Posts tagged ‘film’

Mar 8

52 Weeks Project: Man’s Best Friend

from the Photo Lab

Welcome to Friday’s 52 Weeks project post, a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their photographic interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. We are back this week and have some great images to share. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Man’s Best Friend

All dogs are special. Each one we share our life with is an individual, and our bond to him or her is just as unique. There is no “one size fits all”, and I am glad of it. Yet, every once in a while, we have the sheer priviledge of finding ourselves in the company of a one-in-a-million dog (or cat), often called “heart dogs”, they are the kind of companions that as the saying goes, enter your life and change everything.

We are extremely fortunate, that in our life, we happen to have two such “heart dogs”. Corbin is Bill’s first dog. Ever… and much like a first love, they have a particularly strong bond. I know Corbie loves me, and I adore him, but Bill is his person. He lights up when Bill comes into the room, it’s just beautifully different.
I happen to have the same relationship they have, only mine is with Willow; though I can’t speak for her, I know I feel my heart close to bursting whenever I am in her company.
What about our kitties you ask? Well, I don’t exagrate when I say that they happen to be heart cats too! Though I feel they are equally bonded to both Bill and myself, in different ways perhaps but still.

Since this week’s theme is called “Man’s Best Friend” however, I thought I’d dedicate it to my boys: Bill, Corbie and RT.

This is an outtake from a recent photoshoot for the wonderful folks at Found My Animal, who happen to make the best leashes!

Real men have a soft side, and they are not afraid to show it

Want more heart-warming photographs? Follow the blog ring by clicking over to Unleashed! pet portraits, Victoria BC!

Feb 15

3 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Happy Face

from the Photo Lab

This week’s theme: Happy Face

This is the one thing that shoots an arrow straight to my heart: a dog’s happy face. There is nothing sweeter and more amazing than to see joy expressed by such an amazing creature. Whenever Corbin smiles, he reminds me of the very first time we took him to the beach, he was just a baby and he was pure joy. And I will never forget the first time Willow expressed genuine joy at seeing me, it was hard-earned from a fearful pup and it melted my heart to the core.

However, since I always share photographs of our pack, I wanted to share a few new happy faces. Both are from sessions we’ve had this past week.

Meet Lilly, the lovely, three-legged itty Pittie, oh so loved by her family. Now THAT is something worth smiling about.

This is Lilly’s brother Cooper, an Akita mix and quite a dapper gent.

This really cool girl is Georgia, an Australian Shepherd/Labrador mix. She helped us out with our Valentine-themed photoshoot. Her gorgeous markings remind me of cookies and cream ice cream

Georgia adores her mom Sue, an unbelievable trainer and canine behaviorist.

Want to see more happy faces? Follow the blog ring and visit Maryland Pet Photographer, KRS Images…

Feb 14

~ Love Should Be Celebrated Everyday ~

from the Photo Lab

As photographers dedicated to celebrating the tremendous bond people share with companion animals, nothing makes us happier than creating something truly custom and special in honor of that relationship.
It is a powerful thing to witness such a bond, to listen to the story behind a friendship, and to photograph it is truly a pleasure.
We believe that love and friendship should be celebrated and cherished every day and a gift of custom photography is something that, just like this very real love, will endure the test of time.

Our Valentine to You
Book your photography session or purchase a gift certificate for your Valentine by February 28th and receive a $50 credit towards any of our great products. We have been working hard on sourcing and creating a brand new line of products we are dying to share with the world, and you’ll get to to experience them before anyone else does!

What a better way to say I Love You than to give your loved one something carefully and masterfully handmade and truly custom from start to finish? This gift of custom photography is a love letter to friendship.
Give us a call today and tell us about your beloved. In the meantime…

Jan 25

14 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Black & White

from the Photo Lab

This week’s theme: Black & White

It is safe to say that black and white film photography was what made me first want to pick up a camera. There is so much to it that just pressing the shutter; there is light, there is film sensitivity (ISO), there is grain and tonality, there’s Ansel Adam’s famed zone system… whew! In its simplest form, it is alluring and beautiful. Black and white can be powerful, it can better convey emotion and mood in some cases than color; you need only look at the work of some of my favorites like Modotti, Karsh and a favorite and dearly missed teacher, mentor and friend Nick Dekker to see what I mean.

