Typist: Bethany
When I was young, traveling North America in the family van, if we were lucky my dad would honk the horn as we went through a tunnel. Luck was if there was not one else around; my dad was considerate enough not to freak other tunnel goers out just for the giggling pleasure of his kids. I don't remember exactly what our dogs did when the light suddenly changed in the van and my brother and I began to plead to hear a horn echo in the darkness horn. Like my traveling dogs, cat, and cockatoo, those dogs probably slept right through the shadows of tunnel fun. The excitement of passing through a tunnel instilled in me by my dad has the same effect on my current travel pets as my childhood dogs... they keep on snoozing. I do often wonder, though, what road trip tunnel going Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, Amelia, and Leo would do if they heard that "ah-oooo-gah" echoing until passing into the light at the other end. I wonder because I don't honk. Even if I am all alone for miles. Sorry, dad. It just isn't the same without you, a school bus yellow camper van, and a custom ahooga horn. But I do still so love a good tunnel...

Dogwood Photography Photo Challenge Week 9, Artistic: Shadows
"The opposite of light is dark, the absence of light is shadow. Interpret this into a masterpiece."

What it is about tunnels that is so magical? I know I have wonderful ahooga horn memories but those are unique. Other people and animals, even those who have never heard a crazy family van horn, enjoy tunnels as well. Why? This fascination with light to dark to light is what inspired "The Tunnel of Love" as well as "The Tunnel of Terror." Whatever it is about the echoing of sound, the sudden absence, and the impending presence of light that is just so frightening, fun, and beautiful at the same time, I love it. And even if I don't carry on the family honk tradition when I pass through a tunnel on a road trip, I never want to stop feeling thrilled every time I get to focus on that light at the end of the tunnel and literally get tunnel vision.

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

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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.

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Typist: Bethany
Ah, red. It's one of my favorite colors and a photo challenge theme like artistic photos with a color theme is exactly why I wanted to join another year long photographic journey. All week, I have been pondering "how can I shoot that?" every time something red catches my eye. As usual, it is the pets that not only inspire but guide my imagination. When Leo showed an interest in the red ribbon I was removing from the Christmas wreath, I decided to set up a creative photo shoot with a white cockatoo in red.

Dogwood Photography Photo Challenge Week 3, Artistic: Red
"Shoot whatever inspires you. Red should be the focus of the image. Don't be afraid to be creative."

Leo playing peek-a-boo with the ribbon, manipulating it with his beak, and enjoying the crimson sparkles was very entertaining. It was also excellent for my parrot to have a positive experience with red which has occasionally proven to be a color he doesn't like. Perhaps his instincts remind him that somewhere in the wilds of New Guinea, there is a Triton cockatoo predator flashing a subtle red warning. Soon after our staged shoot, we had an accidental red encounter with Jason wearing his headlamp in the driveway. I am sharing these photos as well because, first, I totally love them, and I also think this second red cockatoo shoot speaks volumes about a photographic journey. I pondered what red photo I would take all week, I set up a complex photo shoot, yet the perfect red artistic photo was just a step outside with what inspires me sitting on my hand.

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

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Happy Holidays!
-Leo & Bethany, plus Jason, Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, & Amelia too

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