The World of Hubble
Since the beginning of the new year, I have been doing a Dog-a-Day project on Instagram (as some of you are already aware). I was inspired in part by Sally Muir’s delightful book A Dog A Day in which she sketched, painted, inked and printed the various dogs she encountered in all their wonderful, amazing, and delightful ways. I have made it two months so far mostly posting photographs of Jack Henry and Hubble. It has been an enlightening, if somewhat scary undertaking. 365 projects can be daunting anyway, but when you begin to narrow the parameters it can become even more so. I found myself having to be more flexible and aware of possibilities rather than trying to stage a shot every single day. I do not have that much patience and neither do the dogs. So it has been more a combination of the everyday, the unexpected, and the more formal. Some hits and some misses and a lot in between.
My hope is that like Sally Muir, I will begin to take more chances–not just with my guys–but with other dogs. And who knows? Perhaps I may be so bold as to try working with other media and mediums.
The photographs shown here feature some of Hubble’s various wanderings and activities in the course of this project. If interested in seeing more, check us out at @littledogslaughed
Today’s Dog Quote:
“Dogs love company. They place it first in their short list of needs.”
–J.R. Ackerly
Images taken with iPhone 7 Plus and processed using Snapseed, iColorama, Stackables and Pic-Tap-Go
For today: The World of Hubble
The Dog and An Apple
Once upon a time, there was a dog, an apple and a totally clueless photographer. . . .
It is hard to believe that this photograph was taken just five years ago. I had the bright idea of taking a picture of Jack Henry with a green apple. (I was looking at a lot of William Wegman books.) I knew then that I wanted to do something beyond the snapshot “here is my dog playing/eating/sitting/sleeping” formula. I just was not sure how I wanted to do it. But you have to start somewhere and I also knew that what I really wanted to be doing was fine art photography, but incorporating a more painterly approach.
Dog with Apple
Here we are in 2016. Same dog but now two apples and a different table and a little better photography. (Also the studying of a lot of Northern Renaissance paintings) Jack Henry clearly liked being at the table, instead of on top of one. And thus began the Dog at the Table series.
Dog at the Table #1
A year later and Jack Henry with the help of some Photoshop magic now has a longer table and a few more apples. This was done for a competition called ArtPop! It was kind of a big deal because —
Dog at the Table #1 Billboard
ArtPop Billboard
the winners get their winning image on a billboard–for a year! The same image is also seen on digital billboards at the airport and in Uptown Charlotte news kiosks. But not to worry– Jack Henry is very modest about his new celebrity.
But Jack Henry was not done yet! Dog at the Table #2 never quite made the cut. (It was Jack Henry with a bowl of brussels sprouts). I know, I know.
So we moved on to #3-I know this was a post fairly recently, but Jack Henry insisted.
Dog at the Table #3
Much to our delight, Dog at the Table #3 won a ribbon in a the juried competition at a local gallery and also picked up an Honorable Mention in the Still Life category for the 7th Annual MPA Awards which celebrates Mobile Photography in all its amazing forms. It has been a wonderful start to 2018, indeed.
Anything else Jack Henry?
Happy Boy
Good boy!
Today’s Dog Quote:
‘You become responsible forever, for what you have tamed.”
–Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Images taken with Nikon D70, iPhone 4s, 5s and 7 Plus and processed using Photoshop, Snapseed, iColorama, Stackables and Retouch
For today: The Dog and the Apple
And a quick PS: for the time being, Little Dogs Laughed will be posting twice a month instead of every week. I hope we will be back posting on a weekly basis by early spring.
The One and Onliest
This week I tried posing Jack Henry near the window in the afternoon sun-it was kind of a mixed bag and to be honest, he and I were not exactly communicating very well. This is one of the last shots I got before his “I am really getting tired and want my cookie” look disintegrated into “I’m outta here-NOW” action. It is a reminder to me that dogs have their own moods and sometimes not everything clicks. Better then, to just put the camera away, offer the cookie, hugs, and some playtime. I will be going back to lighten the area around his face some and clean up the image a bit more.
Next time hopefully we both will feel a little better-
Today’s Dog Quote:
“If every dog is a reflection of its owner . . . welcome to the madhouse!”
