What inspired you to take this photo? We had a puppy shower for a friend at work to celebrate the arrival of her new pup, Finn. As a gift I offered to do a photoshoot for her.
Why did you capture this photo the way you did? We had taken a few photos outside work, but the backgrounds were cluttered with cars, fences and buildings. So we decided to take Finn to a local high school with big open fields. The low profile and wide angle lens take advantage of this and helps give the shot an open, free feeling.
What were you feeling? What mood were you in? Well, we were outside playing with a cute puppy, so I think it is safe to say the mood was light and playful! We had lots of laughs watching her chase after toys and romp around!
How did you plan this photo? Finn is a retriever, so we took advantage of that by throwing various toys out into the field and having her go get them and bring them back to us. I took a few shots of her running to get the toys and a few of her bringing them back. I was using the wide angle lens at the time, and wanted to get down low into “puppy level” to help bring us into her perspective a little bit.
What sort of post-processing did you do afterwards? The main changes were to remove a few distracting buildings, trees and lightpoles from the horizon, to brighten Finn a little bit and to darken the sky. In the original photo the sky was much brighter than the foreground, but of course that’s not really how I remember the scene, since our eyes compensate for these kinds of differences naturally. Darkening the sky was complicated as both a tree and a puppy spanned the horizon. So I spent a lot of time with the clone-stamp tool correcting artifacts that were created by this.
Do you have a connection to the subject and/or location? Yes, Jeannie is a coworker and friend of mine, and I get to see her pup Finn a lot since we can bring our dogs to the office where we work. It was fun to be able to work with a friend on the photoshoot.
General Photography Questions:
Why is Photography important to you? Good question! I think there are a lot of things I like about photography. I mostly photograph wildlife and nature, including astrophotography. I get a great deal of enjoyment and excitement from witnessing and capturing natural beauty, and from being able to share that beauty with others through photos and the stories connected with them. Photographing people and their pets is also very rewarding, as it offers a chance to get to know them better, and to capture and preserve little glimpses of their personality and character.
How do you overcome creative blocks? I think the main thing is to go outside your comfort zone and try new things. This is tough at first because the initial results might not be satisfying, but in the end you will learn new things and discover new interests that keep the creative juices flowing.
Where did you study photography? Or are you self taught? I took a beginner class when I bought my first DSLR about 7 years ago. Since then, I’ve been mostly self taught, but of course I’ve learned a lot by talking to other photographers and from viewing their work along the way.
What do you enjoy photographing most? Finding and phographing wildlife brings me the most enjoyment. Capturing them in interesting behaviors such as courtship rituals and interactions between different animals or species helps us relate to them and gives us a glimpse into their world.
What motivates you to do what you do? Although I do sell some images and do limited contract work from time to time, for me photography is mainly a hobby and I think it will remain that way. I enjoy all aspects of it, from the motivation to get outside and explore, to the joy of finding wildlife and beautiful scenery, the art of capturing it and showing it in the best light, and sharing with others a part of my excitement and experience.
Do you ever use your skill for a good cause? I donate photos to non-profit groups involved in the education and preservation of nature, and last year I organized a fund-raising photo shoot for the Rocky Mountain Raptor Center that raised over a thousand dollars for the program. But really, anytime you can make someone smile with a photo I think it is a good cause!
