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I was happy as a clam to be asked to contribute images to Design Aglow’s new project: portrait inspiration cards for dogs.
I’m among some big names (Amanda Jones, Jim Dratfield, Anna Kuperberg) and couldn’t be more thrilled!
Go check em out here: Design Aglow Inspire Me Cards: A Posing Guide For Dogs
These two guys are arguably the cutest puppies I have ever photographed. 12 weeks old. Brothers. Soft, squishy, cuddly, waggy, clumsy, kissy, tan panda bear puppies. You can squeal now. 
Bear on the left, Bronco on the right. I don’t think I need to tell you where their names came from do I? I love how Bear is peeking over the shot in the image on the right.
The Pike Place Market is one of my favorite places to photograph puppies, for obvious reasons. Look at the little boy’s expression on the left. Ah, I LOVE it!
Rarely do photos make me laugh out loud when I look at them, even shots that others seem to find funny, I guess because I am ‘all business’ when doing my post-shoot workflow, but this one definitely did have me busting a gut. Bear: “you talkin to me??”
hee hee hee, whoohoo. we had a nice crowd of people gathered around watching us do this. it was so fun.
Look at Bear’s face in the shot on the left. Ha!
Photo shoots are hard work for puppies. Especially in an environment as stimulating at the market. I captured no fewer than 4 yawns out of these guys in the second half of our shoot.
ahh, sleepy baby pugs. (gush…)
The End.
For those who are new to my blog, you may not know this, but I absolutely adore pugs. They are at the very top of my favorite breed list, and I have been super lucky to have been able to photograph lots of them. It took everything in me to hold myself back from writing a novel above and going on and on about how cute they are and how much I love them, and how many times I squealed during our shoot, and how I didn’t want to leave, etc, etc. I could have written a whole blog PAGE about this shoot!
But, I leave you with a little conversation I had on my facebook fan page that I think pretty much sums it up:
Amy: “soooo adorable! I love it!”
Nicki: “I just want to squish their already squished faces! Way too adorable and the curious expressions melt my heart!”
Jamie (me): “LOL I was there for over two hours (I normally do a 60-90 minute shoot) because I didn’t want to say goodbye! one of the little puggers was *alseep in my arms* (faint).”
One thing that I think is a great misnomer among photographers just starting out, is that those amazing shots they see on the uber-talented really well known photographer’s blogs come out of the camera looking like that.
While yes, the really talented folks can nail exposure shot after shot after shot, the amazing clarity, contrast and sharpness often has just as much to do with post-processing (work in Lightroom and Photoshop) as it does with the original digital image.
And for those photogs who shoot in RAW (as many pros do- not a value judgement here! just saying that many do, ok? no arguments, please) they pretty much have to process their images otherwise they are left looking muddy. I have talked before on this blog about the ‘grey film’ that appears to coat each digital image that comes from the camera, and how it’s necessary to rid oneself of the film lest one have images that all look like they are suffering from a bad hangover.
Before my new lover (Lightroom2) was introduced into my life, I was pretty much wholeheartedly against processing images. I felt like it was cheating, and in a way, I still believe that. Although now that Lightroom has blown my brain wide open, I really don’t care if it’s cheating or not.
I do it, my pet photog friends do it, wedding photographers do it, we all do it. And the really good ones that want you to believe that they are just amazing photographers and that their shots are born looking phenomenal, yet give half-assed answers to questions about processing? Well, they’re full of something my dog eliminates every day.
Want proof? Here it is:
I forgot to mention above that the shot was taken with the 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, which, sadly for me, is a fairly soft copy (and getting softer over time). I guess $1300 doesn’t get you very much these days. 
Now, not everyone may like this processing technique in terms of looks, but it’s pretty hard to argue that there isn’t a big difference between the before and after.
If you are a photographer just starting out, and you are hard on yourself believing that the pros have some secret magical formula that you don’t and never will, just stop it right now. Those who have images with amazing clarity and sharpness and contrast aren’t any better, they just have more tricks up their sleeve.
I just decided to come out with my naked RAW truth and reveal my own.
Comments, criticism, linkbacks welcome! What do YOU think about processing??
Pink dog feet + solid blue sky + summer sun = ahhh. Like something from a dream. 
Every once in awhile a color permeates my subconscious and conscious mind so intensely that it’s darn near all I think about.
Since my first foray onto the Viceroy Santa Monica hotel website several months ago I have been enamored with the color kelly green. Never before have I cared so much for green, but when I saw the Kelly Wearstler-designed green, black and white color combinations at the hotel in person, it created a new appreciation in me. Since then this new like has turned into something else. Not quite a passion as it’s more sensual than that. All I can say is when I see the color now I swoon. Some days I feel like I can taste it, touch it and feel it.
Here are some recent shots that are a tribute to my new love. Taken in Santa Monica, Seattle and Whidbey Island.
Viceroy Santa Monica. (swoon)
The amazing kelly green subway tile bathroom off the lobby. (swoon) (pardon the crappy quality and blur, this was taken with shaky hands, a slow shutter speed and a little point and shoot)
My girl in her favorite spot in her favorite park. When she emerges she smells like ivy. (swoon)
On a Washington State Ferry.
Every time we go to her park she hides behind this little bush. The branches rest across her face, and she peeks out at me, occasionally tucking herself back deeper into the ivy. And every time I say “I can still see you”. awwwww.
Couldn’t decide which shot I liked more, and this one has a stronger green, so I had to include it too, lol.
Hope you enjoyed my tribute to my new obsession! I will do more of these posts, and know just what my next color will be, and even the images to go along with it.
Cheers!
