Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Those Were The Days

Those Were The Days


Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two


Those Were The Days


Remember how we laughed away the hours
And think of all the great things we would DO


Henry


Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end


Those Were The Days


We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose


Those Were The Days


We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way


Dog Blog Post #1036


Lyrics above from Those Were The Days, My Friend

This song, a top ten hit by Mary Hopkin in 1968, is way before my time. But it wasn't before my parents time, and I was the youngest child.

Today, while sorting through the day's pictures, that song popped into my head fully formed.

I probably haven't heard it for 30 years or more, yet there it was. I bet I could have written the lyrics from memory.

After spending way too long searching, I've decided it's Engelbert Humperdinck's voice crooning it in my head from a 1971 cover. Amazing what you can find on YouTube.


Photography Assignment


Daily Dog Challenge "546. Weekend Dreams"

Our Daily Challenge - Apr 29, 2013 - "Geometrics"


Mr. Zachary



-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Around and Around They Go

Escheresque?



Escheresque?



Escheresque?



Escheresque?



Dog Blog Post #1035


There's no way around it - when the boys' Smile they show lots of Teeth.

These reminded me (in a rather distant way) of  M. C. Escher's Drawing Hands picture: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawing_Hands

Wikipedia's article about M.C. Escher: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._C._Escher

-- and as somebody usually asks, Henry is the toothy one.

All images above are of the same shot with the original being the second one with Henry laying on his back and Zachary on his belly. The rest are crops/rotations of it.

Photography Assignment



Daily Dog Challenge "545. Smile"

Our Daily Challenge - Apr 28, 2013 - "Teeth"

Monday Mischief


All Good Parties must come to an end...

The Day After



-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Party Animals

Party Animals
Zachary: "Yo Ho..."



Party Animals
Zachary: "... Uh Oh - Mom's coming."
Henry: "Look at Miss Kitty run."



Party Animals
Zachary: "Hi Mom"
Henry: "Hi Momma!"

I sure hope that's fancy grape juice...

Dog Blog Post 1034



What do you find at a Party? Why a Party Animal (or three) of course.


Photography Assignment



Our Daily Challenge - Apr 27, 2013 - "Party"

Daily Dog Challenge "544 Party Animal"



Party Animals
Miss Kitty: "Mine, all mine!"


-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Friday, April 26, 2013

What's That Thing On The Floor?

Paw
Zachary: "Whoa! What's that thing on the floor?"



Paw and Muzzle
Henry: "Could be a parasite. Don't get too close..."



Paw
Henry: "... or Momma will have to give you a pill."



Two Paws Down
Zachary: "It's not getting near my Lacrosse Ball."



Henry
Henry: "Wake me when it's gone."



Dog Blog Post #1033



A Worms Eye View of Something Simple.

One of the things I like best about Flickr challenge groups is how the admins encourage us to see the world in varied ways and then show off what we find.

While I freely admit I'm much more likely to hang a shot like Henry's Paw and Muzzle on the wall then one of a giant paw, I ultimately picked that top shot as I felt it fit today's challenges better.

All but the last picture (below) were taken with the camera sitting on the floor. With the aperture set to f/3.5, the foreground and background floor seem to melt together into a single buttery layer, an effect I found rather interesting.

Photography Assignment


Our Daily Challenge - Apr 26, 2013 - "Worm's Eye View"


Daily Dog Challenge "543 Something Simple"




Henry
Henry: "It grew!"

Q and A


Loving Max over at All About Max asked yesterday if there had, "... EVER been an instance where they both refused to participate or pose?"

While they've certainly never refused to participate in (as in walked away from) a photo shoot, I can't imagine that there hasn't been at least ONE time when they both refused a pose, but I honestly can't think of it at the moment.

That's probably because I don't ask them to do anything in front of the camera that they don't already know how to do - or at least that I don't have a backup plan for in case it doesn't work out.

I distinctly remember the Egg Head post just over one year ago (balancing an egg on the muzzle) was touch and go, but I had already taken some backup Bitey-Face pictures just in case things didn't work out. That took the pressure off having to succeed, and kept the shoot fun and cookie filled instead of becoming stressful.

There are many, many instances when I didn't get what I was trying to get, either because I couldn't figure out how to describe it to them or I had the wrong lighting, camera setting, composition, props, phase of the moon - but those were all my fault, never theirs.

(There was a time when a certain young Henry didn't think that the Precious Puppies had to wear hats or Evil Jingle Collars, and a young Zachary did the same several years before that, but patience and time and copious amounts of cookies won out in the end. And since the question was BOTH dogs, it wouldn't apply anyway as they are 2.5 years apart in age.)


Their lives are just too short to spend it getting worked up over some silly pictures. This is supposed to fun for them, "quality time" for me, and a chance for them to show off and earn some cookies. The boys love it when I get the camera out, love to perform for me, and that's exactly the way I want it to be. :)


-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Hello Down There

Hello Down There
Henry: "What's this?"



Hello Down There
"A tiny cottage on a hill?"



Hello Down There
"I wonder if anybody lives there?"



Hello Down There
Sniff Sniff Sniff Sniff



Hello Down There
Snnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiffff



Hello Down There
"Hmm... how very odd."

Dog Blog Post #1032



A larger than life Henry dwarfed the hilltop cottage.


