The Black Dog’s PhotoBlog

It’s September and for many that means the return to school. Many will hear new and interesting things.

I love learning and in photography I feel like I’m constantly learning. I’m constantly discovering new techniques and new people with new ideas. I always try to get people to give me their thoughts on where and how they’d like their portraits. It not only helps me become aware of new ideas but it helps to create that one of a kind, originality in each person’s portrait package. That little something that no one else will have and that little something that says “you”. Remember, your portraits are about “YOU” not the photographer taking your pictures.

Also, just a note, there’s still plenty of time for your Class of 2009 senior portraits. Not everyone has their senior portraits done in the summer before they start back to school. Many people like to wait for the colorful fall leaves or even the winter snow.

The Earth Laughs in Flowers
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This will probably be my last flower post until next spring as many of my flowers in the garden are starting to fade.

These last few weeks of August the weather up here in Minnesota has been beautiful. Nice sunny days, gentle breezes and warm (not hot) temperatures. You can tell that summer is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner. Fall is my favorite time of year and I’m looking forward to the season change. I love all the changing colors, apples, hay rides and cool evenings. But winter and cold always follows for us Minnesotans. I really will miss the flower garden until next spring.

“Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul.” – The Koran

This was really an unplanned session. It was one of those perfect days and I had noticed how nicely the sun was reflecting off the flowers in the front garden. I grabbed my camera and 70-300mm lens and headed outside. That was my only plan.

After snapping a few flower pictures, I looked over and saw my husband (who really is still a boy inside) sitting on the ground playing with his dog. I’m sure that everyone will agree that there really is something about the bond between a boy (or man) and his dog. When I saw it, I just had to try to capture it. I sat down on the ground some feet away in order to be on a more personal level.

She’s an old gal of 11 1/2 years. She’s getting rather white in the face these days and has trouble getting around sometimes. She doesn’t tolerate the heat very well anymore but she’s still a beauty in his eyes.

And of course, the Black Dog himself had to make a rare guest appeariance from his spot in the shade.

Do you ever wonder what photographers do in their spare time? I like to photograph simple ordinary tasks and objects. Like cleaning house or canning vegetables. Why do I do this? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the experience or a way to play with and practice a new technique or accessory I just learned or bought. All the while, I accomplish a daily chore while exercising my vision.

I believe we all see things differently. In fact, I believe we see with our mind and not really our eyes. How else would you explain a person being blind and yet producing excellent, beautiful photographs? (Example: Flickr: Blind Photographers Group)

This also explains why one person looks at a photograph and finds much beauty while another person finds the same photograph dull and drab.

Using Ansel Adams as an example, I believe he seen many things in sharp focus. Take a look at some of his pictures. He visualized them this way in his mind and transferred that visualization to his photographs. While I see things with a very limited focus. My brother even commented when I was younger that I had “tunnel vision”. I think this shows in many of my photographs.

Bottom line I guess is that ordinary things can make beautiful photographs. It all depends who’s looking and what their mind is seeing.

May you from this day on run wild and free in a peaceful land of large fields and plenty of apple trees. A place where no fears can torment you and you’ll always feel safe. May you always have a toy to hold in your mouth and many other puppies to play with. May you finally rest and find that peace you’ve so desperately been searching for these past few years.

We’re sorry to have kept you longer than we should. It’s just that we didn’t want you to go so soon. We love you and will miss our special little wild one.

Every year this is one of my favorite sites. The reflection of the luminaries and vendor booths around the water after the sun goes down. I can’t leave until I see this.

A closer view of the luminaries at dark

Last night I attended the Cambridge, MN annual Relay for Life. These Relays occur all over the United States beginning in Tacoma, Washington back in 1985.

This morning I was trying to figure out what to write in my blog about this event and it turned out to be much harder than I thought it would. Now-a-days we all know someone who’s life has been touched by cancer. I could share with you my stories about the survivors I know and about the people I’ve lost but I think it would be better to let you reflect on your own stories or memories.

The man with the hat! Don’t you just love it?

