I forgot to post this one last photo from the juggling shoot a couple weeks ago. Remember I said the key to juggling is selecting three objects that are roughly the same weight.  Well, it doesn’t help when one of them is wiggling and licking. I know this looks like a Boston Terrier, but it’s actually a pint-sized Bull Terrier that accidentally got dropped on its face a couple of times. I think the key to juggling animals is not necessarily the size, rather the age. I should have found a lethargic poodle that didn’t move a lot. Oh well, maybe next time….

I got a new lens last week: Sigma’s 50mm 1.4 I have only owned Canon lenses to this point, but so far I am really impressed with this product. Canon has a 50mm 1.4 lens, but from what I could tell, produces mediocre photos; especially with a $300 price tag. It’s obvious that Canon puts a majority of their effort into the “L” series lenses. Don’t get me wrong; it’s an astonishing line but they’re expensive. It’s nice to see a 3rd party company realize, and fill, a gap in the product line in terms of quality and price. Good job Sigma! Both of these shots are stopped down to 1.4. While other lenses will get soft at this aperture the Sigma remains fairly sharp.
ps. This is really the only “hood” you can live in Portland.

I went to the fabric store today and bought some heavy fabric  for use as a  backdrop to practice studio lighting. The piece I bought was only 8ft x 5ft; which greatly limited who could fill in as a subject in the shot. It took two cheese sticks and a bath, but I finally found someone that had nothing better to do. This is about as simple as it gets for a lighting set up since I currently only have the option of using one off-camera flash. My key light was a canon speedlight, shot through a translucent umbrella, with a silver reflector set up opposite to fill in just a touch highlights. I’ve worked with better… but not many. (ghostbusters quote)

It was 70 degrees and sunny yesterday so we took our Boston Terrier, Elli, to the dog park. As we parked and began walking towards the park we started to see several other Boston’s. Typically we see a couple every time we go to the park, but this time there were lots of them. We entered the gates to find 30-40 Boston Terriers running amuck. Apparently all of the Boston owners meet up on the first Sunday of the month at 2:00 pm, I just happened to have my camera with me.

This little girl got hit by a car a couple of months ago, so she wasn’t feeling well yet.

I would have loved to get a photo of all of them together, but that would have been nearly impossible considering the chaos that was taking place. So, I just tried to focus on some of the ones with the most personality.   

I have never seen so many variations in one breed. Some are 25 + lbs and some are like mine. (I don’t think she weighs 12 lbs with a mouth full of food)  Some are cross-eyed, some are wall-eyed and others….  Well, as my friend would say, “one eye watching the poll and the other is dig’n for bait.  Some are black some are brindle and I even saw one that was tan. In all, they are a great breed and just aim to please their owners.

So my dog isn’t getting much bigger and she sure doesn’t look very tough, but at least I can make her look big and tough… excluding the rubber chicken. J The colors from my new camera are amazing! Some people like warmer photos in regards to white balance, but I like true color and this camera is awesome at delivering it. The lens continues to amaze me too. Note the shallow depth of field. I love it!  

We haven’t got much rain this past week, so the mutt got to fetch outside for the first time in about 5 months. Despite the birds, squirrels, smells, leaves, trees and bees she managed to stay interested for 10 minutes.  

Ashley, Ellie, and I went to Cannon Beach on Sunday. We got one of the last hotel rooms due to the first cloudless day that Oregon has seen in months. We relaxed, played on the beach, and I got the shot of Haystack Rock that I have always wanted.

  Greeting all! I have a hodgepodge of photos for your viewing. Basically I have been too busy to get these up over the past few weeks, so I decided to just throw them up and move on. Ashley and I have been in Bend, Breckenridge and Seattle over the past three weekends. It will be nice just to stay home for a while.

Beer:

Hank and I just brewed our second batch of beer. These photos were taken two weeks ago when we bottled it. It should be getting close to being ready to drink; I’m thinking we will probably open one soon to try it out. We are hoping for hoppy pale ale, but I will be happy with anything consumable. Let me rephrase that, anything consumable that won’t put me on the toilet with an IV in my arm.

Breckenridge:

As promised here are a couple of other photos from the trip to Colorado. My brother’s poor dog was subject to animal cruelty when we discovered the dog boots in a dog store downtown. To accurately picture the scene, imagine a rodeo where the bulls were twice as angry and also forced to wear Converse High-tops. Oh, and it was on ice.   I always feel a little guilty because I never just snap photos of the town just to remember it. I guess that’s what postcards are for. Never-the-less, I do have one point and click photo of a little shopping area downtown. The whole town has this feeling to it. You almost expect a family of bears to walk out of one of the shops, baking cinnamon bread and awaiting the arrival of the candy cane train to the North Pole. I’m not talking about an acid trip, it just has a “story book” feel.

Seattle:

Ashley, Elliott and I went to Seattle last weekend for the Microsoft Alumni Conference. My work was one of the sponsors so; I guess you could call it a business trip? It was held at the Pacific Science Center under the Space Needle; which I have come to conclude was designed after a 1970’s lamp. We stayed at the Hotel Monaco, a pet friendly hotel downtown. They were very friendly and even watched the dog for free. I was expecting for them to have a facility to do this in, but to my surprise they just let her roam around behind the front desk. Not everyone can say their dog has peed on the lobby floor of a 5 star hotel. I awoke early the next morning and walked down to Pikes Place market to shoot some photos. This is probably one of the better ones from that morning. I enjoy photos that have one item in focus, but tell a story with the background.