Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Golden Retriever in Tall Grass

This golden retriever was photographed during a recent upland bird hunt.  The photograph was not planned in advance but we were ready when the dog paused momentarily during the hunt.
Most of our images taken that day suffered from the high, mid-afternoon sun which gave us harsh light.  This image is an exception as the dog was standing in an area partially shaded by trees.  The dog is slightly backlit and there is a rim of light along her back that separates her from the out-of-focus, green background.  No harsh shadows anywhere.  Also, the dog was standing on a slight rise above us and this allowed for the low camera angle.  We got three quick shots before the dog took off hunting again.  This one had the most pleasant head angle of the three photographs.  The right place at the right time!
35-350 lens at 200mm, 1/500 second at f/5.0, ISO 400.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Hunting Dog Carrying Bird

We were fortunate to accompany some bird hunters recently on a private club and got some photographs of the working dogs.  This golden retriever is carrying a chukar that was shot by the hunters.  The terrain was challenging because most of it was covered in grass that was tall enough to conceal much of the dogs.  We like to get as low as possible with the camera to get the dramatic angle but had difficulty in the grass.  This dog took advantage of one of the few trails to bring the bird to his owner and we were ready as he rounded a bend.  The dog is mid-stride and shows well against the darker background.
35-350 lens at 300mm, 1/800 second at f/5.6, ISO 250.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Camaro SS at Dusk

Here is another view of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS.  This photo was taken shortly before sunset and the background is quite dark.  We added two off-camera speedlights that were triggered with wireless controls.  Both lights were set on the ground and aimed slightly upward so they wouldn't put too much light on the pavement.  Certainly, more light could have been put on the top of the car if the lights were mounted higher but that was not our intent.  We wanted this dramatic effect that is only achieved with low lights.  Notice how the rear wheel catches some of the flash but there is minimal effect on the rest of the body along the driver's side.  The timing was important, though, to get this effect.  We needed some ambient light because otherwise the car would disappear into blackness.  This shot seemed to have the right balance since we can still see the entire outline of the car.
70-200 lens at 105mm, exposure set manually, 1/250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100.