Christmas Cat

There may be some value to the Blasted Cat after all. She is pretty photogenic. This morning I wanted to create a Christmas Cat image for Annika. (It's her cat) The thought of hauling out the studio lights and setting up the studio backdrop seemed just too daunting. I grabbed a shop light and a simple gold reflector instead. For a backdrop I set up a red knitted throw on the couch. I grabbed a short string of clear Christmas tree lights and draped them over the back of the couch arm. I set the shop light onto the top of the couch facing downward and leaned the gold reflector against the coffee table facing the couch. With the shop light as my main light and the reflector set up as my secondary. I was set. I let the cat in and gave her the idea it was her decision to settle down onto the throw on the couch. When I could see that she was comfortable I brought my tripod over and got down on my knees with the camera in front of me on the far end of the couch.She was undisturbed as I watched her preening away. Every now and then she would stop to take a break and look around. I clicked the shutter every time she looked up. Of the five best ones this was my favorite and I'm sure it will be Annika's as well. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image was created with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera and a Canon EF 28-200mm lens. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/13th of a sec.#teamcanonusa

Stay in Bed Kind of Day

Badger the Wonder Dog has the right idea. It's a stay in bed under the covers kind of day. It's gray, cold and drizzling out there. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S17-85mm lens. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX flash set to -1 stops. #TeamCanon

Trying to Look Cute

The "Blasted Cat" is given supervised visits into the house to be petted and sit on the couch or at nighttime in our bedroom with the door shut. Her only other option is her little cat bed in our sunroom. At all other times she is allowed out during the daytime and we bring her in at night so that she doesn't meet the fate of two of our previous pets as Cougar food. Today during her daily visit she decided the couch wasn't comfortable enough and she bolted up to our bedroom. By the time I caught up with her she had made herself quite comfortable on our bed and she was trying to look as cute as possible so she could stay there. I grabbed my camera to document this behavior before I brought her back downstairs where she belonged. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving, chris Image created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Tamron 18-200mm lens. Handheld. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, f 5.0 at 1/320th of a sec.

Dog Days

This morning it was 85 degrees Fahrenheit by ten o'clock. I managed to get a little vacuuming done before it started getting too hot. All the pets are lolling about in the coolest places they can find. Outside the mercury is starting the slow climb to somewhere over a 100. There is just a touch of a breeze coming n from the coast. I set Badger the Wonder Dog up on a white sweep to photograph him. He was glad to pose for a dog biscuit and then go lay down again under the living room fan. Stay Cool and God bless, chris Image created with a Canon 7D mkII and a EF-S 17-85mm lens handheld.

Ticked

It is indeed the time for ticks. All of us have been pulling them off of us of late. Yesterday Jay found three of them on the dog. It's one of the problems of living in the country. Some of the best things to do are to wear light clothing. Don't walk in tall grass. Don't up against brush on the sides of trails by staying to the center. Do tick checks of you and your pets after you have been outdoors. If you aren't averse to it wear insect repellents containing deet. Below is one of the wee beasties we pulled off of Badger the Wonder Dog yesterday. Photographed with a handheld Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/400th of a sec. Go out and enjoy the summer. God's love and blessings to all of you, chris

The Queen is in Residence

This morning when I was restocking the bird feeders I noticed Queen Papaya the Cat surveying her domain. She was sitting on the corner of the deck as she is wont to do on many mornings. I grabbed my camera with a telephoto lens and took her portrait while she was on her throne. May you have a blessed week, chris Images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400IS v1. #TeamCanon

Go Away!