Photography Assignment



Daily Dog Challenge "542 Larger Than Life"

Our Daily Challenge - Apr 25, 2013 - "Dwarfed"

-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Cat Chasing

Plugged In
Henry: "Hey Momma, I rock at this Cat Chasing video game."


You do realize you are playing in two player mode...

.... with just one player.


Plugged In



Plugged In
Henry: "So that's why the kitties never run."



Plugged In
Henry: "Me-ow, can't catch me now!"
Zachary: "Better tree or you'll be eaten by me."


Dog Blog Post #1031



Amazing the inventions kids have these days that I never had as a kid.

As for these two - where you see one, you always see the other.


Photography Assignment



Our Daily Challenge - Apr 24, 2013 - "Inventions"


Daily Dog Challenge "541. The Ties That Bind - Take a photo of your dog that shows a connection of some kind today!"


Time Passes...


Good game?

Plugged In
"The best!"


Plugged In


Hmm... I wonder where Miss Kitty is?

-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Reflection

Time To Go
Henry: "I make this look good."


What was that young dog?


Time To Go
Henry: "Uh oh, she's coming. Think... think... think..."



Time To Go?
Henry: "I cleaned your mirror, Momma. I... er... made it look good."



Hmmm....


Reflecting
(sigh)



Dog Blog Post #1030



There are animals (plural) in this shot, if you count the reflection.

What's Henry really looking at in the shot above? Me :)

He's very good at tracking me in the big closet mirrors in the bedroom (which is this not) and always watches me giving him his good morning pets and hugs when he hops up on the Big Bed.

Too funny.

Photography Assignment


Our Daily Challenge - April 23, 2013 - "Animals"

Daily Dog Challenge "540. Reflection"


Time To Go
Zachary: "Oh, boy. Oh, boy. My turn! My turn!"


Actually, Zachary. It's pretty warm in here and the shots of Henry should do just fine. I think we'll call it a day.


Reflection


Editor's Note


Ok, before I get hate comments: No dogs were deprived of any cookies tonight!

And while it is true that Zachary's modeling session was called for heat (mostly because I had never set the mirror up like this and spent WAY to long on Henry's sessions taking bad shots from the wrong angle that will never leave the depths of the hard drive) Zachary did receive just as many treats as Henry did.

Promise.

He just received them for tricks instead of poses.

To be honest, while Henry clearly prefers posing - the guy is a total camera hog - Zachary adores doing action tricks like high-fives and spinning, so sad look for the camera aside, no doggie feelings were actually hurt.

-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Monday, April 22, 2013

Earth Day

Ok, boys.

Now if I could just have your attention here for the Earth Day shoot...

Earth Day
Henry: "Zachary, Momma's waiting with the camera. Zachary!"


A little attention, please?


Earth Day
Henry: "Cheesy Burger?"


Zachary!

You're holding everything up. They need these pictures for the Earth Day flier about reusable shopping bags.

And what's this I heard about you picking up a non-recyclable, non-decomposable, bag of treats - on Earth Day of all days.


Earth Day
Zachary: "Sorry Mom."
Henry: "Busted."


You would think on this one day of the year you could...


Earth Day
Henry: "Wait, are those the turkey treats? I just love those things."


Henry!


Earth Day
Henry: "Are you sure you got them? I don't smell anything."
Zachary: "Yeah, over on the left..."


Guys!


Earth Day
"Cheesy Burgers!"


And they wonder why I get gray hair.


Dog Blog Post #1029



Photography Assignment



Our Daily Challenge - April 22, 2013 - "Natural Light"


Natural Light



I hadn't planned on two shoots, but the Natural Light through the window was lovely and it didn't have a darn thing to do with Earth Day...


Natural Light
Mr. Zachary


The picture above is my favorite on the day.


Natural Light
Henry, in the waning light of the late afternoon through the blinds.




For the shot above, the camera and I are facing the window, Henry's laying at my feet facing me, and the image is of the nap of his neck at the bottom of the picture extending up toward his shoulders at the top.


-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Jail Bird Dog

Jail Bird Dog
Zachary: "So close..."



Jail Bird Dog
Zachary: "... and yet so far"



So Close
Henry: "I see you!"



Dog Blog Post #1028



Photography Assignment



Our Daily Challenge - Apr 21, 2013 - "Fence"


Daily Dog Challenge "538. "Door to Door - Take a photo of your dog framed by a door or archway today."


Monday Mischief



See above. I'm pretty sure that qualifies - although the boys did split the burger between them when the shoot was done.

Yum! :)

Too Many Choices


It occurred to me, after it was too late (when all really interesting or really important things tend to occur to me) that I had forgotten to comicize yesterday's Happy Birthday post's In the Funnies page, and therefore the images were just plain old images.

So for kicks, below are just a few of the many comicizing options for images available using Comic Life 2 (as always on my blog, click on any image to pop over to flickr, where clicking on the image will make it larger.)

Happy Birthday
This is "Acrylic Comic" - I like this one a lot



Happy Birthday
This is "Old Skool" (yes, it's spelled that way)



Happy Birthday
And finally, "Amp it up!" for something a bit different

* No, I'm not affiliated with Comic Life in any way, and I paid for my version just like everybody else ($30 from the App Store) but I am enjoying playing around with it. :)

-- Like the idea of a daily dog photography prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved