Photography – Page 2 – Simply Col Photography

Project 52 – Depth of Field

The theme for week 10 of the Project 52 Pet Photographer’s blog circle is “depth of field”.

In photography, the term depth of field simply refers to the area of the scene which appears well in focus. When the depth of field is small, or shallow, the image background and foreground appear blurred, with only a small area in focus. A wider depth of field keeps most of the scene in focus.

The three main factors at work in obtaining the desired depth of field include the lens aperture, the focal length, and the distance between the camera and the subject.

A shallow depth of field is often used to isolate the subject from its environment while adding a pleasing artsy feel to the photograph. Obtaining the desired focus does take a little practice but the end results can be strikingly beautiful.

When photographing pets, I often strive for a shallow depth of field. I simply like the look and love how it makes the subject pop while adding some interest to the story being told.

The next photo is of my sweet Sadie and is one of my favourites. It speaks to me in so many ways, especially now that she is no longer with us.

Miss you Sadie Girl and your big hairy paws.

And last but never least, here are a few of this week’s hopefuls from the shelter. A shallow depth of field, with the resulting blurred backgrounds, in conditions where the backdrops are limited, allows for a much more pleasing adoption photo.

“Since the background is as important as the subject, you mustn’t let it default by chance. You must control not only vertical and horizontal, you must be aware of the depth of field (or lack of it) that you want in the background.” ~ Jay Maisel

Project 52 _______________________
This post is part of the Pet Photography Project 52 blog circle. To see what the next photographer is sharing for the weekly theme, “depth of field”, visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH. Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here. Enjoy!

March 8, 2019February 17, 2022 by Col Categories: Photography, Project 52Tags: pet photography, Photography, Project 52 4 Comments

Volunteering at Animal Services

I can honestly say that volunteering with Animal Services is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I feel so fortunate to be able to work alongside people that I respect and with whom I share a similar mindset. The staff and volunteers at Winnipeg Animal Services work together as a team to make a difference in the dog community by promoting responsible pet ownership through public education and adoption.

To be passionate about something and to be able to feel that what you are doing is making a difference, is priceless.

“Meet Colleen! She is a retired nurse and photographer. Colleen volunteers her time weekly and takes pictures of our dogs to help them get adopted. She is also part of a small team that helps maintain our social media channels. Thank you!”

“Be the change… Volunteer.”

February 19, 2019February 22, 2019 by Col Categories: Adoptable Dogs, Just Me, Shelter StoriesTags: adopt a dog, Photography, working together Leave a comment

Project 52 Week 6 – Field of Dreams

This weeks theme for the Pet Photography Project 52 blog circle is “Composite”.

In photography a composite is the blending of two or more images to create a final image. This is something I’ve been curious about, but have very little experience with.To say this week’s theme is a challenge is putting it mildly, at least for me. And in all honesty I wasn’t sure where to begin.

Then, while walking with Lacie, it came to me.

But first a little backstory…

I think I am my happiest when walking with my dogs. This is where and when all pretense falls and I am simply me.

Our favourite walking path is right behind our house in this most glorious open field. The field is bordered by the Cordite Trail which takes us on a lovely walk surrounded by bulrushes on one side and prairie grass on the other.

For the longest time it was the four of us. Myself… Sadie my senior English Springer… Coco my senior Shih Tzu… and the newest member of our pack, lovely Lacie. We loved our walks and the field. Often the dogs were allowed some off leash time and their happiness was contagious.

The scenery changes with every season, the sense of contentment a constant.

The years have passed and we have lost both Sadie and Coco. My heart remains heavy with the loss and I miss them both so very much.

Today just Lacie and I walk “our” field. Our walks still bring joy and gratefulness but now there is a sadness too. In my heart I can’t help but hope that Sadie and Coco still walk beside us.

My composite… my field of dreams…

“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle; easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we would still live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.” ~ Irving Townsend

Project 52 _______________________
This post is part of the Pet Photography Project 52 blog circle. To see what the next photographer is sharing for the weekly theme, “Composite”, visit Susannah of Pet Love Photography, serving Greater Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area, and destinations nationwide. Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here. Enjoy!

