5-Day Art Challenge - DAY 2

Hello Everyone! This is DAY 2 of the Facebook art challenge posting 3 artworks each day over 5 days. (No sense in Facebook having all of the fun, so I'm posting it here, too!) Warm thanks to Debbie Lamey MacDonald, a Nova Scotia artist, for nominating me.

 

In my world, pets are family. And, there's nothing I  love more to photograph is capturing the relationship of a person and their animal companions.

 

Capturing a natural interaction, not a forced hug or holding a dog still, is tricky though. While a person can be directed to smile and look at the camera, a pet is easily distracted by its surroundings. So, photos like this usually require me to take a series of candid, quick shots....hoping to capture that one photo that works. The one photo where the composition works, the expression on both the person and pet is natural, and the pet's gesture is relaxed.

 

The first photo, taken for a class project, is of my niece and her lopped-eared rabbit. Can you tell that she adores her?

 

The second photo, taken during a shoot for senior pictures, was shot beside a local lake. The quacking and honking of ducks and geese, and the scurrying of squirrels in the Fall leaves couldn't have been more of a distraction for this happy dog. At least 20 shutter clicks and this one materialized where both subjects are in perfect post.

 

The third photo was taken randomly at North Myrtle Beach this past July. As I was walking the beach at sunrise with my camera, a young gentleman stepped up to the surf with his beautiful golden retriever then started walking along the water. Had I asked him if I could take his picture, I am sure he would have stopped what he was doing and stooped to hug the dog and look at the camera...creating a forced, posed photo. Instead, I said nothing and started clicking my camera as he saunters along the low tide with his dog happily trotting along with him. My only regret is that I didn't catch up with him to get his contact information. I'd love the opportunity to send him the photo, so if you recognize him, please put us in touch with each other!

 

You can't always wait for what you think are the best conditions for a photo. The rabbit photo was taken in early spring, the grass just beginning to show signs of  green -- not the optimal bright Spring green you'd expect. Yet the bright purple shirt and sweet expressions still carry the photo despite any brown grass.

 

The second photo was take in late Fall after many of the leaves had already fallen. A teens incredibly busy schedule and a soggy Fall hampered scheduling. I began to question whether I was even going to get a good Fall photo for the family. In late afternoon, with about 1/2 hour of descent sunlight remaining, the sycamore tree in the background provided the perfect composition.

 

The third photo, well, it was pure luck. The low tide and early morning cloud cover just happened. I was at the right place and the right time. No planning. *click*

 

So, the one person I know that knows the camera better than anyone I know (did I say "know" enough?), is Patrick Early, so I nominate Patrick to participate in the 5-day Facebook art challenge!