Month: May 2016

8542DBH2016

Ahhh, wise words of wisdom from instructor John Barclay at my first-ever photography workshop many years ago, “When you see red, shoot it!”  The yellow wildflowers in the foreground were what drew me to the scene, but the red barn just pops against the new green leaves of Spring.  I love this picturesque spot in Berks County, Pa.

8334DBH2016

Some days the weather forecasters are right on target!  Today was one of those days.  A cold front was expected to move through the area this afternoon and bring rain, wind, and a dramatic change in temperature.  That’s exactly what happened.  The temperature was near 80 degrees in the early afternoon and dropped into the 50’s very quickly after the storm passed through.  I was out doing a little photography and made it to the car just before the raindrops started to fall!  The clouds were awesome this afternoon!

7966agility2016

I have never really photographed at a dog agility trial before.  Talk about all of the variables that can set up a photographer for failure – indoor setting with not enough light and dogs running at top speed in all different directions.  It’s all about anticipation in photographing this sport!  I started shooting even before the dog arrived at the jump and held down the shutter while the dogs went flying over the bar.  It was great fun to photograph and a good challenge!  Not to mention that the dogs were all fabulous!  I have way more failed shots than good ones, but I came away with some favorites, despite the need to shoot at high ISO with a fast shutter speed.  This Springer Spaniel was a superstar at agility!

7929ReesieMay2016v2

I had an awesome Mother’s Day with Reesie and her human mom, Rinn.  Rinn just happens to be Savannah and Gabriel’s foster mom from Siamese Cat Rescue Center in Virginia who I had never met in person before until Sunday.  What an appropriate day to meet the foster mom to two of my kitties than on Mother’s Day, right?  Rinn and Reesie were visiting PA for an agility trial and they invited me to come and watch.  I had a grand time seeing all of the dogs race through the course and learning about agility trials.  This photo speaks volumes of the love that Rinn and Reesie share.  The photo quality is poor because the camera settings were for fast action indoors in low light (a.k.a. high ISO).  When I turned and saw this moment, I just shot the image and hoped for the best.  It’s very grainy, but I still love it.  Thank you Rinn and Reesie for sharing your day with me!

6326_BCKC2016

…my hair goes crazy curly…sort of like this Irish Water Spaniel.  He or she has much nicer curls than I do, though!