surprises me every time. I walk the doggies here often and these fall colors are drop dead gorgeous. This spot on the bench in front of the tree was perfect and she cooperated somewhat. It was cold and it took less than 5 min. Leia is photogenic, she just doesn't know it. High ISO and simple editing. Voila, she's a knockout!

Leia loves Miley

Leia loves Miley Cyrus and so this shot became the 'Miley' shoot. All shot with a flash (FL36) with the diffuser bounced off the ceiling. Camera set to manual. Flash auto.

Spooky on the first snow day

Yes, believe it or not , it is a snow day today. 3-4 inches fell from the sky. It's beautiful but it's not Christmas morning you know. Spooky was my subject this fine miserable morning. He wouldn't dare look at me, perhaps it was the confusion that yesterday he saw fall colors and green grass. Temp dropped about 30 degrees over night. Brrrr. I ended up liking the tonal range in the black and white shot. His fur is quite sparkly. It also reflected the red blankie. Spooky is our favorite pet.

Zoe and Lily

Introducing 2 lovely pups who are just a burst of snowball energy. Zoe is the big mamma and Lily is the brand new member of my dear friend Kim. She was so kind to let me spend some time to test out on her doggies. This first image is how many shots became, a big white BLUR! So, It's a matter of more LIGHT! Now,this was somewhat of a challenge due to the fact that they are both white and FAST. My trusty kit lens does an okay job but I struggle with the speed factor and the fact that that it HUNTS like crazy for light! I need to double the amount of light and speed up the shutter. It was also tricky to get them together in a shot. Patience, patience,patience. My fave shot is the one where Lily is resting on Kim's shoulder. Precious! Anyway, these pals are truly adorable and I appreciate the opportunity. Thanks Kim! Fanny packs RULE!

Belle Spends the Night

Yeah! (says Furby) My bestie Belle gets to hang with me all day and all night! We get along fabulously! Look at all the fun we have together! My Mommy makes me and Belle look beautiful!

Kenobi

He is still tricky to shoot due to his black coat. ISO set on 400 mainly in full shade. Some shots are in diffused light so I switch to ISO 200. You know, he is still a puppy and full of energy. Especially in the backyard where he is free to roam. The largest aperture is only 3.5 and it sucks cuz I'm aiming to catch the action. You know, freeze it. So a lot of shots tend to be blurry. But, some do turn out and I guess I'm okay with these results. He is also pretty cool with the camera on him like the one of his paw and the DOF is way cool. I included his mini kong. Intended for Furbz but he steals it. Gotta luv 'em.