If you can’t make it to the reception, the exhibit will be up from February 2nd through March 31st.  Stop by and support the artists and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Here are the photos I’ll be exhibiting.

Fog-Fisheating Creek

Little Blue Heron

Here’s an article about the exhibit  in Life in Naples magazine.

I normally make these photographs at the end of the day as the sun drops in the sky.  The light skims across the surface of the water and changes by the second.  While I’m waiting for the light to be just right, I might photograph some shore birds or just enjoy wading in the warm surf.

Skimmer chicks begging for food from one of their parents (who doesn't seem to have anything to offer at the moment)

A Great Blue Heron shares my spot on the beach.

An extremely calm surf as I make my way out to start shooting.

A warm sky and a calm warm surf

Just after an afternoon thunderstorm, a gentle wave rolls in.

I'm usually very good at timing the waves but this wave got the best of me, smacking me in the face about the time I released the shutter button. I'm not sure how I managed to keep my camera (relatively) dry.

The textures of the sky and the angry surf got my attention on this day.

One of the best things about photographing this series is I never know what visual treat will be served up by the light and the waves.  It’s always different.  At the same time,  no matter the conditions, calm, angry, colorful, overcast, or even stormy,  the connection for me is always the same.  It’s home.

This past Sunday, I had a photo shoot at Ft. Desoto with some Siberian Huskies for an editorial submission.  My models were provided by Lou and Dawn with Husky Haven.  They run a Husky rescue here in the Tampa Bay area and work tirelessly on behalf of the wonderful animals that are fortunate enough to land in their care.  Click here for their website and here for their facebook page.

We started out in the dog park area.  It’s a huge fenced area with a manicured lawn.  I was surprised when we first arrived that there weren’t other dogs in the park.  I soon realized why.  The mosquitoes quickly attacked every square inch of exposed skin.  I’m pretty sure I lost a pint of blood in the time it took me to dig out the industrial strength Cutters from the bottom of my bag and douse myself with it (I also shared with everyone else).  I have never seen it that bad before.  I regret I didn’t have the presence of mind to photograph the carnage before applying the repellent.  Of course, I might have required a transfusion if I delayed any longer.

We didn’t spend too much time in the dog park.  It was hot and the dogs just wanted to sit in the shade and drink ice water.  I knocked out the basic shots needed and we headed for the dog beach where there would be a breeze and no mosquitoes.

Monte gets a nice cold drink.

Monte and Kolchak (inseparable brothers) hanging out in the shade with Lou.

Dawn, Kosmic, Dusky, Kolchak, Monte, and Lou walking along the shoreline.

I wanted a photo of one of the dogs swimming.  We had no idea how he would react to the water but we decided to give Dusky a try.  Sarah, my assistant is always a trooper.  Not even thinking about the fact she was wearing jeans, I asked her to walk Dusky into the water to see how he would do.  Sarah, as usual, didn’t hesitate.

Sarah takes Dusky into the water for the first time.

It turns out Dusky LOVES the water.  Most dogs, when you take them out into the water, will swim back to shore when you let them go.  Dusky kept wanting to either swim further out or swim parallel to the shore.  He really didn’t want to get out.

Dusky loves swimming!

I think Dusky even liked the taste of the salt water.

Sarah’s boyfriend Ben was tagging along.  He happens to be a fantastic photographer, specializing in photojournalism.  He and Sarah made perfect models when I asked them to help me simulate a pet portrait shoot.  Kosmic did a great job too.  I was really pleased that he patiently stayed in his chair and smiled for the camera.

Kosmic poses for his glamour shot!

We were just barely finished shooting this series when I looked up and saw the approaching storm.  It was moving in fast and we were out of time.  Kosmic graciously  posed for a few more frames.  This was the last frame of the Husky shoot before we had to pack up and head for shelter. We hoped the storm would pass as quickly as it arrived.  It didn’t.  It was actually a series of storms that meant the end of the dog shoot.

Kosmic gets the last frame before we called it quits. I think he was ready to go too!

It wasn’t the end of shooting for me.  As I was driving out of Ft. Desoto, I looked to the West and saw what was potentially going to be an incredible sky as the sun fell lower.  Of course, this would all depend on the storms.  I turned around and drove to North Beach and waited.  When it seemed the rain had stopped, I grabbed my gear and headed to the north end of North Beach.  It was still raining a little but there were lulls.  There was also quite a bit of lightening but nothing immediately overhead (a fools assessment). I was rewarded with some truly wonderful skies.  As the light began to fade, the rain started again.

