2013, Day 73 - Half alert

I admit I am on a kick with dogs.  Mine and others but my boys need love too.  Stubbs is the old man of the house and age is quickly catching up with him.  Our walks are shorter because of his arthritis and although he still plays it lacks the bull-in-a-china-shop enthusiasm that he used to possess.  Still, he has his moments and his affection remains undiminished.  Here is is laying in bed with a strand of LED lights behind him, they almost look like thought bubbles in a comic strip.  I wonder what he was thinking...

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.2L
50mm, f1.4, 1/80 sec @ 1000 ISO

2013, Day 72 - Beast!

Oh sweet Hubert!  He is getting older and, mostly, better.  His beautiful blue coat is now flecked with white but he remains as goofy as ever.  Even when he is a pain in the ass he is sweet about it.

I was playing with a ringflash this afternoon to see how it would act.  You can see the donut of light reflected in his eye and while I was tempted to edit it out I decided to leave it although I might edit it in the future to make it a solid white dot.  This shot was taken with an octabox camera left to provide fill.  I love an excuse to take pictures of my boys :)

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f4, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 71 - Angelic

Sweet Shelby isn't as much a lover as her sister Mocha.  She is an explorer and at just six weeks she's ready to take on all life has to offer.  When the pups were moved from their private room to a luxurious pen near all the other adults it was Shelby who walked up without a hint of hesitation.  Her tail was wagging furiously and she tried to taste her uncle Taj's nose as her came to visit.  Most of the adults had not met the puppies yet and were very curious but the whole litter followed Shelby's lead and met them all through the safety of the pen.  Right now they are still to small and fragile to get play time with the big kids but it will come soon enough...

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f11, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 70 - Miniature jungle

The slow warming of the days, despite the rain, is turning the city green.  Even the moss is showing additional signs of life, little patches are becoming lush carpets.  They are like tiny emerald jungles.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/160 sec @ 320 ISO

2013, Day 69 - Innocence

This afternoon I was again able to experience one of the fundamental joys of life, puppy time!  My friend Karen has a litter of beautiful puppies and at six weeks old they see the world as the staging ground for adventure.  Even when we sat them down for portraits they found their confidence quickly.  The big strobe is a lot to take in but after a couple pops it didn't bother them at all and their little tails just wouldn't stop.  So I knelt in front of the makeshift studio as three puppies jumped all over me, attacked my feet, and vied for my attention while their sibling took center stage.

This little angel is Mocha.  They are all adorable but she is my favorite.  Her only goal in life is to cuddle and she is just so sweet.  It was tempting to try to sneak her out in my backpack...

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f11, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 68 - Amphibious memories

One of the things I liked about the temples around Siem Reap was all the life.  Especially the frogs.  There were hundreds of little frogs hiding in tall grass or in the leaf litter.  They were hard to notice but as you took a step it was like shuffling your feet through leaves, a cascade of frogs would leap from the ground avoiding your step.

When you are in an environment as awe inspiring as the temples of Angkor it is easy to miss the details.  The larger picture is so enchanting that you get distracted and, as a photographer, I often found I had a wide angle lens mounted.  But I kept my macro handy and below is one of the little devils.

Frogs remind me of my childhood.  I get up near a creek and in the summers my friends and I would go catch frogs, crayfish, and snakes.  We spent hours along the muddy bank and often came home only to hose off in the driveway or backyard.  It was always an adventure and the mud made it that much more fun for us.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 800 ISO

2013, Day 67 - Persimmon seller

I took this on an early morning walk through the market.  It was crowded but still cool in the shade and the sweet scent of fruit was almost strong enough to overpower the smell coming from the nearby meat vendors.  Women sat in groups peeling jackfruit and chatting or eating breakfast as I passed.  As I made my was through the market the persimmons caught my eye so I stopped to take a picture.  I didn't buy any as we were only staying in Cambodia for another day and I had already purchased mangosteens and jackfruit.

Canon 1D X, Canon 50/f1.2L
50mm, f2, 1/160 sec @ 160 ISO