This really gave us a chuckle. Hanging at one of the vendors stands, a “Redneck Wind Chime”.

I must send a special thanks to my husband’s aunt Marian for introducing us to these Relays 5 years ago and for her had work and devotion to this cause. We have come a long way since 1985 in detecting and treating cancer but there is still a long way to go.

American Cancer Society, Relay for Life

Rush Point Store, Est. 1879. View an old photograph of this store here –>old photo of Rush Point Store or visit the store’s website here –>Rush Point Store Website

Just the beginning of August and already I’m busier that last month. I’m excited about the new month and the new developments for my business. Besides being a month away from the beginning of the school season and finding that many seniors haven’t yet had their portraits taken I also have a few projects this month which will take me out of the studio. This is very exciting for me. I began one of these projects on August 1st which is photographing a small township just north of Cambridge, MN called Nessel Township. It’s a very quite and peaceful place that consists mostly of agricultural land. I’d love for my photographs of this area to show others what beauty is contained here. I’ve decided to do this essay entirely in black and white using only my 17-35mm wide angle lense. My hope is that this will become a collection of work that I can build on for some years to come and maybe duplicate for some of the other small towns in Minnesota.

Designed in Simple Georgian Architecture, Calvary Lutheran Church, Est. 1870

West Rush Lake Shoreline

Here’s a fun quiz titled; “Which famous photographer are you?” It’s been around for a while but if you haven’t seen it yet and you love photography - take the quiz! Most results I’ve seen peg people as Ansel Adams types and I expected mine would be the same but we can’t all be like him. Even though he’s influenced many of us, some have to be different.

Here’s my results:

For those of you who are not familiar with Henri Cartier-Bresson you can view some of his wonderful photographs from the Tete a Tete Exhibit. This photographer, born in France, is considered the father of modern photojournalism and the master of candid photography. He traveled all over the world with his Leica rangefinders and photographed many historic events. He was also one of the co-founders of Magnum Photos. See Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson to learn more about him and his work.

Though I’ve never thought of myself as being a photojournalist, it does spark a new interest in my photography. I love photographing people and taking candid shots. You can bet that I’ll be researching more about photojournalism and Henri Cartier-Bresson in the coming months.

If you take this quiz, I’d love to hear about your results and thoughts on the photographer you’re most like. Do you agree? Disagree?

What a blast these 2 girls were! So awake and alive with energy. Oh to be young again.

Before these 2 girls came for their portrait session I spoke with their mother and she indicated to me that she always preferred more spontaneous or candid portraits over the formal sit down indoor studio portraits. So I came up with many ideas of poses and settings I thought would work for them. I always like to have a plan.

We started with our first scene that I had picked out and I asked the girls, “what would you like to do in these pictures?” This session just took off from there. There was jumping, running, flower picking, posing, hugging and playing peek-a-boo. It was so much fun for me to see and photograph these girls just being themselves. It wasn’t really what I had planned, it was better. These 2 girls were just adorable.

I also have to say thanks for a friend and fellow photographer for her suggestions on this shoot, what lens she’d use and letting kids be kids when you photograph them.

I’m just going to take a little bragging time here.

Any of you ever heard of the MTEA SuperMileage Challenge? This year it took place on May 19th & 20th, 2008 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, MN. (Yes, I realize I haven’t posted in my blog since the 18th of May. We’ve been very busy around here, but more on that in the coming days.)

This was my son’s second and final year taking part in this challenge. The goal of this challenge is not to be the fastest vehicle but instead to get the best mileage using E85 fuel. My son’s vehicle won the prize for the top performing E85 vehicle and his school was awarded $300! The vehicle he designed and built got 493 miles per gallon on it’s best run. That’s pretty amazing if you ask me. Especially in a day when gas prices are outrageous and many of us are beginning to realize that we need to very soon find an alternative fuel source.

Here’s a little write up from the MN Corn Growers Association’s Website about SuperMileage Cars and this year’s challenge.
High school students build super high mileage cars
Written by Jonathan Eisenthal
That’s my son and his girlfriend accepting the check for his school pictured at the bottom of the article.