Some Tennis Ball Action and Some Porch Shots

Today it rained pretty steadily in the morning (which is a good thing - we need the rain!) and it began to dry out by the mid-afternoon, so I took the girls out for a tennis ball session.  Since it is clear that the 'fast lens' is vastly superior to the kit lens, and it was overcast, meaning that I needed to be able to open the aperture a bit to get sharp photos, I used the 24-85mm lens.

There is a joke among my crazy dog lady friends that I really have three arms to be able to throw the tennis ball and get pictures at the same time.  This photo did nothing to dispel the rumor!

Ear flappage!

More ear flappage!

I also took a few pictures on the porch, partially so I could answer my Dad's questions from yesterday's post.

These next two photo are for you, Dad.  I have a 'short' lightstand (it adjusts from 18" - 42" - perfect for the girls) that I got from Fovitec (it was on sale, and in hindsight, I probably should have bought two - it's much sturdier than the Cowboy Studios ones, plus I like the shorter height with the girls), and the softbox is a small 6"x8" softbox that folds up flat and fits in my camera case.  I've discovered that portable equipment is key when photographing moving objects...

As you can see from Fi's position (past the flash), wrangling the girls and the equipment is a bit of a juggling process.

The small softbox works really well, as Fi can sometimes get freaked out by the umbrella, especially if there is a breeze - this is small enough she hardly notices it!

And beyond getting a few 'behind the scenes' shots, I got a few more photos; I'm still trying to get a good shot for the girls' Memorial Day post.

And then back inside, Abby hopped up on the couch.  For some reason, I keep thinking, "Good evening.  I'm Vincent Price."

Day 144/365.