Monday, August 31, 2015

Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter
Zachary: (sniff)



Peanut Butter
Henry: (sniff)



Peanut Butter
Zachary: "Must..."



Peanut Butter
Zachary: "... stay..."



Peanut Butter
Zachary: "... still."




Dog Blog Post #1891


Alternating layers of Crackers and Peanut Butter, with the Peanut Butter Overlapping the edges of the Crackers.

Yum!

Photography Assignment


Daily Dog Challenge 1400. "Alternating"

Our Daily Challenge - Aug 31, 2015 - "Overlapping"

And yes, of course the boys got to eat them!

Peanut Butter
Zachary: "Nom nom nom"



Each had their very own stack of four crackers slathered in Peanut Butter.

Today was a very good shoot.


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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Art Critic

Art Critic
The Art Critic


Dog Blog Post #1890



Zachary, sitting in front of a painting of a Monster Chartreuse tennis ball.

This is his interpretation of a painting by Tom Mosser titled "A Golden Retriever at the Museum".

Photography Assignment



Daily Dog Challenge 1399. "Monster"

Our Daily Challenge - Aug 30, 2015 - "Chartreuse"

I first created a notebook paper sized "painting" of the ball from felt and fleece and photographed it against white.

Then Zachary was photographed staring at a large blank piece of white fleece.

I then smushed the two together in Photoshop Elements.

Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed as I thought I'd have more time to work on it than I ultimately did. :(


The Making Of...


Zachary
Original image of Zachary



Tennis Ball
Original Image of Tennis Ball



Tennis Ball
Collar included for size comparison



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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Superhero Sunday

Why don't you two look through the Hat Props Box and pick out some Superhero Hats.

Prep Prop Shot
"Right"




Superheros?
Henry: "Momma, can I skip the hat?"


Not today sweetie.


Superheros?
Zachary: "Ten gallon hat on a five gallon dog."



Superheros?
Henry: "I'm a Trojan!"
Zachary: "Horse?"



Dog Blog Post #1889


Uh Oh... looks like the boys Overturned the Props box!

Given that it was a Day Spa Day, they were actually pretty lively and cooperative.

Photography Assignment



Our Daily Challenge - Aug 29, 2015 - "Overturned"


Daily Dog Challenge 1398. "Props"


Cartoon Version?



Superheros?
Cartoon Version 1



Superheros?
Cartoon Version 2



Version 1 took about 20 minutes to make, and had various Photoshop Elements filters and blending modes applied and then went back to Lightroom for some additional fiddling.

Version 2 took about 2 seconds to make, and was done strictly in Lightroom using my favorite "heavy" combination of sliders, which I've saved as a preset so I just have to push a button and magic happens.

Hmmm...

Truth in advertising: Fine. MOST of the 20 minutes of the top one was spent choosing the right filters from the many possibilities, then pushing the sliders around to get The Right Look, then dinking with the blending modes of the layers to get it Just Right. Had I known exactly what I wanted I could have done it in... 20 seconds. Perhaps a minute if I paused to admire my handiwork.

Just The Props


Props Box


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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Friday, August 28, 2015

Brown is the New Green

Brown Is The New Green
Zachary: "I remember a time when the grass was soft on my paws..."



Brown Is The New Green
Henry: "... and cool and damp to lie on."



Dog Blog Post #1888



Poor boys, dreaming of lush green grass under their paws, while they lie on a piece of astroturf, staring at a picture of the remains of our drought-stricken lawn, as seen 10 Steps from my Door.

Photography Assignment


Our Daily Challenge - Aug 27, 2015 - "10 Steps from my Door"

Daily Dog Challenge 1397. "Dream Day"


Lemonade From Lemons?


Grass Seeds
Grass Seeds



Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven



Agapanthus Seeds
Agapanthus Seeds



Downy Fluff
Feather Fluff


The "Lawn"


Brown Is The New Green
Brown Is The New Green



At least, that's what Governor Brown keeps telling us.

This is what watering just two days a week does to a lawn over the summer in a region with low humidity and temperatures routinely in the 90's or higher.

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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Honey I Shrunk The Props

Ok - now let's hear a nice big "Cheesy Burger!"

Honey I Shrunk The Props
(silence)



Honey I Shrunk The Props
(silence)



Honey I Shrunk The Props
(silence)



Honey I Shrunk The Props
Zachary: "He he he. Fill 'er up, Mom!"



