Show & Tell

Its been a little minute since I've participated in a photo challenge...lots some followers because it too, but its all good, in the grand scheme of things. However since I've jumped back on the 365 bandwagon, over at my photography blog... I decided to get back into challenging myself through blog challenges. Cause its not as if my classes will be challenging enough. A whole semester of shooting still life? Lord take me now!

But I digress. What most of you came to see was the photo, that Showed: Looking Up

Pompei - Guide Dog Puppy in Training - 14 months old - Lab/Golden Cross

Tell: Pompei gazes at my hand in hopes that the treat will magically appear into it. Sorry bud. I tricked you. I'm going to miss this face when he leaves me for bigger and better things next weekend. Sigh. 

Lovely Wednesday: Thanksgiving

Before and After Blog Hop

As my photography teachers like to say, its easier to lighten a photo then to darken one. I'm giving my sister some tips as to how to use my camera in manual mode (which is all I shoot nowadays) so she was having a hard time getting my skin properly exposed without whiting out Pompei completely. If anyone has any tips at how to shoot white and black people without over exposing one or the other, I would love to know! Anyway raised the exposure and saturation levels, and warmed the temperature up in the camera raw editor, and then ran the Pioneer Woman's "Lovely and Fresh" action on it. I think it came out ok, the photo is now a little noisy...but it happens. 

See More Edits at Pixel Perfect!

Photo Challenge: Pets

Maggie at Bliss photo challenge is pets, which of course, is my favorite subject. While Pompei doesn't qualify as a pet, he's just too cute not to post!

This is post number 400!!! 

Touch Up Tuesday

Its Touch Up Tuesday at the Paper Heart Camera!

One of my assignments for studio photography that I seriously botched. Not on purpose mind you but we, meaning my fellow classmates and I, were under the impression after a very through demonstration of what we THOUGHT was the next assignments; all went out and did our still life shoots, very creatively.

Much to the dismay of Mr. G.

The assignment was photographing still life, using the soft boxes, light umbrellas, dish lamps etc.. He was shocked that we had more than four photos in our file, and that we moved the object and lights around.

Funny, we thought, that's exactly what you did in class? The paper did not specify otherwise, in fact it encouraged us to change things up and I quote "One thing at a time".

Apparently he meant only the lights coverings and nothing.else.

Well say that next time!!!!!!!

We all chafed a bit as he berated us for "not reading the assignment". *deep breaths* Is anyone else feeling a since of deja vu here!? Anyway, here's one of the photos I did, using a soft box, I believe. We had all the lights in the studio out, so I couldn't really tell how much exposure I needed. My histogram showed this one to be properly exposed, but blowing it up on the computer, I found it a little dark, and just raised the exposure a bit and saturation.
 Before:

After:

Raw(e): Snacks

Guilty Pleasure: 

Has anyone tried the Twix Ice Cream Bars? Oh.My.Word I could eat an entire BOX in a day! 

Well of the "mini" variety anyway.

See More "Snacks" at Sailor and Company 

Raw(e): Yellow

All I did today was walk.

It was hot.

I was wearing polyestor. 

It makes it about 10x hotter than normal.

I am required to wear that awful fabric. Don't worry its not a normal part of my wardrobe.

 I was reminded by the exact reason I am glad I do not attend our local university. 

I did sooo much walking around campus its not even funny. 

There is no point in driving around it, there isn't any parking for the most part, and despite being here a year, I still can barely find stuff around that place! 

                            

Photo Challenges - Tuesday

Canon EOS Rebel Xti | f/5.0 | 200 mm | ISO 400 | 1/160 sec




Theme: Kids

Sony Alpha a200 | f/7.1 | 70mm | ISO 800 | 1/200 sec

Sony Alpha a200 | f/7.1 | 35mm | ISO 800 | 1/125 sec

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Self Portraits

First off I can't believe my little dude, is not.so.little anymore. Seriously the dog is possibly very close to 80lbs without an ounce of fat on him.  Second of all, I can't believe in a couple of days he'll be 10 months old!!! 

For those of you who don't know, Pompeii is a Guide Dog in Training so, the closer we get to the dreaded 12 month mark, the closer we come to having to give up said pup, and the closer we get to heartbreak. Typically the pups are sent back to the Guide Dog Foundation at around 14 months old, but lately I've been hearing more and more, they are taking them back at 12 months....um me no likey that at all.

Seriously that would be October or November......*gulp*. There are many days I wonder why in the world I do this too myself. But am quick to remind myself of the benefits doing this. 

Raw(e): Pink

Sailor & Co. Photo Challenge

Better late than never.....

But if FA was claiming they didn't have all of your paperwork, 

two days before school started..you'd be distracted too. 

And Annoyed.

Which I am. 

Especially since I specifically asked them was there anything else I needed to bring in.  

URGH.

I have never had such issuse with the FA office as I have since moving here.

*sigh*

Before & After

Before: 

After: 

Sony Alpha a200 - Photoshop CS4 - Pioneer Woman Actions : Boost and Vintage

Raw(e): Green

This weeks theme at Sailor & Co. is Green. I know I know, grass is kind of redundant but. If you'd seen what this grass had looked like, a few weeks ago, then you'd happily take photos of it too. Unlike the "Monsoons" that went through on a weekly basis,last year, we've had an extraordinarily dry summer which has turned the grass from the a lovely shade of green, to a more sick shade of yellow.

Thankfully we've had some good rains (I can say good cause my hair's not done so....lol) lately, and we're getting our green back on.

Before And After

I used Photoshop CS4

This is my first time participating in this challenge hosted by Perfect Pixels. 

So much fun!

Before

After

Before

After

I ♥ Faces Challenge

YaY! I found a new photo challenge site, be sure to head over to I  ♥ Faces Challenge  and check out the awesome entries to this week's Theme: "Pet's Only"

Being a service dog trainer, has its advantages, and one of the few, is that on rainy days, instead of sitting around inside, trying to entertain a bored puppy...we go SHOPPING! Dogs need lots of mental as well as physically exercise, and for Victoria (my puppy in training), Target offered her both! She got the physically activity of walking around the store, and the mental stimulation, of walking on a loose leash, ignoring crumbs on the floor, sitting when I stopped walking; ignoring all the fun little people in the store. Believe me, she was well worn out by the time we left.