Today is part 2 of the Eli Adventure series. Today was a little different than normal. We went out to my friend’s 92 acre property to check it out and do a photoshoot. We actually spent most of the time hauling scotchbroom and burning them to help clear out the land. At first we shot a few frames of just Eli with the landscape in the background. Those turned out pretty well, so we kind of stopped there.
The real magic happened when we stopped shooting. Eli’s father held him because Eli was getting tired and sleepy. I was just about to put my lights away when he asked if he could have a few shots with Eli. I said, “Of course!” I had them stand in front of the bonfire so it was slightly out of focus, and dialed my exposure in to make sure it was slightly underexposed. I managed to catch a moment where he was looking down at Eli, and it was such a powerful moment. The expression on his face towards Eli shows so much about their relationship: love and protection. This is by far my favorite photo from the shoot:
Eli the Adventurer #2
Eli the Adventurer
I love it when kids dress a lot older than they actually are. They look like miniature humans, and it’s pretty darn adorable. Today we went out and shot a few frames with Eli in one of the parks nearby. The goal was to make it look like an REI ad, but with a 2 year old! I also wanted dramatic lighting so I brought my SB800 and small softbox with me for some overhead lighting to overpower the ambient. Thankfully it was overcast so I was shooting at 1/16 power all day.
Riley the pup!
My wife and I volunteered to dog sit for our friends because we were thinking about getting a dog ourselves. Neither one of us have had a dog before, so we thought we’d give it a shot for a few days and see how we like it. So far, I’m loving it. Riley is the sweetest dog! She is a Samoyed, often referred to as “Smiling Sammy.” How could you not love a face like hers? She is cuddled up next to my feet as I’m typing this, so cute!!
As much as I love her, she is quite a bit of work – but at least it forces me to go outside once in a while (I think I’m just lazy). I haven’t experienced mornings with her yet, so we’ll see how that goes tomorrow! Wish us luck!
Update: The first night was a little rough, but I think only because Riley wasn’t used to our bedroom and it got too hot for her at one point. I got up and opened the door for her to go downstairs with me to cool off a bit as I petted her soft and furry head. She’s so cute! She walked out to the hallway and slept where it was cooler the rest of the night.
Day two: She spent the day at doggy day care because we would be out of the house for 10+ hours that day. The funny thing about Riley is that she refuses to drink water from anywhere but home! I thought I would save myself a paw cleaning by taking her for a walk as soon as we got home for her to poop and pee, but all she wanted to do was to go home. It turned out she was really really thirsty, she drank 2 bowls of water! It also must have tired her out having that much social stimulation at doggy day care, she came home and crashed.
I love how she sleeps on her back like a human. Soooo cute!!! <3
Day three: The wife was lucky enough to spend the entire day with her. Riley was very sweet and well behaved. Not much longer after I got home, she was picked up… the house is so quiet now. No more fuzzy fur ball walking around and lying on our kitchen floor. No more ridiculously cute sleeping positions on our carpet. I miss Riley.
Now we’re hoping to adopt a Riley of our own someday… someday.
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Beautiful dog. I loved Samoyed dogs. If I didn’t have Alaskan Malamutes, then they might be my next choice. Have fun.
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Beautiful dog. Great photos of Riley. You can see the intelligence in her face.
Samoyeds are good family dogs if you can devote the time to exercise them. They aren’t particularly well suited for smallish apartments or condo though. Did I mention they need a lot of exercise to keep them happy? Otherwise you’ll be coping with all that pent up energy. Not to mention their coat can be a challenge to groom. So while they have good points. As long as you can get the work out they require to be content and well behaved. There are exceptions of course.
Awesome pic. But Lloyd in the back just cracks us up! Senor can you move? We are trying to take a picture! Gracias!