i got the shot photography

Film Noir and Other Mysteries

11/8/2019

As you can probably tell, I had a little fun with this week's theme.

Film Noir photography is typically black and white, dark, and plays up the shadows, sometimes severely. I decided to take a few of my past kitten images and convert them to the genre. I honestly did not take the shadowing to extremes, but in the future I'd like to shoot with Film Noir in mind and grab those shadows from the get go. Instead, I used a grunge overlay for the first image.

Besides the play on light, Film Noir images can showcase textures, grunge or texture overlays, and often tell a story. Many of these type of images remind me of the lead in trailers for old movies.

Cue voice over:
"How did the kittens get on the case?"
"Is the case in danger?"
"Are the kittens in danger?"
"Will the kittens escape the case?"

Tune in for the riveting story of four kittens trapped on a case!

Yes, I had some fun putting this week's images together, including the final image.

How about a dog on the lam? Third boxcar, midnight train?
Originally a photo of a pup against a black background, I added in a stock photo of a train station at night and played with the lighting on the pup. I was tempted to put a single street lamp next to him, but decided against it in the end, leaving the image a bit shadowy. You get to think up the title to this mysterious case.

Film Noir is an interesting genre. Enjoy more Film Noir moments in today's blog circle. Start with Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area, and destinations nationwide.

It's the Case of the Weekend coming up, and I hope there is no mystery to your having fun!

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Monochromatic

11/1/2019

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Halloween has been postponed in our neighborhood (officially) to today, since inclement weather was going to make the Halloweeners travel about in small water craft.

I decided to develop a monochromatic image (in keeping with this week's theme) that might lend itself to Halloween. The image is a composite made up of stock photography and several images I have taken on my own.

Monochromatic photography is using just one color theme, and manipulating the shadows and highlights at will to craft the image. I hope you enjoy my creation, and have a Happy Halloween, whenever it happens!

You can see more monochromatic images by reading through the blog circle as well. Start with Linda Perdue of VPShoots Photography serving the Tampa Bay area. Have a great weekend!

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Photographing Different Breeds

10/25/2019

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This week's blog circle theme is "Photographer's Choice." I have been going through many digital images and cleaning off some of my storage, as well as backing up items on external drives. During that process I realized that I have been lucky to meet and photograph quite a number of dog breeds. Whether at local shelters, at events, on location, or in my studio, meeting many different dogs is one of the things I like about what I do.

In photographing so many different types of dogs, I have never had a problem meeting and working with any of the breeds. All have been loving, smart, happy, and great reflections of their lovely owners. I have learned that no matter the breed, a dog will do just about anything you ask, as long as you are patient and kind.

It helps that over the years our family has owned eight different breeds of dogs: Flat Coated Retriever, Australian Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Chocolate Lab, English Setter, Border Collie, Wirehaired Terrier, and Jack Russell Terrier.

It's been a joy these last seven years, meeting and photographing so many different dogs in so many different places. As we are winding down 2019, I look forward to the pets and their people that I will meet and work with in 2020!

And, because my Facebook blog post will need an individual photo to post along side the link, here is one of my favorites from the past.

I am excited to see what others have posted today, as the free choice theme can lead us down many roads. I hope you will take a peek at the blog circle with me. Start this week off with Kylee Doyle Photography, serving the greater Sacramento area. Have a great weekend!

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Paint It Black

10/18/2019

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This past month I met up with a friend and his lovely horse, Zeppelin, to do some black background photos. If Zeppy's long flowing mane doesn't already give it away, he is a Friesian. Since Zeppy could not fit in my studio, this portrait was done at the stable using only natural light sources. I am holding back on sharing the rest of these photos until I use them in competition, so stay tuned for seeing them somewhere down the line in a blog post.

I love doing black-on-black work or using darker backgrounds in my photography.

With Millie, below, I wanted to only highlight her face, which, as you see, is so lovely and expressive.

Millie was also excellent at holding very still and was okay with my studio lights, two things that make for great pet photographs. Doesn't she look like she is smiling?

Sometimes with a subject that is completely black, it is hard to keep the background totally dark, as with this kitty, below, that was not impressed at all with studio lighting, my feather, or me in general. We actually ended up doing his photos in his own home, but I did like this one from the studio and saved it.

Ah, well, you can't win them all over.

There are more examples of black-on-black work on my website and throughout my blogs. To see more interpretations of "paint it black" you can read on in the blog circle, starting with Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography fetching portraits in Coppell and surrounding communities in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex.

Enjoy your weekend and week ahead!

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Into the Woods

10/11/2019

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Most likely, the fact that we live surrounded by woods, has helped me learn how to deal with using the woods to their best advantage in some of my photographs. There really is no escaping them.

I do believe the woods are beautiful where I live, and offer up a great backdrop for dog photography.

But even on the road, I find that using a 70-200mm lens and blurring the woodsy background, gives a nice bouquet of greenery and color, just like the example below of this little pumpkin.

Doesn't she just shine through with the beautiful woods as her background?

Back at home, I can sometimes get our dog Danny to cooperate just outside our fence line. I haven't featured him in a blog for quite some time, as he rarely likes to look at the camera, even when treats are available as rewards. But, this was close enough.

I can often get a nice nature-inspired photo just outside my studio doors when our world is green and lush. I miss the summer already!

For more woodsy photos, the blog circle should be a treat. Start with Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photography. Be sure to get out in the woods this weekend, if your weather cooperates. Winter is just around the corner.

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Favorite Book

9/27/2019

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Growing up I always liked books that started with "Once upon a time..." and ended with "and they lived happily ever after." Stories with a little bit of fantasy always hold my attention. Mysteries are one of my favorite genres as well, and as a young teen I read every single Nancy Drew book that had been published at the time.

I can't pick just one book that I like, but I do know that I like to create some of the same fantasy in my photography work.

My granddaughter loves butterflies. We raise Monarchs during the summer months. She loves to set them free when they are ready to go. This gave me an idea for a photo called "The Collector."

The Collector is a mix of real photograph, painted background, and added composite work. It is by no means a perfect photo, but it is fun and something she likes. It could be a story...a story about a fairy who goes into the woods every day to collect butterflies that might be in danger, picking flowers along the way for them to feed on in safety.

Just for fun, I had a crazy idea looking at our cat, Luna, last night. She was sitting in the middle of the floor and I wondered: "What do cats think about when they are staring off into space?" I found an image by Maguerite Gerard while looking at stock photos, and created the photo below.

I am pretty sure this is what Luna daydreams about all day. If she had a favorite book it would be "Recipes for Cats."

Here are some of my most favorite reads:
The entire Sue Grafton collection (A is for Alibi, etc.)
The Annunciation by Ellen Gilchrist
Any Stuart Woods novel featuring Stone Barrington
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

I hope you enjoyed today's blog. For more favorite book ideas, check out the blog circle starting with Angela Schneider, the Spokane Dog Photographer, who unabashedly celebrates the love you have for your dog. Have a great Fall weekend, and don't forget to add a little fantasy!

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Water Water Everywhere

9/13/2019

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The theme for this week's blog circle is water. I thought that it would be a cinch because I am actually near a large body of water...the Atlantic Ocean, but things don't often go as planned, and my laptop decided to not allow me to edit as well as I would like when I use my main computer at home.

So I decided to do a review of how "water" has fit into my life lately.

Closer to home, water played a large part in a first-day-of-fishing for two smiling faces. This lovely little park is a wonderful retreat for these types of activities, and you can see, turns out fairly successful fishing for small folks.

I am a real gull and sea bird watcher. While at the beach this past week, a convention of sea birds did a little parade every day in the same location. Turns out, they were waiting for the exact perfect tide time to bring good food their way. They would all fly out together to the same location to feast around 3:00 p.m.

And, of course, there is always ONE that waits for the food to come to him.

My view every night walking back to my unit was not too shabby. This is a lovely spot on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach, along a canal which affords a look at an array of turtles, heron, huge unidentifiable fish and other wildlife.

I did run into a dog or two at the beach, but I am waiting to edit my other photos when I return home. Maybe you will see them in other blogs. I happened to have my cell phone the day I spotted this golden enjoying some ball play. Since the quality of my adroid photos leaves a lot to be desired, I used a painterly filter on this image.

I am watching a Hallmark Christmas Thursday movie right now as I write this, and can't believe I've gotten sucked into yet another Hallmark trap, even at the beach, even in summer. I am packing up to return home tomorrow and will miss the sun, the water, and this little beach community, but I am looking forward to Fall.

There are more watery things to see in the blog circle this week, and once again we are starting with Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography fetching portraits in Coppell and surrounding communities in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. Have a great weekend!

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The Color Blue

9/6/2019

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I can't think of a better way to start off this week's blog than with blue in the sky and a horse. I chose this photo because in this particular case, the storm system that was either coming or going (cannot remember which) left the clouds a grayish blue, and hid the sun long enough for me to snap this shot.

