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!

This week's blog circle theme is "negative space."  I decided to take a slightly different slant on the theme, as this blog has already covered the topic of negative space twice.  (If you'd like to read both, simply use the search tool and type in "negative space.")

When I decided to take my hobby of photography and turn it into a profession, I was given an assignment in one of my photography classes to go out and find a subject (positive space) and use the space around it to create a dramatic image.  So back in 2013, I created this image while walking a local back road and finding some feral kittens being taken care of at a barn.

It was actually this assignment that got me to thinking about "space" in images, and how the use of space can create a dramatic image.  This was a much larger image, as I could not get close to the kittens or they would run inside the barn.  The orange kitten with the blue eyes, thought I was a curiosity, so he stopped to check me out.  My spacing of the kitten in the eventual cropped image, the elements I've left in, and the scene itself, is all quite deliberate.  This image is an example of negative space, but also in how the use of space helps to tell the story.

The use of blue sky and clouds in the heron image below (and the particular cropping of this image), is again able to lend drama to the photo.  This photo was taken in Assateague during a summer vacation.  The space surrounding the subject is the negative space.

Whether in the studio or on location, using the space around the subject can lend itself to an image with more impact.  In both photos below, the negative space lets the eye travel to the subject, and doesn't hem the subject in, as a centered crop might (with equal distance to either side of the subject).  I find negative space a dramatical tool to enhance the use of light in a photo.

Molly, below, looks into the distance, almost like she is thinking about the great treat she is going to get once she is done with this photo.  This would be a much different image cropped down.

The use of space to enhance a pink-tongued black lab, makes for a fun image.  The darkness in the space to the right, brings the eye back to the subject again and again.

Back in the very first blog post I ever did about negative space, I noted that I would be using it more often.  That prediction was certainly true. I use images with space quite a lot.  If I'm not giving extra space, I am cropping dramatically.  I guess that has evolved to my own personal style.

Space is, after all, the final frontier. :)

Enjoy more interpretations of space, time, matter and anti-matter (well, maybe just space...) in this week's blog circle.  Start with Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photography.  Have a great Friday and rest of your weekend! 

In the studio, it's relatively easy to fill a frame with your subject.  I often do headshots of pets as part of the "menu" of photographs for the session, and they are a classic example of frame filling photography work.  This beautiful Lab was a prime candidate for close up work and a frame-filling photo.

Sometimes more than one subject, all photographed at the same time, can fill up a frame.

In the example above, all three of these cuties were shot at the same time.  There is no piecing together for this photograph.  Aren't they adorable!  They each have their own very unique personalities, and it shows.

In the past, when photographing shelter pets, it would be important to sometimes fill the frame with other than shelter paraphernalia in the background.  Such was the case with the kitty and pup below, both taken in less than stellar environments, with too much going on to focus in on the subject.  Filling the frame gets rid of all the extras and lets the pet shine through.

I like to use extreme cropping techniques when I fill the frame in some cases.  Over the years I have filled the frame with many shelter and rescued pet faces, but these two really have been some of my favorites.

For more fill-the-frame techniques and interpretations, check out this week's blog circle.  I have been absent for a bit due to summer activities and studio work, but hope to participate these next few weeks before going on vacation.  I hope you have a great weekend!  We are having a heat wave.

Start the circle with Jo Lyons Photography, the down-to-earth, dog loving photographer for cherished dogs of Sydney up to the Great Lakes Region of NSW.  Enjoy!

This week's theme is "Doors," and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to participate due to my schedule, but as schedules often do, it changed, and I was glad to be able to do two things:

1.  Try out a door backdrop I had purchased from a fellow photographer a while back, but never got around to using.
2.  Try out a new light I purchased recently, but have not had time to set up.

The results are below, thanks to my model, Billie.  I thought she would do well to tax me in using the new light, because if I can light her, I can light anything; AND her coat has some blues in it, which I thought would lend itself to this particular backdrop.

The image above is a close up of Billie and the doors, but I wanted the entire door to show, so the second image showcases the door.

This is a particularly lovely backdrop, well made and I think actually looks like a real set of doors.

Billie moved slightly in this photo.  She is a very fidgety Miss.

I added the cobblestone underneath her feet from a stock photo I had taken of a street in Scranton.  I often take "extra" photos of skies and streets to add to photos here and there, when I think they might enhance the story.

The photo above is also moodier and darker than the second photo.  I only used the single (new) light in the photo above, but used the new light and a fill light in the second photo.

I think this door backdrop might make a great Christmas backdrop with the right props. 

I may just have to try it out this holiday season.  Maybe Santa standing near the door with a sack of toys?

What do you think?

The final photo below is my personal favorite because it shows Billie in her truest light.

This is a classic Billie look.  By this time I was really getting the hang of the new light, and Billie was sitting perfectly still.  All good things!

I am looking forward to seeing what comes up in the circle today. 

To see more "Doors," start with Jessica Wasik with Bark & Gold Photography, celebrating the joy and love between Pittsburgh pets and their people.  Enjoy and have a great weekend!

The song "It's raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring..." keeps playing over and over in my brain.  The reality keeps playing over and over in my yard.  I cut 1/4 of my yard grass on Wednesday.  That's because we had 15 minutes of sun to dry it out enough to be cut.  The other 3/4 of the yard was too wet, and the alligators wouldn't let me pass.

Yes, I have the blue sky blues, as in....there are few blue skies and I need to find more of them.

Because this week is full of storms, I went through and found some of my favorite blue sky images from the past, which also proves Northeastern Pennsylvania has the capability of producing lovely blues when it wants to.

A particularly great blue sky day in mid-September at DeCoverly Kennels.

A mesmerizing sky with Corey in the middle of summer.

A patch of blue at an area horse show.

Two setters ready to hit the road on a stellar blue sky day.

See, it does happen.  If only it would happen soon.  In the meantime, I hope you, at least, will have a blue sky weekend!

More blue skies coming your way in the blog circle.  Start with Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper. Happy Friday!

Oh man oh man....lately the selected themes have gotten me nostalgic for times gone by.  Last week's Mellow Yellow had me thinking of Donovan.  This week's theme, Fairytale, has me remembering the Rocky and Bullwinkle Cartoon Show.  Fractured Fairytales was one of the segments of the show.  Unlike regular fairytales, the fractured version always featured a twisted path, and my kind of humor. 

If you have never seen one, here's a link to one of my favorites.

With that in mind I set out to composite some fractured fairytales of my own.

Billie, who loves to chase squirrels, would probably love to live in a fairytale land where she could make all kinds of friends of creatures great and small.  So this week, I started with an older image of Billie, and added all the friends I thought she might like.  Once upon a time, there was a scruffy dog, who liked to romp with many different critters.

Baby bunny aside, her favorite would absolutely be that bushy-tailed squirrel.  You can't even S-P-E-L-L the word in my house.

Next up is a dog who loves the fairytale where the cat is sent packing, so she has the house and humans all to herself.  I call this one:  "I swear I didn't do it."

I love creating fairytale worlds.  Use your imagination and finish the story here.  Do they live happily ever after?  Hmmmmm.  I think not.

I can't wait to see everyone's take on the theme this week.  Start here with Jo Lyons Photography, the down-to-earth dog loving photographer for cherished dogs of Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle and the Great Lakes Region of NSW.  Enjoy your weekend!  Looks like we are going to have our first dry weather weekend since March.  I hope that's not a fairytale!

Who remembers Donovan?  Raise your hand.

Mellow Yellow was one of my favorite sing-a-long songs.  Click here if you'd like to hear it.  I still don't know what all the lyrics mean.

This week the theme is "yellow."  I recently did a session for two rescue kitties, so I thought I would edit one of the photos with a yellow background.  Yellow often shows off a black cat, and that's exactly who visited me in the studio.  The result is below.  Patrick is available through Baby Jack's Rescue.

Patrick is 8 - 10 months old and up to date on his shots.  He is neutered.  Patrick is a lovely Tuxedo kitty (one of two that visited me that day), and has a great personality.  His brother, Dave, is also up for adoption through Baby Jack's.  They are both in foster care at the moment.  Although they were both a little nervous at first, they were happy sitting on my bench and were not at all bothered by my lighting.

I don't often use yellow as a background, but there are times when it fits in well.  Yellow, as a backdrop, can really reflect its own color on the subject, so you have to be careful in post processing to remove that reflection.

I especially like yellow flowers in the springtime as an outdoor backdrop, but it's been raining so much here lately, that we have not been able to shoot outside.  The ground is pure mush, and I don't see it drying out anytime soon.

Of course, I also like "mellow yellow" when it is the coat color of my subject.

There is nothing like the golden yellow color of a Retriever.  How about that smile?  Now that's MELLOW!

For more sunny yellow photos, visit the blog circle.  Start with Susannah Maynard of Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area, and destinations nationwide.  Have a great weekend, and let's hope that big yellow ball makes an appearance in Pennsylvania!

Today's blog is all about a sense of scale.

Different perspectives and different lenses on cameras, can give no real clue to how large or small a pet might be.  My own style is to focus on chest up photos.  Unless you are familiar with various breeds, you will not get an idea of the size of an animal from a head shot.

What to do?  Simple.  Add a person.

Adding a person to the photo is often a way to gain perspective on the real scale of things.  Inside the studio, I will often seat both owner and dog on the same surface. And, yes, this pup IS really that big!

In an outdoor environment, pulling back from the photo and taking in a larger area, again with a person, gives a "normal vision" perspective on the size of things.  I used a 70-200mm lens for the shot below, which actually was much larger.  I cropped it down as to not overwhelm the subjects.  You are able to easily see the size of the dog, relative to his surroundings.

Even when using a lens which may cause some distortion, like a 24-70mm at a wide angle, adding recognizable items for our human eye to land on, can help with the scale of things in terms of our pets.   This image was taken a number of months ago, but it is one I had not edited. 

It seemed perfect for this blog theme, because our Billie is not only set against the feet of my husband, but she is measurable against the green railing and buildings of Dalton, a familiar sight to anyone from my area.  Can you guess how many pounds Billie weighs from this photo?

I am looking forward to the blog circle today to see what other tricks fellow photographers might use to gain a sense of scale.  Join me by starting with Tracy Allard of 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 blog post to move to the next blog, until you find yourself right here, back where you started.  Enjoy! Happy Memorial Day weekend!  I hope you celebrate the unofficial start of summer on a GRAND scale!

This week's blog theme leaves it to us, the photographers, to decide exactly what we'd like to feature.  I have decided to talk a little about the phenomenon called: what-I-like-isn't-necessarily-what-you-like.

I often am asked by clients, "how do you decide on which photos to keep?"

I go through a selection process that involves getting rid of photos that do not showcase the subject well.  Perhaps they moved when they should have been still, or they look worried, or they are crouched instead of sitting pretty, or their eyes are closed, or one of my lights did not fire on cue, or a multitude of other reasons that are so evident you know the photo will not work out.

The remaining photos, I categorize into the following 3 categories:  (1) BEST, (2) ACCEPTABLE, (3) I MIGHT NEED A PIECE OF THIS SHOT LATER.

While the photo on the left, above, is a completely acceptable photo, for an older pup with older bones and issues with sitting, the photo on the right is really the best representation. (When viewing this blog on your phone, these photos may appear one on top of the other.  The left photo is a full body shot, the right photo is chest up.)

For the owner, however, who sees their dog every day, the full body shot may be the best world.  My job is to make the owner happy with the final product, while still feeling comfortable knowing I have given them the best quality photograph.  We work together to make it happen.

It's important to have honest conversations with clients from the start.  If I don't like the photo results at all, I am going to offer a reshoot.  Sometimes there are things we don't see in camera that are so evident on the edit screen.  I guarantee satisfaction with my work, and that is my goal for every single person and pet that walks into my world of photography.  I am my own worst critic, so while a client probably would be satisfied with something, I don't just want satisfaction.  I want them to be ecstatic, overjoyed, moved, and connected to their photos.

In answer to the question: "do Golden Retriever puppies move around a lot?" the answer is:  holy whirlwind Batman, do they ever!!  That's where saving a face in focus from one shot, a bench from another, and paws from a third come in very handy.  (And another case is made for why photographers need to be well-versed in some type of good editing program.) Taken at the same focal length with a tripod, these pieces of the puzzle make for a complete, and very acceptable photo.

I am in the group of photographers who does some editing before presenting your gallery, then once you have made your choice, I finalize the image for print or artwork, whatever you have chosen.  For in person viewing, I may even edit a few photos completely and print them for display, so you are not just seeing photos on the screen, but what they look like in person.

Ultimately, the choice is yours.  While I did the initial triage, I did it after talking with a client extensively and learning what they are looking for in their final photos.  My choice is to always listen, and do my best to meet the clients' wishes for their final selection.

To see what others in the blog circle have chosen for this week's theme, start with Kim Hollis of BARKography based in Charlotte NC and traveling the US and Canada.  Look for the links at the bottom of each blog to move forward and read the next.  I hope you choose to have a good weekend!

It's somewhat true that when you specialize in pet photography, people think that means you exclude them in the equation.  The real story is, there is nothing I love more than to capture people with their pets. 

Even though people are way more critical of themselves in photographs than pets are (hey, Lady, you made my tongue too red is not something any dog has ever said to me), my job as a photographer is to MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD!

I did this photo in studio recently.  It is a testament to strength and softness at the same time, and may turn out to be one of my very favorite portraits ever.

Many times when clients ask for the focus to remain solely on their pets, but their pets might be a bit suspicious of my equipment, I might use a different perspective in a portrait to make it all happen.  In the examples below, both kitties were a bit afraid of the lights at first, and I wanted a relaxed expression, so their owners held them to make them more comfortable.

This is Cami, the same kitty you see in the first photo, but early in the process.  Below is Smoke, who was even more fearful than Cami, but very happy in Mom's arms.

Now that winter is finally over, I am excited about getting back outside and capturing some pets and their people enjoying sunshine and spring/summer activities.  I take my hat off to pet owners who want a lasting memory of their pets that can be hung on their walls! 

To see more pets and their people, the blog circle is sure to have many wonderful photos to share.  Start with Angela Schneider of Noses & Toes Pet Photography, putting your pet in focus for your family portraits.

Have a fun weekend with your pets!