Blog Ring

Quality of light is this week’s theme. It has us looking at hard light vs soft light and how it interacts in shadows, colors, and highlights. Icey was a willing model as she waded in her swimming pool. 2 sets of images, taken at 2 different time of the day. I merely walked around the pool and captured how the light and shadows changed.

From the morning, around 9:45 am central time. The light was still relatively horizontal and more of a harsh light. Depending on where I was my shadow would pass over Icey or the pool and end up as a part of the image. The best way to negate this is by lowering ones angle.

The second set taken around 4pm central time. The light was still hard, but it was at a different angle and was diffused slightly by the clouds and neighbor’s tree. Icey’s shadow has moved, as did the place where my shadow fell upon her. Also the shadows in the background have changed which provides contrast from the pool.

Next up stop over to Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay Area to see her take on the quality of light.

This week’s 52 week project theme was backlighting. This is a challenging technique to capture with bold horizontal light that often messes with a camera’s autofocus system. Done correctly, they can be very stunning. A new flash technique was employed, the results needing to be honed in a bit more. Luckily Icey and Axle were patient models and willing to work for treats so I could snag images that are keepers.

Next up head over to Northeast PA based pet photographer, Elaine Tweedy for her backlighting!

This week’s theme was front light and side light. (Yes they mean exactly what you think!). Windows are a wonderful source for lighting that can be used as side lighting as well as front. My parent’s cats were volunteered as models for this theme. 2 year old Lilly (tabby & white) is a ham with a camera, while year old Tootsie (grey & white) was easy to entertain with a toy on my camera and head.

Head over to Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay Area and see her take on front light and side light!

Horizon was the theme for this week’s 52 week project. It encouraged us to look at different horizon placements, and even though they may not be technical & correct, to use them in a manner that best fits the images to portray the story we are looking to tell.

Axle was my model, and we traipsed just out of Paynesville to a field of tall yellow flowers. Always eager to work for a ball, Axle was off and bounding through the grasses and flowers, at times only the tip of his tail visible as he searched for the ball.

Below is the same picture, cropped to change where the horizon line is. Which do you like better?

Next up, stop over to Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay Area and see her use of horizons.

(The  52 Week Project. Themes are picked, pictures taken & posted, with links to the next photographer.
A great way to grow in skill as well as see how fellow dog photographers interpret the themes.)

This week’s theme: Leading lines. These are lines that draw the viewer in and around the scene presented. This can also lead the viewer out of the image or leave them feeling lost if they aren’t used correctly. In my “non-dog” photography I use leading lines often and try to incorporate leading lines with my dog photography, though it is a bit tougher. Especially since dogs are on a smaller scale than landscapes!

Bender was my model and did well (we had a couple of long distance stays!), though he wanted to be nosey as he typically is, so I worked with what he gave me. The results are different than I was looking for, but I’m pleased with them.

Next up, visit Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay Area.  Keep going through each of the blogs until you land back here!