Picture Perfect, Part II

Last week, I wrote about the challenges of taking a good picture of three dogs.  This week, I'll feature some of my successes.

If everything works out just perfect, I can create a really beautiful photo of my three beautiful pups.  And by "everything," I mean:

• The dogs are sitting down or lying down close to each other.
• Nobody is making goofy faces, sticking his tongue out, or licking her nose.
• The lighting is good.
• No weird backgrounds affect the composition.
• Everyone is actually looking at the camera, or at least looking somewhere together.
• The photographer (that would be me) manages to focus on the dogs and not shake.

Here are a few that actually worked:

When Tucker was still a puppy; he's smaller than Lilah in this picture.

In the shade garden.

On the sitting wall in the shade garden.

During fall clean up.

I swear this looks like the doggy version of an album cover for an indy rock band. Which one is the drummer, which the lead guitar and which the singer/songrwriter?

One of my absolute favorites. Even though they're not looking at the camera, I just love the color and composition of this one.

Sometimes the best pictures are the candids. This is one of the reasons I keep a camera at hand as much as possible. Then I can catch a moment.

One of the easiest of those moments happens nearly every morning. The four of us (Lilah, Jasper and Tucker) head out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Often the dogs stop at the top of the stairs and ponder their day before heading down. Usually I sit with them, but sometimes I go on ahead and they wait before joining me.

On this day, Athena stuck her head through the bannisters at the last second to see what was going on. Photobombed by a cat.

Another place to catch three dogs together is looking out a window. If one dog sees (or smells) Something and feels the need to Discuss it, all of them have to go Check It Out. And contribute to the Discussion. These pictures often wind up taken from behind, but sometimes the view of wagging tails says as much as happy faces.

Someone is coming to Visit. The Welcoming Committee awaits.

Looking out at the back yard. There was a Squirrel. Or maybe a Deer.

We also watch when people leave. And then we're a little sad.

I can also sometimes catch the dogs in action, though I rarely can get them all in focus.

They're all actually smiling!

And sometimes I catch them in inaction, resting after a strenuous Squirrel Hunt.

I couldn't have posed them like this if I wanted to; these just happen to be their favorite places to hang out and rest, though rarely at the same time.

Lilah, Tucker and Jasper share a (short) break between games of Chase and I Have the Stick and You Don't.

After an early morning walk, home looks extra welcoming.

Snow. Fall.

The snowstorm nor'easter that slammed the east coast on October 29 wreaked havoc in our neck of the woods.  At the time, trees still had their leaves; many of which hadn't even begun to color, let alone drop. The leaves caught the heavy snow like cupped hands, and the overburdened branches bent and then broke under the weight, causing major power outages that more than a week later, are still being fixed.

We were among the lucky few who did not lose power. We lost cable TV and internet--not much of a hardship unless you are a 17-year-old boy; sorry, Aaron. And for a short while, we had no water, as there was a main break on the street in front of our house. Many folks suffered through the cold with no heat and no hot water, so we counted ourselves spared.

The day after the storm, we went out to assess the damage around our home.  The dogs helped, of course, as they romped through 8 inches of the white stuff that had fallen. Branches large and small covered huge swaths of our yard, deck and patio. Other than Mother Nature's unsightly pruning to our trees, thought, the only real damage was to the fences, which are easily repairable.

And as we walked around, we found an eerie beauty in the rare juxtaposition of warmly colored leaves with the spare sharp white of the snow.

The pictures below tell the story:

Bent and broken branches

Branches still bowing under the weight of the now-melting snow, our trees looked spare and saddened.

A couple of huge branches fell from the trees where we usually hang our hammock.  Funny how the chaises are spared.

 

This huge limb nearly crushed part of our pool fence. I am oddly drawn to its shape, as it brings to mind a dinosaur or dragon with a long neck and beaky snout.

Our deck and patio were littered with branches. Yet there were no broken windows, and our furniture was untouched.

Any drive down the mountain was a challenge for more than a week, as trees pulled on wires, and the power company scrambled to restore electricity. We've seen utilities trucks with license plates from all over the country since the storm.

Leaves and snow: a study in artistic contrasts

Yet there is beauty to be found.

The sun creates a powerful glow to the leaves, contrasting against the white stuff.

In our woods, the intersection of two seasons is even more apparent.

As the snow melted, it fell in clumps from the trees. Here, a single leaf lit by the sun, hangs on through the bombardment.

The wind blew snow against the trees; here, a leaf creates snowy stencil art.

Unusual beauty appeared everywhere.

A single leaf, snagged on a branch, is offered up as a fleeting gift to the eyes.

An excuse for playtime...and a little helping

In the house, the animals were enjoying the unusual circumstances. Tucker is watching Athena who is watching a hungry bird looking for breakfast in one of our window feeders.

Outside, Lilah simply loves the snow.

Jasper shows Tucker the ropes in what is Tucker's first real snowfall.

A pre-play huddle

And the chase ensues.

The dogs help Brian look for sticks. At least, that's what they thought he was doing.

Brian and the dogs inspect the damage.

Work gloves at hand, Brian is ready to do some serious chainsawin'.

Jasper prowls like a striped tiger, among the debris, and Lilah and Tucker get ready for The Pouncing.