Bill Jennings's Photoblog
Pet Parade Mastiff
Posted by Bill Jennings ((Bay Area Northern Calif), United States) on 20 May 2009 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
Our family walks downtown to watch the annual pet parade, that has been a village tradition for over sixty years. Posted a photo of the opening of the parade two days back : a police on motorcycle.
This mastiff was one of the pets in the parade - with great detail and appeal. I usually don't like a tongue wagging in an animal shot, but it's actually part of the charm for a mastiff, so I kept this one as my favorite.
A great photo from yesterday was Sharon's (bluechameleon's) the heart of things - so creative, and so impactful.
I also loved the texture in Arco-Iris' Fall.
Just made it home after a month of travel - posted a few photos from my journey to within 48 miles of the antartica circle: at nearly the longest day of the year: hence, there was 21 hours a day of sunlight...
Thank you for your patience while I was out of touch.
I do hope you followed Bob Kelly's blog (my roommate) while he is still traveling - he is now on Easter Island - and will be updating his blog for some time to come - please check it out!
Craig from Vacaville, California, United States
The selective focus works well here!
20 May 2009 5:26am
@Craig: thanks Craig, when it works, it works - doesn't it. thanks for the comment.
@Philippe: thanks again - appreciate the visit and comment.
Dulcie from Danville, United States
Beautiful in black and white...look at the sheen on the end of the nose and the sliver of tongue like a petal! Great job.
20 May 2009 6:12am
@Dulcie: Dulcie. Thanks. You are a faithful visitor that I always appreciate seeing your comments. Bill
@Eros: Love your stuff - thanks for stopping by.
@Ana Lúcia: thanks Ana, I actually was amazed when I pulled the image up i PS. Appreciate your visit and comments.
zOOm from Paris, France
Seems cool and friendly ! But what an impressive head (and jaw certainly !) !
20 May 2009 7:15am
@zOOm: Yep. He's a great dog - one of a kind, for it's great demeanor.
P J W Miller from Chase Terrace, United Kingdom
Strong head and a nice shiny coat, classic pooch
20 May 2009 7:57am
@P J W Miller: Thanks P J W. I think you captured why I liked this dog in the parade - a strong character.
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
Brilliant!!!! great profile and perfect moment to capture!! Love the mono tones!!!
20 May 2009 8:00am
@Linerberry: Thanks Linerberry, always love how the timezones help you get in comments early on my blog posts!
Sarito from Basingstoke, United Kingdom
Excellent b/w shot.. very effective shot!!
20 May 2009 8:05am
@Sarito: Thank you Sarito. Glad you liked the B/W treatment!
Marie-Hélène Ammor from Casablanca/Paris, Morocco
Superb portrait ! Sun and shadow and excellent focus give a beautiful photo !
20 May 2009 9:24am
@Marie-Hélène Ammor: Marie, always love your specific comments - thanks for the extra effort to give them. Bill
dkc from Xanthi, Greece
Great portrait for this powerful dog! He will show it to his friends and will be proud about it! ;-)
20 May 2009 9:36am
@dkc: I imagine you're right : can you imagine that, a dog with his own photo album?
@Virgil: Yes, a dog is indeed man's best friend. I miss my two terriers... but that is another story...
@Ravi: thanks Ravi
@LESLIE: Thank you Leslie -
Mariana from waterloo, Canada
Oh, I LOVE this dog-portrait . Outstanding BW you reached in this photo. I can feel the dog's short hair , the same as his breath ! I really, really LOVE this picture it !
20 May 2009 1:14pm
@Mariana: Thank you Mariana - I really appreciate the emphasis on your LOVE for the portrait, as I know you are sensitive to pets, and if it struck your chord, must be a good image.
@Onlymehdi: Mehdi - thank you for your kind words on the composition and image.
@Heather J. Woodland: Thank you Heather. Appreciate you dropping by, and adding a kind comment.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Great portrait shot of this pooch!!! Works beautifully in b&w, and background is rendered wonderfully.....seems that natural light was your only enemy, causing that shadow behind his ear.....but caught beautifully, nonetheless........
20 May 2009 2:34pm
@Susan: Yes, natural light at 11am is hard when there are no clouds in the sky: but it created great contrast and play on light - so there was some value in the light as it was. Perhaps I should dodge the image behind the ear, so it's not quite so dark?
starCosmosBleu from bedford.Qc, Canada
Very good capture...just the right light and shadow play...nice timing..lovely shot
20 May 2009 2:48pm
@starCosmosBleu: thank you Marcel. Glad you like the tones and light/dark in this image. Bill
dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States
a gorgeous creature and shot!! lovely light framing and detail -- beautiful work Bill!!
20 May 2009 3:05pm
@dj.tigersprout: thank you DJ - your comments are always supportive and helpful.
Steve Rice from Olympia, United States
What a beautiful portrait. The B&W tones are excellent. Fine work.
20 May 2009 3:15pm
@Steve Rice: Thank you Steve. Your encouragement, especially for B&W, is appreciated.
@Linda: Thank you Linda - and he's not even my dog, and I still love it!
@john4jack: thank you Jack
Ajay from Pune, India
Super excellent framing, Bill. And the composition of the shot is also marvelous in black and white with that superb balancing of the shot.
20 May 2009 5:14pm
@Ajay: Thanks Ajay, I do like the framing and the range of tones in this image. Glad you like them also.
@Veronelle: thank you (Merci) veronelle.
@DenisSm: Thank you DenisSM - appreciate the drop by, and comment on the blog.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
You could try that dodge....see what it looks like.....I'd be curious to see the finished result, and have you tell me what you did, cause I'm still learning stuff on Photoshop, and I don't really know anything about "dodge".....
20 May 2009 8:36pm
@Susan: I'll do that - it's a busy week, as we miss a day next week with the holiday - so it may have to be a weekend project... thanks for the encouragement.
@Eleftheria: He is such a lovable animal. thanks for the visit!
Sugata from Newark, United States
The texture of his fur has come out amazingly well! Lovely portrait... looks wonderful in B&W!
21 May 2009 8:20pm
@Sugata: Thanks Sugata - it's an amazing prime lens for sharpness: I am always astonished at the quality of the photos when using it...
Estrella from Barcelona, Spain
In fact, my home is just a pet parade. 4 dogs from 5 kg to 80 kg, 2 cats, 5 tartarugue and more...
OMG a crazy family
see you
21 May 2009 8:42pm
@Estrella: Wow! And I thought I had it bad with a few pets. You must have a full and active life. Love to see the pictures of all your pets together someday!
jamesy from christchurch, New Zealand
brilliant shot of one of my favourite type of dogs
23 May 2009 4:57am
@jamesy: thank you - aren't mastiffs the best?
sherri from Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Exceptional portrait of such a beautiful dog.
23 May 2009 5:38am
@sherri: thank you! I am happy you enjoyed it. My dad graduated from Hendrix just outside Little Rock, your post brings back memories...
Kris from Superior, United States
Great shot, Bill! Love the clarity and the pov and the use of b/w.
27 May 2009 11:35am
@Kris: thank you Kris - the clarity is a result of great light for a faster sharper speed, and a fantastically sharp prime lens. Thank you for the specific comments.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
1/1600 second
F/4.5
ISO 200
300 mm