The Best Things In Life

"Whatcha buy us? Whatcha buy us?
"Is it fancy?"
"Is it expensive?"

Boys! Now aren't we being greedy.

"Sorry Mom"
"Sorry Momma"

Don't you know that the best things in life are free?

(scribble scribble scribble)

Now what are you doing?

"You'll see."

Aww.... you three are the best!

Dog Blog Post #890

Photography Assignment

Our Daily Challenge - Dec 12, 2012 - "The Best Things In Life Are Free"

… just ask the boys!

They didn't have any problems coming up with…

Daily Dog Challenge "408. 12/12/12"

… yes...

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#12 12-12-12"

… free things are really are The Best. :)

Behind the Scenes

Lately I've been trying to map out what I'm going to shoot for the day, keeping in mind the various daily/monthly/yearly challenge groups. Today's looked like this...

(click to see a larger version on flickr)

On a good day, I can come up with a quasi-rational storyline for the blog using the shots. :)

That said, it is just starting place, and the observant will note I ultimately changed the first shot (second square) to the shot with the bag (first shot up top).

It turned out my original idea of me sitting and the dogs begging looked a whole lot better on paper than in real life.

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© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Autumn

Dog Blog Post #877

Photography Assignment

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#52. Autumn/Fall"

… seems to me to be…

Daily Dog Challenge "386. All About Color"

This is my favorite time of year, full of rich, warm, vibrant colors that bring out the best in the Golden Boys, including...

Our Daily Challenge - Nov 20, 2012 - "Sweet"

… Henry (or Zachary - depending on which picture you are looking at!)

"Help! Help! It's got me!!!"

Editor's Note: I haven't done much with draped fabrics before, and found out it's harder than it looks!

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© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Brrrrr

Look to the Left...

... now look to the Right...

Dog Blog Post #?

Photography Assignment

The boys are…

Daily Dog Challenge "360. Dressed for the Weather"

… assuming that weather is in…

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#51. Winter"

… and it's...

Our Daily Challenge - Oct. 25, 2012 - "Cold"

… and you need…

The Monthly Scavenger Hunt October 2012 - "7. Winter fashion (or winter hat)."

This was a riot to shoot, especially trying to get the hat to stay on Zachary's head. I finally had to pull out my old ear muffs to keep the hat in place.

And yes, those are real 80's leg warmers on Zachary's legs.

I'm not sure what's worse - that I'm old enough to own them, that I still have them and could even find them, or that I actually wore them.

Frankly, they look a lot better on Zachary than they ever looked on me!

Uh, Henry, that was supposed to the be the "Look to the Center" shot!

(sigh)

Models.

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© 2012 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Seeing Spots

Can you spot the treat Zachary is trying catch?

How about here?

Dog Blog Post #682:

Daily Dog Challenge "190. Repeating Pattern - Take a photo of your dog that features some kind of repeating pattern today!"

Our Daily Challenge - May 8, 2012 - "Found"

Scavenge Challenge May 2012 - "4. Physical gestures such as a shrug express concepts. Keep it family-friendly, please."

Scavenge Challenge May 2012 - "21. Photograph something with spots, speckles or polka-dots."

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#35. Spots or Dots"

Editor's Note: I was a bit surprised at how crisp these came out. Not sure if it's because the dogs were moving so the autofocus (camera on tripod - me off to whichever side the dog is looking toward, with a remote) had an easier time picking out the dog from the background, or if the spotted background itself helped out the camera. Either way, I'm sure you'll all be glad to hear that I have NO intention of having the spots move into regular rotation as a background! Just a tad busy, don't you think?


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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Zachary - Dog of Action

YARP - Yet Another Retrieving Picture

Dog Blog Post #680: Honestly. I'm not the one picking the challenges! But what was I supposed to do with...

Daily Dog Challenge 187. Where The Action Happens - Take a photo today that illustrates the idea of action!"

I was rather conflicted between the shot above and the shot below...

... which is crisper, but more mundane in "pose".

We also have...

... a no-brainer for...

Our Daily Challenge - May 5, 2012 - "X Marks the Spot"

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#37. Feet"

100 Pictures in 2012 - "#38. Feet"

And while I did actually pose them for this one, they will frequently lie down just like this all on their own.

Today I was pulling them away from a rousing game of fetch (hence the pink tongues) and lying down wasn't foremost on their minds.

Well, at least not on Zachary's mind. Henry was more than happy to take a rest-and-cookie break in the shade. :)

And finally (as I struggle to catch up after falling woefully behind) we have:

The prompt was from Daily Dog Challenge...

186. "Have A Heart" - Take a picture of your dog that features a heart in some way. It can be literal or figurative. Just show us that your dog has heart!"

... which was offered in response to a call for Heart pictures after the tragic death of a two year old little girl named Mikaela. And while I don't personally know the little girl, nor the grandmother requesting heart pictures (except through flickr) my own heart breaks imaging the pain of losing a child.

Heart pictures are being uploaded here: Heart - in memory of Mikaela and I went with the top picture, as the grinning duo seemed more than a bit out of place.

No parent should ever have to bury their child, and my thoughts go out to the family.

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Cat Chasing for Dummies

Dog Blog Post #665: I don't know what's worse, that Zachary actually bought this book for his young nephew…

Scavenge Challenge April 2012 - "21. Create a "product shot" (advertisement) for a real or imaginary brand." (spare)

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#99. Gift"

… or that he used my credit card to do it!

In either case, it is certainly…

Our Daily Challenge - April 21, 2012 - "Recipe"

… a recipe for disaster!

Daily Dog Challenge 173. What a Character - If your dog were any kind of character, what/who would s/he be? Go natural, or costumes and props. Show us what endears your dog to you.

Zachary is an intellectual and a born mentor. He seems to feel responsible for Henry, and wants him to grow up to be "proper dog".

Apparently, this includes Cat Chasing, and what better place to learn the basics than in a "For Dummies" book?

As for Henry, while he certainly listens to his elders, how much actually sinks in is hard to say.

Which makes him a pretty typical teenager. :)

Editor's Note: Believe it or not, there actually is a web site that let's you easily create your own "For Dummies" cover image, and even upload your own picture to go with it - although I had to create the "spine" myself.

https://covers.dummies.com/generate.html



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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Happy Easter

Dog Blog Post #650: If ever a shot of mine begged for a caption, it would be the one above!

No surprise on today's topics. From Daily Dog Challenge we had...

160. Easter

PLUS

Our Daily Challenge - April 8, 2012 - "Hidden"

AND

112 Pictures in 2012 - "11. Headwear"

The boys seemed to enjoy today's shoot even more than usual, although I can't say for sure exactly why.

Perhaps the cookies flowed a bit easier, or they got a kick out seeing each other in bunny ears - hard to say.

I know I got a kick out of the bunny ears!

For the shot up top: Yes, Zachary knows how to Bow, although I usually cue it from in front if him, which wasn't going to work with this setup.

But a few cookies under the table and a supportive hand under his waist the first time to show him what I wanted, and he obliged me with all the Bow shots I needed. (No, I didn't crop myself out of the shot, he was bowing on his own, but the black fabric didn't go quite far enough to the left - see the shot further down.)

Don't worry - there was the obligatory bit of mischief...

Would YOU trust those smiles?

Ok... what you are two plotting?

What do you mean you can't find your motivation??? It's right under the table!

I left the shot above cropped large since (a) Zachary was a big far to the left to make a good crop and (b) folks occasionally ask what my setup is and this shows it.

The stretchy black velvet is butterfly clipped over a pair of butterfly-clipped-together cardboard tri-fold backboards, which are raised about a foot off the ground and clipped to the ex-pen.

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

The Case of...

The Case of the Dead Bolt

Dog Blog Post #642:

Daily Dog Challenge "150. Feet - Show us a photo of your dog's feet today!"

Our Daily Challenge - Mar. 29, 2012 - "Oval"

Scavenge Challenge March 2012 - "4. Find some really big, heavy-duty nuts or bolts (think "construction"). Emphasize the size."

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#78. Hard or Tough"

Hubby was kind enough to lend me a "victim" of a stress/strain test.

I guess the poor fellow must have passed, as his brethren went on to illustrious careers holding up hundreds of thousands of pounds of "stuff".

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Bath Prep

"Gee, Uncle Zachary, what's all this stuff?"

"Oh no - it's BATH stuff. Maybe if I close my eyes it will all go away."

"Not working!"

"Oh, is THAT all she wanted? That's not so bad after all."

Dog Blog Post #641: Daily Dog Challenge "149. Mellow Yellow - Take a photo of your dog today with something yellow!"

Our Daily Challenge - Mar 28, 2012 - "In Your MEDICINE CABINET"

Wipes, Cotton Balls (to keep water out of ears), Flea prevention, and (of course) some Luscious Locks shampoo.

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#50. Yellow"

Scavenge Challenge Mar 2012 - "5. Don't get your camera wet. It's bath time! Have fun with this one, please." (spare)

THIS time I used a black background so the bubbles would show up!

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Flower Power

Momma, why is there a Dandelion on my head?

Dog Blog Post #639: For Daily Dog Challenge

146. Flower Power - Take a picture of your dog with a flower. It can be one flower or a lot of flowers, real or artificial!

AND

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#20. Wild Plant or Flower"

Henry was a very good sport.

Zachary was busy dropping the Lacrosse Ball at my feet.

I originally had this...

... to get this, too...

Our Daily Challenge - Mar. 26, 2012 - "Mono"

But just didn't care for the processing.

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Secret Life of the Suburban Dog

Dog Blog Post #638: Had way too much fun. Spent way to much time. It is way too late (again).

For Daily Dog Challenge...

145. Cover Model for March - Because last month's cover dog assignment was so popular, we decided to make it a monthly addition. Take a photo of your dog that could be on the cover of a magazine. You can make it into a magazine cover if you like, but you don't have to. Please have fun with it! Last month's made us smile and laugh out loud.

Looks like BZ Dogs has expanded, and is now offering a Special Interest Publication subtitled "The Secret Life of the Suburban Dog"

Coming to a newsstand near you!

Scavenge Challenge March 2012 - "24. Who doesn't love trains? Photograph a locomotive or something related to trains."

And what train loving kid doesn't have a choo-choo train blanket?

Our Daily Challenge - Mar. 25, 2012 - "Shadows"

Believe it or not, I specifically tried to create interesting shadows - particularly on the paper bag. Alas, I might have been a bit heavy handed with "brighten". :(

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#23. Technology"

Darned expensive keeping up with the kids' interests.

Monday Mischief: They know better than to go out for fast food!

(And yes, they split the Ultimate Cheeseburger that was in that wrapper. How mean would that be if they hadn't!)

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Changing Seasons

Dog Blog Post #632: Today's Daily Dog Challenge was...

"140. Changing Seasons - Show us how the seasons are changing where you and your dog live today!"

PLUS

Our Daily Challenge - Mar 19, 2012 - "Do Over Again"

... resulted in...

What a difference two weeks makes! Henry is sitting under the white-flowering pear, which is just starting to bloom, although after all the wind we've had it wouldn't surprise me if the show is meagre this year.

Zachary is standing at my feet, trying to get me to throw the Lacrosse Ball.

Again.

(As the day was flat gray, I had a bit of fun with sliders again.)

To put things in perspective, on March 2nd...

... the purple-leaved flowering plums were just starting to bloom.

March 7th....

... saw them near their peak.

March 15th came...

... and they were still going strong.

Now there's hardly a pink flower left.

Did I mention that the Dandelions are starting to show?

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© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved