Typist: Bethany
Photographing three dogs while out on dog friendly adventures is enough of a daily challenge. When I throw adventure cat Amelia and traveling cockatoo Leo into the pet friendly outing mix, I very rarely get a picture with all five pets in perfect photograph form. But I do get a variety of group pet photos that display each pets individuality, serve the "we were here together" purpose, and give me a good chuckle. Perhaps it is the togetherness aspect of our adventures or that I am a glutton for punishment but I rarely photograph any of the pets alone. Shooting headshots for the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to see what I could do with only one pet at a time in front of my camera. Any change in routine can be difficult. In this case, moving from photographing multiple pets to just one was indeed a challenge.

Dogwood Photography Photo Challenge Week 4, Portrait: Headshot
"You shot a selfie, now shoot a 'selfie' of someone else!"

The first challenge for me this week was choosing the pet portrait location and best lighting. I toyed with the idea of shooting each pet in their favorite place but the lighting in some of those places would not make for the classy portrait the dogs, cat and cockatoo deserved. So upon settling on photographing the pet's headshots outdoors, it rained buckets for days. Then I got a cold. I also knew that getting the right angle and clarity in these photographs would take an extra set of human hands. And Jason did a lot of traveling for work last week. Photo challenge indeed! But at last, the sun came out, I was able to get out of bed, and the neighbor was kindly available to help pet wrangle. Like all challenges, the tougher it is, the greater the reward. And I absolutely love each headshot! Like an excellent portrait should do, these photos perfectly display the individual personalities of my beloved pets.

This post is a part of the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge. Please see more of our photo challenge posts here.

Share this post:

Typist: Bethany
When I worked at a dog daycare facility, we constantly compared dog play to child play. My background is in child development and child psychology so the leap from what kids do on the playground to what dogs do on the playground was made with ease. Similar to the 5 years my brother and I spent at the same schools, on the same playgrounds and never so much as looked at each other, when Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley are given a choice, they prefer to play dogs that they don't live with. Now, I do consider myself extremely lucky that the dogs occasionally play together, usually get along and don't kill each other. Keeping them from killing each other is one of the reasons I work so hard to get us out and about as often as possible. Maybe my parents had the same plan for my brother and I since we are both still alive. Among my favorite dog outings are our play dates with the collie girls, Gypsy, Gilly and Ginger. Yes, we have a neighbor who also has three dogs and those collies make the best playmates! On last Thursday's visit to their lovely yard, I observed and photographed a playful interaction between one very handsome blue merle Cardigan Welsh corgi, Brychwyn, and an elegant blue merle rough collie, Ginger. The silly antics of these two dogs sent me back to my dog daycare days as well as my studies of kids on the playground. While I never saw children initiate play with a lick, I did observe them run away from possible play rejection. My brother and I always pretended not to be playing together when we believed someone else might be watching especially my parents and most especially if we were playing bitey face. While reminiscing and preparing the play photos for this post, I wondered who had more fun, the playing dogs or me.

Share this post:

Typist: Brychwyn
There is no denying that we dogs get into a lot of mischief. Sometimes, though, mischievous things go on around the house that aren't the fault of a dachshund, a collie or a corgi. One excellent example of mischief mistakenly blamed on innocent dogs occurred this week with a toy that Bethany got for us on a recent road trip. That toy has spent the whole week making mischief everywhere! I kept finding that toy in all kind of places that toys are not allowed. Was I rewarded or praised for pointing our the wrong doings of the toy? Of course not! Wilhelm, Huxley and I had decided that we had enough of that mischievous toy breaking all the rules so we worked tirelessly to put an end to it's trouble making tyranny. For some reason, Bethany and Jason were not proud of us for disemboweling and dismembering that disobedient toy. I just wished they would understand about all the mischief that toy had been up to! I think the humans finally saw the misbehaving toy for the bother it really was when it turned up outside yesterday afternoon. Wilhelm, Huxley and I all know furry toys are not allowed outside but that mischievous toy would just not obey the rules. If Bethany ever buys us another toy, I certainly hope she will make sure it is one that won't make so much mischief.

Toys are not allowed outside.

Do you know any dogs who get blamed for mischief that isn't their fault?

Share this post:

Typist: Bethany
The beginning of the year is usually when people create goals, resolutions and make plans for the future. Yet for some reason this time of year causes me to reflect on the past, particularly how quickly time flies. In dog time, days whiz by in a blur! Everyday I spend with Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley I am amazed at how quickly they grow and the progress they continue to make in training and socialization. Looking back at when my best friends were new additions to my life reminds me that each and everyday with them is the most special of gifts. In that sense, I think spending my New Year reflecting on the past, actually helps me to enjoy the present and wisely plan for the future. I treasure my dogs at every stage of life, past, present and future. There is no better way to cherish the new by embracing the old. (Especially when my old dogs were so very cute as new puppies!)

What kind of perspective do you gain from reflecting on the past?

Share this post: