my pinkies

furby is such an awesome model for pet portraits. i know their are some dogs out there that are just as calm and mellow as him. it will be a delight to shoot them. this lens is fabulous for out door shots. the time of day was 8:15pm-sunset-full shade. perfect conditions with no distractions and i was careful with no background clutter! i like the similarities and the differences in both images. shooting in raw makes the 'raw' image dingy and gray so you pump it up and add clarity and vibrance and voila! (levels and sharpening in iphoto) color shot:1/500, 2.8, iso 800 and focal length at 14mm. black and white shot: 1/250, 2.8, iso 400 and focal length at 14mm. supurb furb!

leave it

my latest and greatest of dear kenobi. it's so authentic. he truly wants the treat and knows that permission won't be granted until i say so. his eyes say it all. oh please! oh please! oh please may i have it nooooow? northern exposere natural light is the ultimate. and those catch lights in his eyes? priceless. iso 800, 1/60, f2.8 and focal length at 14mm.

bfff's

best furry friends forever is my picture if the day. quite a challenge to get 2 dogs properly exposed in the same picture. the longer lens works best. did a bit too much editing i think but i had no choice. kenobi was under exposed and furby was over exposed. not razor sharp enough either. that and there is some noise/grain that maybe i could get used to. uuuggghhh. why can't they just be the same fuzzy neutral color? the vintage look is nice with the different textures and tones-but i truly dig the black and white. it's just plain timeless. so i did the best i could with this image. i'll keep at it. it's also part of a new book project i'm working on at the moment. can't wait til it's final! iso 800, 1/40, f4.6, focal length at 70mm.

new front page

this new front page template is much better than the last one. it's nicely updated with a little more impact in the title. classic and simple and less complicated. i want the images to stand out. so the gray stays. i am not posting an image today but instead i came across this quote that sticks in my mind. it's a good thing to refer back to this now and then. here goes: emptiness is a symptom that you are not living creatively. you either have no goal that is important enough to you, or you are not using your talents and effort in striving toward an important goal. -maxwell maltz 1899-1975. this is one of my favorite quotes right now! love it!

leia

i think this is quite an interesting image of my little leia. the wacky sense of humor in a 15 year old is priceless. shot with canon happysnap. in oslo, norway. it's a strange feeling to see snow in this image and look outside my window to see that it's 80 degrees currently. i enjoy different seasons and don't think i could live with one season all year long. today she departed to florida for a week to spend time with her dear friend. 6 days in disneyworld. what a life. she has been gone for 2 hours and i miss her like crazy. i know this is a perfectly normal way to feel. and now i can't wait until she comes home!

frogner freeze

this vaca would not be complete without a trip to frognerparken. terribly bitter of a day it was. yukk. leia was not happy. i was able to only get a few good images of that day. i like the abstract, geometric style of the rod iron. it's totally cool and classic. mr. vigeland was way ahead of his time. after the exausting walk through the frigidness, we ended up at this amazing restaurant in majorstua-across from the colluseum theater. when i come up with the name i will post it later. seems to slip my mind-this place has been here for over 100 years and it rocked! i even googled it and no results. it must be a secret. fiske suppe and a coke. man that was the life. and leia was truly satisfied. first image of leia: iso 200, f8, 1/160, focal length 35mm. close up of gate iso 200, f8, 1/160, focal length 54mm. gate image iso 200, f8, 1/60, f5.6, focal length 14mm. the last 3 shots of leia and gagamomo at the restaurant are taken with the canon happysnap high iso, f2.8 for max light and a slow shutter. you can tell there is quite a lot of noise. it was dark and had great atmosphere.

one year anniversary!

my how time flies when you are having fun! and boy am i having a good time! i'd like to take this opportunity and post something that is truly what it all boils down to in my life (apart from leia of course) and that is the pets. introducing rolf. i had a chance to shoot this neighborhood kitty back home in oslo norway in march. he is quite a charmer. he oozes with sweetness and confidence. boy does he rule 'idrettsvn'!! (am i right mom?) he is the king of all who is cat in the hood. something i would have done differently and that is my settings. here's the deal. minimum shutter speed must be 1/320-1/500. whenever it is overcast outside iso must be at 400-800. these shots were at iso 200. 1/250. f2.8 (perfect) and focal length for wide angle effect 14mm. i could have doubled the amount of light and increased the speed 2 times if only i had thought clearly!! oh well, it is what it is and i am satisfied with thase shots. next time! my personal fave is the final shot of rolf giving us the tongue. he's like: whatever-i am soo done with this primpy girly stuff-see ya. am i right or what! oh and he does not prefer to be held. he is loving but not a holding kinda cat-maybe his owners have a different relationship with him, but can't you just see the look in his eyes and his paws pushing away from us stinky humans. we are just ghastly to him! he seems to tolerate it. but that is it! thanks again mom for allowing me to shoot this precious of a cat rolf! and thanks to the andersen family for introducing rolf to us. he was a blast!!!

belle

belle thinks she is something other than a dog. although now that she has finally gotten the taste of a juicy nylabone, some dogness is becoming her. chillin' on the foldy chair. a comfy spot is ideal. iso 400,f 5.6, 1/500 and focal length at 150mm. i paid attention to the back ground this time and making it my new habit. it is equally important as the settings on my camera. the black and white simple image of her is another goody. just look at how innocent she appears. i like the contrast grass. it's perfect for a white dog, who is btw extremely challenging to shoot from the start. iso 400, f 2.8, 1/1250 and focal length at 14mm.

iris morning

these are located right down the street from me at the neighborhood park. there is whole mess of them and they are all lemon yellow. taken with my telephoto 40-150mm iso 800, f5.6, 1/320, focal length at 150mm. these guys are just stunning. i think the subject is amazing but the comp is so so. i could have included some more interesting colors. anyway, it's an okay photo. look at how their faces glow with joy. aaahhhh lovely.