Well, this was quite the challenge this week as part of the blog circle.  I am not a videographer by far, and my cinematic skills are best described as finding a good movie at Red Box.  But, I am game for anything. So, my first step was reading up on cinematic photography.  My second step was finding some photos that a) used a prime lens, b) told a story, c) lent themselves to a cinematic makeover.  My first is below.

I had to dig way back for this one.  In the archives of 2014.  The color version was limp and lackluster, even though I thought the story was a good one.  I went to an extreme and removed the color, which immediately brought the focus on the doggy meet up. I then did a bit more work with the lighting and texture, and gave it that cinematic banding flare.  Heck, I even had fun changing my logo for this assignment.

In the second photo (much more recent), I went to an opposite extreme with the color, blasting it a bit and giving it a different hue.  I watched several tutorials to gain some insight into how to apply color grading in photoshop.

Basically, what I have come away with is that cinematic photography, and the processing of the image, leans toward creative color (or its absence), the use of a prime lens, the use of light, storytelling, and a large glass of wine.

So did I pass, or fail?  You be the judge.

There are not many of us in the blog circle this week. To see how other photographers answered this week's challenge, head over to the blog circle and start with Susannah Maynard of Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area and destinations nationwide.  Have a great Friday, a fantastic weekend, and don't get stuck in a Red Box line!

Today's blog theme is "Photographer's Choice."  I am sure it will run the gambit in the blog circle, and I can't wait to read everyone's interpretation of the theme.  I only have one photo to share with you this Friday, and a story.

Our dog Moe turned 12 this year.  It seems like only yesterday he was a pudgy puppy.  He is loved by everyone who meets him because he is so laid back.  He nearly falls asleep at the vets office.  They can do anything to him.

Moe is a houndy setter cross of some sort.  His fur is exactly what you see--frenetic. He has allergies, and it took forever for him to, at last, get this crazy coat.  The colors you see, are the colors he has in his coat.  No camera tricks here. He bays like a hound sometime, but also roos like a setter. Moe came to us at 6 months old.  He was adopted from Another Chance for English Setters. We picked him up when we were going to pick up a horse for a friend in Massachusetts.  We were just supposed to foster him.  On the ride home we decided to adopt him.

I want a great photo of Moe, because I am not sure how much longer we will have him.  He has slowed down quite a bit, has trouble jumping up on things (we lift him more and more), and when he chooses to play in the yard, he pays for it for an entire day afterward.  We humans are so cheated when it comes to our dogs, because we don't get to have them but for a short amount of time.

My choice is this realistic, unfettered photo of Moe.  As an owner of a best friend that is not so spry anymore.  I don't want a cell phone photo, or a snap shot. I want a nicely lit photo that shows me exactly who Moe is.  So I will frame this.  And I will look on it and smile and remember many things once Moe is no longer here to give me this precise look.

I am always happy to have like-minded folks visit me at the studio or on location with their pets, because they too want something to look at and remember.  Because time just won't stand still.  But a piece of artwork will last forever. And a piece of framed artwork is always my choice.

To see more of what other photographer's chose for this week's theme, start your trip around the blog circle with Linda Perdue from VP Shoots Photography serving the Tampa Bay and surrounding areas.  Enjoy your weekend!

For this week's theme, I was inspired by the ordinary, everyday life of my own pets, a number of which like to seek solace, comfort, peace and quiet by being under things.

There is Matty, who likes to lay on the chair cushions under the kitchen table, where he can watch the dog world go by.  He always looks so comfortable there, and I sometimes wish I could shrink myself down and lay right next to him on one of the other cushions.

Luna also likes to lay under a chair in the family room, where she can be in the center of activity, just in case she wants to participate, and also close to the large windows, where she can jump up in a minute to watch the progress of birds in our yard.

I also decided to catch a different perspective by shooting under the obstacles between me and Luna when she moved out from this vantage point.

I think many animals feel safe under things.  Lilah hides under the family room table when she thinks she might be in trouble.  She also hides under the bed when it is thundering.

Our border collie, Piper, loves to lay in the cubby under the kitchen desk. The only time we can't find him there is when he is hiding from bathtime, which he is due for any day now.

I used my on camera flash for all of these images, because I was too lazy to walk over to the studio and get an off camera flash, and I was afraid that if I did walk over to the studio, I would lose the chance to capture these images while they were happening.  However, I used a lens which allowed me to stay far enough away from each subject so that the built in flash would not cause red eye or other issues.

Do you have pets that like to be under things?

To see how other photographers in the blog circle interpreted this week's theme, read on, starting with Linda Perdue of VPShoots Photography serving Tampa Bay and surrounding areas.  The weeks are flying by, and holiday season is fast approaching.  Cooler weather is finally coming in, and I hope that means NO RAIN!  Enjoy your weekend!

This is going to date me, but when I was a kid, and there were reruns of old movies playing on television, a movie star named Greta Garbo was well known for the phrase "I want to be alone."

Sometimes, we photographers, seek to isolate our subjects as best we can so that the focus is purely on them, and not on their surroundings, especially if the background is busy.    There are numerous ways to do so, which I am sure you will see in today's blog circle, but I will focus on three that I use.

The first you saw some of last week.  While doing some photography work at an event, I sought to isolate some of the subjects from the surroundings.  Here are a few more photos.

In the first I blurred the background. So, you can isolate by blurring everything but the subject.

In this case the background colors enhanced the colors in the dog's bandana, and the pup's cute and focused profile made for a very still shot.

In the second I cropped most of the background away.  Cropping is a technique I will use to isolate a subject as well.

I needed this cutie to remain connected to something, so I left the owner's feet in the photo.  There were a ton of tables and people in the background, so cropping enabled the pup to shine through.

The third technique is to simply find a "lone" subject to begin with.  Driving home from this event I happened to find a sheep who was "outstanding" in her field <--(very old joke, and now I have really dated myself!).

So let's review, because the test is on Monday.  Blurring the background, close cropping the subject and isolating the subject to begin with, are just three techniques I use to focus more on what's on the other side of my camera.

To see additional methods and how other photographers isolate what is in front of their lens, why not take a few and read through 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.  Don't isolate yourself.  Winter is coming.  At least for us.  Enjoy!