Although wonders can be done digitally today, and yummy new presets, actions and filters can be purchased to emulate the “look” and feel of film, to us, there ain’t nothing like the real thing baby.
We took the dogs to the beach as the sun was rising, in celebration of Willow’s 1st birthday, and brought along nothing but a film camera. “What?! That’s risky! What if the film doesn’t come out?!” Well, it is exactly that “risk” that I believe makes us slow down, think, compose, expose and shoot mindfully, all the while making for a great opportunity to perfect our craft. And the delight and surprise that comes when we develop our film, never gets old.
For this session, we brought our favorite color negative film (click HERE if you want to see that too), but with this assignment in mind, we thought we’d play around with a roll of expired black and white film. Yep; film has an expiration date! Expired film can be unpredictable but it can render some pretty sweet results. In this case, large grain and high contrast. The abstract nature of the composition make for an effective nostalgic feeling. What do you think?

Follow the blog ring now for some more black and white eye candy, on to Princeton New Jersey dog photography, Barking Lab Studio!

Jan 24

5 Comments

A Puppy Grows Up!

from the Photo Lab

My, how time seems to fly. Wasn’t it only yesterday I brought home a foster puppy named Willow? I will never forget seeing this beautiful creature, cautiously measuring me from the back of a kennel. I was sitting down on the cold floor, speaking softly and not looking at her, she eventually came close to me and allowed me to put a leash on her. This simple, then insignificant moment of trust and physical bonding I would later realize would be the start of something new and powerful. Something that would come to change our lives. That leash symbolized an indescribably strong bond; one I believe has made us better people. A fearful dog has taught us to be brave; to have the courage to love fiercely and unconditionally. To be patient. To be mindful. To be compassionate.

We brought Willow home when she was 5 months old, and after fostering her for almost four months, we adopted her as our own. In making her a part of our family, we made her a promise, one that many dog lovers can relate to. Every day has been a learning experience since then and it has been so wonderful to see her blossom into what she is today. We see her progress and rejoice in the little things everyday; but it is even more rewarding to hear someone see and appreciate that progress even more, since they don’t see her everyday like we do, the change is even more evident.

I have no doubt we’ve had a small part to play in her overcoming her fears, but I believe that it was Willow’s love of other dogs that has been key to her progress; and one dog in particular, our amazing, giant heart of a dog, Corbin.
Corbin has probably done more for Willow than we’ll ever understand. She bonded to him before anyone else. He has been instrumental in helping us reach her, in teaching her the simple joys of dogdom.

Our Willow Bee turns one year old today. I cannot help but swell with pride and joy at that… knowing her story could have been a very different one, and seeing her run happy and free to splash along the beach on the cold winter morning we took these photographs. It still takes my breath away, to see this brilliant and beautiful dog come bounding towards us with nothing but joy in her face and body. The level of her trust in us, hard-earned but rock-solid is something I am thankful for everyday, and will never take for granted; for any dog, ever.
She is one year old, and I never thought I’d be saying this, but I am so grateful for her “normal” adolescent dog antics!

As a little symbol of Willow, aka Bee’s first year, and everything we’ve accomplished together, we bought a little yellow balloon. Yellow is her color, it’s a happy one and it looks great against her gorgeous black coat (this is where her nickname Honey Bee comes from). We released that little balloon into the sky, and releasing with it many of the fears that clouded her puppyhood. Sure, it might seem silly; to her, it was just fun to have a balloon to play with and chase after. But to us, it was cathartic, and very special.

Willow would not be where she is today if it weren’t for all the amazing people and dogs that have been instrumental in her life. To our dog behavior professionals who advised us, to our dear friends who lend your support and understanding, especially to those who love her just as much as we do, to all the awesome dog friends Bee has made over time, to the kitties for their patience and to our families, for accepting her as a new member of the pack. Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Happy Birthday to our little darling. We love you beyond words.

