Elaine
06-28-2010, 10:46 AM
We get a lot of compliments about the photos on our website… and with over 65, 000 views, I am talking “a lot of compliments.” Truth is, we like taking photos,:) but for any of you who have ever tired to get “a good stacked photo”… you know that it’s easier to get Osama Bin Laden to walk into a Manhattan court room than to get a good stacked photo.
There’s lots of planning and preparation that go into a photo shoot, from acquiring the dog, and raising, training and conditioning it properly, to purchasing the right camera for your purposes, to finding the right location for “the money shot”… with the right background and the right lighting for specific time of day that you’re shooting, and then there is getting the dog ready and the handler dressed and ready, and the bait and the right lead and all the other accessories that are ready off camera. You need at least two people (and neither one of them can be Pam or John - an inside joke - see post #9 of this thread http://dogshownewsnetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1298 :rolleyes:)...but a crew of fifty would be good too. All in all, it’s a pain in the ass, and that’s all before you even turn the camera on.
Once the camera starts clicking there’s:
“You’ve stacked him in a hole.”
“Get his tail up.”
“Move the inside front foot back.”
“Get his tail up.”
“No, the other front foot.”
“NO, the other front foot.”
NO!!! THE OTHER FRONT FOOT!!!”
It’s the other %#^*&^@ front foot - sweetheart!!!”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“ Now he’s moved his back feet.”
“Great!”
Wait, the camera won’t take the shot’
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Wait, he’s moved his front foot again.”
“Wait, there’s a car.”
“Wait, there’s a cat.”
“Wait, there’s a squirrel.”
“Turn him to the squirrel.”
“Great.”
"Wait, the camera can’t focus"
"Wait, the battery needs to recharge."
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Did you bring something else, he doesn’t like this bait.”
“How the hell does Kelly do this for a living?” :eek:
We used to take a lot more photos of the dogs, but lately Arthur has been working 24/7 and there simply hasn’t been the time or opportunity to take photos like we used to. I tried using other photographers, with decidedly marginal success (bordering on utter failure).
There is no question but that Arthur and I are a team, a well-oiled photo-taking-machine. We're at our best when it comes to taking photos of our dogs. After all these years we have the routine down pat. For the young puppies, ots best to take them inside. I stack them and Arthur takes the photos. For the older puppies, they look best outside. Arthur stacks them and I take the photos. So, Friday we took photos of the Titan - Flip puppies and Sunday morning we intended to finally get some nice shots of the Warkant – Claire kids.
The Friday shoot went well enough, not spectacular, but we have gotten so critical and picky over the years that it’s near impossible to satisfy us anymore.
The Sunday shoot didn’t quite go as planned. We were up at 6:00 a.m. "THE PLAN" was to be at the Pinehurst Hotel (which is a five star luxury resort hotel with stunningly beautiful grounds) to start shooting photos by 7:30.
We got a bit of a late start… for reasons that are still not clear to me Arthur insisted on wearing a suit, :confused: so after we finally got the van loaded, and the dogs in the van, he then had to go get dressed - again. :rolleyes: :confused: Time was ticking away, but we were on the road by about 8:00am.
IF you’ve taken a lot of photos of young dogs you know that often your best photos are the very first, when the location is novel to the puppy and they are “up on their toes” looking at everything. Little puppies do not have the musculature of adult dogs, their top-lines can be softer than they will be as adults… they don’t always use their ears, etc. To get “the money shot” it is important that the dog is energized and focused on something really novel. Those first few shots are often the very best. :) The right shot of the dog is worth much more that a pretty background. If the right shot is in the parking lot, take the frickin shot in the parking lot.
SO we get to the hotel, I get out and get ready to start shooting. It takes Arthur a moment to get Diarado out of the crate and get his lead on. Diarado pops out of the van, notices some squirrels playing in the shrubbery about 20 feet away, comes up on his toes, tenses his top-line, arches his beautiful long neck, puffs out his chest and looks WORLD CLASS AMAZING!!! This is all I ever hoped for and more. I start snapping photos, I can see them in the viewfinder as I take them, they are stunning, one - after another - after another. I have never taken such beautiful photos of such a beautiful dog! Heck, I’ve never seen such beautiful photos of such a beautiful young dog. I take over 120 photos … all beautiful, I will have more than enough to choose from… I am euphoric. All this effort has paid off. I have my beautiful photos of my beautiful dog. :
After a few minutes the squirrels have run up a tree, Diarado has lost interest in them, and Arthur goes over to put him back in the van and get DiMaggio. While waiting for Arthur I decide to review some of the photos I just took. “What a great day this is!!!"
NO photos.
None at all, just a black screen. :confused:
My first thought is, “It must be the review program menu… I must have it set wrong. I’ll look at the photos later.”
Arthur is back now with DiMaggio. There are no squirrels to look at, DiMaggio is not at all thrilled to be in what is fast becoming a hot parking lot, he is not interested in bait, he will not use his ears… there really isn’t much to do, he is a young dog and sometimes they just aren’t in the mood. No big deal, we have those great photos of Diarado, it’s still a great day. Arthur goes to put DiMaggio back and get Hotline. :cool:
About this time I notice a line of text in the viewfinder. “Lens not attached to camera.”
That doesn’t sound good!
I look and sure enough, the lens is not attached properly to the camera.
"When did that happen?"
"Crap!!!"
I think back to the photos just I took of Diarado, I look for them, they are not on the camera. :eek: All I have are 120 black frames. One hundred and twenty frickin solid black “photos.” :mad:
My heart sinks.
About this time I notice that it is getting hot fast.
“Arthur, we did not get any of the photos of Diarado, the camera lens was not attached to the camera. None of the photos were recorded. None! Not a single one! We have to re do them all.”
I can not print what Arthur’s reaction was, but I would guess that his enthusiasm was waning in direct proportion to how hot and exasperated he was becoming. At that point I felt about the same.
As an aside, and overlooking for a moment that I am a complete moron, for a fact, the camera will not take a shot if the battery is not recharged, why does it not refuse to take a shot if the lens is not attached? :mad: Both no battery and no lens equals "no possible photo." Shouldn’t there be a flashing camera icon that says, “Hey you frickin moron, this camera’s lens is not attached?” Seriously, is that asking too much? All I am asking for is clear notice that the lens is not attached. Because there was time to reattach the lens and still get 120 beautiful photos of Diarado. One simple frickin flashing icon… how hard would that have been?” :mad:
With no other choice, we get Diarado back out of the van again (in the utterly futile hope that the magic will happen a second time). Not a chance. Diarado is not interested in anything, he is hot and tired, he will not bait, he could care less about squirrels or anything else… he simply stands like a sac of potatoes with a look that says, “Are you done yet? Will this nonsense ever end?” I suspect that it is simply too hot for him and he wants to go home. in fact, you can see Diarado is sweating...
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/arthurgreenwood/Diarado-6-26-10.jpg
We put him back in the air conditioned van and try with his sister.
So here comes Arthur with Hotline, who is not at all thrilled with any part of this. When they described “bitch” in the dictionary, they had Hotline in mind. She is lovely, but if god forbid she ain’t in the mood, she will give you nothing at all, and you’re not going to convince her otherwise.
It’s about 9:30, and here we all are, the three of us, still in the parking lot of this beautiful hotel: Arthur (who is starting to sweat profusely in his suit), a very cranky bitch; and a dog that ain’t any too willing either.
Things start to go down hill fast.
“You’re not connecting to her, she is in the wrong spot, the light is wrong, try in front of the red flowers, the dog is not trained, the bait is worthless, there is no good spot, let’s try over there, she will not bait, Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there… try in front of the red flowers, she will not bait, she does not want to do this. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers.
"She won't bait” ... and, wait for it.... wait for it... "Why isn't she better trained? What do you do all day?"
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/arthurgreenwood/Hotline-6-26-2010c.jpg
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/arthurgreenwood/Hotline-6-26-2010XX.jpg
I give up completely, go back and get the van, and eventually drive over to pick up Arthur and Hotline. I let him drive. Far as I am concerned, we can just go home...and then he can "go" somewhere else. He feels about the same. Given the mood in the van, that probably should have been the end of our photo shoot for the day.
Instead we drive over to the Fair Barn at the Race Track. The Pinehurst Track is a lovely peaceful setting. We park and start talking about where the light might be good for a photo… neither of us are in the mood to continue. Tensions rise. We get out of the van, it’s getting hotter by the minute, Arthur is sweating buckets in his suit. There really is no good shot, no place with good lighting and a good surface for a photo. We should have stayed back at the hotel. I say a few choice words about this or that and start to walk away. Arthur gets pissed. In total frustration he tosses the bag of bait, and in a perfect synchronization-o-crap, I unwittingly turn back to him as the bait bag comes flying past in my direction. The bait bag catches the camera and hurls it to the ground about 20 feet away… the lens is now clearly “not attached” ... and neither is the battery cover or the viewfinder. There are camera parts and pieces everywhere.
Guess what? The flying camera broke the tension (and the camera). Maybe it was just the certainty that we were done for the day, but we laughed, got in the van and went home.
As I see it there are at least two major problems with the Nikon D5000. I’ve already bitched about the first, the other one is that the camera does not bounce.
