Heavy Metal

Dog Blog Post #281:Another Real Life day, so we'll keep things short and to the point. The Daily Shoot assignment:

Make a photograph that features metal or a metallic surface today.

And the picture at the top of the post reflects (pardon the pun) my best efforts.

No, I don't use a metal dog bowl, which is why that one is so darned shiny! I much prefer ceramics. :)

(In case you can't tell, that's mostly Henry that you see, with a smidgen of Zachary on the left.)

This was a super-easy shoot. In fact, I spent more time scrubbing the dusty bowl than I did actually taking the pictures.

I used the tripod, on it's lowest size (18"?) with the camera pointing pretty much straight down at the bowl. I took some pictures of heads over the bowl, in the bowl, a cookie in the bowl, nothing in the bowl, etc.

FWIW: I got the best results asking them to sit in front of the bowl (facing me and the camera) and I held a cookie down near me, just out of ranging, moving it up and down while I stared at the LCD until I saw something that looked good.

Catching up, we find that yesterday's Daily Shoot was:

Make a photograph that illustrates being inside today.

The shots are pretty obvious, requiring just a basic stay and "Leave it!" (and a few spare cookies for when Henry decided that "Leave it!" didn't apply to him.)

Yes, the jar is open for all three pictures (hence the need for backup cookies!) and yes, those are real dog cookies inside. My favorite was the first of the three.

Editor's Note: No, MAXMOM IN SA, I don't teach photography (though I'm flattered you'd even think I could!) I just have a little Sony point-n-shoot, basically like the one below (only a slightly newer DSC-W55 instead of a -W50 so it's 7.2M instead of 6M)....

... and some very good models. :)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Wordless Wednesday - Sleepy

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Trick of the Week - sort of

Dog Blog Post #279: The good news is that Real Life has settled down to its normal Lacrosse Season mania, as opposed to the unexpected mania that consumed the past week or so. The bad news is that I didn't get a "real" trick prepared for this week.

BUT

If you are willing to give me just a little slack, I'm thinking that all this hat wearing Henry has been doing of late more than qualifies as a trick.

Doesn't it?

Therefore, the trick of the week is...

Wear a Hat

The cue is (wait for it...) the presentation of the hat. The subject is expected to hold still with hat upon the head until the hat is removed.

All kidding aside, it just took a bit of patience, a lot of cookies, and many megabytes of bad pictures until the skill was acquired.

I even uploaded a few "reject" pictures just to prove he can do this consistently. :)

Admittedly, neither picture is that great (there's a reason they were the rejects!) but in both cases the problem was with the photographer not catching the "spark" in the subject, not the fact the subject didn't know how to wear the hat!

Moving on - we have The Daily Shoot assignment...

Make a black and white photograph and go monochrome today.

Hmm.... I haven't done much with B&W, having uploaded exactly two such images to the daily shoot in the past, and both were in response to a "shadow" assignment.

That said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that there is only a hint of gold between my boys in color and my boys in B&W.

So when I walked into the kitchen and noticed a lovely beam of sunlight streaming through the slider, I said "Ah ha!"

(No, really, I did!)

And I grabbed my cheap cardboard tri-fold backdrop and my lovely stretchy black velvet fabric and set up shop in the three feet of space between said slider and kitchen table. With the backdrop as, well, a backdrop, the slider wide open, and a 18" wide sun beam to work with, I contorted my boys into various pretzel shapes to see what I could get.

I shot in color, then went into iPhoto, desaturated the pictures, and fiddled a bit with the color channels until I had the right balance (for the curious, it was more red than green, more cold than warm, that produced the best balance) but if you were to see the color version, and ignored the color, it would basically appear as a boost in contrast, as the originals (without color) appeared overexposed.

My favorite was the one at the top - I just love the way he arches his neck, like some medieval knight's charger - although I like the one down below as well for the little fluffy tufts.

For whatever reason, the shots of Henry just didn't come out. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

New Horizons

Dog Blog Post #278: I love it when "outdoorsy" assignments fall on the weekends.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was...

The horizon can be a strong composition element. Make a photograph that emphasizes the horizon today.

... and given it was actually not raining, it gave hubby and I and excellent excuse to go check out some of the arroyos to see how they were fairing after all that rain.

We struck out on our first stop, as a low fence had been placed along the banks, perhaps to suggest to local citizenry to stay away (swirling muddy waters must hold quite the alure.) While the fence was only a few feet high, my dog is also only a few feet high, so it wasn't going to make for a pretty picture.

Next!

We struck out on our second try as well, not even making it to the "stopping" part, as the gate was closed and padlocked. A bit further up the road we could see why, as that rushing creek was well over its banks, totally obscuring the paths that follow it.

Next!

Third time's the charm. This time I figured I'd just get some nice pictures with green green hills (and that all important horizon) in the background - see the picture at the top of this post - and call it a day, but since the weather was pleasant (if a bit overcast) we followed the trail a bit and ended up at Yet Another Arroyo (yes, we have lots around here) and this one, while full and rushing, was still running within its banks.

We stopped on the bridge to get the shot below...

... my favorite shot of the day. If you look really closely, you can just make out a mallard taking off from the water. (No, I didn't plan that. I didn't even notice the bird until I looked at the shots at home.)


Henry was a bit worried about the rushing water (a good thing, in my opinion) and it took a few minutes and a few cookies to get the shot, but it was worth it.  :)

And then there is the shot of Henry saying, "Are you nuts???" to hubby's suggestion to join him on the big stump near the water...

(You tell me who the smart one is in that picture!)

Henry had a lovely time. Got to see some horses. Ignored them. Got to see some dogs. Sniffed noses, but otherwise ignored them as well.

Got to see some people nearly go for a swim after their dog ran off and headed for the water. Apparently, they believed they had a good recall, as they were walking the dog with the leash dragging on the ground. Apparently, they were wrong, as the dog said a pleasant, "Hi!" to Henry then took off across the bridge, without so much as a backward glance and rounded the corner to go into the creek.

Thankfully, the dog was caught before entering the water, but it reaffirmed my belief that I should be holding the end of the leash until I am sure my dog will recall...

... which, given my pessimism about recalls, will probably be never.

See... lookie there. Two weeks of "outdoor" shots in a row. Will I make it to three? Stay tuned next week!

(And you thought the camera never left the house!)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Happiness

Dog Blog Post #277: What does happiness mean to you? Sounds like the something your english teacher might ask you to write an essay about, but today the question was posed by the daily shoot, and the response was meant to be pictorial. Specifically:

Today, let's illustrate the emotion of being happy. Make a photograph that represents happiness to you.

Happiness?

Happiness...

Rain drops on roses?

Whiskers on kittens?

No, wait. That's just for favorite things.

From a dog's perspective, happiness is playing games, something good to eat or chew, a favored person's attentions, a nice walk with a chance to explore, a safe and cozy place to sleep the day away...

... and I did consider trying to create pictures of those things. But today was a "day spa" day, and the boys spent much of the time out of pocket. When they finally returned, light was growing short, they were were both hyper and tired, and the thought of anything other than a picture of them sleeping or chewing on something seemed out of the question...

... and I've done both of those.

But while they were gone, I took the opportunity to clean out of my closet (a job much easier done without "helpers") and you'll never guess what I found...

... ok, I suppose the pictures scattered about this post kind of gives it away. Yup, some Mickey Mouse ears that were given to us last time we were at Disneyland.

And we all know what Disneyland is...

Yup, "the happiest place on earth." :)

Out comes the set, the black stretchy velvet, a few (somewhat) cooperative dogs, lots of cookies, a (reasonably) good stay, the camera and tripod.

I picked the picture at the top of the post, as Zachary actually looks the part (happy)  unlike the picture of Henry, below...

... I don't think he's quite gotten used to wearing hats!

The Missing Skill of the Day belonged to me this time - not taking a moment to examine my prop and realize it contained a pair of dandy concave mirrors, which would faithfully(?) reflect whatever lay before them.

Thankfully, I took lots of pictures, and was able to pick out some shots where they were aimed ceiling-ward, and thus avoided publishing some rather unattractive self-portraits!

I did take a few non-ears shots - but you'll have to wait for Wordless Wednesday to see them. :)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

In Motion

Dog Blog Post #276: The Daily Shoot assignment sounded easy enough...

Make a photograph of something in motion. Use blur to help convey the motion you are capturing.

But I just couldn't get what I was looking for. I tried tossing toys, cookies, rolling balls, feeding time (Henry still spins), getting them rearing, jumping, playing,...

Nothing jumped out at me, and nothing was that interesting.

In the end, I cropped square then played games with brightness and contrast, producing the picture at the top of the post. My second favorite was the shot below - because just about everything is blurry except the teeth!

Oh well, on days like this it's good to remind one's self that tomorrow brings a brand new assignment! :)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Trail (of Laundry)

Dog Blog Post #276: Today's Daily Shoot assignment was:

Make a photograph featuring a path, road, or trail that leads the eye through the photograph.

Sounding vaguely familiar, I checked the daily shoot archives, and sure enough, I had encountered this beastie way back on January 19...

... making it just my 3rd Daily Shoot assignment.

(No, I don't keep track, but the daily shoot keeps track of these things, and if you know the name of the photographer, you can see clickable thumbnails of what's been tweeted. Mine just so happens to be bztraining (gee, what a shocker) and I've uploaded... wow... 67 images without missing a day!

Who'd a thunk it?

Kind of interesting to see all the pictures splayed out together (well, together on three pages, but that's still reasonably together.)

As my mom (the true artist) would ask, "Have I grown?"

Not sure about that, but I was a bit surprised to find fewer "set" pictures than I would have thought. Maybe it's just in my dreams that I'm dragging the ex-pen out and clipping everything together each day!

No "set" today. Nope, today should have been a (rare) outdoor shot, had the weather been even half as good as it was two months ago in the dead of winter when I shot the picture above. But today it was cold, windy, and raining.

Ugh.

So today my "path, road, or trail" was more a metaphyiscal (or would that be metaphoric?) one.

One dog, a stream of clean laundry, and a good "stay" was all it took - although I burned through  20-30 shots getting it "just right".

First the "stream" was too wide, then it was too high, then it was too dense, and I couldn't decide if Zachary should be laying down or sitting up, or draped in something, or looking at me, or the laundry, with a sock in his mouth (fail!) or not... and don't get me started on Henry.

Arg!

The winner, of course, is the shot up top - the rest either not making the cut, or looking too much like it to bother to upload.

I must say that I like the backlighting, and I'm especially proud that it was intentional, having read in my much loved Digital Photography Composition for Dummies book that backlighting can help make the subject stand out, and knowing that given the lighting my furry model was going to blend with the walls if I didn't do something about it.

Hmm... maybe I have grown after all!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Golden Layers

Dog Blog Post #275: Glad folks enjoyed yesterday's Wordless Wednesday shots. The associated Daily Shoot assignment was...

Illustrate the rule of thirds in a photograph today.

... and the pictures were shot against the stretchy black velvet fabric. The hardest shot to get was the cowboy hat picture, which was also my favorite. Not only was it hard to get it framed with Zachary in roughly the right spot on the side, as my little point-n-shoot lacks guidelines, but getting the hat to simply sit on Zachary's head (without falling off) was a huge challenge!

The other three were a piece of cake in comparison, with nothing more to them than one would imagine. Yes, I do have a few shots of Henry with the hat, but none were well framed. Perhaps I'll upload them on a dull day. :)

On to today's Daily Shoot assignment:

Make a photograph today that uses layers as a compositional tool.

Huh? Layers? What?

As this made no sense to me, I waited for the "early returns" to come in to point me in the right direction, and it seemed folks were taking this literally instead of in some strange, metaphysical photography sense.

Whew.

I could do that.

As it was yet another rainy day, the first thing that came to mind was a layer of coats...

... I didn't even bother with "The Set" this time. I just rested the backboard against some furniture and draped the tie-dye green fleece over it - doesn't green say "rain" to you? :)

Add a few hungry dogs, some coats, and ta-da! Layers!

After a few of shots of that, and with a few extra minutes to burn, I started taking close-ups and near-close-ups. Somewhere amongst those I ended up with the shot up top, which was ultimately the one I uploaded.

I have no idea if it says "layers" to anyone else, but it did to me. In a perfect world, I would have had a bit more light to work with. But the sun was going down, the window was growing dark, and there's not much I could do about that!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Wordless Wednesday - Howdy!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Home

Dog Blog Post #273: Alas, Real Life continues to overflow its banks and thus there is no Trick of the Week this week. I hope to "catch up" next week, assuming things return to a more normal state. Until then, the Daily Shoot remains my canine priority as (a) it's fast (b) it's (usually) rewarding and (c) I'm having way too much fun.

Soo.... what was today's Daily Shoot?

What reminds you of home? Make a photograph of it today.

Home?

Home Sweet Home?

Home is where the heart is?

Home is where your dogs are?

I wasn't home for much of the day, the normal times when I would take my daily shoot coming and going without me there to mark them. When I did return, I was greeted as I always am - with much excitement, a few spins, and an immediate search for the nearest (or sometimes "best") woobie.

As is also usual, Henry decides the "best" woobie must be the one that Uncle Zachary has, and a friendly game of tug ensues as each grabs on and they both try to bring the chosen stuffed item to me. Long before they reach me, things devolve into a slow motion game of bitey-face, or even upside-down play.

At this point, I have usually given up on a getting a greeting at all, and I'm seated on the floor in the midst of the action, giving a pet to whomever stumbles into me at the time.

I did try to take a few pictures of that today, but the light was waning, and my little point-n-shoot wasn't up to the task without "flashing" the boys, and it just wasn't worth it.

That's when I noticed a bit of sun was striking the mini-blinds, and so I moved to the sofa and opened them up. Henry soon joined, looking quite brave as he leaned against me and scanned the sidewalk for... whatever dogs look for!

Home is where the heart is...

... and I was very glad to be home with mine. :)

Editor's Note: Yes, Amber-Mae, there were treats in yesterday's Cookie Jar shot! And I totally agree with houndstooth that Natural Light is your friend. I love the idea of taking the camera on the walk - Can't wait for the days to get long enough for the walks to be in the daylight! :)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Circular Logic

Dog Blog Post #272: Despite the continuing pressures of Real Life (and pouring rain) The Daily Shoot goes on...

Make a photograph that incorporates a circle.

Circles... circles...

Balls, the bottom of cones, candles, vases, a hula hoop, dinner plates, an orange, tupperware (hmmm... getting pretty desperate there...) pretty bowls, trash cans, note pads with large dots on the covers, baskets with holes, clock faces, paint buckets...

Paint buckets?

Hey! I could actually build a real picture around that one, with paint brushes, splattered fabric, painters caps, step stools...

... sigh... see reference to Real Life above...

Ok. Fine. Must pick something. Started out with The Set, draped in stretchy black velvet fabric, with cheap black fabric drop cloth. Added Henry and three Lacrosse balls - two orange and one purple (why? Because that was what was under The Chair where Lacrosse balls huddle together to keep away from the dogs.)

Tried balls in a row across the frame in front of him, balls in a row going away from the viewer between his front paws, balls stacked on each other in a triangle supported by his paws, balls on his paws (fail), balls on his back (fail)...

Ugh. Looked terrible.

Next!

Slipped my watch off and slid it onto Henry's leg.

Henry was unimpressed.

Applied cookies liberally with one had while "sneaking" it up his paw with the other.

Henry became more impressed.

Took a really nice shot of Henry doing that demure thing, with his head bent down and angled, as though looking at the watch. (Ruined it by having the camera strap in the way.) Took a few not-as-good shots then switched to Zachary.

Repeated ball efforts.

Ugh. Looked terrible.

Next!

Brought out the "good" cookie jar, with the circular lid and tried a few poses, all facilitated by a very good "Leave it!" Once again wished I had an "ogle me" command. Switched from big tripod to little tripod.

Not bad.

Went with the one at the top of the post, as that seemed to have the clearest "circle" (the watch face being obscured or blurry in the other two.)

Editor's Note: Regarding...

... greygirl25 looking, "forward to the golden adventures of Henry and Zachary." Probably not. It takes time to do that sort of thing, and time is always in short supply around here. Perhaps someday. I would like to get them out someplace unusual once a week, but I wouldn't hold your breath!

... houndstooth suggesting, " some action shots... outside, it could be a fun change...", I agree. Alas, my yard wasn't designed for that. While not exactly small by local standards, it's evenly split between the sides, back, and rather steep slope, meaning no matter where I go, if I try for even a moderately distance shot I get house or fence. Ugh. :(

Dog parks don't work, as my boys have all that they were born with.

Still, once it stops raining I will stroll my little plot and see if anything comes to mind. :)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Very Interesting

Dog Blog Post #272:Stole a page out of houndstooth's most excellent playbook for today's Daily Shoot...

Go somewhere you've not been to in a while and make a photograph of something that grabs your interest.

... and despite the interference of Real Life and the wet and dreary weather, found time to grab Henry and take off to pose near a sculpture that has always intrigued me.

Tucked behind the police station and the city offices, totally out of sight and off the beaten path, I'm guessing that most citizens of its community have absolutely no idea it is even there. I can find no plaque describing it, and can think of no link between its form and the history of the town.

I'm pretty sure the true meaning of the sculpture, if it even has one, would be a let down from the visions that dance through my head.

My favorite is the first picture, as the form of the rock is similar to Henry's back, and the tie on the rock is somewhat like his harness.

(I'll have to keep the second photo in mind in case that "play games with scale" assignment ever comes back again!)

This was a place Henry had never been before, and Missing Skill(s) of the Day abounded. He didn't want to pose next to the rock (at first), he didn't want to get on the rock block (at first), and spent every possible moment grazing the lawn like some sheep in wolves clothing!

In the end, and with liberal application of cookies, he overcame all. In fact, he become so enamored with standing on the rocks that he was hopping up and throwing poses for free at every opportunity - including the one above!

I definitely consider the outing to be a major success, and really should go to "interesting" little places more often!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Warm Fuzzies

Dog Blog Post #271:The Daily Shoot assignment...

Convey warmth in a photograph today.

Alas, it rained pretty much all day, and was cloudy when it wasn't raining, so my bright idea of showing lovely fluffy Henry fur was... well... all wet. :)

Next thought was just to play "dress up", and I did. Both boys are getting used to this game, and I had no problems with them (sorry - I know problems are much more fun to read about.)

I'm think that I'm going to have to start making things "harder" just to keep things interesting. I'm thinking props, tricks, and poses are the way to go - so if anyone has any great ideas for either I'd love to hear it!

(Think of it as self-preservation - just how many pictures of the dogs laying down on the pillow can you stand to see!)

Real Life is still taking a huge bite out of my time, the bright side (for you) being the posts are a lot shorter!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Lending A Hand

Dog Blog Post #270: Hope everybody enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day! Real Life has been keeping me busy - too busy to even work on a trick - and while I have been enjoying all the usual blogs, I have been forced to skip the commentary.

Hopefully things will improve soon...

On to the Daily Shoot assignment, for which I did manage to find 15 minutes for:

Show your own hand in a photograph today doing something. Reaching, holding, touching, or making a sign.

Whew - an easy one!

Not much commentary to add here - I used "Leave it!" to keep the cookies from being eaten, loved (and hated) the drool, and that's Henry's lunch in the bowl being presented to Zachary!

Yes, I tried some with Henry, but for some reason they came out pale and blurry.

(shrug)

Such is life.

Had the focus/exposure been better, there would have been a nice shot of Henry shaking, as well as balancing that huge cookie on his nose!

Yes, the boys both got one of those big cookies when I was done. :)

BTW: The selected picture was the one at the top of the post.

Editor's Note: And yes, as Lessons from and for 4 Legs astutely noticed, Henry is indeed beginning to swap out his pale puppy facial fur for something a shade or two darker. In the end, he will probably be the color of his ears, which is pretty much the color of Zachary. He's already swapped out much of this back and sides fur. This not only marks another stage in maturity for my baby boy, but makes get the exposure right a bit tough, as he either comes out looking washed out, or raccoon-eyed!


As for greygirl25's question about whether I "sleep at night or has the 'what am I going to do tomorrow?' taken over?"

The answer is a resounding yes to both. I usually take a peak at the assignment before I go to bed, and then "sleep on it". Hopefully, by the time I get time to take the pictures, I will have thought of something!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

No Horizon

Dog Blog Post #269:

Too rushed.

No time.

Came home.

Two minutes to get Daily Shoot assignment:

Make a photograph outdoors without an obvious horizon line.

Grabbed camera.

Went outside.

"Henry, sit!"

(Click)

Prayed it was in focus.

No time to visit other folks Wordless Wednesday posts. :(

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Wordless Wednesday - Fun with Props

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Green

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Dog Blog Post #267: For the curious, today's Daily Shoot assignment was...

Today's color is green. Make a photograph dominated by green today.

Hmmm.... Green.

Anybody remember what the predominate color was on yesterday's pictures?

Anybody???

... stay tuned for the answer, just around the temporal corner...

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Trick of the Week

Dog Blog Post #266: Here's a classic - every kid's favorite trick to teach their dog...

Shake

And assuming your dog is reasonably gentle, and their nails aren't rough or sharp, this crowd pleaser can be a good way to break the ice between a child and a dog.

The trick (pardon the pun) to this one is getting your dog to move their paw. If you have a naturally pawing dog, you can probably teach this in just a few minutes. I don't remember Beau having any trouble with this one at all.

That said, I tried this a few months back with Henry, and got nowhere. His paws were firmly fixed on the ground, and there wasn't anything I could do, short of lifting one myself, that was going to improve things.

Fast forward a few months, throw in some other tricks that involved paws (touching the mouse pad, standing on the basket) and I found myself with a totally different dog. For once, I actually started early on a trick (ie: last Tuesday) so I wouldn't be rushed, and wouldn't you know, he was shaking like a pro in about 5 minutes.

What did I do? I put a cookie in my hand, made a fist, and held it down by his feet. When he moved his paw out of the way to see what I was doing, I clicked, and treated. Lather, rinse, repeat. Once he was reliably lifting a paw, I started raising my own hand, and shake was born.

Now, on The Daily Shoot assignment...

Make a photograph today that illustrates the idea of freshness to you.

First thought? Water pouring into a dog bowl, with a dog happily lapping the stream. Second though, water all over my floor as I'm so busy trying to get the shot I miss the bowl.

Next

Ah - a freshly opened bag of dog treats. Wait, have you ever smelled a freshly opened bag of dog treats?

Next

Hmmm... smelling... smelling... ah ha! What can be fresher than a freshly washed dog? One snuggled in a towel, blown fluffy dry...

Of course, I had no time, and certainly no inclination, to wash the dog. That's why I have a groomer!

But that didn't mean I couldn't pretend... with "the set"... and my nice new piece of tie-dye fleece - the first of the three fabrics I bought this past weekend.

It results certainly says "Freshness" to me...

... note that the picture at the top of this post is a crop of Zachary in pretty much the same pose as Henry is above. What a handsome devil he is in green, and look how clear his eye came out! I'm seriously stoked about that. :)

(No, I'm not trying to endorse the shampoo - it's just what I had laying about, and I'm pretty sure I have yet to try it!)

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved