Breck + Kitty

Breck is a very handsome one and a half year old Welsh Springer Spaniel.  His name is perfect for him…Breck is the Hebrew word for freckles!  He is a happy, friendly guy and I really enjoyed meeting him.  I love mutts, but I have to admit I was very excited to photograph a purebred.  Breck is a gorgeous dog!  Here are some favorites from his shoot at Wilson Park this past Saturday.

This is Kitty and she is such a cute cat.  She was a stray until her mom took her in (lucky girl!).  Kitty was feeling a little shy about having her picture taken. 

American K-9 Academy

     A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the American K-9 Academy and I was so impressed!  Nick and Becky Rangel have 5 beautiful acres of land in Gravette, AR.  The facility is amazing!  They have over 6,000 square feet of 7′ fenced yards used for a variety of training purposes.  This is where their four legged clients learn formal obedience, behavior modification, and basic manners.  They also have over 6,000 square feet of 4′ fenced yards used for smaller dogs, off leash training, and socialization.  In addition to the outdoor yards, there is also an indoor training facility set up just like a house with a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom.  This is where they teach the dogs how to behave indoors.  I am so excited that we have a place like this in Northwest Arkansas!!!

     The American K-9 Academy will be the “spotlight business” featured in the next issue of Arkanpaws Magazine.  I was flattered when Becky asked if I would take a few photos of the facility for the magazine article.  While I was there, I also photographed a few of the dogs.  I had a great time spending the afternoon with the Rangel family and their very well behaved “clients.”  Here are a few of my favorites.

This is Nick with some of his clients.

Licorice and Sam

Turk and Tantor (brothers)

the lovely Trixie

Stella loves a belly rub.

This is Minnie.  She doesn’t seem to mind being the only cat among A LOT of dogs.  

The Rangel girls are so cute!

This last photo is a new personal favorite of mine.

You can see more photos of the K-9 dogs in their gallery.

Another New Lens

I got another new lens and I love it!  For several weeks I researched these 3 lenses: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8, and the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8.  The Nikon was never actually an option because it costs about $1500. I would totally get it if I had an extra $1500 lying around, but since I don’t, I decided to try a third party lens.  Some people swear that third party lenses are just as good as Nikon or Canon lenses, then others say they would never use them.  The Tamron and Sigma were similarly priced, both in my budget, and I could not decide what to do for weeks.  I read about a million reviews on the internet and in magazines and I learned that people loved and hated both of these lenses.  I read that the Tamron was sharper but the zoom was stiff, and the Sigma was sturdier but zoomed the opposite direction of Nikon lenses, which really bothered some people.  I stopped by my local camera shop to test these lenses out on my camera.  After talking to salesman and taking some test shots, I decided to get the Tamron.  Overall, I am very happy with my purchase.  Here are a few shots taken with my new Tamron lens.

Does anyone else have experience with third party lenses?  I would love to know what you think of yours.

Colorado (3 of 3)

 Here is something different to look at today.  No dogs, instead I wanted to share some photos of my dad’s store, Starr’s Guitars.

guitar straps and banjos

Lots of guitars!

Acoustic ones…

and electric ones.

Below is my dad hooking up a new toy he got for his studio.  See that big silver mixing board?  It arrived while I was there.

     I got to play with some of my photoshop actions that don’t usually look very good on animal photos, but they look really cool on a wall of guitars.  Photographers, check out Boutwell’s  Totally Rad Actions.  I love using them to give a photo a whole new look and feel.  You can also find some free actions at The Pioneer Woman.com.  I’ve heard some people say that using actions is a form of cheating or that they are used to disguise a crummy photo, but I don’t think that at all.  It is important to start with a good photo, since photoshop can only do so much.  I think we might as well take advantage of the amazing technology that comes along with digital photography!  

Dramatic black and white.     Actions Used: Boring B & W (100%), EZ-Burn (60%), Lights On (20%)

Even more dramatic black and white.     Actions Used: Bitchin B & W (100%), Old Skool (100%) EZ-Burn (100%), Grainstorm (20%)

A softer, muted look.     Actions Used: Super Fun Happy (100%)

An antique look.     Actions Used: Old Skool (100%), Lights On (60%)

Actions Used: Old Skool (100%), Lights On (60%)

Colorado (2 of 3)

More Colorado doggies today!  This is Bella, and she is a Border Collie/St. Bernard mix.   I think she is around 5 years old and weighs around 80 lbs.  She is colored like a Border Collie but her size and build is more like a St. Bernard.  Can you see the St. Bernard resemblance in the shape of her head?  My dad and step-mom lovingly call her, “big headed Bella.”  She is such a gentle giant.  Her paws are as big as my fist!  She kept wanting to sit on the couch with me, but she is just too huge.        

Bella after running around in the rain.  ”Can I come in please?”

Abby is my baby.  She was my 13th birthday gift from my grandmother.  I had a pool party that year and of course Abby came to the party so I could show all my friends.  Little tiny 2 month old Abby was the hit of the party, especially with all my girlfriends.

This is my very favorite picture of Abby.  

Cabo is Abby’s new playmate.  She is a 7 month old Bichon Frise puppy.  She is a little bouncing ball of energy!  Abby acts annoyed with her, but then they play with each other when no one is looking.  Maltese usually have long, silky hair but they keep Abby’s hair short for easier grooming and I think it is probably more comfortable for her.  These two breeds are cousins, but the Bichon Frise has shorter, curlier hair.  As you can see, Cabo was having a little static problem in these pictures.  Aren’t they a cute pair?!

question for you

Quick question about my blog. On my computer screen, I see the categories, archives, and blogs I like on the right side of my screen. A friend with a smaller computer screen tells me they get pushed down to the bottom. So can most of you see the links on the right side of your screen or do you have to scroll down to the bottom? If most of you see them on the bottom I might need to make my blog a little skinnier so they will stay up at the top. Please leave a comment telling me where you see the links. Thanks so much for your help!

The screenshot above is how I want it to look.

Colorado (1 of 3)

I have so many photos I want to share from my trip to Colorado that I don’t even know where to start!  I can’t possibly fit them all into one post.  So here is the first of several entries about my trip.  

This is the road up to my dad’s house…

…and here is his house.  See Sophie sitting in the driveway?

Amazing view from the back porch!

Not a bad place for a hot tub.  :)

Sophie enjoys the view.

Sophie has the best life ever!  She runs around on my dad’s property with the other two dogs, and naps on this old trunk on the porch whenever she needs a rest.  

The coolest thing about Sophie is her different colored eyes.  I have seen dogs with slight variations in their eye color, such as brown eyes with flecks of blue or green, but Sophie is the only dog I know with such dramatically different colored eyes.  One solid brown and one solid blue.  Maybe she gets her blue eye from her husky mom.  I think they are so beautiful!  She will be 2 years old on December 1.  Happy early birthday Sophie!

This is Lily, a 6 year old Border Collie.  The photo below completely sums up her personality.  She LOVES to fetch.  She will bring you a stick and drop it at your feet, then stare at it like she is possessed.  If you ignore her and move away a little, she picks it up and moves it closer to you.  She is very persistent.  In this photo she is thinking, “Throw the stick.  Throw the stick.  Throw it please.  Throw it!”  I think she could play fetch all day long.

I always seem to have trouble with dogs who have black faces.  The detail gets lost and their eyes can blend right into the rest of them.  If they have long hair it can create a shadow over their eyes which makes them disappear even more.  The eyes are the most expressive part on a dog, so it is very important that they show up well!  My point is…I am very happy with the image below of Lily!  I think the light was just perfect up on the mesa.  It was the best light I have ever shot in.  :)

2008 Holiday Cards

     I’m so excited to offer holiday cards to my clients!  These 5×7 postcard style cards come in sets of 25 and include envelopes.  They are press printed on thick, high quality paper.  Each set costs $50.  Text and colors can be changed, so you can personalize your cards as much as you like.  If you have something in mind that you don’t see here, I will be glad to help come up with a design just for you.  The possibilities are endless!  If you are a past client or have an appointment coming up, I would love to help design your 2008 holiday cards.  Please contact me with any questions or to start the design process.  And happy early holidays!  :)

This post is for my friends…

who always say, “Now where in Colorado does your dad live?“  And then I usually say, “Cedaredge, it’s a small town about an hour outside of Grand Junction.”  Then when they don’t know where that is they ask if its near Denver or Aspen. “Nope,” I say, “It’s on the very western side of the state.”   I wouldn’t expect anyone to know where Cedaredge is, so let me show you.

Here is the whole state of Colorado.  The red pushpin is where my dad lives.

I flew into Montrose this morning and I am sitting in my dad’s store right now. 

Cedaredge is a very small town, the population is about 2200.  There is one stoplight on Main Street, which is the street where my dad’s store is located.  My dad’s house is not in town, it’s up on the Mesa (literally up on a mesa in the woods) about 15 minutes from town.  Although Cedaredge is small, it is surrounded by other small towns that make up what they call “Surface Creek Valley,” population 8,000.  There is one grocery store in Cedaredge, one bank, a couple of restuarants, and several art galleries.  The closest Wal-Mart is 25 minutes away.  I’m here to vist my dad and go to Applefest, where there will be lots of good food, music, art, and of course apples.  There are tons of Apple orchards out here!  I’m going to take lots of pictures, and I look forward to sharing some of them next week when I am home.