This last weekend we went away for a long weekend so we took Badger the Wonder Dog to the dog kennel in Ukiah on Friday morning. He was pulling for the door when we arrived and was bouncing up and down when he saw the kennel workers. They told me that he has the nick name of the trampoline dog because he literally bounces up and down four feet straight up in the air. Sunday evening when I picked him up he was overjoyed to see me. Though on the drive home he was pretty pooped out. This morning when I went out to photograph hummingbirds all he wanted to do was lie in the sun on the carpet. Here he is telling me to go away and let him sleep. Canon 7D and a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens at 60mm. AV mode, ISO 400, f 5.6 at 1/2,500th of a sec. I wanted an intimate image to capture his expression so I put the camera flat on the floor at his level. To make sure the image was sharp and placed the focus point right on one of his eyes the most important part. Because I was in AV mode I chose the the widest F stop I could for this lens at this focal length to keep the background out of focus and place the emphasis of the image on his face.

"It's a Dog Life or One Spoiled Dog"

Here is one spoiled Badger the Wonder Dog on the love seat today in the dining room. He was photographed with a 8mm lens and a Canon 7D. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Blasted Cat!

This morning just after I let Papaya (The Blasted Cat) out I saw her sitting like a queen on one of the benches in our front yard. She was looking out over her domain to see if anything was amiss so she could command that it be corrected to meet her royal needs. I quickly walked back into the house and grabbed my camera and a telepphoto lens. I was prayed that she would stay there for awhile looking out over her kingdom. Luckily she was still there when I returned. I braced the camera against the door sill and made several images of her. This one was my favorite. Blessings upon your weekend, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD at 250mm, AV mode,ISO 1600, F 8.0 at 1/500th of a sec.

Farmer's Market

On Saturday we did a quick trip up to Arcata, CA and back. We went to watch Annika play in an Ultimate Tournament. Before the tournament we decided to hit the farmer's market. It was really crowded so we had to park about five blocks away. I didn't want to leave Badger the Wonder Dog in a hot car so I decided to bring him along which turned out to be a pain because they don't allow dogs into the market. In the end we took turns going through the stalls and holding the dog. The end result was I didn't get much time for photography. It was kind of a speed photo walk through the veggies. Afterwards we went and watched Annika play. She scored one goal and her team won their match against the Humboldt Hags. After the match we had a great dinner of crepes at Renatas. A lovely time was had by all. Enjoy the veggies and God bless, chris All images were made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF-S 17-85 mm lens handheld and on the run!

My Photoblind Buddy

Most of the time I'm photographing from my photoblind my faithful companion Badger is asleep in a ball near my feet. Before heading out he is the one dancing around me ready to head out the door for whatever great adventure lies ahead. He is a good distraction for whenever the photography gets slow, always willing to nuzzle up to my hand for a gentle pet. Here he is yesterday after a long session in the blind waiting very patiently for me to finish cleaning up and restocking the bird feeders. May you have a blessed day, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600 at 182mm handheld. AV mode,ISO 800,F 8.0 at 1 320th of a sec.

Faces of Badger Dog

Yesterday afternoon I spotted our dog Badger sunning himself in a little patch of sun in the house. He was so photogenic I couldn't resist photographing him. All images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens.

Spoiled Rotten Dog

Today was mostly a non photography day. Last night we made a late night decision to go watch an Ultimate Tournament down in Sonoma County . We were out of the house and on the road before seven thirty a.m. Why do most of my days start so early? We decided it would be easier to bring our dog Badger along for the ride rather than putting him in his dog kennel for the day. He had a great time. At the tournament the players absolutely loved him. He got more attention than we did. My favorite image was of him watching the game and then looking back over his shoulder to check on me. I really like it. God's love and blessings to all, chris Images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM handheld. camera settings used, AV mode, ISO 400, F4.5 at 1/2,000th of a sec.

Good bye Wyoming Hello Prairie Dogs

I paid my respects to the silhouetted cowboy and his dog as I left Wyoming at the Colorado border. I don't know who the artist is but it makes for a wonderful image early in the morning. This was day 13 of my trip and I was headed south on I25 to Loveland, Colorado and then on to Denver for my trip home in NorCal the following day. I was up way before the crack of dawn as is the norm for any kind of a photography expedition. My first major stop was to the Prairie Dog Colony on the east side of Loveland. Sadly this colony may not be there very much longer as the property is up for sale. Who knows what will become of them once the property is developed? I photographed some great behaviors of the eating and greeting. I even got an image of one barking out it's warning out to the rest of the colony. When you see one getting ready to bark you have to leave plenty of room at the top of the frame for them to leap up to. From there I stopped by for short visit to my brother and sister in laws and then I drove past my old house and photographed Barnes Ditch where I spent many a day fishing,swimming, tubing and ice skating in my youth. I'm sure that in this current day of lawsuits and safety none of that is allowed now. My final stop in Loveland was to visit my second Mom, Joanne Burke. Check out her artwork it is fantastic. I call her my second Mom because I was always over at her house when I was growing up. From there I drove with my friend Dan and his girlfriend Julie back to Denver where I got another chance to photograph Zack Julies dog. Dog images are a lot of fun to make especially when you have a great dog like Zack t work with. Such a handsome fellow! God's love and blessings to all, chrisAll images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens. Settings and exposures varied.

Rude Awakening

I love dogs. I don't like dogs when they wake me up at six fifteen in the morning to go to the bathroom. That is exactly what Badger the Wonder Dog did this morning. Which ended up allowing me to capture this beautiful sunrise over the Little Lake Valley that I would have slept through. Thank you Lord for sunrises and great little dogs. God's tender blessings upon your day, chris

Here is the Blasted Cat

Last night Lenore and I were wrapping Christmas presents so there was a bit of wrapping paper left over. This afternoon I took a piece of it and set it up as a backdrop sweep. I captured my little tormentor "Papaya the Blasted Cat" and placed her on it. With the help of my cat wranglers Jay and Annika I was able to photograph her. She looks like a sweet and gentle cat doesn't she? She really is when she isn't trying to catch birds around the bird feeders when I'm photographing birds. Merry Christmas to all, chris

Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon 28-135 IS at 75mm. Camera Setting- ISO 400, AV Mode, F5.6, 1/10th of a sec.

Badger Didn't Like His Bath

This afternoon I gave Badger a bath. Normally he doesn't make a fuss. He walks into the bathroom and just steps right in and takes it like a courageous dog. Today for some unknown reason he ran into the bedroom and tried to hide on the bed next to Lenore who was reading. I carried him back into the bathroom and plopped him in. I decided to photograph him afterwards because he looked so miserable.Here is a selection of images from the shoot. God's love to all, chris

Big Softy

This morning when I was at the gas station I saw this massive dog head peering at me from a pick up truck at the pumps. I went over to the owner and asked him what kind of dog it was. He replied that it was mostly American Bulldog mixed with Bull Mastiff. He told me if I wanted to I could give it a pet as "Duke" was really friendly. He just loved being petted. Turned out that the owner has to buy a big bag of dog food every two weeks. Duke weighs in at two hundred fifty seven pounds! Duke ended up being a pretty nice dog.He loved having his head scratched. Though I must say I would have never approached him without the owners permission. God's light and love to all, chris

Afternoon Birdy

Yesterday afternoon I popped into the backyard photoblind for a little bird photography. I had some company. Annika's little monster cat/kitten Papaya followed me into the blind. She wanted to be petted rather badly. She climbed all over me while I was trying to photograph the birds. Several times she wandered out of the blind and scared the birds away. For some reason birds don't like cats. Maybe it has something to do with being eaten by them! Even with the cat I managed to create one really nice image of a Dark Eyed Junco. Next time I'll make sure to lock the cat away while I photograph. God's special light and love to all, chris

Little Monster is Getting Bigger

Annika's new kitten, Papaya AKA The Little Monster is getting bigger. She has made fast friends with Badger the Wonder Dog and they sometimes chase each other around the house. Lance the Lab ignores her and acts like she doesn't exist. This afternoon she was napping and preening in one of the chairs in the living room. Annika and I descended upon her with our cameras and she modeled away like a true champ. God's love to all, chris