Dog Grin Photography

Trip to Kona's

2011-09-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

After a very hot summer, we finally got our dog June Bug together with her bud Kona the Boxer. He lives about 15 minutes away in country near Mount Horeb, WI with HIS bud's, Denise and Bernie.

The dogs had a very nice, cool morning to wrestle, explore the woods, wrestle in the house, chase a cat, wrestle under the table, hunt, and wrestle. Did I mention there was some wrestling? I didn't shoot any of that but got some of the exploring. In the above photo, June Bug is de-mousing the wood pile. She found one but it escaped.

Raspberries, right?

WRONG. These are actually immature blackberries. Good guess though...

June Bug exploring alone...

Not happy with just looking around, JB decided that it would be fun to transport around about 3,000 tiny burr's. She managed to get them in her ears, on her entire left side, collar, on my clothes, and on my camera strap.

Sticky stuff.

Mr. Toad decided to bail out of the yard while he could.

After a quick romp in a nearby stream, JB is cornered by Rose and Denise for a toweling off and a de-burring session which was partially successful.

Argggh.

Me trying to brush some of the burrs off. Kona cleverly opted for a short hair coat that doesn't pick up those things.

One of Denise's pur-ty flowers.

We had a nice morning and one tired pup today. JB is looking forward to seeing her friend Kona real soon!

The end!

2011? What the...?

2010-12-30T15:16:00.000-06:00

Wow. THAT was a quick end to the year. I haven't even posted any dog pics from the fall yet! Guess I'd better get busy since we're only a few hours away from the new year. First up:

Dear Abby

Abby happens to live about 4 blocks from me so I had a real short commute. She's a black lab/Visalia combo and she's quite a jumper. This ~~deer~~ dog is capable of clearing 5 foot fences which is pretty amazing. Needless to say, we did most of the photo shoot in the safety of the walled back yard. We also did some nice shots in her house as well as on the nearby bike path.

Abby is supervised by Monica, who demonstrated some of Abby's skills while I clicked away. We had a nice fall day - around 75 degrees - which seems like a lifetime away as I currently stare out at a yard full of snow.

Abby was a great subject! She sat when we asked her to as well as laid down, jumped, walked, and about anything else you could think of. We had a fun afternoon!

Thanks Abby!

Lab Work

2010-10-25T11:46:00.003-05:00

Dogs Cali and Carson live near Columbus, WI - about a 30 minute drive from Madison. They've got a pretty good gig going on up there - big yard, indoor/outdoor heated kennel with radio, etc. Sudha and Erik are their owners who get to live with them but first, a little about each of the dogs...

Cali is a smallish, female Black Labrador who is a recovering ACL surgery recipient. She's a tennis ball fanatic who really likes to have one handy at all times in case a game of fetch breaks out. Sadly, fetch is only allowed while swimming because of the recent surgery and we've got no water today. Cali is your typical friendly Lab who likes to lead the pack on walks and oversees the household from her perch at the top of the stairs. She was the only dog in the house un-til...

...big Carson joined the family about a year ago. He's is a jumbo sized (120 pound) yellow Lab who is just a lovable, goofy giant. Sudha describes Carson as the "dog equivalent of (husband) Erik" and sure enough, Erik shows up wearing a yellow shirt for our photo session. Carson likes his tug-of-war ring better than the tennis ball but he also had ACL surgery so we don't get too rough today.

After a morning of exploring the big yard, the deck, and going for a short walk, it was time to check out the house. When you walk in the door, you are greeted by a HUGE moose head mounted on the wall. I really wanted to work him into some shots of the dogs (and later, cats) but I couldn't figure out a way to overcome the height difference. No matter, the dogs were gracious enough to be good hosts and pose in their normal hang outs for me.

A couple of cats (including "Moo" pictured above) share the house with C & C so I got a little cat photography practice in. Our summer morning together ended with each dog getting a delicious (I'm assuming) doggie ice cream. I wouldn't know what they taste like...I wasn't offered one. :)

Thanks to Sudha, Erik, Carson, Cali and miscellaneous cats for a very fun morning in the country!
(click on images for larger version)

Beam me up...

2010-09-20T10:19:00.001-05:00

Here's a photo shoot from spring that hasn't be "blogged" yet. A pair of Scotties from Madison who are a little on the...shall we say, rambunctious side. Oh sure, they are very cute and manicured in the pictures. Just wait till you see the pictures at the end.

Grady (the off-white one) and Gregor (the really off-white one) were very polite when I came to the door. They greeted me and my dog-scented camera bag with lots of sniffing. After a short meet-n-greet it was off to their highly manicured backyard for some ball wrangling, rabbit sniffing, and general mischief.

I don't know the breed very well, my previous experience with Scotties was when I was bitten in the leg by one when I was six, so I was given a short tutorial by their mom, Nancy. Apparently, they have the same size teeth as a German Shepherd. I highly doubted that was true until Nancy lifted opened the mouth of Gregor and exposed....GIANT GERMAN SHEPHERD TEETH! I feel sorry for any burrowing animal that has the misfortune of being trapped in a hole with one of these things coming at you. The other tidbit of info about the breed I learned was that you can lift this breed by their sturdy tail which comes in quite handy when you need to move this portable dog. (Warning - never pull or lift any dog by their tail! Nancy is a "breed expert" and knows how to do this.)

After our trip outside, I got to see the inside version of these guys. That included wrestling with the empty dog food bag, a short trip through the Scottie museum in Nancy's house, and a visit by the UPS guy. Remember my warning at the beginning of this?

The chairs (yes, these were upholstered chairs at one point) serve as a substitute item to attack since the dogs aren't able to go after visiting bad guys - in this case, played by the UPS guy. The chairs sit in the living room to serve as a warning to delivery people everywhere that these guys mean business!

Fortunately, photographers are not on their "bad guy" list and I was allowed to pass without injury. I just feel sorry for the guy who was to delivery the pictures to Nancy.

(Click on images for larger version)

Monte and Kierra

2010-07-30T19:05:00.006-05:00

I got a request several weeks ago to photograph two Stafforshire Terriers that go by the names Monte (boy) and Kierra (girl). I’ll explain the reason for the request at the end of the story but I was told that Kierra would be crated on my arrival. Not that I was in any physical danger but there was a possibility of being over-licked by the overly excited Kierra.

