My Digital Sketchpad, continued…

Last week, I mentioned that I’ve grown very fond of using my digital camera to work through creative ideas, lighting, focal lengths, and positioning. I decided to continue working that way through another series of images I’m interested in making on film. These go back to one of my favorite subjects, dogs. And, some of these may eventually make my Dogs portfolio.

I am always interested in the tiniest of details, whether it is the lighting on the smallest object in a still life, or the tiniest hair in or out of place in a portrait. In my studio lighting classes, we focus on tabletop, still life and product work, and I teach my students to look for these tiny details. A speck of dust on their surface, a tiny hair on their beautiful glass vase, or the slightest edge where light falls off too abruptly in their background. All of these details are important, and I want to train their eyes to catch everything, every tiny detail.

Rescued
Rescued

This image is my sweet Olive’s paw, close up with a macro lens. I love the rough texture of the paw pads against her smooth white fur. She is a rescue and came to us with a whole host of health problems, and in our first six months together, major skin problems. You wouldn’t know that she led a rough, street life in Houston, Texas today. She’s quite the spoiled queen of the household. And, Olive, her name…my grandma’s (Nanny’s) name, something about her old soul led me there. She’s the olive in my martini of life!

We adopted her through the Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado. Olive, along with our sweet old Reggie who died last year, and our scrappy little pup, Maggie (you’ll meet her later!) all came from this wonderful organization. They like to call themselves a Dalmatian rescue, but we’ve only gotten one purebred from them, these other two, well, they are still spotted friends! Please consider a rescue the next time you find yourself in need of a four-legged companion. They have the capacity to love greater than any human I’ve met, and their love is unconditional. We are privileged to be able to share our lives with dogs.

Skip to content