Aug 20

3 Comments

The Other End of the Lens

from the Photo Lab

Photographers often balk at the idea of being in front of the camera for a change, or some of us do at least, unless you are a bit more self-confident.
For pet photographers, this is often no different. But for us, it can be a special treat when a fellow pet photographer photographs our dogs. We are used to photographing them ourselves. They are our muses, our constant models willing to put up with whatever new trick or technique we have up our sleeves; but that is our interpretation of them, it is often not what we offer our clients: a truly custom and fine art experience.

Our good friend and fellow pet photographer Jesse Freidin shares a deep love for analog photography with us; Jesse specializes in beautiful black and white, hand-crafted photographs, we tend to work with color film most of the time, our great love; it is what brought us together over beers one day, and since then we have collaborated on a number of great projects, shared Thanksgiving dinner and had been wanting to take our dogs hiking for a long time and bring the cameras along. Due to our busy schedules, it was challenging to find the right time, but when it finally came it was well-worth the wait. The weather was great, Corbin (our boy) and Pancake (Jesse’s boy) were excited, the cameras were loaded and we were ready to get going. Throughout our hike the pups had a blast, we chatted about a myriad of things and stopped to take photographs of each other’s dogs along the way.

Being on the other side of the lens was a surreal experience, Bill is a natural (he says that’s a lie, but I think he is), but I tend to get nervous and make chipmunk faces (true story). Jesse had a special way about his technique that put us all at ease, and somehow found ourselves just being… us; no posing, no faking. I didn’t even hear Jesse’s shutter go off.

I cannot tell you in eloquent words what we felt when we saw Jesse’s photographs of Corbin. All I could tell him as I wiped tears off my face was “you got him. You got us.” He truly did. As professional photographers solely dedicated to photographing companion animals, we strive to give our clients nothing but the best experience, and we are truly humbled and thrilled when they see their images for the first time and often cry, overwhelmed with emotion. I am embarrassed to say, that until now, I never fully got it. Now we get it. Jesse’s photographs will go on our wall, where they will be cherished just as much as we cherish the time we have with this amazing dog of ours.

In photographing Pancake, we wanted to show Jesse what we saw, that amazing partnership he has with his little Boston Terrier, and to pay a little homage to our mutual appreciation for all things analog… and tattoos . The photos below are our favorites. Be sure to visit Jesse’s Blog today to get his perspecctive on this fun day.

Before we struck a special frienship with Jesse, we admired him and his work dearly. We feel so fortunate, for it is not often in life that your heroes become your friends.

Aug 17

2 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Windows

from the Photo Lab

We are glad to be back in the 52 Weeks project this week! This is a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Windows

Our kitty girl Leeloo is obsessed with windows… or the sunlight that magically comes from them. When we learned this would be the theme for the week, we knew we had to try and catch her in action (or lack thereof lol). The instant photos below are what we often come home to, and how our little girl greets us

Loo loves her sunny window. And Willow is happy to provide a little shade break.

Follow the blog ring now to see what Charleston SC modern pet photographer Dana Cubbage, our good friend, is up to!

May 28

1 Comment

Here Comes the Bride… and Her Dogs.

from the Photo Lab

I should begin this post by clarifying, loud and clear: We are NOT wedding photographers. We are NOT venturing into the world of wedding photography. We leave that to the wonderful people who love wedding photography. We photograph companion animals, and humans sometimes make it in the photographs, that’s it. If you need a wedding photographer, we can gladly recommend one (we know many!)

That being said, there comes a time in every photographer’s life (professional or amateur) in which someone will ask: “do you shoot weddings?”
My gut response is to yell “NOOOO!!” and run the other way, but my polite response is: “No, but I know many that I can recommend!”
So why will you be seeing wedding photographs in this post you ask? Well, in truth, the bride happens to be one of my closest friends from Brooks Institute of Photography, one of the sweetest people I have ever met and she won us over with two sentences: “I don’t WANT a wedding photographer, I want YOU.” and “The most important photographs I want you to get are those of Jon, myself and the dogs.” Throw on to that the AMAZING wedding location (I am always up for an excuse to go back to Santa Barbara area, my home for 4 years), a gorgeous set of models (the bride and groom are pretty good looking too ) and really, what was there to say no to? Plus, our bride was so down to earth, she let us perch her atop a tractor for some photos. How can you beat that?

"Heather and Jon, sittn' in a... tractor?"

We approached Heather and Jon’s wedding the same way we approach every photography session, applying our signature style and treatment, a great deal of which is really just exposure and film. We tried not to think of what a wedding photographer would do, (that is not why she insisted on having us shoot it anyway) but having been in a white dress myself a few years ago, we wanted to give them images of the key moments and elements they would want to hold on to. After all, I have always said, if you are going to splurge on one thing on your wedding day, let it be the photographs, they are the only thing that will last along with the marriage itself.

We shoot with a combination of film and digital, leaving the digital camera to do all the quick, documentary shooting of the day, and assigning the important shots to our beloved Hasselblad. Risky move you say? The key wedding moments on film?? Yep. That is how sure we are of what we do. No digital camera can come close to the quality, look and feel of film. And we have our formula down when shooting, so that regardless of the situation, we can envision what that film will do. We shoot primarily with a combination of Fuji, Kodak and Ilford films; all with available/natural light and a consistent lighting and exposure formula that sits at the center of our photographic style.

We were nervous, yes. This was an important day not just for a client, but for a close friend. She trusted us with this special day. And two wedding photographer friends would be there as guests…no pressure! Yes, we were nervous (how do you wedding photographers do it?!) but it’s the kind of nerves that make you want to hit it out of the ballpark, and if you ask me, the day you cease to get butterflies doing what you do, consider retiring or changing jobs.

Thank you Heather, Jon, Jack, Buddy and Justice, for such heartfelt trust. We hope we did ok by you on your special day.

May 18

10 Comments

52 Weeks Project: The More, The Merrier.

from the Photo Lab

We’ve been out of the loop for a little while, but we are now back to the 52 Weeks project! This is a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: The More, The Merrier

We were so excited to see this week’s theme, because it gave us the chance to share an image from one of our most recent shoots. A separate blog post about it will be forthcoming but, this happens to be our favorite image from the batch. We feel it represents the theme in more ways than one:
Boy with two little Terriers meets girl with one big Lab. Boy marries girl and so a family is created. The more, the merrier indeed!

The more, the merrier right? Well follow the blog ring for more great photography, like Fort McMurray Pet Photographer KLAD Photography!

Mar 30

8 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Imitation

from the Photo Lab

Welcome back to the 52 Weeks project! This is a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Imitation

They say “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery“, this can be a touchy subject with creatives, but for the purposes of this blog post, it is simply that, a compliment to a favorite photographer of mine. Our assignment called for picking a favorite image from a photographer we admire, and imitating it while adding our own spice to it as well.
I found Seth Restaino, an incredible photographer I was delighted to see is based in San Francisco, through Pinterest. Someone had pinned this gorgeous image of his and I followed the link all the way to his Flickr profile. I love Seth’s work because he brings that certain something to his images that we hope we bring to our own, and a lot of that comes from the magic and skill behind using film and moody light. His portraits are so captivating and images like the one I am sharing here today make me want to cozy up by the window on a rainy day with my cats and a cup of coffee while listening to Chet Baker.

"Investigation" by ©Seth Restaino aka doublecappuccino on Flickr

The image I chose was the one that led me to discover Seth. It is called “Investigation”, it is a portrait of his cat Yashi taken with a Rolleiflex 2.8FX and Provia 400x film. See the original photo post HERE.

