Posted on March 10, 2015 in Animals, Non-Sporting Group, Pet Photography
Here is the same image as posted yesterday of the Xoloitzcuintli, only this version has the lead removed. Like it better?
Below is another image of this dog moving around the ring at the Westchester Kennel Club show last summer. I can hardly wait for “outdoor dog show season”!
Posted on March 9, 2015 in Animals, Dog Show Photography, Non-Sporting Group, Pet Photography
I debated on whether to remove the lead in this image of the Xoloitzcuintli. It isn’t a necessary part of the image, however, it is apparent that the dog has something around its neck. In the end, I decided to keep the lead as I lean toward natural images with just basic editing (contrast, sharpness, etc.) The background in this image was very light as the dog was backlit on a sunny day and so I removed the background altogether just to keep the image clean and uncluttered. This is, after all, a very streamlined dog and I wanted a crisp image to show off the breed’s unique look! Who loves the Xolo?
Posted on March 5, 2015 in Birds, Nature, Wildlife, Winter
Dark-eyed Juncos are frequent visitors to the feeders in my garden in winter. I love their peach-colored bill. Here’s one sitting on the branch of my Yew bush in between snacking on seeds and visiting with St. Francis (see yesterday’s post). On another bird related topic, this afternoon I noticed that one of my birdhouses was lying in the snow, instead of being mounted to the tree in its usual spot. I saw squirrels near it this morning, so possibly they knocked it down. When I looked inside, I saw the remains of a nest from the summer and acorns! Now I’m wondering if the squirrels dropped the acorns in the opening at the front of the birdhouse and then couldn’t figure out how to get back inside to retrieve them! Guess I’d better put out some extra food for the squirrels!
Posted on March 4, 2015 in Birds, Wildlife, Winter
As the snow fell last weekend, the birds were hanging out near the feeders in my yard. I have a statue of St. Francis at the corner of the porch and directly behind it are two holly bushes. As the birds darted back and forth to the feeders, they sought cover from the snow in the bushes and, every now and then, stopped for a rest on St. Francis’ head! This is a Dark-Eyed Junco. They are in the Sparrow family and generally only visit in winter.
Posted on March 3, 2015 in Birds, Nature, Wildlife, Winter
It’s been a long, cold winter, not only for humans, but for wildlife as well. The ground has been snow covered for months and food is likely scarce. I’ve been filling my feeders with sunflower and wild bird seed, corn, and suet. Not only do the birds love it, but so do the squirrels, deer, and a raccoon or two! The deer are especially hungry. They visit my feeders nightly and look in the window to find me if they are empty. When seeds are scarce, they take to eating any green vegetation that they can find. My Yew and holly bushes are nearly devoid of foliage. I hope they survive. Over the weekend, I spent a little time photographing birds at the feeders. This is a Tufted Titmouse perched on one of the remaining branches of the Yew bush that is green. Such a pretty little bird!