Honey I Shrunk The Props
Zachary: "Mmmmm"
Henry: "Pfthththththth"



Dog Blog Post #1887



I picked up a package of Miniature Red Solo Cups on sale last summer - an impulse buy I was quite excited about at the time and yet have somehow failed to find an appropriate time to trot out.

Well, today - being "Just Because Day" - turned out to be their lucky day!

The rest of the "mini's" are an odd assortment of items scrounged from around the house to match things I had facsimiles of in a normal size.

Henry seemed quite perplexed by his diminutive props and even Zachary wasn't quite sure what to make of them.


Photography Assignment


Our Daily Challenge - Aug 27, 2015 - "Miniature"

Daily Dog Challenge 1396. "Just Because Day"


Honey I Shrunk The Props
Mini-Me Snack?



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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The Usual Suspect

The Usual Suspect
Zachary: "Alright, time for paw prints."
Henry: "I'm innocent, I tell you!"


What is going on?


The Usual Suspect
Zachary: "Somebody cleaned out the Cookie Jar so I'm taking paw prints."
Henry: (blink)



The Usual Suspect
Zachary: "I think that's the wrong paw."



Don't you need ink?


The Usual Suspect
(crickets)


Dog Blog Post #1886



Detective Zachary taking Suspect Henry's paw prints, as he tries to solve The Cookie Caper Case.

Photography Assignment


Daily Dog Challenge 1395. "Put Your Feet Up"

Our Daily Challenge - Aug 16, 2015 - "Evidence"


Evidence
Crime Scene Photo


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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Henry's Fan

Wordless Wednesday...

Henry's Fan




Henry's Fan




Henry's Fan




Henry's Fan




Henry's Fan




Dog Blog Post #1885



It's August, it's over 90F outside, and we're in the middle of a severe drought.

At this point, the Season's Best things are the air conditioner and Henry's Fan, which I turned on High for this shoot, making it Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Henry loved it.

Henry's Fan normally runs on Low and is stationed behind an ex-pen (metal fence) to keep dogs and fan safely separated.

It runs year round, except for a short break between Christmas (when the Christmas Tree takes over the spot) until the house starts to climb over 60F.

Yes, we keep the thermostat a toasty 58F during the winter, just for Henry.

I also keep a thick pile of blankets on the sofa so Zachary-of-the-less-than-luscious-locks will be comfortable, too.

Spoil my dogs?

Never.


Photography Assignment


Daily Dog Challenge 1394. "Season's Best"

Our Daily Challenge - Aug 25, 2015 - "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"



Henry's Fan
Henry: "Faster, Momma!"



Where's Zachary?


As I could tell at a glance Henry's pictures were going to be good, and Zachary is indifferent to the fan - neither friend nor foe - I opted to run him through his favorite tricks to earn his modeling fee, instead.

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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Monday, August 24, 2015

The Cookie Spot

Cookie Spot
Henry in the Cookie Spot


Dog Blog Post #1884



Henry, laying On The Edge of the sofa.

This is Henry's "Cookie Spot", where he goes after every shoot is over as he's convinced that's what makes the After Shoot Cookies appear.

Dogs can be very superstitious, and if something good happens after they do some random thing they become convinced that doing that random thing causes the good to happen.

Of course, in Henry's case, he's so darn cute waiting patiently and quietly on the edge of the sofa that I do, in fact, give him Cookies while he's there.

Every time.

Right after the the photo shoot is over.

Hmmm... perhaps not all superstitions are false after all.


Photography Assignment


Daily Dog Challenge 1393. "On The Edge"

Our Daily Challenge - Aug 24, 2015 - "Edge"


Cookie Spot
Zachary in Henry's Cookie Spot



Zachary has no idea this is the Cookie spot, as he usually waits over by the Cookie Jar, but he was more than happy to lay here for the promise of a Cookie.

Uh Oh.

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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Alas, Poor Yorik!

Alas, Poor Yorik!
Zachary: "To Be or Not To Be"



Alas, Poor Yorik!
Henry: "We know what we are, but know not what we may be."



Alas, Poor Yorik!
Zachary: "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."



Uh... yes.

Thank you, Zachary.

Dog Blog Post #1883



Zachary Dogspeare.

Photography Assignment



Our Daily Challenge - Aug 23, 2015 - "Hollow"

Daily Dog Challenge 1392. "Empty"



The Originals



Alas, Poor Yorik!
Pensive Zachary



Alas, Poor Yorik!
Thoughtful Zachary




Alas, Poor Yorik!
Sad Zachary




Silly Henry
Henry: "Tiny Bubbles... In the wine..."



Go Niners!

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© 2013 BZ Dogs - All Rights Reserved