Our little tribute to this image was taken with a twin lens reflex as well, a Yashica-D with Fuji Pro 400H. We used a pot of fresh brewed coffee and ever curious Leeloo as a model. Our style tends to be a little warmer and we almost always expose for the shadows, but in this case, we metered somewhere in between, so there is still a little detail in the darker areas as well as the lighter ones. The model graced us with three frames, walking from left to right from “investigation” to “closer-look” and finally “double-take“.

Please check out Seth’s Flickr stream for more amazing photos, and if you are by chance reading this Seth, thank you for my daily dose of wow. I am truly inspired by your work.

Let’s follow the blog ring now and visit Blue Amrich (Blue Amrich Studio, Massachusetts). Have a wonderful weekend!

Mar 23

8 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Retro | Vintage

from the Photo Lab

Happy Friday! Welcome back to the 52 Weeks project! This is a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Retro | Vintage

As a lover of all things nostalgic and an undying passion for the analog photographic process, I was thrilled when this week’s theme was announced.
Bill and I have a small collection of classic cameras, we love them. In our work, we primarily shoot with a Hasselblad 501 and a Nikon D700 for the digital spectrum, but for this week, we went full on vintage and dusted off our 1940′s Agfa Ansco Shur Shot (pictured below). It is a nifty little box camera that uses B2 film (aka 120, medium format). I don’t know where Bill got it from originally, but etched on the leather strap on the top is the name “Frank Swain“, so, Mr. Swain, if you are reading this, your camera has found a good home

Our model this week is the youngest of our kids, RT who we believe was a Lab in a past life, for he loves food and has mastered the “head tilt” when spoken to in a very lovey, soft voice. He is a solid goofball, big and stocky with a “meow” that could belong to an 8 week old kitten and clad in just about the softest coat on the planet.
Just in case our experiment with the Shur Shot proved fruitless, we used the Hassi to photograph RT on one of our favorite table top surfaces, made out of beams reclaimed from an old barn. Talk about vintage!

Agfa Ansco Shur Shot circa 1940, once belonged to a "Frank Swain."

Agfa Ansco Shur Shot exposure, using Tri-X 400 120 film, photographed at what we believe was f 11 at 1/45 of a second.

Our backup shot of RT on vintage barn wood beams, shot with a Hasselblad 501 and Kodak Portra 400 film.

Let’s follow the blog ring now and visit Central Coast Pet Photographer, Sharon Stokes of Pawprint Images…

Mar 9

9 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Grace

from the Photo Lab

Welcome back for another installment of the 52 Weeks project! This is a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Grace

Grace is one of my favorite words to describe animals, and there is no doubt that some display it so elegantly in their form and the way they carry themselves. This is very true of our little girl Leeloo. One of the million reasons why I love her so is because although she is the oldest of our three “kids”, she is also the smallest AND the spunkiest. She is also the only girl (besides myself of course) in the family, but she more than holds her own, she practically runs the household. What is interesting to me is that although most cats are graceful acrobats (RT, our other kitty being the exception), Leeloo is so clearly graceful and in a very feminine way. Even her attacks on Corbin’s unsuspecting tail are like that of a ballerina mid Swan Lake.

This week, we photographed Loo at magic hour in our patio, where she loves to climb the planter box. There was no sun in sight, it was still dark enough that our firefly lights could still shine and serve as a tribute to her graceful feminine softness. The yummy tone of the Kodak Portra film and the wide open aperture with the Hassi add to the final effect. Just what we had hoped for.

Hop on over to see the wonderful Terran Bayer of West Way Studio and follow the rest of the blog ring. Have a wonderful weekend!

Feb 3

31 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Bridges

from the Photo Lab

Happy Friday! Back to the 52 Weeks project! This is a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Bridges

Living next door to one of the 7 Civil Engineering Wonders of the World, we had to go for the gold on this one… or… should I say orange?

When we first adopted Corbin as a puppy in January of 2005, one of our first outings as a new family (and once he had all his shots) was a trip to Baker Beach. I fished out some baby photos of him from that day, his first encounter with the sand, the sea and the Golden Gate Bridge. This week, we went back to that beautiful place, and I was happy to find that other than my hair and Corbin’s size, not much else had changed

Our first family trip to Baker Beach circa February 2005. God, that hair...

