Posted on May 8, 2012 in Animals, People, Pet Photography
Sometimes a caption pops into my head the minute that I see an image. Like this one for example. I don’t know the Border Collie’s call name, but his registered name is “Mount View Blitzen”. This image takes me back to the days in grade school when the teacher would come up to an unsuspecting student, put their hand in just this location and say, “Spit out the gum, NOW!!”
Posted on May 7, 2012 in Animals, Pet Photography
My dad always wore a hat. He loved all kinds of hats – dress hats, cowboy hats, baseball caps, and sometimes, when it was chilly in the house, he even sported a knit hat indoors! So, when I saw this hat hanging on the fence at the Bucks County Kennel Club dog show on Saturday, it reminded me of my dad. He would have worn a hat like this one, too! Catching the Pointer in the background – out of focus – was just a perfect compliment to the scene. I know that dad would have loved going to the dog shows with me. He would have been chatting with everyone and asking to pet all of the dogs. In spirit I know that he is right there with me at every show and having a great time!
Posted on May 6, 2012 in Animals, People, Pet Photography
I just started to download images from yesterday’s Bucks County Kennel Club show in Erwinna, Pa. There were 2,243 dogs entered into the show and I think every single one of them was happy to be outdoors instead of at an indoor show hall! So much to sniff in the big outside world! This is one of my very favorite outdoor shows of the year! Tinnicum Park is enormous with huge tents and even chairs – woo hoo! Being outdoors also affords a better opportunity for movement images as I’m not limited by the low light conditions indoors. Here’s a Tibetan Terrier trotting around the ring with an extra spring in her step!
Posted on May 4, 2012 in Flowers, Lensbaby, Macro, Nature, Spring
What…no dog image? No! I thought I would change things up for today and post some images that I took in my garden this afternoon. My Bleeding Hearts, Columbine, and some yet unidentified purple flowers that are actually weeds are in full bloom, so I brought out the Lensbaby and macro lenses and had some fun in less than ideal conditions. What do you try to avoid when photographing flowers outside? Well, nighttime would be one thing….but WIND is the other! Unless you are going for a purposely blurred look created by moving flowers, that is. Today there was a bit of wind and the bleeding hearts were on the move. They grow on fine stems that wiggle at the slightest breeze, so it’s best to photograph them on a really calm day…which rarely happens. Also rare is finding bleeding hearts that are perfectly aligned in a row. So today I concentrated on the “heart” portion of the flowers! A couple more images from the garden are below…. Notice the little critter hitching a ride on the bottom flower.
Posted on May 3, 2012 in Animals, Pet Photography
There were plenty of inspiring stories at last weekend’s Bark for Life event to benefit the American Cancer Society. Stories of dogs that assist in search and rescue, therapy dogs that provide comfort to patients in hospitals and nursing homes, and dogs that provide companionship to owners stricken with illness. Most of the focus was dogs caring for people, but here’s an example of a little pup that has endured much hardship in his own life, needs some extra TLC from his human family, and is still happy go lucky and enjoying life in his forever home. He was rescued from an abusive situation which resulted in the loss of an eye and a skin condition where he lost most of his fur. See his tongue sticking out to the side of his mouth? It is like that all of the time. Because of his loss of fur, he most always wears a sweater or coat to stay warm. This little dog is a wonderful example of perseverence in the face of pain and suffering. Even though he may not be the most beautiful dog appearance wise, he is beautiful to everyone he meets. His t-shirt says something like ‘looking for hot girls’ on the back…..never ever give up, no matter what challenges you face!