2014 SafeHaven Calendar - March

Remember, 2014 calendars are on-sale now for $15 at the SafeHaven shelter on Hwy 34, just off I-5 and the boutique store on 2nd Ave in downtown Albany! Help a good cause and get your cute critter fix all year long.

This is the March "pack" from the calendar. From left to right: Harley and Spirit are on the bottom with Trail hovering over Spirit in the upper right.

2014 SafeHaven Calendar - February

Last year, I was asked by SafeHaven to shoot the pictures for their 2014 calendar. The months were auctioned off at the Diamonds and Dice fundraiser event. I was happy to volunteer and it was a pleasure to meet and work with so many wonderful animals and their owners. Ann Sirl, from SafeHaven, was extremely helpful and great to work with as well. We started shooting in October of last year and wrapped up in July, fitting in a shoot or so a month as we could schedule them. The calendar is now finished and should be released to the public very soon! I'll put up the details on when and where you can get one as soon as I know for sure. I'm going to start posting alternate shots (not the ones used in the calendar) from each month. I'll try to put them up on Monday's and Fridays.

This is Abby and Loki (from left to right) and they are Ms. and Mr. February:

By the way, this year's Diamonds and Dice event will be held this October 12th at the Albany Boys and Girls Club. I will not be able to attend this year due to a prior engagement but next year's calendar pages will be auctioned off there and I will be shooting the 2015 calendar too! So, if you are a winning bidder I will be coming to your house to take pictures of your pet(s). We only had dogs this year, but we'll take almost any pets. They don't have to be adopted from SafeHaven either. It's for a good cause and your pets could be famous!

UPDATE! - Calendars are on-sale now at the shelter on Hwy 34 and at the downtown SafeHaven Boutique store on 2nd Ave in Albany.

New Lights!

Hello all,

It's been a while since my last post, but the last month and a half have been a bit busy. I hope to start shooting and posting more again.

I recently picked up some new lighting equipment including several light stands, umbrellas and a flash mount. I wanted to do some test shooting so I bribed my favorite (and most difficult) subjects with a couple of biscuits... yes, they are our dogs, Mara and Chewie (Chewbacca). As difficult as it was to get them posed or capture their random poses, I think I got a few decent shots and an understanding of how I can best use the new lights and off-camera remote flash. The blanket they are on is not the best color for the tones in their fur, but it the dogs love it and it had already been sitting on the couch. I selectively toned down the color of the blanket in post to help make the dogs pop a little more. Here's a shot of the two of them together, which is rare to capture. More pics are on my flicker feed to the right if you're interested.