Hopping on over to Toronto now to visit Karen Weiler of Posh Pets Photography, Hi Karen!

Jan 27

14 Comments

52 Weeks Project: Jumps and Cuddles

from the Photo Lab

This week’s theme: Jumps and Cuddles

We had a good laugh when we saw what the theme for this week was, it’s simply too perfect. This week’s theme in other words could have been called “Leeloo”; as in our kitty girl Leeloo, a truly special cat.
We adopted Leeloo from the SFSPCA in November of 2004; she was tiny, around two months old and with a rough start. Leeloo had been the runt of a litter of kittens that had been rejected by their mother (who was also available for adoption at the shelter), and despite the love and care of the SFSPCA, she was sickly, ridden with ear mites, conjunctivitis and an upper respiratory infection.
When Bill and I walked into the shelter that day, we weren’t really sure what we were looking for, it was our first cat together, my first cat ever, so I was nervous. “What if he/she doesn’t like me?” I would ask Bill, who had grown up with cats, and he replied, “Don’t worry, you’ll know. They kind of pick you.” Walking into the kitten area, there were of course many adorable fur balls, of all shapes, sizes and colors, all of them cute, playful, purring, meowing… but the shelter volunteer was cradling this tiny ball of snoozing dark fur. Bill asked if we could hold the kitten and I swear, as soon as he picked her up, she started purring. Her eyes were sleepy and full of goo, her coat was dull and dry but her purring was louder than some adult cats.
Bill handed her over to me and as I cuddled her nervously (she was SO tiny!) she continued purring, and suddenly looked up at me and proceeded to climb up my arms, towards the crook of my neck and settled herself there, purring happily. That was our cat.
We adopted and took her home that day, and with the help of the SFSPCA clinic, we nursed her back to health. Loo turned out to be fearless, she remained a petite kitty but healthy and happy to meet new people and other animals. She’s has always loved being held, she needs it and is not afraid to demand it from us, whether it is a good time or not.
When she wants to be cuddled, she will let you know by meowing loudly as she follows you around, if that doesn’t get your attention, she will stretch and put her front paws up on your leg. If that fails to get her picked up then she will do some quick mathematical calculations focusing on your chest/shoulder area, lock-in the target landing spot aaaaand jump! After landing gently in your arms, she will settle herself up over your shoulder, start purring loudly as she suckles on her arm. Not sure why she does this, she always has, but I am guessing it’s a runt thing.

Call it extreme if you like, but my bond with Leeloo is such that I have a tattoo of her actual paw print on my wrist.

Leeloo was the runt of her litter, and I guess I was the runt of mine, being the younguest of three siblings. We were meant to find each other perhaps.

Jumping now over to Judy Babinski of Dog Biscuit Photos, Hi Judy!

Dec 16

1 Comment

52 Weeks Project: Breaking the Rules

from the Photo Lab

It’s time for this week’s 52 Weeks project, a creative blog ring in which a group of fellow pet photographers post their photographic interpretation of the week’s theme and link to each other’s blog. Start here and click on the link at the bottom of this post to jump to the next photographer’s blog, follow the ring until you end up back here.

This week’s theme: Breaking the Rules

Sometimes, no matter how many tempting treats and goodies you have with you while out on an adventure with a dog; there just might be something too fun to ignore.
Case and point of our photo below, taken on a recent photoshoot with a seriously cute French Bulldog named Charlie. While on the trail, we came across a little marsh created by the recent rain we’ve been having. What can be more fun than mud for dogs? Nothing. Not even tempted by the yummy bits of cheese and meat we brought with us, Charlie decided to go check out the marsh, ignoring whistles, barks from his canine friends, squeaks and squaks. Once sufficiently muddy and ready for a snack, he came back on his own and we continued on our way (+1 stinky dog). Needless to say, Charlie got a bath after the shoot .