Dog Behind the Mask

Dog Blog Post #979

Photography Assignment

Our Daily Challenge - Feb 28, 2013 - "The Masks we wear"

Really, what you see is what you get with these guys.

They are as golden in their hearts as they are in their coats, and any mask/roll they wear/play would have to be that of the Good Guy.

Daily Dog Challenge "486. Dog Behind the Mask"

When Good Cameras Go Bad

There is only one human involved in the making of these shots - me.

And since I'm needed near the boys to direct attention, I rely on the camera's autofocus to do the job of, well, focusing.

999 out of 1000 times (or more!) it does beautifully - which is a good thing as the camera is sitting on a tripod a good 20 feet away from me.

Today, however, was not its day.

Something about this background perhaps? This is the first time I've used it. All I know is that I have never seen so many blurry pictures.

Henry's were passing fair, but Zachary's were pretty much a total write off.

Hence the need to resort to the post-processing in that top shot.

(sigh)

Fearsome Faces!

When my otherwise mild-mannered Golden Retrievers are engaged in a rousing game of bitey-face, they trot out their best Fearsome Faces - their wolf-masks, if you will.

Of course, it's all in play, and moments later they are lying on their backs with all four paws in the air, tongues lolling out the sides of their mouths, laughing at each other.


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© 2013 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Winds-Day

Henry: "Ooooo" 

Zachary: "Leeeeeean into the wind."

Dog Blog Post #976

Photography Assignment

Our Daily Challenge - Feb 27, 2013 - "A great wind is blowing and that gives you either imagination or a headache" quote by Catherine the Great

The boys decided to don their Lei and Antenna Balls for one last time (they hope) and stand in front of a great wind, noting how the…

Daily Dog Challenge "485. Intensity"

… of the breeze caused the fluff (and their ruff!) to dance around.

A Few More

Zachary: "Weeeee!"

Zachary: "Isn't that cool?"

Camera Settings

Ah, the magic of shutter speed causes things in motion to actually appear in motion. In this case, taking the shots at 1/30s was just slow enough to give my rapidly spinning pinwheel (powered by Henry's Fan on High and held in place, in a saucepan, by backdrop clamps and dish towels) a hint of motion.

Anything slower, and the boys would have been blurry. Anything faster, and the pinwheel wouldn't have been.

I was actually rather surprised how clear the boys came out, given I usually shoot at 1/125s.

It helped that the camera was on a tripod and fired by remote.

I used the 50mm lens again today, as it was still on the camera after I'd switched to it yesterday for the just-a-bit-too-wide-for-the-135mm-lens-given-the-length-of-my-room Alphabet shoot.


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© 2013 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Finished

"Are we done?"

What do you think?

"Done."

"Definitely done."

"Better be done."

Dog Blog Post #967

Photography Assignment

The boys spent the day cleaning…

Daily Dog Challenge "475. Setting the Tone"

… of the today's shoot to be "exhausted", and leaving them...

Our Daily Challenge - Feb 17, 2013 - "In the Mood"

… for a much delayed nap.

(Or was that me that spent the day cleaning, and they're exhausted just watching?)

The Rest

I loved how the lighting turned out today, so I broken my "absolutely no more than six pictures" rule and uploaded seven (plus a lighting diagram.)

"A rose by any other name..."

"... would smell as sweet."

Very funny, you two.

"I'm not lifting a paw to dust another darned thing."

Lighting Diagram

And for the curious, below is an approximation of what I did (created using the Strobox iPhone app.)

Obviously, my background was black and not white - the app is strangely lacking in that regard - and my model was canine and not human (probably not so strange, but just as annoying).

The camera really was offset like that so it can "see" around the sofa, as I'm shooting from the back of the family room into the kitchen.

And finally, and perhaps not so obviously from the looking at the images, my reflector was turned black side out making it an anti-reflector.

Why an anti-reflector?

Because behind the anti-reflector was a big white double-door refrigerator, which does a marvelous job of reflecting light, and I was looking for something a bit more... dramatic.

Mischief Monday

I'll leave it to the viewer to decide if me making the boys dust is the mischief, or them quoted Shakespeare is.

My vote is on the app not having a canine model.

Really, would that be too much too ask?


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© 2013 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Rainy Days and Mondays

Henry: (whimper) "Weatherperson's calling for rain. We'll get soaked. Drenched! This is terrible!" (whimper)

Zachary: "Now I just push this thingie and then you pull and... there!"

Zachary: "Better?"
Henry: "You're the best Uncle Zachary."

Zachary: "That old weather isn't going to get us all wet."
Henry: "Not a drop."

(After all that, I don't have the heart to tell them it's only a slight chance of rain.)

Dog Blog Post #954

Photography Assignment

We…

Our Daily Challenge - Feb 4, 2013 - "Hope"

… for more rain, as a few more weeks like this and they'll start saying the "D" word on local TV.

The boys are...

Daily Dog Challenge "462. Hopeful? - What does your dog hope for? Show us in a picture today!

… they won't get wet when it happens.

Dog logic.

Did You Know…

Feb 5 is National Weatherperson's Day, which, according to Wikipedia:

"… is a holiday observed on February 5 primarily in the United States. It recognizes individuals in the fields of meteorology, weather forecasting and broadcast meteorology, as well as volunteer storm spotters and observers. It is observed on the birthday of John Jeffries, one of the United States' first weather observers who took daily measurements from 1774 to 1816."

Who knew?

Behind the Scenes

I just this weekend realized that my Speedlight fits nicely onto my old aluminum tripod. Only took me thirteen months to think of it. (D'oh!)

So..

UP went the umbrella on it's CFL stand.

UP went the Speedlight on the old tripod.

Then I tilted the tripod head to point the Speedlight down a bit and ta-da! Instant high lighting.

Yeah.

Thirteen.

(sigh)

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© 2013 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

That Explains It

Boys!

What are you doing with all those single socks???

Zachary: "Socks? What socks?"

The ones on your paws?

The ones I've been looking for.

My fuzzy socks.

Dad's Argyle.

Son's Scull-and-Crossed-Lacrosse-Sticks sock.

(Scull-and-Crossed-Lacrosse-Sticks stock???)

Zachary: "It's all Kitty's fault. She did it. And she even has... a Spooky Sock!"

That's not a Spooky Sock.

That's a Holey Sock.

Zachary: "Really? That's amazing! Call the church. Call the press!!!"
Henry: "I bet it's worth a lot of Cookies!"

No no no... not Holy... Holey.

As in full of holes.

Zachary: "Oh.  I knew that."
Henry: "No Cookies."

Dog Blog Post #946

Photography Assignment

I've always wondered where The Other Sock went.

Now I know, as I spotted the boys with…

Daily Dog Challenge "456. A Curious Mix"

… of single…

113 Pictures in 2013 - "#35. Socks"

… today, including one that Kitty found that qualified for…

Our Daily Challenge - Jan 29, 2013 - "Faces in Places"

(What it is about kids? You buy them fresh socks and they just won't give up the old ones???)

Ah, retrievers - always parading around the house with some article of clothing in their mouth.

And in this case, on their paws!

Dog Photography Tip of the Day

*** Just Do It ***

Yup, that's it.

Today I was about to turn the camera off and call it a day when I decided I give just one try at putting socks on somebody's paws.

I figured it would be a total bust, but hey, it's digital, so what did I have to lose?

(And the camera was waaaaaaaaay over on the other side of the next room in case things got... interesting.)

The result is the shot at the top of the post. I got that one, and one more, then quickly took the socks off before I had Zachary skidding around the hardwood floor.

I guess Nike was right after all. :)

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© 2013 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

You Can Never Have Too Many

"Mine!"

"All Mine."

"Got it?"

Dog Blog Post #943

Photography Assignment

Zachary is your classic ball obsessed Golden Retriever, and his ball of choice is the Lacrosse Ball.

Here he is, with 50 brand new Lacrosse Balls, fresh from the bucket.

Our Daily Challenge - Jan 25, 2013 - "All Mine"

Daily Dog Challenge "452. "Hoarders - So what does your dog like to keep all to him or herself?"

113 Pictures in 2013 - "#57. Three or More of the Same Thing"

Truth in Advertising: Neither boy is possessive over anything. Zachary's intense look in the picture above is the result of me just having finished tossing him several Cookies in rapid succession, and he's primed for the one I'm still holding in my hand.

Split Lighting - Revisited

Henry didn't really fit into today's challenges, but as he puts up a huge fuss if he doesn't get his modeling time (and Cookies!) I decided to try again with split lighting.

This was the best of the bunch.

Once again, my Speedlight was hitting Henry broadside.

This is essentially the same setup I had last time, except THIS time I placed my reflector - black side out - against the white fridge, which sits directly opposite the flash on the left side of the image.

(Yes, my "studio" is my kitchen, so everything that goes up must come back down at the end of the shoot.)

Anyway, I was really surprised by how much the anti-reflector darkened the dark side of Henry, and I think it made for a better image.

As with most on-black pictures, this one looks better in lightbox.

Pet Photography Tip of the Day

Meet my new favorite photography tool.

Drool Rag

It is a microfiber cloth by 3M (I think) sold in 3-packs for under $5 at the local hardware store.

Advertised as soft and highly absorbent, I picked them up last weekend in hopes I could reduce the amount of time I spent cloning away drool specks.

They did not disappoint.

I don't have one with me at the moment, but I'm guessing them to be 8"-10" square.

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© 2013 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Something New: Rim Lighting

Dog Blog Post #?

Photography Assignment

Daily Dog Challenge "437. Try Something New"

Our Daily Challenge - Jan 10, 2013 - "Take a Risk"

What did you expect - a seascape? :)

Those following along at home might recall I've been playing with my new Xmas 135mm f/2 - a lovely lens, which has forced me to finally remove my speedlight from the camera and experiment with off-camera lighting this past week.

Continuing my explorations, today I took a stab at Rim Lighting.

While Henry's shots (below) were mostly expended trying to get the equipment set up correctly, I spent Zachary's shots (above) fine tuning his location relative to the light source and camera.

While the very top shot might not be the best example of Rim Lighting of the six shots I uploaded today, it was my favorite of the set, perhaps because you can see Zachary's eye so clearly.

This last shot (above) is probably the most true-to-definition shot of the bunch, but only because I slathered it in a post-processing polarizer to vanquish an unattractive wash of light.

Sometime after this shot, I caught a clue and took another 1.3 off the EV, pushed the umbrella/flash as close I could get it to the backdrop to cut down on scattered light, and ultimately added a black reflector.

Below is an incredibly rough estimate of what I ended up with, limited by the icons I could choose in the Strobox app I picked up for my iPhone just so I could pass along my lighting attempts in the blog. :)

Obviously, my backdrop is black and not white.

And my flash is freestanding, but I do hide it behind an umbrella, so that isn't too much of a stretch.

The disk in the image represents my reflector, only I had the black side showing. This helped somewhat to reduce the glare from the flash from hitting (and greying out) the backdrop.

As I'm shooting with a 135mm lens, the camera is at least twice as far away from my "model" (can you believe they didn't let you pick a dog???) as is shown here.

Why is the camera angled? Because the tripod is positioned about mid-away down the length of my six-foot sofa and I don't want to get the end of the sofa in the picture.  This pushes the camera to left (sofa on the right) and leaves it slightly angled to the backdrop. Not as much as is shown here, but not straight on either.

Is this the best way to set this up? I have no idea. But it produced the best pictures of what I tried given the equipment I have and the size of the room I have to put it in.

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© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Go Team!

Dog Blog Post #926

Photography Assignment

Last week we had School Id Pictures, and this week was reserved for team sports.

Hard to find a better team player than a Golden Retriever.

Daily Dog Challenge "435. A Hint of Color"

Our Daily Challenge - Jan 9, 2013 - "Numbers"

Yes, I raided son's closet again for props.

This helmet and jersey go back to his very first Lacrosse team.

Behind the Scenes

"And now for a peek behind the curtain, so to speak."

For some reason, I like this shot.

Why did I take it?

Because my camera times out listening for the remote after just a minute or two, and there is nothing more frustrating than spending several minutes getting everything set up "Just So", only to find the camera has gone to sleep.

Therefore, when I'm engaged in an activity that takes more than a minute or two, I'll bang off a picture to keep the camera awake.

This is one of those pictures.

In this case, I've just finished getting Henry and the prop where I want them, and I'm about to put on the jersey.

Jersey's with a V-neck are a bit of problem, as the boys pretty much lack shoulders to hold anything with a large neck opening on.

My solution is grab a handful of fabric in the back and hold it together temporarily with a binder clip.

Simple, but effective.

No, I'm not strangling my boy - the ramekin of treats is sitting on the floor while I do this and he is most attentive to it!

This is another of those "occasionally take a picture with the remote to keep the camera awake" shots.

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© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

New Year's Day

Oh, come on guys.

It's a beautiful day outside. You can't spend the whole day sprawled out in front of the TV watching football and eating cookies...

... can you???

"It's a guy thing, Mom."

You'll get Cookie Bellies...

(sigh)

I give up.

Dog Blog Post #919

Photography Assignment

Our Daily Challenge - Jan 1, 2013 - "One Day"

… in the life of your typical suburban…

113 Pictures in 2013 - "#3. Canine"

… with the boys saying

Daily Dog Challenge "428. Hello 2013!"

… on…

100 Pictures (2013) - "#99. New Year's Day"…

… in that most typical of American Male way - by watching way too much football and eating way too many snacks.

The Monthly Scavenger Hunt January 2013 - "9. Photo taken on January 1st 2013"

Prop Tip

While I might show a bowl full of cookies in pictures, most of the time I fake it by using a smaller container to fill up as much space as possible.

Add a dusting of cookies on top, and you're good to go.

Why bother?

Because filling these bowls with cookies takes a LOT of cookies, and sometimes I simply don't have enough in the cupboard to do the job.

This method also reduces my loses in the event of drooling.

Editor's Note: Oops, looks like I jumped the gun posting the boy's New Year's Resolutions yesterday, so here they are again for the New Year's Resolution Blog Hop. If you click on them you'll see a full-sized (more readable) image.

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© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved