Pet

Kiki sandy with bokeh at Honeymoon Island State Park

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Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1000th

As Kiki gets older, now almost 1.5 years old, I take less photographs of her, even though I wish I had taken even more when she was a small puppy.  I think in my mind I always thought she would shrink back to under 20 pounds, only to expand again to her current 62 pounds.  Apparently, this is not going to happen.  

She loves the beach and loves to swim.  She likes to chase me while I skimboard too.  After coming out of the water she will often do a nosedive right into the sand.  This is of course nonsensical to me and alarming, as I do not want her to scratch or irritate her eyes by driving sand into them.  The only thing that is not concerning about her sand faceplants is the comical covering of sand on her head that results.  She is nonplussed about it.

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2500th (all 3 same)I also feel Kiki shakes much more than other dogs.  Many times a day she shakes for no apparent reason inside our sand free home.  Of course at the beach she shakes every other minute.  

What kinds of unusual things does your dog do? 

Free iPhone Wallpaper - Smiling Border Collie

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free iPhone wallpaper -- Smiling Border Collie with bokeh

Start your day off with a free new wallpaper for your iPhone or iPod touch!

My dog photography career began last year when I adopted a puppy of my own (Kiki).  She quickly made many friends at the local dog park.  This introduced me to the world of fun and challenge that is trying to photograph dogs running, wrestling and in general going wild in a large fenced in area.  

For photographing candid action shots of dogs I mostly use my Nikkor 105mm VR micro lens because of its fast focusing and great sharpness.  I find 105mm is enough length because eventually all dogs will pass close by.

Reserve a candid action photography session for your dog today, or find out more about them. 

Please let me know if you use this wallpaper in the comments below.

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My full (and growing) collection of iPhone wallpapers can be viewed HERE and are available for just $1 each.

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 To Install the wallpaper onto your iPhone:

1. Right-click or control-click on the image.

2. Select “Save as…”

* Mac users:  save the image to a folder or add it to your iPhoto library.

* PC users:   save the image in your “My Pictures” folder.

Connect the iPhone/iPod Touch to your computer and do the following:

1. Launch iTunes, click your iPhone icon on iTunes, choose the Photos tab, and select “Sync photos from:”

2. From the pop-up menu, do one of the following:

* If your using a Mac, choose iPhoto or your Pictures folder.
* If you’re using a PC, choose My Pictures folder.

3. Choose Folder, then choose any folder on your computer that has images.

4. Choose “All photos,” or choose “Selected folders” or “Selected albums” and choose the folders or albums you want to sync.

On your iPhone:

5. Launch the Photos app. Browse through the albums or Camera Roll until you find the picture you wish to use.

6. Select the picture so it is displayed full screen.

7. Tap the icon in the lower left corner of the screen. If you don’t see the icon, single tap the picture to display the menus.

8. A menu pops up with three options: Email Photo, Use as Wallpaper, or Assign to Contact.

9. Choose “Use as Wallpaper"

Thanks to Photo Focus and Scott Bourne for the directions above.

All iPhone/iPod Touch Wallpapers are provided without any technical support. Each image is a 320×480 jpg file. All images are Copyright Jason Collin Photography, All Rights Reserved. You are granted a single use, non-exclusive, perpetual license to install this wallpaper on any iPhone or iPod Touch personally owned by you. This license grants you the right to use the wallpaper for non-commercial/personal use only. You may not re-sell, distribute, print or otherwise publish the image without the express written consent of the Copyright owner: Jason Collin Photography 

How Saint Petersburg area dogs might think

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This Australian Sheperd is a great listener

Last Sunday I found myself in several pet photography situations, all with dogs.  It got me to thinking, "what do dogs really think when they meet, play with, and wrestle with each other?"  The above and the following is my attempt at reading their minds.  The black & white Border Collie mix, by the way, is my crazy puppy, Kiki.

"I am not opposed at all to public displays of affection."

 

"Who in the world could ever pick on me, a cuddly 4-month old pug puppy?"

 

Apparently dogs are immune to the cuddliness of their own kind and play rough with one and all!

 

"If they will not play nice then I will just take my ball and go home!"

 

"Is a single blade of grass enough to hide me?"

Please feel free to put in the comments below what you think these dogs might be thinking.  

Free iPhone Wallpaper Monday: Weimaraner

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free iPhone wallpaper -- Weimaraner with bokeh

Start your work week off with a free new wallpaper for your iPhone or iPod touch!

It's a hard dog name to pronounce, and I'm not even sure I can say it right still, but a weimaraner is certainly and interesting and unusual dog to me.  Try this free iPhone wallpaper and you can have this weimaraner's piercing eyes staring back at you every time you turn on your phone!

Have a weimaraner and would like him/her to be photographed like this?  Please visit the PET section of this website.

