White Balance (or Imbalance as the Case May Be)

I didn't have the white balance set properly when I was taking pictures today (it was overcast, so I thought I'd be okay, but apparently not...).  Also, I was using the 28-80mm lens again today, and I still wasn't happy with the action shots (back to read more of the manual, as I'm not sure if it is the lens or the settings I have - I tend to think it is the settings, but maybe the 50mm spoiled me with its sharpness...), so, more portraits.

Because the white balance was a little funky, I did a lot of 'processing' in Lightroom, and while the processing is a bit over the top, I had fun.

And I LOVE this picture of Fi.  She's usually so serious, so when I can catch her being a goofball, I count myself lucky!

Purposely over-processed, but I like it.  It's not great art, but it's fun.

 

I like the softness in this one.  Again, not great art, but fun!

Black and white, because, well, I can!

Another 'soft' picture of Abby.  Gorgeous eyes!

Day 52/365.

Dog Face IS a Compliment!

Today, February 20th, is Love Your Pet Day.  Needless to say, Fi and Abby don't suffer from a lack of love (or treats, or companionship, or toys, or physical activity, or, well anything!).  So today really wasn't any different than any other day for them; walkies, treats, multiple frisbee sessions, Kongs and bully sticks later tonight.  Oh, and the other thing that wasn't any different from any other day was me taking a bunch of pictures of them!

After playing around with the 50mm lens for a while, I thought I'd go back to the 28-80mm 'kit lens' that came with the old D70.    I thought I was getting great action shots until I pulled them off the camera and discovered that the autofocus setting was set to 'dynamic focus'.  Which, I have now learned, does not get action photos like the 'subject tracking' mode because it doesn't do well with moving objects like dogs leaping for frisbees.  Okay, lesson learned.  But alas, no spectacular action photos.

However, I got some 'portraits' that I was really pleased with.

Fiona Regina - because she looks so regal!

Abby with her head in the clouds.  As usual!

Pretty girl!

Unexpected bokeh!  What a bonus!

Yep.  Around here, 'dog face' is most definitely a compliment!

Day 51/365.

Bubble Wrap

I've got a long day at work, so today is one of those days where I look for something around the office to photograph.  My co-worker just got in a bunch of supplies wrapped in green bubble wrap, and I thought it would be interesting to see what it looks like up-close.

From this distance, it looks like something that the CDC should be studying!

Day 50/365.

Snow asteroids!

Just a fun shoot with the girls and some snowballs!

Another day with the D90 and the Nifty Fifty!

Day 49/365.

Some Misses and a Hit

While I could take all 365 days of photos of the girls, the whole point is to stretch my knowledge and skill.  So I tried a few photos today that didn't really work out. 

First I tried to get a photo of the flag flapping in the breeze, with a low shutter speed, to get the flapping.  It kind of worked, but it wasn't really what I was aiming for.

1/4, f/22, 50mm, ISO 200

In all honesty, I wasn't 100% certain what I was hoping for with the flag picture, so I'm not sure how to make it better.  But it was an interesting experiment.

Since I was shooting with my 'fast' lens, I thought I'd try some low-light photos.  These are a little grainy (high ISO), but I really like the effect, so I think I'm going to play around with this a little more see if I can get some better quality low-light photos.
 

1/500, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 1600

I really like this picture of Fi - I just have to figure out how to clean it up - but the concept was what I was going for.

1/500, f/1.8. 50mm, ISO 1600

This one of Abby is a little muddier, but again, I like the idea, so I'll definitely be playing around with this some more.

Since I couldn't just have a bunch of 'bad' photos (okay, they aren't painfully terrible, but not in the 'Oh wow' category), I got some good shots of the girls.  (It's very nice having subjects who will work for turkey treats!)  

Day 48/365.

Back to the P520

Snowy and windy and wet today, so rather than playing around more with the D90, I went back to the P520 and its Subject Tracking mode.  Which meant I had to get my subjects moving.  (Which is not so tough with two action dogs, frisbees and snow.)

Goofy puppy!

Goofy puppy again.

Fi loves catching snowballs!

 

Got it!

The subject tracking mode is pretty slick.  I think I've found the equivalent on the D90, so I'll have to try it out.

On a mostly unrelated set of pictures, I am fascinated by the ephemeral nature of paw prints (well, paw prints made in snow and with wet feet; I am certain muddy paw prints will be discovered by archaeologists in 10,000 years).

I'm not sure whose footprint is whose...

Day 47/365.

Nifty Fifty in Action

I've had a 50mm f/1.8 lens since before the D70 went to the Great Camera Store in the Sky, but I never got a chance to try it.  Since I haven't wanted to bring the D90 out in the snow/rain/sleet, it has been shelved for a bit.  Today, I finally got a chance to try out the 'Nifty Fifty'.  Even though I still haven't figured out focus point settings yet (yes, yes, read the manual...), I REALLY like this lens.  Very fast, so it makes for sharp photos and great shots in low light.

And it is just fun!

The first shot I took with the lens - Abby in profile.

Photobomb!  (That snowball was intended for Fi!)

But Fi got plenty of catches with no interference.

And plenty of treats!

Gimme!  I want to play!

Another catch without interference!

Pretty girl!

Another pretty girl!

Day 46/365.

The Nose Knows

Or the noses know.  Either way, they are such pretty snooters!

Totally kissable!

Also totally kissable!

Day 45/365.

Call It Stormy Thursday

With apologies to T-Bone Walker.

Day 44/365.

Catching Snowballs!

It's not as easy as it sounds, but it's a lot of fun!  And it makes for great 'explosions'!

Our snow is actually not often wet enough to make snowballs, so the girls don't get the chance to catch snowballs very often.   It was also snowing wet snow while I was getting the pictures, and the throw is quite a bit shorter than a frisbee throw so everything happens much faster, all making for some additional challenges - but it was a lot of fun!

Day 43/365.

Project 365: The Go Red Challenge

February is Heart Health month, and working in Cardiology, I can't help but be aware of heart health.  The American Heart Association has a 'Go Red Challenge' which encourages people to be aware of their personal risk for heart disease, and to take steps to be more 'heart healthy'.  February 7th was National Wear Red Day to raise awareness of heart disease, particularly in women.  Fi and I missed the 7th, but we didn't want to miss out altogether.  I'm trying to complete a 'Project 365' - taking a photo (or more) a day for a year - and today seemed like a perfect day for Fi to Go Red!

What a pretty face!

I tried to get Abby to wear red, too, but she wasn't interested.  However, I did get a great shot of her eyes.  I was using the D90, and I didn't change the 'spot focus' before I took the picture, so only her eyes are in focus, but what pretty eyes she has!

Day 42/365.

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

I couldn't throw the frisbee to save my life today, so I opted for some other shots.

The sublime.

And the ridiculous.

Day 41/365.

Olympic Frisbee Tug-o-War

Olympic Frisbee Tug-o-War, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 40/365.

The gold medal contender!

Auto Focus Area Mode - Subject Tracking

Now there's a scintillating post title, huh?  I was *gasp* reading the guide for the P520 today and discovered a 'subject tracking' auto focus mode.  Theoretically, it is supposed to track the your moving subject and focus on the aforementioned moving subject.  The book didn't really explain how the camera did it, so I assume magic is involved.  Given that it has been snowing all day, I wasn't certain if the subject tracker would track a moving dog, or flying snowflakes.  I'll be interested in trying this on a day when it's not snowing, but  it seemed to work well in the snow.

Day 39/365



   
   


And it made for some fun Doodle pictures. Which is what this is really all about, right?

More Fun with the D90

Fiona, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 38/365.

I really need to read the manual. But since I haven't done that yet, I thought I'd just play around with the focus grid instead.



Finally a picture where Abby's EYES are in focus rather than her snooter!

I only got a few decent action shots. Again, I think I need to read the manual (a good start would be to figure out how to lock into center focus...). But I'm having fun and the girls know it means more frisbee time, so everyone is happy!



Happy dog!

Arrival of the D90

Focused Snooter, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 37/365.

I haven't done any setup on the D90; I haven't even read the manual. But that didn't stop me from snapping a few shots...

I have also never used the raw format before.



So I think I've got a fair amount of learning to do. But the D90 is going to be a fantastic addition to the 'quiver'.

Adventures with Lightroom

Fiona, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 36/365.

I watched an interesting tutorial on Lightroom today but I've got a wicked headache and couldn't put the time into the photos that I would have liked tonight. But tomorrow is another day!



Oh and the D90 arrived today! (But again, I'm hampered by my headache and did nothing more than unpack it and put the battery on the charger.)

Variations on a Theme

Variations on a Theme #1, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 35/365.

Variations on a Theme #2

A Girl and Her Frisbee

A Girl and Her Frisbee, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 34/365.

The girls had a great afternoon frisbee session. I was using the center focus today, and I was quite pleased with the results.

Abby with her head in the clouds

Abby with her head in the clouds, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 33/365.

I didn't get a lot of great action shots today, either. Some of it was I needed to adjust for the bright light and some of it was that the camera was on auto focus and it just wasn't working for me. Oh well.

I did try to get some more shots of the aspens.  Today wasn't one of those 'bluebird' days (a few clouds, so no deep blue sky), but I'll keep trying.



In other news, I broke down and ordered a used Nikon D90. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to trying the fast 50mm lens.

Everything is more fun in new snow!

Everything is more fun in new snow!, a photo by lizd. on Flickr.

Day 32/365

For some reason, my action shots generally didn't come out well this morning - clearly it is operator error, I'm just not sure where. Faster shutter speed? Change the focus? Who knows. I'll keep trying until I find something that works (for partly cloudy days with intermittent light snow; obviously something else will work better with 'severe clear').

All that said, I love the girls in motion, and Fi running with a frisbee is a Happy Dog!