[EDIT: Great News! Since posting this blog entry, Dusky has found a permanent home!]

He has come a long way!  During our photo session, there were no signs of his earlier life traumas.  He was playful, social, inquisitive, sweet, goofy, and adorable.  His turn-around is no doubt due to the love and care provided by his foster parents, Leslie and Brian who ultimately failed at fostering and simply had to adopt this lovable Lab.

I’m so glad Skipper found such a wonderful home and so glad I had the opportunity to meet and photograph all three!

Skipper Dances For Us

Skipper With His Current Favorite Toy

About To Catch The Ball

Just Some of Skipper's Many "Looks"

A Very Happy Family!

Yesterday, I got a call from my Nephew letting me know he and his Fiance were in town for the day with their new puppy Lily.  Luckily, the only thing on my schedule for the evening was a Zumba class that could certainly be skipped to make room for a photo session at the dog beach.

Because of his busy work and school schedule, Mitchell has missed a few of the recent family get-togethers.  We don’t get to see him much these days.  I was so excited to spend some time with him and meet his new puppy.

Mitchell and Lily

Having only met her once before, I was also excited to spend more time getting to know his beautiful Fiance, Tiffany.  She’s  a joy to be around and we are looking forward to welcoming her into the family!

Tiffany and Lily

Of course, Lily the 3 month old Lab puppy was an absolute charmer!

Lily

It was fun watching her during her first visit to the beach.  At first she was a little reluctant to go in the water or venture too far from Mom and Dad.

Lily sticking close to mom and dad

She was reluctant to wade out through the small breaking waves so Mitchell carried her out past them so she could swim.

Mitchell consoling Lily who was a little afraid of the light surf.

Any lingering anxiety quickly disappeared when Lily met her new friend, a white German Shepard, about the same age as Lily.  The two of them really hit it off and had a great time.  Check out his ears.  They’re huge.  I’m not sure it’s possible he’ll ever grow into them.  I think one of his parents might have been a rabbit.

Lily Making Friends

Lily’s new friend really was a great pup.  He was already displaying nice manners and has learned several commands.  I really do love his ears!

Lily's friend showing us how well he sits for a treat. Lily also sits nicely but not in this photo.

Lily taking a break

Lily wondering whey she's not getting all the attention

Such a cute couple!

The Family Portrait

Lexie also presented a bit of a lighting challenge.  The black soft fur on her head wanted lots of light while her soft fluffy white body needed much less to avoid blowing out.  The solution was nice soft light as a main, set to expose for the white, then  some hard light overhead to bring out detail in that black fur.  Of course, with a moving dog the success of the lighting ratio is largely subject to luck.

Lexie posing like a pro...working the angle with one leg slightly forward and head tilt.

Lexie knows if she holds it just a little longer she gets the treat!

Dog Noses are Amazing

In case it's not obvious, Lexie likes to play catch.

If anyone is going to be in the Naples area on February 3rd, you should think about attending the opening reception for the PhotographyAnnual at Rookery Bay.  It’s cosponsored by the United Arts Council of Collier County.  One of my wave images will be exhibited along with the work of some other fabulous photographers.  The exhibit is juried by Clyde Butcher and he’ll be attending the opening reception.

If you can’t make it to the reception, the exhibit will be up through the month of March.  Stop by and support the artists and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

This is the photo I’ll be exhibiting.

20x20 print on Hahnemühle Cotton Rag Paper, mounted and matted to 28x28

[UPDATE: My image was awarded 1st place by Clyde Butcher.  It was such an honor for me, especially after viewing all the wonderful images submitted]

Once you understand the ridge was once beachfront property, the sandy soil makes sense.  While the ridge gets a fair amount of rainfall, the sandy soil drains very quickly, resulting in a desert-like landscape.  Low growing shrubs and hardy grasses dominate this “scrub” habitat. It’s a shame it’s referred to as “Scrub” habitat.  That’s hardly a fitting name for such a fascinating ecosystem.

Agriculture, commercial development and residential development have left us with less than 20% of Florida’s ridge habitats.  This fact should concern not only conservationists. It should concern anyone who lives in or visits Florida, assuming they want plenty of clean water.  Rainwater drains quickly through the sand of the scrub habitats right into the underground aquifer.  As the demand for water increases in the state, we can hardly afford to sacrifice these important groundwater recharge sites.  Surely we need that more than we need another subdivision.

