Day 278 - The dog with the hairdo

You know? I think I dated this girl in the 80s. Isn't that the craziest hairdo you've ever seen on a dog?

I caught this little animal tied up outside the Radical Edge in downtown Fredericton. I like the way she sat, framed by the sign and its pole, with the tree as a background. I think she's a poodle although she might be some kind of poodle cross. With what? I'm not sure.

This was a classic blink-and-you've-missed-it kind of photograph so the focus might now be perfect. The dog sat and looked up only for a moment, then went back to sniffing Travis Tritt on the poster above her. Is it a great photo? Probably not. But it's fun and funny and I just can't get over that dazzling hairdo. The dog's owner came bounding down the steps of the shop just after I snapped the picture but I don't think she was too bothered: I'm sure the dog wows lots of people.

Day 259 - See Spot Run

Okay, so his name is likely not Spot. But this is a fairly decent photograph of a dog in full flight. The trick is to try to get the dog in mid-stride and in full focus, while the background field blurs behind him. The blurred backdrop helps deliver the sense of the speed of the animal as he, in this case, chases a flock of geese that have had the temerity to land nearby.

Day 196 - Woodlots, lily pads and faint-hearted dogs

The University of New Brunswick owns a plot of land at the southern end of Fredericton that is known as "The Woodlot". I believe it was originally obtained for the use of the University's forestry program but, as that program has dwindled of late, so has the need for the Woodlot. So UNB has been selling it off, piece by piece, for development.

It's a controversial topic around here, mainly because the Woodlot is a wildlife preserve, providing a home for a variety of species of animals, birds and plants. Many locals also enjoy the vast wooded property for recreational purposes (dog walking and skiing, for example), which makes its destruction even more of a cause for concern.

The Woodlot currently features quite a lovely pond just off the main trail, complete with a small boardwalk and some wonderful views. I took Marlee for a long walk in the Woodlot today and stopped long enough to take some shots of the amazing lily pads and their flowers. Not much to say from a technique standpoint: I just pointed the Olympus in the right direction and pressed the button.

I love the reflections in the water.

The lower photograph captures Marlee, peering out at me from a safe position at the foot of the boardwalk. Our dog, you see, doesn't like walking on things that move so the motion of the boardwalk bothered her. She wouldn't come out to join me but just sat near the shore, gazing at me with a forlorn expression, and whimpering gently. THAT was the true challenge I faced in trying to take this lovely photograph of the plant life in the pond: dealing with the complaints of my four-year-old Golden Doodle.

Day 115 - Lily at Play

Meet Lily. She's a seven-year-old golden retriever who lives near us in Fredericton.

Lily loves to chase balls, especially the bouncy orange kind that our dog Marlee likes. I love this photograph because I think it captures that story so amazingly well. With the sun behind me, Lily sits in my shadow, her avid eyes fixed on the ball that I'm holding over my head, even as I take the picture. You can see the shadow of the ball in its throwing arm above her and to the right.

She's ready to go. and I'm glad I was ready with the Olympus to capture this image.

Day 50 - Hello Saki

As you might have figured out from this blog, we think the world of our golden-doodle, Marlee Marie. I think she's the cutest, sweetest dog in the whole world. I also think she's a bit of brat but...

Then I see a dog like Saki (pictured on the right). Wow, is that ever a gorgeous dog. I don't know what breed he is (Malamute? Husky?) but I just think he's such a purely beautiful dog. He and Marlee get along very well so meetings like this one on the street in Fredericton are generally happy occasions. Saki is a kind and gentle dog, exactly the kind Marlee likes.

I just find it interesting to see the two of them together: Marlee so cute and curly and unkempt and Saki refined and lovely. The only frustration is with the camera: because of the delay between pressing the button and the shutter clicking, I miss an awful lot of great pictures.

I'm pleased that I captured this one, though.

Day 45 - A Valentine's Rose

Happy Valentine's Day. This rose is brought to you by our beloved golden doodle, Marlee Marie, who seemed to think the three-foot plush flower was for her and her alone.

The simplest of point-and-shoot photographs, this one involves the auto setting and the flash, trying to catch the puppy playing with the rose. I find that the Olympus sometimes struggles with focus in this kind of situation and there is usually a fairly long delay between the time I press the shutter release and the camera actually takes the picture. I've missed a lot of interesting action because of that.

Anyway, I compensate for that possibility by taking more shots, just to make sure at least one turns out. And I'm happy that this one did.

Day 14 - Puppy Close Up

A busy day running around meant I had little time with the camera. Time to take an extreme close-up of Marlee's face, to capture the beauty of her brown eye.

Though the camera's point-and-shoot set up offers little in the way of adaptability to certain situations, it does handle close up shots fairly well, especially when you use the extreme (18x) zoom function. The zoom allows the photographer to get up close and personal without giving the subject warning that you're taking their picture. Here, Marlee was more focused on her mom on than on the camera, giving me a chance to get a nice, clear shot of her face from the side.

Day 9 - The Birthday Puppy

Today features the first of what might be too many photographs of our beloved golden doodle, Marlee Marie. Marlee makes her first appearance today because it's her birthday! She turned four this morning, which is approximately equivalent to 28 in human years.

Another first is that this photograph was not actually taken by me. My partner, Patti, took this interesting picture of Marlee doing the "happy dance" in the snow in our backyard. She used the same Olympus camera I've been using every day. I find the picture interesting on many accounts but most importantly that it's taken after dark, with light be provided by the camera's own flash and an LL Bean head lamp doo-dad that we use for walking Marlee at night. The glowing things on Marlee's legs are reflector straps she received for Christmas from an aunt in Toronto, useful for making sure Marlee's visible to car drivers on her many night-time walks around the neighbourhood.

Happy birthday, Marlee. Let's hope your fifth year on the planet doesn't include too many appearances in this photo-a-day blog. No promises, though.