This morning the camera is in a box on a UPS truck on it’s way to the shop. The three frickin photos posted above are about all that survived, none are worth spit... and the really insane part of all this…we are going to try again next weekend. :D
There’s lots of planning and preparation that go into a photo shoot, from acquiring the dog, and raising, training and conditioning it properly, to purchasing the right camera for your purposes, to finding the right location for “the money shot”… with the right background and the right lighting for specific time of day that you’re shooting, and then there is getting the dog ready and the handler dressed and ready, and the bait and the right lead and all the other accessories that are ready off camera. You need at least two people (and neither one of them can be Pam or John - an inside joke - see post #9 of this thread http://dogshownewsnetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1298 :rolleyes:)...but a crew of fifty would be good too. All in all, it’s a pain in the ass, and that’s all before you even turn the camera on.
Once the camera starts clicking there’s:
“You’ve stacked him in a hole.”
“Get his tail up.”
“Move the inside front foot back.”
“Get his tail up.”
“No, the other front foot.”
“NO, the other front foot.”
NO!!! THE OTHER FRONT FOOT!!!”
It’s the other %#^*&^@ front foot - sweetheart!!!”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“ Now he’s moved his back feet.”
“Great!”
Wait, the camera won’t take the shot’
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Wait, he’s moved his front foot again.”
“Wait, there’s a car.”
“Wait, there’s a cat.”
“Wait, there’s a squirrel.”
“Turn him to the squirrel.”
“Great.”
"Wait, the camera can’t focus"
"Wait, the battery needs to recharge."
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Get his tail up.”
"Wait, the camera won’t take the shot"
“Okay, it’s ready.”
“Did you bring something else, he doesn’t like this bait.”
“How the hell does Kelly do this for a living?” :eek:
We used to take a lot more photos of the dogs, but lately Arthur has been working 24/7 and there simply hasn’t been the time or opportunity to take photos like we used to. I tried using other photographers, with decidedly marginal success (bordering on utter failure).
There is no question but that Arthur and I are a team, a well-oiled photo-taking-machine. We're at our best when it comes to taking photos of our dogs. After all these years we have the routine down pat. For the young puppies, ots best to take them inside. I stack them and Arthur takes the photos. For the older puppies, they look best outside. Arthur stacks them and I take the photos. So, Friday we took photos of the Titan - Flip puppies and Sunday morning we intended to finally get some nice shots of the Warkant – Claire kids.
The Friday shoot went well enough, not spectacular, but we have gotten so critical and picky over the years that it’s near impossible to satisfy us anymore.
The Sunday shoot didn’t quite go as planned. We were up at 6:00 a.m. "THE PLAN" was to be at the Pinehurst Hotel (which is a five star luxury resort hotel with stunningly beautiful grounds) to start shooting photos by 7:30.
We got a bit of a late start… for reasons that are still not clear to me Arthur insisted on wearing a suit, :confused: so after we finally got the van loaded, and the dogs in the van, he then had to go get dressed - again. :rolleyes: :confused: Time was ticking away, but we were on the road by about 8:00am.
IF you’ve taken a lot of photos of young dogs you know that often your best photos are the very first, when the location is novel to the puppy and they are “up on their toes” looking at everything. Little puppies do not have the musculature of adult dogs, their top-lines can be softer than they will be as adults… they don’t always use their ears, etc. To get “the money shot” it is important that the dog is energized and focused on something really novel. Those first few shots are often the very best. :) The right shot of the dog is worth much more that a pretty background. If the right shot is in the parking lot, take the frickin shot in the parking lot.
SO we get to the hotel, I get out and get ready to start shooting. It takes Arthur a moment to get Diarado out of the crate and get his lead on. Diarado pops out of the van, notices some squirrels playing in the shrubbery about 20 feet away, comes up on his toes, tenses his top-line, arches his beautiful long neck, puffs out his chest and looks WORLD CLASS AMAZING!!! This is all I ever hoped for and more. I start snapping photos, I can see them in the viewfinder as I take them, they are stunning, one - after another - after another. I have never taken such beautiful photos of such a beautiful dog! Heck, I’ve never seen such beautiful photos of such a beautiful young dog. I take over 120 photos … all beautiful, I will have more than enough to choose from… I am euphoric. All this effort has paid off. I have my beautiful photos of my beautiful dog. :
After a few minutes the squirrels have run up a tree, Diarado has lost interest in them, and Arthur goes over to put him back in the van and get DiMaggio. While waiting for Arthur I decide to review some of the photos I just took. “What a great day this is!!!"
NO photos.
None at all, just a black screen. :confused:
My first thought is, “It must be the review program menu… I must have it set wrong. I’ll look at the photos later.”
Arthur is back now with DiMaggio. There are no squirrels to look at, DiMaggio is not at all thrilled to be in what is fast becoming a hot parking lot, he is not interested in bait, he will not use his ears… there really isn’t much to do, he is a young dog and sometimes they just aren’t in the mood. No big deal, we have those great photos of Diarado, it’s still a great day. Arthur goes to put DiMaggio back and get Hotline. :cool:
About this time I notice a line of text in the viewfinder. “Lens not attached to camera.”
That doesn’t sound good!
I look and sure enough, the lens is not attached properly to the camera.
"When did that happen?"
"Crap!!!"
I think back to the photos just I took of Diarado, I look for them, they are not on the camera. :eek: All I have are 120 black frames. One hundred and twenty frickin solid black “photos.” :mad:
My heart sinks.
About this time I notice that it is getting hot fast.
“Arthur, we did not get any of the photos of Diarado, the camera lens was not attached to the camera. None of the photos were recorded. None! Not a single one! We have to re do them all.”
I can not print what Arthur’s reaction was, but I would guess that his enthusiasm was waning in direct proportion to how hot and exasperated he was becoming. At that point I felt about the same.
As an aside, and overlooking for a moment that I am a complete moron, for a fact, the camera will not take a shot if the battery is not recharged, why does it not refuse to take a shot if the lens is not attached? :mad: Both no battery and no lens equals "no possible photo." Shouldn’t there be a flashing camera icon that says, “Hey you frickin moron, this camera’s lens is not attached?” Seriously, is that asking too much? All I am asking for is clear notice that the lens is not attached. Because there was time to reattach the lens and still get 120 beautiful photos of Diarado. One simple frickin flashing icon… how hard would that have been?” :mad:
With no other choice, we get Diarado back out of the van again (in the utterly futile hope that the magic will happen a second time). Not a chance. Diarado is not interested in anything, he is hot and tired, he will not bait, he could care less about squirrels or anything else… he simply stands like a sac of potatoes with a look that says, “Are you done yet? Will this nonsense ever end?” I suspect that it is simply too hot for him and he wants to go home. in fact, you can see Diarado is sweating...
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/arthurgreenwood/Diarado-6-26-10.jpg
We put him back in the air conditioned van and try with his sister.
So here comes Arthur with Hotline, who is not at all thrilled with any part of this. When they described “bitch” in the dictionary, they had Hotline in mind. She is lovely, but if god forbid she ain’t in the mood, she will give you nothing at all, and you’re not going to convince her otherwise.
It’s about 9:30, and here we all are, the three of us, still in the parking lot of this beautiful hotel: Arthur (who is starting to sweat profusely in his suit), a very cranky bitch; and a dog that ain’t any too willing either.
Things start to go down hill fast.
“You’re not connecting to her, she is in the wrong spot, the light is wrong, try in front of the red flowers, the dog is not trained, the bait is worthless, there is no good spot, let’s try over there, she will not bait, Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there… try in front of the red flowers, she will not bait, she does not want to do this. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers. She won't bait. Try in front of the red flowers. Let’s try over there, no lets’ try over there. Try in front of the red flowers.
"She won't bait” ... and, wait for it.... wait for it... "Why isn't she better trained? What do you do all day?"
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/arthurgreenwood/Hotline-6-26-2010c.jpg
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/arthurgreenwood/Hotline-6-26-2010XX.jpg
I give up completely, go back and get the van, and eventually drive over to pick up Arthur and Hotline. I let him drive. Far as I am concerned, we can just go home...and then he can "go" somewhere else. He feels about the same. Given the mood in the van, that probably should have been the end of our photo shoot for the day.
Instead we drive over to the Fair Barn at the Race Track. The Pinehurst Track is a lovely peaceful setting. We park and start talking about where the light might be good for a photo… neither of us are in the mood to continue. Tensions rise. We get out of the van, it’s getting hotter by the minute, Arthur is sweating buckets in his suit. There really is no good shot, no place with good lighting and a good surface for a photo. We should have stayed back at the hotel. I say a few choice words about this or that and start to walk away. Arthur gets pissed. In total frustration he tosses the bag of bait, and in a perfect synchronization-o-crap, I unwittingly turn back to him as the bait bag comes flying past in my direction. The bait bag catches the camera and hurls it to the ground about 20 feet away… the lens is now clearly “not attached” ... and neither is the battery cover or the viewfinder. There are camera parts and pieces everywhere.
Guess what? The flying camera broke the tension (and the camera). Maybe it was just the certainty that we were done for the day, but we laughed, got in the van and went home.
As I see it there are at least two major problems with the Nikon D5000. I’ve already bitched about the first, the other one is that the camera does not bounce.
This morning the camera is in a box on a UPS truck on it’s way to the shop. The three frickin photos posted above are about all that survived, none are worth spit... and the really insane part of all this…we are going to try again next weekend. :D