*********

My full (and growing) collection of iPhone wallpapers can be viewed HERE and are available for just $1 each.

*********

 To Install the wallpaper onto your iPhone:

1. Right-click or control-click on the image.

2. Select “Save as…”

* Mac users:  save the image to a folder or add it to your iPhoto library.

* PC users:   save the image in your “My Pictures” folder.

Connect the iPhone/iPod Touch to your computer and do the following:

1. Launch iTunes, click your iPhone icon on iTunes, choose the Photos tab, and select “Sync photos from:”

2. From the pop-up menu, do one of the following:

* If your using a Mac, choose iPhoto or your Pictures folder.
* If you’re using a PC, choose My Pictures folder.

3. Choose Folder, then choose any folder on your computer that has images.

4. Choose “All photos,” or choose “Selected folders” or “Selected albums” and choose the folders or albums you want to sync.

On your iPhone:

5. Launch the Photos app. Browse through the albums or Camera Roll until you find the picture you wish to use.

6. Select the picture so it is displayed full screen.

7. Tap the icon in the lower left corner of the screen. If you don’t see the icon, single tap the picture to display the menus.

8. A menu pops up with three options: Email Photo, Use as Wallpaper, or Assign to Contact.

9. Choose “Use as Wallpaper"

Thanks to Photo Focus and Scott Bourne for the directions above.

All iPhone/iPod Touch Wallpapers are provided without any technical support. Each image is a 320×480 jpg file. All images are Copyright Jason Collin Photography, All Rights Reserved. You are granted a single use, non-exclusive, perpetual license to install this wallpaper on any iPhone or iPod Touch personally owned by you. This license grants you the right to use the wallpaper for non-commercial/personal use only. You may not re-sell, distribute, print or otherwise publish the image without the express written consent of the Copyright owner: Jason Collin Photography 

Equestrian Photography is fun and challenging

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Jumping is a powerful action by the horse, though at full speed it looks like it takes little muscle.

To a person not versed on the intricacies of horse jumping, it is nearly impossible to tell a good ride from a bad ride unless the horse knocks down or hits the top bar on a gate.  I have photographed several all day equestrian events as a freelance photographer for Tampa Pet Photography, and I am only just learning what the judges actually look for.  The whole time I am still thinking, "why does the horse even need direction to know how to jump over the gate?  Can't it just do it on its own?"

Fox Lea Farm in Venice, Florida is a large, three corral equestrian venue.

Then there are the intricacies of getting the ideal equestrian shot.  The number one priority is making sure the horse's legs are curled under its body.  Capturing the horse at the apex of its jump while still only just above the gate is the next photographic target.  Having the rider pressed tightly against the horse's neck with her (99% of the time they are female riders) face showing would then make it a technically perfect equestrian shot.  Obviously this takes a lot of practice and knowledge of the course (i.e. which direction they jump the gates) and the ability of getting a clean field of view while still ideally having the sun to your back.  Such conditions do not often arise in the glaring late mornings and afternoons in Florida.

I try and memorize the order in which the rider and horse jump over the gates then focus on the 3 or four gates I can actually make a good shot from.

It really helps to have a camera capable of a very high FPS shooting speed.  My Nikon D300 can at its peak get 6 FPS, and that is the bare minimum.  I would certainly like to have the D3s' 9+ FPS capability.  No matter what FPS your camera is capable of, memorizing the course the riders and horses follow over the gates is essential to having any chance at making an ideal or otherwise equestrian photograph.  Out of maybe 14 gates on the largest course and about 8 on the medium sized one, I am usually lucky to be able to have 2-4 gates where it is even possible to make a technically perfect equestrian shot.  All the other gates are either at the wrong angle to my vantage point, too far away, obscured, or so directly backlit that the shot would have no quality to it whatsoever.

I don't know if I'd trust my physical well-being to a horse in this mental state. I can report the woman cleared the course on that horse without incident fortunately.

People are not the only beings to make extremely funny faces while engaged in sports.  The horses can be caught in quite embarrassing poses as well.  It is a rule not to snap away when the horse gets too close, especially if you have a really loud camera actuation (my D300 does) so as to not spook or distract the horse.  Of course flash is totally forbidden.  

The Michael Jordan of horses!

This weekend I will continue my pursuit of making the ideal equestrian shot! 

Summer Pet Photography Special

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Let's go to the dog park!

Jason Collin Photography specializes in candid portraits, especially for dogs.  However, these services are available for any pet, indoor or outdoor. 

The benefits of this Summer Pet Promotion:

  • 2 hour candid pet portrait session (regularly 90-minutes)
  • 40 professionally edited images (regularly 20)
  • 15% off the regular price (savings of $30!)

All of the above for $200 + tax.  This is a limited time offer for new clients only.