I was met at the door by Deborah and a calm Monte - a brindle who was quite happy to meet me. A high energy Kierra was released and she welcomed me with a blast of giddiness. I had a loose hold on her collar when the head-butt attempt happened and I stopped it in mid-...er, butt (I was the recipient of a head-butt to the nose the week before by our jumbo Lab neighbor Ted and was ready this time).

Things quickly settled down and the dogs resumed their usual places in the house. From a photo stand point, things were not looking real good. It was a super hot and sticky day which limited what we could do outside. I doubted my ability to pull this one off but I was about teach myself a couple of lessons.

I started getting photos of Monte sitting in his place of honor - on the largest bean-bag chair I have ever seen! It’s so big, you have to take the stuffing out of it to get it through the door! Kierra took up residence under a large end table. One of the most touching photos from this session took place there when Deborah was on the floor interacting with Kierra and reached her hand out halfway. Kierra didn’t pause and did the same, placing her paw on top of Deborah’s hand. I knew that I had at least one good shot.

A half hour later we went out to the backyard - it was smaller with a picnic table, and a large fence. More worry! I got shots of Kierra wandering around by herself until Monte joined us after a bit. Deborah and the dogs hopped on the picnic table and posed...perfectly! I took a TON of photos (over 450) that day which makes it a pain to edit later on but it was worth it.

The dogs were great and I before I knew it, our time was up. After some intensive photo editing, I was very happy with the final results. Deborah said the photos were way more than she was expecting. It was great spending time with a Stafforshire Terrier named Monte. Oh...and Kierra too! Just gotta out for those head-butts!

*A few weeks ago I got Deborah's email. It seemed like the usual interested dog-owner who wanted to get some nice photos taken of their pets. As I read through the message, it became clear that this was not a normal request for pictures and I finally got to the line where she stated that her “primary focus is getting some photos taken of Monte since he was recently diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoma”. I’m no doctor but I know the word Lymphoma. The T-cell part I had to look up but I’ll save you the technical information and just say that it does not have a very good prognosis.

I hated to taint a good story with a sad ending but I also wanted to drive home the point that our pets and friends don’t stay with us forever. Even a dog that’s healthy it’s whole life, only lives 10-15 years. So, don’t forget to take pictures to keep those memories around. You can hire a professional photographer, or just take them yourself but the important thing either way is just to take them.

Tanks for the Memories

2010-07-12T19:07:00.000-05:00

Tank the Dog lives up north of Madison near Lodi, WI - right next to Lake Wisconsin. He’s an 8 year old Doberman/Rottweiler mix who is nice enough...but he’s got a bit of an intimidation factor due to his size. I think as long as you are on his side, things are just ducky. Cross that line and you probably wish you were elsewhere.

Fortunately, I remained on his good side and had a very fun visit. Tank, or Tanker as he’s sometimes called, looks exactly what you’d think of when you hear which two breeds he comes from. His yard consisted mostly of straw and grass seed when I visited a couple of weeks ago so a trip to a nearby ball diamond was in order.

His immediate supervisor Laura leashed him up, grabbed an indestructible plastic ball and we were off. Once at the diamond Tank got the free run of the place, running at full speed and playing tug-of-war...until the baseball teams showed up. Little Leaguers don’t mix with big dogs chasing indestructible plastic balls.

At that point we headed back to meet up with Dad and take a stroll down to one of Tank’s favorite spots to kick back - the lake. An investment in a five minute walk gets you a cool dip in a beautiful lake on a warm day...complete with stick to chase. Tank resembled a giant muskrat swimming around out there and he loved every minute of it.

Tank was a bit pooped after all the activity but still had enough energy for a quick ride in the family Jeep. Sitting on a seat not designed for passengers with a tail, he looked a little uncomfortable but adjusted quickly for his cruise around the neighborhood.

Tank’s a really nice guy who’s got it pretty good up by the lake! Thanks Tank!

Terrorless Terriers

2010-06-27T08:18:00.001-05:00

This post has a slightly smaller feel to it as we visit a pair of dogs from Stoughton, WI who may be small in stature, but are large in character.

Radar (Westmoreland Terrier) and Louie (Australian Terrier) have been with Richard and Debra for several years now. Both are rescues who have been lucky enough to find a great "forever home" as the rescue groups like to say.

When you think of small dogs, sometimes the words 'high-strung' goes along with it. But these guys greeted me in a very courteous way with none of the yapping that you sometimes get with smaller canines. According to Richard, Radar suffers a bit from OCD. His hobby is to hang out near a window and watch for reflections to chase. Louie is a bit older and is more willing to just hang around. He pulled off some pretty amazing jumps for someone his age too while seeking out that perfect spot to lay down on the living room furniture.

Richard and Debra won a Dog Grin Photography gift certificate that I donated (shameless self-promotion, I know) to the Dane County Humane Society's recent Bark-n-Wine fundraiser auction. Richard spends quite a bit of time there volunteering with the dogs which was also obvious when you see the back of his truck. It displays a small collection of pro-Humane Society, pro-dog bumper stickers.

I had a nice visit and may get to go back soon to photograph a possible new addition to the family in the form of another lucky rescued terrier...a Scotty!

Boxer Rebellion (or Kona, the Barbarian...I couldn't decide)

2010-06-18T21:31:00.002-05:00

Kona the Boxer lives on a scenic bit of property near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. It's a very pretty setting out on his property complete with tons of sun, flowers, trees, water features, and sculptures. But I seriously believe that Kona would be perfectly happy living in the middle of a bare field in a box...as long as he had his squeaky blue ball.

Pretty much Kona's whole world revolves around that blue ball when it's available. He has even developed a game of taking up to a loft area of his house, sticking his head through the railings and dropping the ball to a human below. In theory, the human is supposed to throw the ball back up to the loft to start the process over again. It works most of the time although he looks a bit like the Joker before he releases the ball.