As part of an ongoing effort to photograph Florida’s endangered ecosystems, Florida Scrub is clearly at the top of my list.  The question is how should it be photographed.  I recently had a discussion with a fellow photographer and conservationist who presented a passionate argument for presenting documentary or visually literal images.  In other words, making a photograph that “looks” like the place.  He argued that there really wasn’t room for artistic interpretation.  He wasn’t referring to altering the photograph in Photoshop. He was referring to how the photograph is made at the time shutter button is pressed.  I can certainly agree with his position when it comes to the type of image one might find in a field guide.  However, I couldn’t disagree more when it comes to conservation photography.

A Bystander's Point of View-While these photos do show how scrub habitat "looks", does it really tell the viewer what scrub habitat is ?

This may sound counter-intuitive but I think for a landscape photograph to tell the real story of a place, it takes something more than just a visual record of what’s seen.  When you walk through a place and really take it in, your impression is formed not only by what you see but also what you feel, smell, and touch.  The photographer needs to find a way to convey as much of that sensory input as possible in a visual representation.  Some images, even though they’re beautiful, feel like they could have been made through the window of a car or from a vantage point outside the landscape. That won’t do if the photographer wants the viewer to look at an image and “feel’ what it’s like to be there.

At a distance, Scrub habitat isn’t visually compelling.  This landscape makes you take a closer look.  On a very cold morning (17F) walking through Catfish Creek Preserve, part of the Lake Wales Ridge, the landscape itself told me how it needed to be photographed.  The fall colors, the tight jumble of textures, and the light dancing off the grasses and shrubs, created a living impressionist painting. If I wanted others to really see this landscape, I needed to photograph the landscape, not as a spectator documenting what I saw, but as a participant inside the dense, scratchy, dry, beautiful place.

Filtered Light Illuminating the Fall Colors of a Turkey Oak

So Many Different Textures!

Tall Grasses Surround Many of the Ponds Dotting the Lake Wales Ridge

I can usually tell pretty quickly if the group photo is going to become a reality.  While this might look like total chaos and that I’ve lost control of my set,  I’m actually evaluating the pups.  Not only do I want to see how they interact and what motivates them, I want to see how they react to the strobes and my attempts to get their attention.

As I sat back and watched the interactions,  I could see the black lab was going to focus  on treats with a calm intensity (my assistant Sarah was holding the treat bag). The Yellow (white) lab looked right at me when I made a noise (always nice to be able to get their focus like that).  The Chocolate lab is looking to play (this is going to be a “live” one).  One of the Doxies is sticking close to mom, isn’t nervous but also isn’t too eager to play or go for a treat.  The Doxie at the bottom of the frame clearly doesn’t want to be in the mix of things…too much going on.  It was clear to me the best course of action would be smaller groups and individual portraits.

We pulled in an ottoman for the Doxies to sit on for their portraits.  This accomplished several things.  It keeps the two dogs in close proximity to each other.  It’s a comfortable surface for them and a comfortable dog will stay put a little longer.  It also makes it easier for me to photograph them at eye level.  I get to sit instead of lie on my belly.

Once I knew I had some great photos of the small dogs, it was time to bring on the big dogs.  Between treats, toys, and praise, we managed to get great photos of them all.

Another challenge when shooting multiple dogs is when one is black and the other white (wedding shooters who have to handle white wedding dresses and black tuxes know what I’m talking about here).  To get detail in both, they need to be lit separately.  The black dog needs a lot more light than the white dog.  Otherwise it will look like an ink blot.  Quick maneuvering of lights and their output is necessary.   In this case, I have a large softbox camera left, angled to prevent much of the light from spilling on the white dog (but still enough to light that side of the dog and remain the key light), and a medium softbox camera right at about 1/3rd the output of the light on the left.  This lighting ratio typically works unless the black dog has long soft fur that sucks up even more light.  Even with this ratio, one can expect to have some pretty deep shadows on the black dog and some fairly hot highlights on the white dog.  The trick is balancing it.

Once I know I have the basic portraits captured, it’s time to have fun.  Charlie had been catching my eye the entire session. He had so many different expressions and behaviors.  He was a big goof in the best possible way.  This is one of my favorites of him from the session.

Every photo session is different and every dog is different.  It’s what makes what I do so much fun.  This session was certainly no exception.  All of the dogs were wonderfully unique.  My thanks to Ethel for asking me to photograph her canine family AND for all she does for the SPCA!  I have to say…These are five very lucky dogs! Their mom loves them very much!

This weekend, I met up with some other photographers and was asked several times (easily the question I’m asked most frequently), “How do you get the dogs to do what you want them to do?” .  My answer is always the same.  I don’t get them to do anything.  My job is to see what they want to do or are willing to do and react to that.