February 8, 2019March 2, 2019 by Col Categories: My Pack, Photography, Project 52Tags: My Pack, Photography 6 Comments

Project 52 Week 5 – Lacie in Red

The Project 52 theme for this week is “Red”.

When I think red, I think… Intense… Bold… Defiant. It is the colour of extremes with its various shades representing everything from passionate love to anger and danger.

Me being me, there’s not much in the way of red in my closet, mostly greens, blues, earth colours. But when I do wear red, I feel empowered.

Lacie doesn’t own much in the way of red either, except for, perhaps, her very own coat which is a lovely variant of red. I guess she can’t get more red than that!

In our search for props for this theme we did come across this lovely red scarf in our pile of doggy stuff.

So, now we proudly present…

Lacie in Red

With all this talk of red I started to wonder, “Can Lacie see red?” A little bit of research determined that dogs do indeed see colours, but many fewer than we humans. For dogs the spectrum of colour consists of basically yellows, blues and grays. It seems that they see the colors green, yellow and orange as yellowish, and violet and blue as blue.

So… apparently no red for Lacie, at least not in the way that I see it. Through a dog’s eyes, red appears as a very dark brownish gray or even a black.

I had heard that dogs were near colour blind so to find out just what colours they do see is interesting stuff.

More Interesting Red Trivia (from the human perspective)

– Red is the international colour for stop.
– Red is the most popular colour used on flags.
– Red is one of the top two favourite colours.
– Red is a primary color. That means you can’t mix two other colors together to get red.
– Red is the highest arc of the rainbow
– Bees can not see red, but they see all other bright colours.
– Red is the first colour that a baby sees after black and white.

And now, here’s one more of Lacie with her lovely red bow.

“More than any other colour, red is loaded for action.” ~ Robert Genn

Project 52 _______________________
This post is part of the Pet Photography Project 52 blog circle. To see what the next photographer is sharing for the weekly theme, “Red”, visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got the Shot Photography, serving pets and their people in Northeastern PA and surrounding areas Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here. Enjoy!

February 1, 2019February 12, 2019 by Col Categories: My Pack, Pet Photography, Project 52Tags: Lacie, My Pack, pet photography, Photography 9 Comments

Project 52 Week 3 – About the Photographer

The Project 52 theme for this week is “About the Photographer”… a tough one for me as I prefer my place behind the camera, rather than in front of it. But none the less, here we go.

For myself, photography is about sharing moments, memories and the sensibilities that bind them together. My “happy place” is often found in the simple times, the quiet moments and I relish the beauty that I find there. My hope is that, through my photography, I am able to depict and share the essence, not merely the existence, of what I see.

For many years I have shared my life and my home with dogs and it is now to the point where I can imagine my life in no other way. For a long time my pack consisted of three…Sadie, Coco and Lacie. Sadie and Coco were the two seniors with Lacie entering the picture about 4 years ago. Along with Bear, the Manx cat, our home and hearts were full.

Bear, Sadie and Coco are gone now and my heart aches with the loss of these three souls but I am forever grateful for having been able to share my life with theirs. Lovely Lacie remains and these days I hold her close.

To be able to combine my passion for photography with my love for dogs has been a blessing.

Several years ago I was given the opportunity to photograph the shelter dogs going up for adoption at our local Animal Services. Today, 8 years later, this is where you will still find me. I love these dogs, they have come to own my heart. Being able to work closely with them and assist in helping them find good homes has become a passion and a joy.

Here are some of this week’s adorable, adoptable faces…

This recent photo taken at the shelter makes me smile. Being the photographer I don’t have many photos of myself, let alone a photo of me taking a photo. I love it. Thanks Leland!

Photo Credit: Leland Gordan

And, in case you are curious… these are the photos of beautiful adoptable Balto from that day.

“Love what you do, do what you love.”

Project 52 _______________________
This post is part of the Pet Photography Project 52 blog circle. To see what the next photographer is sharing for the weekly theme, “about the photographer”, visit Elaine Tweedy of I Got The Shot Photography, serving pets and their people in Northeastern PA. Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here. Enjoy!