Walkies!

When I got home from work today, I decided to take the girls on a short walk.  It turned out to be quite an adventure as we encountered a pack of little kids (none of whom could have been more the 6 or 7 years old), accompanied by a couple of adults.  The kids were all excited to see the girls, while I was a little panicky, as the girls tend to get a little bouncy around high-pitched squealing little kids.  But I broke out the treats, and the kids actually asked permission to pet the girls, and the girls behaved fairly well (although one girl did ask me why the girls didn't sit still, and while I was trying to explain that this was a larger group of people than the girls were used to, another girl informed me that "some dogs just couldn't sit still" and as I was agreeing she went on to tell me that she had two little dogs that were "spazzes").   The girls didn't jump on anyone or knock anyone down and the kids were polite to the girls, so it was a successful encounter all around.  Even if packs of kids make me nervous...

Anyway, after the kids had vanished, I convinced the girls to sit for a photo.

At this point, they were ready to continue on with the walkies!

And when we got back, I got a few pictures with the flash, just because I could...

Day 120/365.

Bitey-Face and More Fun With Lighting

Abby is technically still on the injured reserve list for the rest of the week, but that hasn't stopped her from biteying her sister every time they go into the backyard.  Luckily, my trusty 24-85mm lens is the perfect bitey-face lens!  Sharp action shots, even in low light, and with the added bonus of being able to zoom in and out as the girls run all over the yard.

And it works equally well as a portrait lens.  Yes, I'm still amused by the shots on the porch with the flash. It continues to be interesting because the changing ambient light means I have to figure out how/where to set the flash to get the desired effect.

I also took a few more photos today bouncing the light off the mirror in the entryway.  I like the effect, but I haven't quite figured out how to convince the girls to sit in front of the mirror, especially since I have to be at an angle between the mirror and the girls, so I don't block the light, but don't have them in half shadow.

Yes, I still need to work on getting Abby to sit where I'd like her to sit....

Day 119/365.

Some Snow and Fun With Lighting

Given that this is Utah, a snowstorm in late April is not unusual, and we  had Spring in the middle of Winter, so it's only fair, I guess, to have Winter in the middle of Spring.  Although today's drive into work was exciting - it was like driving in a snowglobe being shaken by a 3 year-old on a sugar high...

Anyway, on the drive home, it was only snowing lightly, and thought I'd try a few more photos of the girls on the porch with the flash.

For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, Fi is 'warmer' in this photo than in the one below.  I guess a little time playing with the color temperature might shed some light on it.   (Get it?  Shed some light?  Heehee.)

This next photo was sort of interesting.  I had just walked back in from the front porch and still had the flash on, so I set it down and pointed it directly at the big mirror in the hallway, curious as to how the flash off the mirror would 'bounce' into the fairly dark entryway.  It gave a surprisingly warm light; I'm going to have to play with this a little more.  The photo itself isn't all that spectacular (looking down on a dog who isn't looking back at you isn't very exciting), but I really like how the light came out.

And this photo isn't all that exciting, either, but I wanted to get some of the snow in the background of the picture, so yet another picture where I'm looking down on the girls (something I try to avoid in the photos, unless there's a real reason for it).  But there's snow!

Day 118/365.

More Bokeh (eh?)

Another busy, windy day, and photography wasn't the first priority of the day.  However, I did get a few minutes to get some pictures of the girls outside.  Using the large aperture of the 24-85mm lens, I was able to get some nice bokeh today, while getting a few good shots of the girls.

Day 117/365.

A Few Photos on a Rainy Day

It's been a rainy/snowy day, and in addition to all the usual weekend stuff (laundry, attempting to reverse the entropy that has occurred during the week, errands, napping, etc.), and keeping the dogs occupied (not so easy when it is raining/snowing and Abby still has another week of no frisbee action ahead of her), I've been trying to get in a little study time for my 'Clinical Research Professional' certification exam next week (and my brain is now full with FDA regulations and Good Clinical Practice guidelines).  So while part of the 'Keeping the Dogs Occupied' time involved a bunch of photos, I didn't have time to do much with the photos beyond 'quick fixes'.  But there you have it.

Fiona the Explorer

Abby testing out the toy from Bartley's For Dogs.

Fi also testing out the toy (it hasn't died yet!).

This one looks funny.  I think it has to do with the fact that the lighting didn't really work out as planned (and with Fi on a different level than Abby, it was tough to get everyone 'illuminated' properly.

I could get pictures like this all day long.  And apparently I did.

Body-less dog.  Okay, she does have a body, the lighting and the zoom just sort of made it vanish.  Like magic.

Pretty girl!

And the girls got some squeaky ball time in, because both girls were bouncing off the walls, and I had already soaked both of my waterproof rain jackets on walkies...

Obviously, this photo didn't quite come out as planned, but I really like it anyway!

Fi perfecting her Baby Bird technique.

"Mine!"  "No!  Mine!"

 Day 116/365.

Business as Usual - And the Power of Treats

No frisbee, but the rain/snow hadn't started falling when I got home, so the girls got some bitey-face time. Needless to say, the 24-85mm lens is just perfect for getting action shots from all over the yard.

Yep, Abby's back is fine!

Dontcha think this would make a really cool gargoyle?

After the girls got their crazies out (well, mostly out), I dressed them up in a few things I picked up from a discount party store.

Fi was not particularly happy about being the new sheriff in town...

She and her sister are definitely more the pirate types!

Arrr!  Hand over yer liver treats or you'll be walking the plank!

No, really.  Hand over the treats before I have to slide this hat off my head!

Seriously.  Either we get treats or we will hang you from the yardarm. (If we knew what a yardarm was, that is.)

The girls were handsomely rewarded for their patience, and they took a few minutes to 'hang out' after the photo shoot.

The girls will be reviewing the Blue Buffalo Blue Bits they received to test and review from Bartley's For Dogs, a very cool company that sells organic and USA-made dog toys, treats, and other goodies and when you order stuff from them, they give a portion of the proceeds to rescue dogs and they send you a code that lets you see the actual dog that you have helped rescue.  Very cool.  And the Blue Bits were a HUGE hit. It is safe to say that the hat photos wouldn't have happened without them!

Day 115/365.

Not-so-still Life

Yeah, um, so Abby's restricted activity thing is really working out well...

Don't worry; her back is fine!  If this activity was bothering her, she'd be limping after she rested, and she's not limping.  But I'm still not breaking out the frisbees until her two weeks of 'rest' is up.

After the bitey session, I made the girls pose for a few portraits.  And by saying "I made them", I mean I bribed them with treats.

Yep, they totally look like they were forced to pose, don't they?

In other excitement, Fi got a new collar.  Her old collar seems to have been an active participant in a fair amount of bitey-face action over the last couple of years, so I ordered her a new collar from Fido's Fashion Collars.  They generally do custom-made collars, but they have a 'bargain bin' of pre-made collars, and I think Fi looks quite stylish in her 'bargain bin' collar.

Fi thinks she looks rather stylish, too!

Yep, she likes her new collar - that's her "I look good and I know it" pose!

And there are no vibrant blue skies (or other vibrant colors) in the background because today's skies were filled with high clouds.  Interesting how that works!

Day 114/365.