My thought is that a splash of blue in a photo is never a bad thing. In fact, blue is one of my go to colors, even when asking clients to dress for head shots or photos with their pets, often I will recommend a solid blue shirt or blouse.

Blue is one of those soothing colors.

Blue allows other things in the photo to POP! For the photo above I used a plain dark blue background, then added a painted digital background in post processing.

Many clients also like blue, and I have noticed that when given a few options in their viewing gallery, they will often purchase a photo that has a blue background, or hint of blue, or wide open blue sky.

You can go back through my blog posts and I am sure you will find quite a number of photos with the color blue.

Sometimes I will give the blue a "punch" with another color, as in the photo below.

This photo uses the same dark blue background as the photo above, but I have focused a light directly onto the backdrop, then added some texture and another painted digital backdrop in post processing.

I hope you see some blue sky this weekend. I know many of our neighbors down south are experiencing hurricane Dorian, and I wish everyone well. To see more "blue" interpretations in today's blog posts, start with Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography fetching portraits in Coppell and surrounding communities in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. Look for the links at the bottom of each post to take you to the next blog. Enjoy!

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Metal

8/23/2019

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I'm baaaacckkkk!

Yes, I did take two weeks off of blog writing. A much needed break from everything and fun with the grandkids. Especially this dude, who came and stayed with us while attending camp.

It turns out that the themes of blogs during the weeks missed were themes I had covered before, so no harm no foul. This week's theme (metal), on the other hand, is not one I have done before, but I do have a photo that applies. A bright red metal bridge in a local park with our Billie girl. I have used other renditions of this photo, but never this one, so it's new to the blog.

I guess we could call it a day, what with a photo of a small boy climbing on metal playground equipment and Billie on the metal bridge, but I decided to delve a little further into my archives and also to create a new photo specifically for this week's theme.

First, delving into the archives. Anyone remember this photo of our Moe on another set of metal playground equipment?

Honestly, Moe would rather lay on that piece of equipment all day than walk the park. This was taken on a Fall day several years ago. Moe will be 13 this year. He has been with us since he was four months old and was adopted from Another Chance for English Setters. Moe is the kind of guy that everyone loves, because he is so very laid back about life.

When I heard the theme for the week, my brain immediately went to the small metal crown I bought several years ago to have as an accessory for photos. It has been sitting in my closet on a shelf since then, but immediately popped into my mind. My chance to use it.

Lilah and I trooped over to the studio and after 201 attempts of having her try to sit still with it on her head, we finally got a shot that worked.

I think I like this little metal crown. Just this week I mentioned on someone's Facebook post that Lilah has achieved the title of Queen of Whining, so it is fitting for her to have a crown.

For the photographers who read, I used a 70-200mm 2.8 Sigma lens on a Nikon D800 body. Natural light streaming in from the door was my primary light source to a solid white background. I dropped in the painted background in post processing, and added the wispy look to photo as well. I also added a bit of pinkish treatment (a little more girly) by not brushing/masking off all of the background in certain areas. I think Lilah's nose is shaped like a heart in this photo. What do you think?

For more metal mania, the blog circle starts this week with Jo Lyons Photography - down-to-earth dog loving photographer for cherished dogs of Sydney up to the Great Lakes Region of NSW. Click on the link to get there, then look for the link at the end of every blog to move around the circle. Enjoy!

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Beautiful Bokeh

8/2/2019

6 Comments

I know what you are thinking. But no, it's not this.

This is a bouquet. (Bo-kay)

The other is bokeh. (Bo-kuh)

It's that creamy background in a photo that many of us photographers love to see in our images. It's achieved with various lenses (some have better bokeh than others) which are set at a very wide aperture setting or what we call "opened all the way up."

In the two images above, the shallow depth of field allows me to focus in on the subjects. Because I have opened my aperture they are very much in focus, but the background is not. What you see (that creamy look) is bokeh.

Here's a very recent one of Billie in her favorite spot at the window.

It was raining, so the water droplets on the window added some nice bokeh highlights.

To see more lovely images with creamy backgrounds, the blog circle is waiting. Start this week's jaunt with Pet Photography Columbus Ohio, then work your way around the circle until you are back here again. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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<<Previous

Film Noir and Other Mysteries

Monochromatic

Photographing Different Breeds

Paint It Black

Into the Woods

Favorite Book

Water Water Everywhere

The Color Blue

Metal

Beautiful Bokeh

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