Using What's On Hand or Portrait of a Dog

Yesterday afternoon I was working around the house when I noticed our dog Badger was lying in shaft of light on the living room floor. Perfect for a dog portrait I immediately thought to myself. The lighting was fantastic. The primary problem was that behind him the background was a mess. There was a bright gold trimmed woodstove and and some light colored tile. Not the best things for a good background for a portrait. What could I place behind Badger to create a better background? I have some portable backdrops but Badger is afraid of them! That wouldn't do. Instead I used a chair with a black hoodie draped over the back of it. I slowly and carefully placed it behind Badger so he wouldn't move. Then I lay down on the floor in front of him so I could get down to his level so the hoodie would be behind him. His face was a bit shadowed but it was a great portrait. God's blessings to all, chris

How Many Ways Can You Use a Background

I was chasing after the Garter Snake for a little while this morning. I find it fascinating to watch them hunt. I spotted some rye grass growing off of our deck and I thought to myself. That would make an interesting image. So using my a backdrop I had been using for my hummingbird photography I decided to give it a try. Is it a bit too bright and wild?

God's light and love to all,

chris

Carnations: Before and After

This evening I photographed some Red Carnations we had in the kitchen. I photographed them in a pretty straightforward manner using a sweep for the back ground. Then I heavily processed the image using a textural image from my files. Let me know which one you like better.

God's light and love to all,
chris

On the Run

This morning I was on the run doing my usual drop off of my daughter at school, grocery shopping, getting some gas for the car, etc. when it suddenly hit me the lighting was just perfect for a portrait of Badger. There I was at the pump looking over the roof of my car at the light blue sky and the soft white clouds. Wow, that would make a great backgound for a portrait of Badger. As you may have guessed it Badger is my dog.

Well I was tempted to take Badger and throw him on top of the car right then and there and shoot the portrait but a stronger head prevailed and I drove a few blocks to a nearby park instead. Well would you believe that Badger wanted nothing to do with being on top of my car. Not even moving mind you! He jumped off of the roof and lay at my feet on his back begging me to pet him and assure him everything was all right between us. So being the sensitive guy that I am I petted him profusely and put him back up onto the top of the car. It was then that he realized neither the car nor I were out to get him and he settled down. A few dozen pets and hugs didn't hurt.

I took a few shot horizontal images before I realized that I really like the vertical portrait format better. I made squeaking noises to keep Badgers attention whilst I clicked away from a low angle. While shooting I realized that Badgers impeccable hairdo had gotten a bit mussed while he was groveling around on his back in front of me. I did my best to flatten out his hair a bit. Then I noticed that he would probably look better with his collar off. A bit more flattening and fluffing of his fur made him look a little better.

In the end I was fairly pleased with how our little impromptu shoot worked out. I like the low angle and the soft background. It just goes to show that you don't always have to have a lot of fancy equipment to create a photograph that is of some worth to the viewer. Now I just need to email a copy of the image to the Humane Society from where I adopted Badger.

Sincerely and God bless,

chris