Just Being A Dog

Dog Blog Post #750

Today was one of those easy days, when the stars aligned... or at least the challenges did.

Photography Assignment(s)

• 258. "Just Being A Dog" - No muss, no fuss today! Just take a picture of your dog being a dog, doing whatever it is he or she likes to do!
• Our Daily Challenge - July 14, 2012 - "Begins with D"

The Plan

I don't know about your dogs, but mine like to chase things and eat.

So I sat on the sofa and pitched treats at them.

The Problems

Wow, I thought my aim was bad with my right (dominate) hand, when I could see what I was doing.

Trying to do this with my left hand, while holding the camera in the right and guessing how high they would jump for the cookies?

Disaster!

I was either throwing too low or too light, meaning the boys heads never made it into view, or so hard that they could see it was going to go over their heads and so they didn't even try. Not to mention the ones that were totally outside the strike zone.

(sigh)

And don't get me started on getting the boys heads in the frame, in focus, and caught at the right moment when I did happen to have a decent toss.

Arg!

The Solution

In the end, I pre-focused the 50mm prime lens on the head of whomever I was throwing cookies at. This got the focus "close". Then I pointed the camera so I could just see the top of the victims recipient's head at the bottom of the viewfinder.

I would have liked to have pointed the camera higher, but found it was just too hard to know if the dog was actually going to rise into the frame or not.

Then when I pitched the cookie at the dog, I snapped the picture just a fraction of a second later.

Out of 40 shots, I only had ONE shot that was what I would consider to be in perfect focus, below:

I had a couple other shots that were "good enough", including my favorite up top.

Mischief Monday

I was told I'd be on the Mischief Makers List if I include this shot in the post...

... oops! :)

Editor's Note: Sun's Sparks of Life mentioned not being able to tell the boys apart, and while generally it's pretty easy once you know what to look for, I'll grant the shots in this particular post are a bit tricky.

That said, the easiest way to tell is if you see a large black Treat Spot on the end of the tongue, you're looking at Zachary (see top picture of M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E post.) Henry is getting a tiny Treat Spot of his own, but it's just a little freckle at this point.

If the boys are together and you can see their noses (as in the top picture of the Peanut Butter post) then Zachary's nose is lighter and has a prominent black pore (acne scar from puppyhood. No, I'm not kidding!) centered on top.

If that fails, then you should be able to see ears. Henry's ears are thicker and rounder, while Zachary's come to more defined point (compare the two in yesterday's Canine Elegance post).

Zachary's facial fur is more uniform while Henry has more shadings - particularly around his eyes. In general, Zachary is still a bit darker, although the end of his muzzle is lighter.

Looking at the other end? Henry's tail is a heavy plume, usually well displayed and full of personality. Zachary has plenty of feathers, but doesn't tend to show them off.

And in general, Zachary has a sleeker, "older" (more mature) appearance while Henry is rounder, fluffier, and lost in permanent puppyhood.

Does the gaze looks woebegone or "sad"? You're looking at Henry. A steady or more piercing look is usually Zachary.

Soo... after all that - any guesses which is which, above?

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