It’s mid May, so it’s been 13 months since we moved to Southern California.  I am really loving it — the ocean, the weather, the people.  The girls are doing very well — fit and happy and built like tanks.  They usually get in 2 shortish walks a day but a few days ago Lucy went on an outing with my hiking group and did 3 miles at Discovery Lake. 

 They are still young enough to feel like puppies.  Lola will be 2 in August and Lucy is 4 months younger.  We recently lost our 13-year-old basset hound, so I know their wild and rollicking youth won’t last forever.  I try to treasure them as they are now.

 Of course, that includes taking lots of pictures.  Here are some recent ones.

I’ve started a new intensive photography class so I haven’t had much time to post recently.   Here’s a picutre I took of Lucy — but it got done a bit too late to send out Easter cards. 

You can see some recent images of the girls on my pbase gallery here:

http://www.pbase.com/jensenholmes/project_365

   I took this studio shot of Lucy recently.  We had just watched “Tropic Thunder” and when I saw this image of Lucy it reminded me of Jack Black.   (I think we need to cut back a bit on the treats.) 

I have moved my Project 365 photos (that’s a challenge to take a photo every day all year) to pbase.  The new gallery is here.

“Project 365″ is certainly having an effect on how much time I spend on photography.  And that’s a good thing!  Here are some recent pictures I’ve taken for Project 365 and/or the Pet Photography class I just finished:

“Lola and Lucy Go Hiking”

“Fun in the Mud”

“Lucy in Scarf”

“Bad to the Bone”  (my favorite)

Another picture using my new studio lights.  I didn’t like the background on this so I extracted Lola and put her on white. Very ’stock photo’!

How do you like my first “studio shot”?  I’ve always been a devoted “available light photographer”.  When you’re shooting your own animals, and you can do it anytime you like, that works OK because you know where the light is best around the house/yard and can shoot at any time of day — or simply pick up the camera whenever you “see the light”.

But I’m taking an online Pet Photography course in order to take my dog photography to the next level.  I’d love to be able to shoot other people’s dogs or perhaps volunteer to shoot animals for a shelter or rescue.  When you go someplace else to shoot a dog, you can’t count on having good available light.  The instructor in my online class uses studio lighting and so I took the plunge and bought my first studio lighting set-up — an Alien Bee B800 strobe light, a large rectangular softbox and light stand. 

The shot above is of Lucy, taken in my first attempt to use the studio lighting.  This was the only good shot I got — most were either black (strobe didn’t fire) or blown out (camera not set right for so much light).  But, despite the obvious learning curve, I’m pleased with my new capacity and hope to master the gear to consistently get good results.

Here’s the online class I’m taking:

http://www.ppsop.net/petp.aspx

Here are a few new pictures taken for my Project 365.

The last picture at sunset was taken just today.  Have you ever walked a populated area with two bulldogs?  If you have, you might know that special feeling that you get when everyone you pass begins to smile — young, old, teens, surfers, gardeners, business men.  Bulldogs have a special gift for making people happy, even if only for a moment.  What wonderful creatures.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m doing “Project 365″, which is a self-induced challenge to take a photo every day all year.

For Jan 20th, I wanted a solemn, moving photo of us watching the inauguration.  So I set the camera up on the TV cabinet and put the timer on so I could be in it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t count on the reaction of the dogs to the camera’s self-timer beeper and flash. 

Lola:  “What is that thing beeping over there?”

Lola:  “I’m going to attack that thing!”

Lola:  “Mom told me I had to stay here, but I *really* don’t like that beeping thing.  Maybe I should be scared?” 

Lola:  “Mom keeps running back and forth!  Ack!  What’s going on!  Danger, Will Robbinson, danger!”

<Lola is put down on the floor.  Let’s try this photo thing one more time without her…>

<Lucy, in solidarity, gives her us her best side.>

I saw a scrapbook page for 2009 created by Vinnie Pearce that had a kid on a bicycle on it.  I decided it would be a fun project to “scraplift it” and put my 2 dogs on the page instead of the boy on the bike.  It was — shall we say — interesting at the park trying to get decent running shots where I was perpendicular to the dogs.  They always want to run TO me or AWAY from me (and my crazy camera).  Ha!  I had given up, plotting to return with husband and treats in tow for more of a team approach, when I suddenly got a few shots.  They worked out just fine.

I created a screensaver of this.  I have it in 1280×800.  Below is the download link.  RIGHT-CLICK on the link and ’save target as’ to your computer.  Or just click on the link and allow the picture to load, then RIGHT-CLICK on it and save it to your computer.

Happy New Year!

LOLA AND LUCY 2009 SCREENSAVER

The items I used on this page (the confetti, ‘2009′, etc) were created by Vinnie Pearce.  Here’s a link to her blog.

I’ve decided to do Project 365 this year.  The idea is that you have to take 1 photo a day, 365 days a year, and post it on the web.

It’s January 8th and I can already tell I’ll be taking a lot more pictures of the girls again.  I’ll try to remember to post the good ones here.  My “project 365″ pictures will be posted at flickr here:

Jane’s Project 365 at Flickr.

Here are some new bulldog pics I took on Jan 6th.