Scout and Breeze

[minkee]

Rather than updating their own threads individually (here and here for historical reference ) I thought I'd make a new one. Here's a whole HEAP of photos from this weekend just gone...

Friday in the woods

Whooosh




Strike a pose


Can I play?


NO!


Friends again


Follow the leader

[minkee]

Windy Saturday

Doing it wrong


















Almost!


Nope




Easy!

[minkee]

Annnd this morning

[Sanna]

OMG he is toooooo cute!! Well they both are Those ears.. WOW

[ClareMarsh]

Breeze is SUCH a handsome dog, he really is. His mum is mesmerising and there are flashes of that in him too.

And you know I love Scout pup

[minkee]

Scout is lovely, but she has only one face / pose when we're out which is "I am ready to get the ball, please throw it"... it doesn't make for very expressive photography, poor thing

[rachel540]

Minkee i always look forward to looking through your photos, the shots you get are just amazing. I love the last picture and his pose in the woods!?!? Haha he's getting so big. And Scout is just gorgeous, as always. But one question - where is all the snow?!? We're burried here in Leeds!

[minkee]

The snow stopped at York :D Not that that it hasn't been trying - it keeps flurrying every now and then but I think the sea is holding it at bay :D

I'm getting more and more into my photography! The only problem is that it's an EXPENSIVE habit if you want to upgrade & buy things :x At least I don't have to pay to develop film anymore though :D

ps. Clare, I think Sally is mesmerising too - you've picked just the right word there, I'm very proud to be kinda-sorta related :D

[ScarletSci]

The photos, and the dogs! Are gorgeous!

Do you offer any kind of photography service as well as dog walking?? I speak as someone who is terrible with a camera, but would love more photos like this of my own dogs. You're too far away for me to book you, but I reckon people who book you to do dog walking, upon seeing photos like the ones above, would be delighted to pay for some shots like that of their own dogs!

What camera do you use? Because I seriously want to invest in one if I stand a chance of getting just one or two shots like these!

[minkee]

The dog walking.... weelllll it never actually got off the ground. I got a slew of design work in just as I was putting everything together and realised that where I need to be flexible in my hours for the design work (ie, all at once, then nothing for a while) I'd have to be rigid in dog walking hours. The two just won't go together, and as I have a bunch of design work lined up for the next few months it's on hold for now.

I do, however, still really want to work with dogs! So perhaps photography would be a way to go... it'd be flexible and utilise my design skills too... hmm hmm hmm, I will be thinking more on this

My camera is a Nikon D40 - which was the bottom end of the dSLR market a few years ago. Since then there has been a new generation or two. I'd definitely like to upgrade! The lens I use most is a 35mm prime. The main 'thing' to it is that it has a pretty low aperture of f1.8 ( = a big hole to let the light through). The bigger that hole, the more light can go in, which means the camera can use a fast shutter speed - so you can take sharp photos of action or in low light. A side effect of this is that the 'depth of field' is really narrow - so only a short portion is in focus, the rest blurs which leaves those lovely backgrounds (aka 'bokeh') which add to the professional look.

Um I've forgotten what the question was, but I think I answered it in there somewhere Anyway, it's lots of fun and if you have the money (and a handsome model!) it's well worth getting into Confusing at first, but once you get your head around all the different numbers it's A-OK!

[ScarletSci]

That's awesome, thanks! You should definitely print some flyers... a couple of action shots of your dogs maybe, offer to take photos of people's pets at reasonable prices. Stick the flyers up at places where people walk their dogs. Can make your own hours! Just be careful about only including a mobile number on the flyers, or taking shots of rescue dogs or something rather your own so you don't have to worry about dog thieves.

Could you even do that legally? Perhaps just the website then, or ads in newsagents and supermarket windows type thing. Just shooting ideas out here! But I think there'd be a market for it, considering booking professional portraits would cost hundreds, and I can't be the only one who'd prefer to have action shots of my dogs running in the woods rather than sitting in a studio.

Dammit, I'm now shopping for used Nikon's on Amazon. I want one! Any tips for a good way to start learning about photography for someone who is a complete novice, not very technologically minded, and is easily confused?

[minkee]

Hmm, I can recommend this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-E ... 0817439390 Other than that, I just learned by trial / error, and getting out and doing it! There's plenty to read about it all, but nothing beats experience, imo Perhaps a friend has a fancy camera you could borrow? For a quick 'try before you buy'

[ScarletSci]

OH DEAR OH DEAR!

I blame you, Minkee, for posting these beautiful photos all the time!

I've just spent a lot of money on Amazon. I got that book you've linked, The Nikon D40/D40x for Dummies book, and a Nikon D40 with AF-s DXZoom - Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5 - 5.6G ED 11' by Nikon. (second hand at least!)

I don't know what any of the above means, except that it's a Nikon D40. Does any of the above mean a lens? Or will I need to buy another lens before I can use it?

I feel kind of sick. A twinge of "I've just spent a large amount of money in one go, oh god" kindof a way, and in a "oh my god I'm finally getting a decent camera, yay!" kindof a way!

I'm justifying it because it's my 30th birthday celebration in a month, and I want loads of good pics for that. I have a rubbish digital camera that takes terrible pictures and didn't cost much when I bought it years ago, I've never had a good camera, and I really, really want more pictures. I've been regretting for a long time that I don't have more photos of my animals, my family, and from special occasions. Having blown a wad of money and having the equipment to take decent shots will give me a hell of an incentive to take more!

The other justification is that I've spent most of the last year being a hermit apart from uni and taking the dogs out, I've only had maybe two nights out in that year? So when I checked my bank balance and realised I had plenty to last me until my next student loan comes in, I figured it was a good time to do it

I sound defensive don't I? Hahahah!

[Sabrina]

Can I play?

I love this one!

And ScarletSci - that book minkee recommended is great. When I was trying to wrap my head around how to control the settings on my camera (an entry level dslr), I would practice/read/practice/read/practice/etc! In addition to that book, here are some articles that really helped me: http://digital-photography-school.com/d ... -beginners (the forum on that website is a great way to learn, too)

Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5 - 5.6G

That's the lens. I have Canon stuff, but the Canon type of this lens I found to be a good introductory lens.

Also, take some time to identify why you love minkee's photos (I do too, btw!) - notice how so many of her shots are from the dog's level. I bet a lot of crouching down is involved in getting this perspective - am I right, minkee?

So all this to say, ScarletSci - photography as a "serious hobby" is very overwhelming at first, so don't be disheartened, and practice as much as you can! And just remember pretty much any picture with a puppy in it is one worth looking at

[ScarletSci]

That's awesome Sabrina, thank you so much!

I won't be too hard on myself, I'm expecting to be rubbish, so any half decent shots will be fantastic! I have a couple of good friends who are into photography who will help me find my feet I'm sure. We should have a thread here for photography related stuff! Since it's the photo thread and all.. (Minkee, sorry for hijacking your thread!)

Eeeekkk I can't wait for the camera to arrive now!! Then I should be able to upload pics of my puppy at last!