This week's theme is "reflections," and as I took a week away from the blog to prepare for print competition, I realized how much different my work is now, than it was just a few years ago.  I have many things to point to which brought about the "style" of my photography, but the most important thing is my continued commitment to educational opportunities.

Some may have noticed this logo at the bottom of the home page of this website.

While our state of PA was in lockdown due to COVID-19, I took the opportunity to finalize the pursuit of my photography certification through Cornell University's school of Architecture, Art and Planning.  Seven projects and 70 photo submissions later, I am very pleased to be certified by an outstanding academic institution in the Northeast Region.  It proved to solidify some of what I had learned through industry professional organizations, such as Professional Photographers of America, but also added new insights and practices to my portfolio.

I would be happy to discuss this with anyone who might be interested, and to give you my thoughts as to why I chose this route over other types of certification.

Moving on to a different type of "reflection," an early Autumn portrait of a boy and his dog fishing off a dock, is a study in reflections that frame an image.  Already, the brown and gold colors of Fall are seeping into our landscape.  We have had some cooler temps already, and it's time to pull out the parkas, windbreakers, and boots!

I for one, hate to see summer leave us, especially in this 2020 everything-is-upside-down world.  Summer made having to stick close to home bearable, as we got to be outside most of the time.  Even with my photography work, it is easier to schedule outdoor sessions at various locations, than it is in studio, and the weather cooperated throughout the summer months.

I love the colors of the Fall and the falling leaves as they collect in local ponds, but I am not looking forward to the early darkness in November.  I also love puppies who cooperate, love water, don't mind getting wet, and give me the opportunity to capture beautiful wall art for their owners.

Our own puppy is going to be six months old on October 7th!  She has been a joy, albeit, a lot of work, but we are starting to reap the benefits of a great dog.  As with anything, you get back what you invest, and I feel that way about my work today.

Enjoy your weekend.  Find a quiet place to reflect, or a quiet place with plenty of good reflections.

To see more interpretations of this week's theme, visit the blog circle, starting with Linda Perdue of VPShoots Photography, photographing pets and their families in the Tampa Bay area.

This week's blog circle theme is "action."  I have covered this theme in previous blogs, so I decided to take a different slant, based on sets and movies.

I have noticed that "action" does not necessarily mean we see things in motion.  If we did, they would be blurry, so as photographers, we often STOP ACTION, with high camera speed settings.  But the scene depicted in our stop action photograph eludes to action.

For instance, here is a photo that implies action, but the action is stopped.

Yet you still get the idea that the dog is going through the agility poles, very focused on the next place to be.  Many of the photographers I know tend to lean toward stop action, rather than showing motion blur, or marrying them both in an image by perhaps focusing in on the dog's expression and letting other elements blur.  All is dependent upon light, camera settings, and the animal being photographed.

So this week, I decided to become a movie director.  I had an idea, and I needed a few elements:  a nice scene, a star, and some CGI (computer-generated imagery...for me that means "stock" image for composite).

A nice barn and field scene at sunset set the stage for the star, our Lilah, to enter stage right and do her setter thing.  Luckily, Lilah points bugs and butterflies, so the CGI portion came when I needed to go to stock images and find a bird replacement.

The result is below.  Lights...camera...action!  This one is called "The Flush."

To see more lovely imagery and how other photographers handled this week's theme, head to the blog circle, starting with Darlene Woodward of Pant the Town Photography, photographing pets and their families in beautiful New England.  Enjoy your weekend!

It's no secret that I love my job.

I mean, who wouldn't?  I get to work with great people and their pets, be creative, design things, and have some pretty cool equipment.

Plus I get to work in some great spaces...the studio and mother nature.

That's me and Bingo, the studio deck dog above.  He is a very good dog.  Never complains.  Doesn't eat much.

Sometimes my studio is outdoors.  Yes, that's me below as well.  Yes, my hair was a different color and longer.  You have to keep them guessing you know.  My husband snapped this photo with his cell phone.  I don't usually do many behind-the-scenes photos, unless he is with me and remembers to try for one.  This is very rare, and the solar system must be in perfect harmony for it to happen.

Here is one of the resulting photos from above.

Did I mention I get to meet puppies? 

And kittens.

So what's not to like? 

I have been so lucky in my life to have careers that I love, and to work with great, fun people!  Now I work with great, fun people and their kids, pets, and families, and I love every minute of it.

While I don't usually show messy disorder in photos, here is a shot of my studio shooting space.  Right now I'm in clean and store mode.  I have all of my lighting equipment in the studio at the moment, but when I set up for a studio session, I only keep what I need and the rest goes to my studio storage space in our home.

I am prepping to do some outdoor work with a few weeks of Fall Foliage sessions, so some of my traveling lighting will be going with me.

Then once late October rolls around, I will be setting up the studio for holiday card and photo sessions.  Last year the studio shooting space looked like this.

It sure cleans up well, doesn't it?

I love thinking up new ideas for photo sessions!  And I love buying props and even clothing to suit the needs of the session.

I know what you are thinking....who can spill that milk faster?  Kids or pets?  Well, I will let you in on a secret.  There was no milk.  There was only the tray.  I added the milk and cookie plate in at a later time.  I learned about spilled milk long ago.

Yep, I just love everything about my job!

To see what others in the blog circle decided to share in this week's topic of WORK, start here with Susannah Maynard of Pet Love Photography, photographing Cincinnati area pets for Tails of Cincinnati, a coffee table book for charity.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!