If the blue ball isn't available, there's always Henrietta the Burlesque Chicken (I'm not making that up) or a couple dozen toys to choose from. He's also got a couple of cooling beds to stretch out in during the heat of the day also.

His people, Denise and Bernie say that he loves playing with other dogs and he is very select about which people he gives hugs and kisses to - there are only a few chosen ones...my wife Rose being one of them. She was the surprise recipient of a burst of affection (hug/kiss) during our photo shoot a few weeks ago. Lucky.

So, if you happen to be near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin someday and see a blue squeaky ball with a dog attached to it - that'd be Kona!

Katie and Daisy

2010-05-26T08:42:00.002-05:00

*The following post is dedicated to my dog-loving niece Katie, who is one of my three (count'em 3!) followers and who also made a comment this weekend about my lack of blog updates recently. Sadly, that comment is correct and so here is another post...just for you Katie! BTW, she turns 21 next week.

So, now on to the REAL subject of this blog post...Daisy.

I had a chance to meet Daisy this weekend on a trip to my hometown of Austin Minnesota, also home of Spam (the "lunchmeat") and hometown of John Madden (true factoid). Daisy is a Brittany Spaniel who excels at doing what Brittany Spaniels are bred to do, point. At birds, specifically but she also points at the occasional squirrel or other yard intruder.

Dennis is Daisy's owner and he says he sometimes has trouble finding Daisy when they are out hunting in tall grass or brush because she is too busy pointing to come when called. Pointing is a great help to the hunter, but only if the hunter can see the pointer!

Daisy eases into a first time meeting by sniffing your mouth. I think she just wonders what you had to eat for your last meal or something. Other than that, she's very calm and has a easy-going personality, likes her car rides, and gets an occasional doggie bag leftover from the restaurant. Just don't try to tell Daisy that it's really rude to point!

Gallery Night

2010-05-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

Gallery night has come and gone at Nutzy Mutz & Crazy Catz on Lakeside Street. It was held last Friday - a really nice, cold, misty November kind of day. I thought it turned out really well. Liz Perry, store owner, and her husband Garrett hosted the event and made some totally kick-ass appetizers. Actually, I think people showed up mostly for the food once the smell wafted through the building.

But despite the lousy weather, we had a nice turnout and met some very interesting people. Pictured above is some of the good food (top) and Liz Perry and myself (bottom).

Shop cat unimpressed with all the dog photography

A big shout-out is necessary for all the people that donated easels for Gallery Night! Have you priced easels lately? They are outrageous for what they are...three sticks and a little chain. Anyway, thanks to Tim, Nina, and Sasha for the help. And lastly, a really big thank you to my lovely assistant/wife Rose who kept me on task constantly and put in a lot of work to make this event a success! She can do amazing things with picture hanging wire by the way.

Hope to see you at Gallery Night 2011. Just don't eat before you go...

Dog sitting

2010-04-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

So, neighbor dogs Neffy and Marley got the boot from their house the other day to allow their family to host a baby shower. I highly doubt that two, 70 pound dogs would ever disrupt a houseful of people or the copious amounts of food they leave laying around. Being the good neighbors that we are and being the pro-dog people that we are, Rose and I agreed to "host" them for the afternoon.

It was actually a fairly tame visit. The jumbo tennis ball toy I bought for this special occasion lasted about three and a half minutes until Neffy managed to get the cover off. It now looks like a small explosive was stuffed into it and detonated. The "bully" sticks from Nutzy Mutz were a big hit. They are a tough chew stick made out of some unmentionable part of a cow. They lasted almost half an hour and were apparently delicious.

The rest of the time was mostly taken up by scratching Neffy - who must be touched or petted at all times, and by a huge wrestling match that broke out in the back yard. The match ended in a tie when both dogs got so involved that they almost crashed into Rose who was sitting on the ground. Although the photos look like they are trying to kill each other, I can assure you that this was only play. How they do this every day and not get injured is beyond me. Marley got anxious around 5pm and wanted to get home for...you guessed it, dinner.

It was a fun afternoon - great weather - and it felt good to hear sound of a dog in the house again. Times 2.

I'm still here...

2010-01-25T12:28:00.000-06:00

Wow. My last post was Dec. 26??? What a lame blog. Time for an update.

Although winter is not a popular time to take dog pictures outside, winter in Wisconsin does have it's own unique beauty. Some dogs hate snow so they are probably a write-off for this time of year but indoor shoots are still a lot of fun. And, there are still plenty of outdoor dogs at the dog park having fun as I saw during a recent beagle session. Still, most people prefer to wait until warmer weather to have their dog photographed - when the greenness returns.

So with a lull in photo shoots, I decided it was high time to take on the new kid on the software block... the Lightroom 2 that Santa brought for me. It's always fun to get new software (I'm a geek) but I haven't run into anybody yet who likes to tackle that giant, boring, software manual. Adobe figured that out so they just decided not to ship a manual with the software. They know it'll just sit on your shelf next to your Windows 95 manual. While there are plenty of sites online offering help and instruction - which one to choose?

A co-worker of mine (when I worked at the Apple Store) suggested a web site called lynda.com and I decided to give it a try. In a nutshell, they offer training in many, many different software programs. Everything from Excel and Outlook to iTunes, Windows 7 and, of course, Lightroom 2. They have an expert walk you through the program while you follow along in your software. The instruction is done via online video so you can progress at your own pace and repeat things if you need to. The Lightroom 2 module is taught by Chris Orwig, an instructor at Brooks Institute of Photography. You see his computer screen in the video and hear him describe features as you follow along.

Some of the chapters in the class are available for free so you can see if it's to your liking. After that, you pay by the month for unlimited access to all of the educational videos you can watch. The pricing is $25/month or $250/year. There is an option to purchase a DVD so you can learn without having an internet connection. Having two monitors, while not necessary, is very helpful so you can put the video in one screen and have the other screen full sized with your software.

I'm currently on chapter 2 of 24 so I wouldn't classify myself as an expert quite yet. I'll let you know at the end of my month trial how it's going.

Santa visits Dog Grin Photography

2009-12-26T16:50:00.001-06:00

Santa paid a visit to me over the Christmas holiday via one of his UPS messengers. Wrapped amidst some bubble wrap, inside a #4 brown cardboard shipping box was a new copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2! Just what I've ALWAYS wanted! How did Santa know???

I've been reading about the virtues of Lightroom on blogs by some excellent dog photographers like Erin Vey and Jamie Pflughoeft (don't ask me how to say that last one), and decided that Lightroom 2 was the next thing to tackle in the never-ending quest to master this crazy thing we call...photography. I already own all kinds of photo editing software but this one seems to be a real time saver when it comes to "workflow", the process of taking an image from your digital media through a series of edits and file conversions to ultimately wind up with a finished product. The trick is to do this in the least number of steps possible to save time and to do the least amount of damage to the file. Unnecessary steps or conversions can damage an image by degrading it's quality - and that's always bad. The time savings becomes important when you come home from a shoot with 400 images that need to be kept or tossed - cropped, color corrected, tweaked, touched up, and finally saved (with a backup of course).

Every photographer has a different workflow. Mine is still under development, especially with this new tool in the toolbox. I fully expect it to become much more streamlined and efficient in the very near future. That will leave me with more time to cruise the web sites looking for great deals on Canon camera equipment so I can work on THAT toolbox. :)

More on Lightroom 2 to come after I drive it around the block a few times and kick the virtual tires.

Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers

2009-12-21T08:44:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to a series of home movies of dogs doing just what the title says...welcoming home their friends who had to defend our country. Some of them are quite touching. It's just amazes me how much affection an animal can show and how ingrained dogs have become into our society.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/40324

Bountiful Beagles!

2009-12-20T17:21:00.002-06:00

Last week I had a chance to meet up with a couple of Beagle pups - six month old Daisy and her brother Oliver. These guys live in downtown Madison and greeted me with a familiar Arr-oooooo when I walked into their home. After a few minutes of ear licking and furious sniffing (my camera bag must smell like 20 different dogs by now) we were all best buds.

During the 45 minutes I was there, I witnessed the complete destruction of a new stuffed animal. After pulling out every possible piece of stuffing, the prize was unveiled...the squeaker - which mom promptly took away and put on a table. One of my favorite shots came out of this event. The shot of Oliver standing amidst the explosion of stuffing scattered all over the carpeting. I still chuckle every time I see it.

A brief jingle of their collars was all that was required to wake them from a very brief nap on the sofa. Oliver and Daisy knew exactly where the elevator was and bolted for it the second the door opened. Then it was off to the Wisconsin State Capitol (or is it Capital, I can never remember).

While living downtown might not be super great for wide open spaces and walking dogs off-leash, it sure is good for sightseeing. I never get tired of the architecture and contrast of modern buildings sitting alongside 100 year old buildings. The Beagles seemed right at home, bounding up the capitol steps like they live there (it's capitol...I looked it up).

After all that excitement, a four hour power nap was required to recharge the Beagle batteries according to their mom. The next day, we met up again at a dog park in Verona and got some good shots of the dogs bounding through the snow and attempting to steal a pink tennis ball away from a Golden Retriever. They actually worked as a team, Oliver distracting the dog and Daisy sneaking in for a quick grab before getting chased down and coughing up the ball.

Good times in the cold, Wisconsin weather. Stuffed animal destruction, walks in the snow, and pink tennis balls. If you are six months old and a Beagle, it doesn't get any better!

(Click on photos to see larger version)

Tuckered out...

2009-12-11T21:07:00.003-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a chance to spend a little time with Tucker the Cocker Spaniel. He also happens to be a dog-in-law. When my niece Katie is home from college, you can find Tucker and Katie together somewhere.

Tucker, who's a bit of a counter surfer, happened to be a tad over-stimulated with all of the Thanksgiving meal preparations under way. He did a pretty good job of making sure the floor was a no-food-zone too.

It's pretty obvious that Katie is Tucker's keeper. While he gets along with everybody, he mostly hung out on Katie's lap.

(Elvis impersonation)

Happy holidays Tucker and everybody!

(click on photos to see larger version)

Black dog times two

2009-11-29T17:30:00.005-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a chance to stop over to my nephew's house to meet-n-greet his dog Ruben and meet his new dog Race. Ruben was quick to warm up to me and my camera bag (which is collecting LOTS of dog smell these days). He was giving me some play bows in the living room about 5 minutes after I got there. Race, on the other hand, was having nothing to do with the strange stranger with the camera. We'd have to try and warm up to each other later as he decided to bail and wait me out in the bedroom.

Ruben was much more accommodating. Up on the sofa, his eye color turned out pretty awesome with the background. The lighting was courtesy of a nice, sunny day and a north facing window.

Christmas lights were on the tree already and that worked out well for me. I liked how this picture turned out when Ruben decided to take a break on the living room floor.

Here are a couple more random pictures of Ruben. My goal when I do a photo shoot is to document the dog and his/her environment. Some people might be expecting a Glamor Shots kind of picture when they hear I do "dog photography" but that is exactly the kind of thing I try to avoid.

One of my favorite pictures is the top one of my great-niece Emma and her dog Race. From a photographer's standpoint, it's a pretty bland shot but from a cuteness standpoint it's awesome. Race was still being very shy and wouldn't leave the side of the house to interact with us so Emma marched over and sat next to him and struck up a conversation. That put him at ease enough for me to get the tight shot of her and Race.

Thank you Emma, Race and Ruben for a nice, day-after-Thanksgiving photo shoot!
(click on the photos for larger size)

Hank and Chug

2009-11-18T12:33:00.002-06:00

I first met Chug (left), yet unnamed, at the Madison vet clinic where his mom works. During a visit with my dog, one of the other vets said to me, "You have to see this!" and walked off. When he returned, he held out this little bulldog puppy that I quickly took from him. What a cool dog!

Turns out, all was not well with Mr. Chug (the name a combination of Chihuahua and Pug, in case you were wondering). After being in his new home for about a week, he developed some serious health issues and there were concerns about his survival. But, after some heavy duty treatment, he pulled through.

Though not completely out of the woods, Chug and his older brother Hank were full of energy and life when I met them at their home in Madison. Hank, being 8 years old, had significantly less energy than the new puppy but when somebody brought out a soccer ball...LOOK OUT! Hank morphed into a crazed animal - chasing the ball all over the street at top speed until he "caught" the ball a short time later and used his powerful jaws to deflate the ball. Game over.

They were great dogs to work with and hopefully Chug will continue to do well as he grow up. He does have pretty good home health care after all.

Thanks to Hank and Chug for a fun morning!
(click on images for a larger view)

Buddy the Collie

2009-11-12T19:46:00.007-06:00

Now that November is here, the number of nice Wisconsin days are getting fewer and further between. We recently enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day with warm temps and a visit from a neighborhood friend. Actually, two of them.

Buddy the Collie and his mom Jo stopped over for a little photo shoot. Jo is pretty much the premier dog walker in our area and I thought it would be fun to get some shots of them. She and Buddy make the rounds every day, rain or shine and that can be a challenge in this area of the world where the temperature can go from 100 degrees to -20 degrees in 6 months time.

Buddy, and Jo's last dog Scottie, are both from collie rescues.

Jo has owned ten or so Collies in her life. As a retired nurse, I'm sure Jo has saved a number of lives and comforted countless others in her career. And now, she can add two Collies to the list.

More Cloey...

2009-10-29T13:21:00.001-05:00

Earlier this summer, I stopped by the home of Cloey and Pandy for a morning photo shoot. I posted some pictures of Pandy, but never got around to posting more of Cloey...so, here they are!

They were great dogs and we had a good time. Sorry for taking so long to get your pictures up, Cloey!

Happier times

2009-10-18T19:53:00.000-05:00

Well...that last post was depressing.

On a happier note, I was recently able to pay a visit to a friend's house to photograph her non-canine family members. While dogs are my specialty, I don't mind trying my skills out on other things once in a while. Unfortunately, when it comes to cats, my body tends to protest a bit...as in, I am allergic to them. Therefore, I have a limited amount of time to get my photos done before the wheezing starts. Yikes.

So these were some pretty cool cats! They didn't get all freaked out at the camera. They just went about their business while I roamed around. A pretty good time was had by all and we all survived just fine.

Archie...king cat.

The new kids on the block...

Thanks to Archie, Dexter, Penny, and the rest of the gang!

Where do I start this?

2009-10-08T19:51:00.010-05:00

Well, the day I hoped would never come, did. One week ago yesterday, we had to say goodbye to our very good dog, Pebbles. She survived a very aggressive cancer that struck two years ago but was recently slowed by a degenerative nerve problem that had weakened her hind legs. She gradually went from two walks a day, to one walk a day, to trouble getting up on her favorite spot on the couch, to only walking from her blanket to outside and back.

Making the decision to humanely end her life was the hardest thing I've had to do in my 45 years. As she lay on her blanket in the living room, she looked like regular Pebbles. She'd beam when you walked into the room, play with her treats, and be her goofy self. When she'd walk, it was a different story. She'd have to drag herself forward to get her back legs under her. There was tripping and falls. Getting up the ramp on our deck was hard.

Living on a blanket on the living room floor is no life for a dog. As our vet would say, her quality of life was suffering. My wife Rose and I both knew the day was coming. We just didn't know which particular day it would be. Finally, we decided she was having pain. I made the phone call, our vet came to the house and administered the shot with Pebbles resting her head on Roses' lap. Her heart stopped...and she was gone. A heavy rain began to pelt the windows and it began to thunder - two of Pebbles least favorite things. We said our goodbyes and gently wrapped her in a blanket. For some reason, I felt compelled to be the one to carry her outside to the car for her final ride...so I did. I cried more in five days than I had in the last 25 years put together.

We adopted Pebs when she was around 2 or 3 years old and lived together for 10 years. We'd walk through our neighborhood twice a day, rain or shine. We'd miss a few times a year with illnesses and the horrible Wisconsin weather days, so that works out to be an amazing 6,000 walks during her life with us.

And, right now, I'd give anything to go for just one more.

Art Show!

2009-09-22T18:48:00.003-05:00

Need some animal art? Awesome, cause Animals in Art is taking place October 2 - December 31 at various Monroe Street businesses. Gallery night, in case you don't want to read the attractive poster, is October 2 from 5-9pm at Lakeview Vet Clinic on Monroe Street. If you need the address, you have to read the poster...sorry.

Celebrity dog Pebbles (aka my dog) will be there in photo as Dog Grin Photography is one of the "artists" participating this year. Hope to see you there!

Pandy reloaded

2009-09-20T19:21:00.008-05:00

First off, I'm pleased as punch to announce our first international visitors to the Dog Grin Photography Blog! Being based in Madison, WI, I'm not surprised at the number of hits from Wisconsin and Minnesota. But when people visit from England and Brazil...it's kinda cool! We've also had some visitors from the Great White North so a big welcome to them too, eh?

As promised, here are some more photos from my recent shoot with Pandy and Cloey. This post is all Pandy. She was rescued several years ago from a school who used her for training vet students. You can imagine that she wasn't very social at first but has made pretty good progress over the years. She's a very sweet dog.

She was a great subject - just a little on the shy side which is fine. That's one of the reasons they make telephoto lenses. Nothing wrong with not liking the camera noise...I don't care for it either.

Enjoy Pandy!

Panderings...

2009-09-14T18:40:00.003-05:00

Well, my web site has been up for about a month now. Time for a redesign!

Frankly, the old one stunk. It was a slapped together Frontpage effort and not a very good one at that. Let's face it...the designer didn't know what the heck he was doing (yes, it was me). The new one is done in Flash and I think it looks MUCH better - if I do say so myself. The new home page is shown above. We should be live on the web in the next day or so. Whenever the hosting company can get the new site ip address updated. Hope you like it!

Sad news at Dog Grin Photography. Our good friend Beau the Dog lost his fight with an adrenal disease on September 11. We've know Beau for many years and he was one of the first dogs I photographed. Beau loved his stuffed animals and, like most pugs, would literally shake the stuffing out of them. They didn't last very long. He always greeted you and sent you away with a sharp "arff" along with the clicking of his nails as he ran back and forth on the hardwood floors.

He will be greatly missed by his family and our thoughts go out to them during this dark time. Hopefully, time will allow their sadness to be replaced with the many great memories they have of their wonderful dog. Rest in Peace Beau.

We're back...

2009-09-05T10:06:00.006-05:00

After a short absence, due mostly to the super-nice weather we've been having, I've got a few photos to share from a shoot I did yesterday morning.

I spent a few hours at Cloey and Pandy's backyard hanging out with them and their plethora of dog toys. Cloey is a very friendly and outgoing dog with not much of a care. She's also the in-charge dog and welcomed me with a chorus of barks. Apparently, she's also quite friendly with guy visitors which was good news for me!

Pandy is also very friendly, but can be quite shy. She tolerated the loud clicking from my camera but didn't enjoy it much. Her Foxhound heritage can clearly be seen and she has a gigantic cooling bed in the backyard that only a mother could love. It's pretty impressive. And, she likes muffins.

Also joining us today, all the way from across the street, Playdough the German Shepard. He and Cloey put on quite a show with a good bit of wrestling, tug-of-war, and the always popular chase the photographer around the backyard. While he is easily the biggest, he was very easy going and was happy to let Cloey be the ranking dog by giving her an occasional lick to the chops. Or, maybe it was a kiss...who knows?

More from this session to come...

Amusing dog-related web photo of the week

2009-08-26T17:15:00.004-05:00

As I bumble around on the internet, I like to collect funny dog related photos...so, this is not one of my photos.

I don't think this week's entry needs much explanation.

Yeah, we can do that...

2009-08-24T09:16:00.002-05:00

What if you don't own a dog, but would still like a beautiful photo from Dog Grin Photography? Well, you are in luck because we also can (and have) taken many photos of cats, lizards, horses, etc. Hey...we even shoot people too! If fact, we just completed another high school graduation photo shoot last night.

Here's a shot of Plum...a very shy kitty who really wasn't too excited about photo day. We still managed to get several keepers despite her best efforts!

The Dog Grin web site has been updated. Work continues but at least there are details, a bio, etc. up now for your entertainment.

Amusing dog-related web photo of the week

2009-08-18T18:49:00.004-05:00

I thought it would be fun to include some of the amusing dog photos floating around out there in the blog. Just to be clear, I did not take these. If I can figure out where the photo actually comes from, I'll be sure and give the photographer credit. Most of these just come from a one of the many "humor" sites out there.

Anyway, here's our first entry. This picture gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "leg room".

Heard (Herd) of Border Collies?

2009-08-15T10:25:00.005-05:00

While shooting some non-dog (humanoid) pictures this week at a Madison park, we were approached by a small gaggle of Border Collies being walked. They swooped in, checked us out with a few sniffs and were on their way to romp in the water.

When my scheduled photo shoot was over, the dogs and their owner were sunning themselves on a dock after a dip in the water. I couldn’t resist. I introduced myself and the owner was more than happy to let me take some pictures of these beautiful dogs.

The three are actually related - they are the mom, Daisy and her two sons Bear and Sky...I think I got that right. Anyway, they were very polite and extremely interested in the frisbee, as you might expect from this breed.

We only had about 10 minutes before they had to get going but I got a few good pictures and hope to meet up with them again soon.

Sky in the front with the Frisbee, Bear in the back and Daisy on the right.

Sorry...no photos.

2009-08-13T14:29:00.003-05:00

Just to let everyone know that I will not take pictures of your dog at your house if I see the following sign posted...

Nutzy Mutz Opening Day (+1)

2009-08-11T13:46:00.007-05:00

Pebbles the Dog and I stopped in to welcome the Nutzy Mutz and Crazy Cats folks to the Midvale area. Their store opened yesterday. It's a nice store with lots of natural light and a breeze blowing through the store that smells like coffee (an EVP coffee shop is right next door). Even better, Dog Grin photos were being hung on the walls when we walked in!

Owner Liz Perry has a bowl of water at the door to welcome shorter, furrier customers and there is plenty of sniffing opportunities at ground level as Pebbles will attest to. Here are a few iPhone pictures of our visit...

Nutzy Mutz owner Liz with celebrity dog/model Pebbles.

Pebbles checking out the lower-level merchandise.

Chief picture hanger Garrett in action.

The Midvale store.

More prints and Boomer pics

2009-08-08T09:41:00.010-05:00

More new prints arrived yesterday for the Nutzy Mutz walls and several are mounted already. I tried getting some of the new "metallic" prints that Printroom.com offers and they do look cool. I thought they came out too dark however so I'll have to contact the company and see what's up with that.

The new Facebook fan site is up and running - although I have to say I get a little lost in the Facebook navigation. If you want to find it, do a search for Dog Grin - I think I'm the only Dog Grin out there in Facebookland. Leave me a post or feel free to ask a question.

I'm HOPING...to get the Dog Grin web site kick-started this weekend since it's going to be in the 90's and humid all weekend.

Funny story, I was in the basement this morning checking a mousetrap I placed last night after catching a varmit yesterday, and it was...GONE! The whole mousetrap was nowhere to be seen! I still can't find it anywhere and I don't know if I should go get more mousetraps or notify the authorities. This follows a recent mouse suicide in the same basement area. I bought some mouse poison (I know...) but never got around to putting it out because I didn't want our dog to have any chance of getting it. Well, some curious mouse found it on my workbench, decided to chew through the packaging and eat a substantial chuck of the poison! Never found him...

No new dogs to post today so I thought we'd do a little "part deux" action and revisit Mr. Boomer. I never got to post his donkey ear picture, which is pretty funny. It's a wide angle shot of his head and it makes his Shepard ears rather prominent. Enjoy!

Progress...

2009-08-04T09:17:00.006-05:00

Well, despite the nice weather, visitors, the EAA airshow, actual work, cash for clunkers, blah, blah, blah...we continue to make slow progress on the Dog Grin business empire. The new business cards arrived last week - don't you just love that new business card smell???

I thought they came out really nice. Notice the grinning dog? How about the fire hydrant in the background? That symbolizes my other career (and, no, it's not painting fire hydrants). They were designed, ordered, paid for, and opened by Rose - my wife/supervisor. There is a back side too but you'll have to get one to see it.

Also, pictures are being delivered today to Nutzy Mutz and Crazy Catz on Midvale Blvd in Madison for prominate display on the walls there. The new pet products store opens August 10 with a grand opening date TBA. The framing and mounting process wasn't pretty and I now know why the stores that specialize in that stuff charge what they do. Thanks again goes to Rose for taking the lead on that project. Had I been in charge of framing, you likely would have seen my pictures taped to the wall at Nutzy Mutz.

I installed Google Analytics a few weeks ago so I could track who is visiting the blog and where they come from. So far, a few visits from around the U.S. The states of MN, WI, TX, CA, NV, OR, NY, and a couple others stopped in. I'll let you know when we get our first "off-shore" visit. Maybe we'll give away a prize! :)

A Facebook page is next for Dog Grin (sorry Twitter fans - not gonna happen until someone explains why they would want to get "tweets" from me) and then more web site construction. Stay tuned for more changes and photos and dust.

Pebbles the Dog says "Hi".

Ted

2009-07-30T17:17:00.012-05:00

Ted the yellow, almost white, lab weighs in at over 100 pounds...but whose counting? He's a good guy who enjoys tearing the screen out of the back door, biting water, and playfully chasing visitors while chomping a tennis ball. My kind of dog!

Ted lives in my neighborhood and I've know him since he was a puppy or, about a year. Here are a few pictures from an afternoon visit to Ted's yard.

Nope...I'm not cute at all.

Ted with a prized possession. While I wouldn't say Ted is "obsessed" with his tennis ball, he does like it a lot. He tends to detour from the route to a thrown ball if something smells interesting. He gets there...it just takes a little longer.

Thanks Ted!

Going Public

2009-07-25T19:30:00.002-05:00

Big news today - Dog Grin Photography is going to go public! No, not as in a public offering of stock, which isn’t a bad idea actually, but as in public display of photographs!

Rose and I had the pleasure of meeting Liz Perry today. She’s the owner of Nutzy Mutz and Crazy Catz on Lakeside Street in Madison. Her store carries a ton of nice pet products. Eco-friendly, natural products including food, toys, training aids, supplements and grooming supplies. Including organic chicken feed.

Anyway, Liz is opening a new store at 555 Midvale Blvd. right near my house. For some reason, she decided it would be a good idea to display a bunch of Dog Grin photos on the walls of her new store. I tried to talk her out of it but it didn’t work. The best news is, I get to put up two pictures in the bathroom! Talk about your captive audience. Liz actually asked me if I minded her putting pictures in there. I told her I’d be happy if that was the only place she put them.

So, time to order some new prints! We held up a 20 x 30 inch print on the wall of Nutzy Mutz which looked HUGE at my house. The amount of open space on this wall made that large photograph look tiny. Guess we’ll be placing a order for some large prints from printroom.com. Tomorrow is also frame shopping day.

Many of the dogs that will be on the wall are actually neighborhood dogs so hopefully they won’t develop attitudes. It’s great to have Nutzy Mutz in the area and I really believe the neighborhood will support them once they open...whether my pictures are in there or not.

The new store is expected to be open in the next week or so. If you live on the west side of Madison, it’s in a very convenient location with off-street parking - right at Midvale Blvd and Tokay Blvd.

Thanks Liz and Nutz Mutzy! We look forward to having you join our neighborhood!

What's new

2009-07-22T11:50:00.005-05:00

Well, the Dog Grin Photography web site will be here soon. Hopefully. I'll have lots of useful stuff on there like, galleries, pricing info, dog photos, blog link, dog photos, contact info and dog photos - maybe a baby and a cat photo every once in a while too. I'm doing it myself so by "soon", I mean it'll be online sometime this year. Maybe next.

Actually, I'm going to shoot for next week.

I'm getting a Facebook site going too so you'll be able to get all the exciting Dog Grin updates via your Facebook account! In the meantime, you'll just have to miss all the exciting updates unless you check in on the blog every couple hours.

If you'd like to get on my emailing list, just shoot me an email at dahlgrenphoto@gmail.com and I'll add you. I don't share information with anyone so don't expect any extra email or spam. Except for me, of course.

Let see...ah, yes. Dog photos. I said a while back you'd see Pebbles the Dog again (my dog) and here she is!

Pebbles attempting to relax.

A not so subtle hint that it's time to for yet another walk.

The business end.

Wizard and Twix

2009-07-20T13:40:00.008-05:00

The Jack Russell Terrier is a breed that has been described as smart, active, and energetic. Multiply that description times two and then you'll have an idea of what life with Wizard and Twix the dogs are like. Wizard is the veteran with an insatiable appetite for tennis balls. He's an expert at calculating things like ball trajectories and whether a throw is real or just an arm pump fake-out. He's been there, done that.

I like this picture of Wizard. I think it's one that tells a story and that is really the ultimate goal of a photograph, right? This is a very short simplistic story, but it's a story.

Just to break the obvious down for you...you know there's a dog standing there from the shadow and the feet. The shadow dog face is pointing at the tennis ball. You can see the anticipation in the stance. THROW THE BALL ALREADY! Maybe that should be the name of this one.

Photo cropping is skill that I've been paying more attention to over the last couple of months and I played with this one for quite a bit. Too much cropping and people can't tell what the heck the subject is supposed to be. Not enough cropping and there are too many details for the brain to process and the photo becomes bloated with information. One thing I like to use Picasa software for is the crop preview feature. I find it much faster to crop and uncrop a picture in Picasa than with any other software. If I want to play around with a photo a lot, I like to try it and experiment in Picasa before doing the actual editing in Photoshop...the king of photo editing software, hands down.

Wizard ready for yet another toss of the slimy tennis ball.

Twix is the newby, recently adopted from a Jack Russell rescue group. She's almost the opposite of Wizard...shy, not much interest in a tennis ball, but quite "vocal". Twix, who is an early riser BTW, is adjusting nicely to her new surroundings and her new people. Currently, she's enrolled in a K9 good citizen class as part of her adoption requirements and is doing quite well.

I thought this photo captured her pretty well. She's being a little stand-off'ish, a little wary of the guy with the camera. The black and white along with a little soft focus adds a little mystery to the photo as well.

Shop Talk - Picasa

2009-07-18T15:58:00.004-05:00

Half the fun and half of the work in taking digital pictures is getting to/having to edit them on the computer. Usually it's not a big deal to go through and enhance or crop a handful of pictures but, when you come back to the computer with 300 or 400 pictures, it's a bit more work.

Most professional photographers use Adobe Photoshop software to edit and Adobe Lightbox to manage their pictures. But, if you don't want to invest $700 in software and a good portion of your life to learn how to use it, you can do many of the same things by using a free program called Picasa. Google purchased Picasa a couple of years ago so you know that it's a decent program. You can get it here - Picasa.

Picasa literally does it all - or at least the really important stuff. You can crop, enhance color, lighten, remove dust or ufo's in your photos. You can make black and white photos, add soft focus or straighten your pictures. And, when you're done, Picasa makes it easy to email or upload your photos to a free web site to show off. It also keeps track of where you put your photos on your computer so you only have to look at it's library to see all your photos - no matter what folder you put them in on your computer.

While Picasa is very good, it's not Photoshop. It isn't able to delete your goofy cousin from that nice group shot. But then again for most people, it does the important stuff...and the price is right. If you lose track of your pictures on your computer or need to back them up (everyone backs up their pictures, right?), Google's Picasa is a definate download.

Boomer and Gavin

2009-07-17T09:26:00.000-05:00

There's an old saying in Hollywood about never working with children or animals. Well, the other day I did the unthinkable and worked with both. At the same time. And...I survived.

Boomer is an active (understatement), toy-obsessed, beautiful German Shepard variety of dog. If you want to be specific, he's West German. You can tell by his accent.

He's had LOTS of training and can whip through a command faster than you can blink. Trying to focus a lens on this dog is like trying to read the printing on a car tire going down the highway. I'm just glad my camera has auto-focus. Did I mention that he's really fast?

Anyway, we had a great time in his backyard. During a short break in the action, I was able to meet the family's newest member, Gavin the Baby. Shooting Gavin after being around Boomer was a relief - he's much easier to photography. And, while Gavin is cuter than Boomer, I have to say it's a tie as to who drooled more during the shoot.

Buddy

2009-07-13T10:44:00.001-05:00

Buddy the Great Pyrenees lived on a farmette near Mount Horeb and his main purpose in life, as with most GP's, was to protect. In this case, he protected several pens containing Alpacas. Since Alpacas aren't native to this area, there are several predators that would make them easy prey. Buddy was their body guard and he kept them under his watchful eye...and nose. He belonged to my friend and co-worker Mindy and her partner Linda.

He was a very cool dude and was about as dangerous as the large cotton ball he resembled...as long as you weren't a stranger. Sadly, Buddy became ill last year and died at the very young age of 3. I did get some good pictures of him before that when Rose and I visited during "Alpaca Days 2008".

He was replaced by 2 new GP's. I'll have to drive out someday and meet them.

RIP Buddy...

How to follow Dog Grin Photography

2009-07-13T10:34:00.000-05:00

Many people who read this blog frequently, ok...my wife, have asked me how to follow the blog so you'll be notified when there is a new posting. Well, I'm still trying to figure that out. The easiest way to to just bookmark the site in your favorite browser but you'll have to check the blog manually.

This article should help - http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?answer=104226

You can become a "follower" on the right side (I promise I won't make you drink the Kool-Aid). Although that apparently does require a Gmail, Yahoo, or AIM account. Everybody needs a Gmail account anyway in my opinion...it will make your life easier for many reasons. As a follower, you won't be notified when there is a new post but it does make it somewhat easier to follow.

Also, feel free to comment. It's easy and free! Just look at the end of each post where is says "comments" and click on it. A box will open up and you can type away!

Pebbles the Dog

2009-07-12T12:59:00.001-05:00

This is the face of possibly the most photographed dog in all of Wisconsin and she lives in our house. Pebbles was adopted from the Dane County Humane Society when she was 3...or 4. She has conflicting records. Fast forward 9,000 pictures later. She's now 12 or 13.

Pebbles has had quite a career and has survived a couple of cancers, including a deadly, aggressive form that develops in the anal glands of dogs. After surgery, chemo (a good round and one that almost killed her due to a low white blood cell count) she's still going. She was only supposed to live 300 days after her diagnosis...as of today she's at 670 days. Good girl Pebbles!

Relaxing has always been something that she has been really good at. Her goal is to find the most recently made bed and arrange it to her exact specifications.

This picture was taken several years ago with a "point-and-shoot" digital camera. Actually, it was my FIRST digital camera. The Nikon 990.

Plan on seeing Pebbles again...

Neffy and Marley

2009-07-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

A few shots from my visit to Neffy (shepard mix) and Marley's (the other one) backyard.

They were great sports and despite their speed, they were nice enough to slow down for a few minutes so I could snap a few shots.

While the yawning picture isn't technically the greatest picture, it makes my wife laugh every time its on the computer so I put it in the group.

Neffy bears a very strong resemblance to my dog, Pebbles, although Neffy is about a foot taller and is a younger dog. She and Marley spend a good deal of each day playing and conducting simulated attacks on each other. It's pretty fun to watch.

First post

2009-07-10T17:08:00.000-05:00

Wow - my very own blog. I'm SOMEBODY...finally.

Dog Grin Photography - Dahlgren Photography...get it? Kinda sounds the same? Anyway, it's the same business only with a twist of dog. I like dogs. I like taking pictures of dogs.

I think that the best place to photograph a dog is on his/her home turf. That's where they feel the most comfortable and where they'll behave the most "normal"...if there is such a thing for a dog. So I don't do the studio pictures. There isn't anything wrong with studio pictures - I just don't think they look natural for a dog.

I recently ran across two very good photographers out in Seattle who focus (pun intended) only on dogs and I thought it would be fun to try to do what they are doing here in the Madison area. If you'd like to see their work, they are at www.erinvey.com and www.cowbelly.com. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

Welcome. I hope you like it here.