Making Cookies

Now where are those boys?

I was sure they wanted to give me a paw baking Christmas Cookies...

(Shazam!)

"Did someone say cookies?"

"Cookies! Cookies! Can I lick the bowl? Can I? Can I?"

Henry!

There are no unwashed paws allowed on the table!

And there will be no bowl licking at all unless your manners improve, young dog. In fact, I'm now thinking these cookies will just have to wait until another day.

Dog Blog Post #886

Photography Assignment

Our Daily Challenge - Nov 29, 2012 - "On the Other Side"

The Monthly Scavenger Hunt November 2012 - "10. Ingredients "

Daily Dog Challenge "394. With (a) Heart - Take a photo that shares a sentiment or shows a heart in some way today!"

Yeah, a bit weak on the Heart part - but it's there, if you look closely!

Zachary: "Step One - grow opposable thumbs."

Editor's Note: No, of course they didn't lick the cookie dough. Sadly, after getting it all out and setting it up, I never even made the cookies. This weekend. This weekend for sure.

As for the shot above, the boys are enjoying a generous amount of peanut butter I smeared inside the bowl.

Miss Kodee mentioned the lighting on yesterday's Christmas Picture shots.

I use a Speedlight, on camera, and bounce it off the ceiling.

Bouncing the flash creates soft, nearly shadowless lighting for the pictures plus it means the dogs are not getting flashed directly.

I also usually, although not today, add in two stand umbrella stands with CFLs. They don't flash, they are just on, but they also don't get very hot - a real plus in out hot summers.

I couldn't photograph at my preferred shutter speed (1/160s) and aperture (f/6.3) with just the stands, but they do a great job of evening out the lighting from the flash.

Why do I like even lighting? Because my "studio" (the kitchen) is pretty cramped, and the boys are usually with a few feet of the backdrop. This is so close that any backdrop other than the black, if flashed directly, would have nasty harsh shadows thrown on it, and the black would shimmer gray in places.

Why don't I just shoot a wider aperture and get more light that way?

Because I've found if I drop below f/5.6 when shooting both boys at once, its pretty much impossible to keep them within the depth of field. With a single dog, f/2.2 - f/3.2 creates pretty portraits. :)



-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved