I never imagined myself taking such an interest in pet photography, especially dogs. Not that I don't like dogs; I've just never had a dog of my own. I enjoy seeing and playing with dogs that belong to my friends and family, but I've never had the time and space to make the commitment to having a dog of my own. I suppose my priorities lie more with independence and freedom to travel, not being tied down-- having a dog would make many of my whimsical adventures difficult to pull off.
Through this photo collection, taken over a holiday visit to see my family in Ohio, I realized the power of portraits, exciting images of individuals. In this case-- furry individuals. I loved "working" with my sisters dogs, getting them riled up for expressive shots, patiently waiting and watching for the perfect moments, and attempting to direct their attention in ways that would allow me to use the natural light to my advantage. I'm very pleased with my shots overall. I took many thousands, and I'll be editing and publishing a few dozen of my favorites. This is the first set. I hope they are enjoyed here on Steemit. I'll be excited to edit and post more of these photo collections if the response is good! 😎
This is Henwen, my sister's indian pariah dog. He's a bit of a handful, gets too riled up around other dogs and cats. Here he's chewing on a stick, breath lit up by the sun.
I really enjoyed some of these snowy background shots. Having the right quality of soft or angled lighting is crucial for this type of shot.
I suppose this one be perfect if his eye was open wider, but I enjoyed the soft lighting, colors, and the wooden fence background of this capture.
This is Neera, my sister's husky dog. She's a bit more easy going and mature. I enjoy these shots where the sunlight makes their breath visible in the cold winter air.
Big sister Neera watches energetic little brother Henwen frolick around the backyard
I love the way the "golden hour" angled sunlight lights up Henwen's light hair. Something about the colors and background make me very satisfied with this image. I'm
Just ears & eyes, Henwen with some nice soft lighting and a colorful background bokeh.
That's better, not a bad pose for a restless pariah dog.
I have another frame just like this with here eyes wide, but something about Neera's squinty "smile" made me choose this take for the first set of images.
He might look happy, but he's panting after he caused quite a ruckus barking is ass off at some other dogs in the metroparks.
I really like the curvy bike path in the background. Henwen really did not like the pretty girl going the opposite way on the path in the background, he barked at her and watched her until she was way off in the distance.
I was amused by some of these images of Neera's big tongue licking up the puddles on the rocks 😝
Took a few shots of them together, with shallow depth of field. Henwen focused in this shot, Neera background, but...
Only a frame or two later I refocused for almost the same shot with Neera focused in the back, Henwen an out-of-focus pariah dog monster
I was greatly enjoying the blurry background "bokeh" here in the forest on a clear day.
He looks pretty happy, but he's actually panting. He just borked his little doggy ass off making a fuss over encountering other dogs in the woods and had to be held tightly as he repeatedly attempted to lunge toward them and remove his harness.
"Puppy in the Park", my little sister, Mel, mostly cropped out, trying to calm Henwen during out metroparks outing.
"Wonder"... I wonder what Henwen wonders about? He's not really as contemplative as this image suggests. He's rather excitable and impulsive as a young pup. I guess that's pretty normal for a young dog, I expect he'll chill out a bit more as he matures.
Again... he's just taking a break from borkin' up a storm. Not really as content as he appears, he's just taking a breather.
These two usually a bit rough with each other... though it looks like they are quite calm in this frame.
That's a nice smile, Neera 😁
Henwen has stick, and he's wary of anyone who might try to take it.
Ah, I wonder what could've taken his attention away from Neera and myself in this moment?
That's all for now, this is the first set. I have more collections to organize and publish when I can find the time. Thank you for viewing, hope you enjoyed!