–unknown
Image taken with iPhone 7 Plus native camera and processed using Snapseed, iColorama, Hipstamatic and Stackables
For today: The One and Onliest
The One and Onliest
Snow Day Outings
This week brought a bit of the white stuff to North Carolina-what was supposed to be only an inch or so ended up being closer to 4.
It is fun to watch the dogs. Anna finds the snow invigorating and will run and jump. Hubble does his usual NASCAR speed sprints while taking sharp turns around the corner of the old garage.
And then there is Jack Henry.
Jack likes the snow–for a bit. After that he is more than ready to go back into the house for his version of the aprés-ski socializing which really consists of a cookie, a drink of water and back on the couch under some blankets.
I took a lot of pictures, but here are the two for today. The first shows Jack, looking a bit peeved at having to stop mid-sprint for a photo-op. The second image I debated whether to post, but I like it as I am a bit partial to action shots where figures are jumping in and out of the frame. I added a scraping effect to give more of a sense of movement.
Today’s Dog Quote:
No man can be condemned for owning a dog. As long as he has a dog, he has a friend.
— Will Rogers
Images taken with iPhone 7 Plus and processed with Snapseed, iColorama and Stackables
For today: Snow Day Outings
Hurry Up! I Am Freezing!
And I Am Outta Here!
Hubble and the Yellow Tulip
For a dog that likes to tear around in the backyard garden, Hubble is clearly nonplussed when it comes to dealing with nature indoors. He was not always like that, but lately, he almost acts as if getting near a flower is personal affront-flowers are meant to be torn out and trampled on or used as a launch pad-
Unlike Jack Henry who does take time to stop and smell the roses-
So Beautiful
Hubble clearly is not sure about having the vase in his personal space–
Hubble and Yellow Tulip
I like this image okay, but what I wish I had done was to step back more, like I did with the image below taken earlier in the week-there is something to me more pleasing to have more distance between the camera and the subject-but that is just me-what I do like is the more subtle tones of both. I have been wanting to use more muted colors and backgrounds as of late-
The Muse
Today’s Dog Quote:
“When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul.”
– AD. Williams
Images taken with iPhone 5s and iPhone 7 Plus and processed using Snapseed, iColorama, and Stackables
For today: Hubble and the Yellow Tulip
Simple and Solitary
Happy New Year to all our WP friends!
We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and that 2018 is off to a glorious start!
For today, two portraits of Hubble that I took early this morning. The only refining has come from Snapseed. I am once again taken by how far this little dog has come in the time he has been here. When he wants to, Hubble can be a thoughtful looking little guy. And sometimes the lightest touch in processing is plenty-
Today’s Dog Quote:
“Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling an emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.”
–Anonymous
Image taken with iPhone 7+ native camera (Portrait setting) and processed with Snapseed
For today: Simple and Solitary
Hubble 2
Hubble 1
Time Out
Somedays it is just hard to be a Hubble-your morning starts out with a rousing round of barks over breakfast. From there, you go outside to torment the dogs next door and a few squirrels for good measure. Then it’s back inside where you bark at the birds in the fig tree, jump on a clean bed with dirty paws, chase your sister, tell your mother how you feel about her putting your current favorite toy on the shelf and then bark at your brother. Oh, and tipping the water bowl over.
What follows next is badly needed “time-out” for everyone in the house.
I did not hear a peep from him for most of the afternoon-
And we will be taking a break from the blog through November and part of December. I am at a crossroads with it and need some time to figure out where we go from here-if there is something you would like to see in the blog posts, let us know. It may help in determining our direction.
Today’s Dog Quote:
“If you want loyalty get a dog. If you want loyalty and attention, get a smart dog.”
— Grant Fairley
Image taken and processed using iPhone 7 Plus and Snapseed, iColorama, Stackables and Touch ReTouch-
For Today: Time Out
Time Out
Ghost Dog
I really was not planning on doing anything for Halloween, but I got such a look from the little guy, I decided to try something.
It is amazing the things that a dog can do with a sheet. Just throw it on him and sit back and click. That is precisely what I did with Hubble. I cannot say he liked it–which is a bit odd, given this dog’s penchant for crawling under any kind of cover or blanket. (He is particularly fond of climbing underneath the sheets of a made bed. The effect is more like a whole pack slept in it, than just a small dog.) However, even artistes cannot be expected to just *be* when asked. So I took what I could get and worked with it.
Today’s Dog Quote:
“He’s getting old. I don’t count the years. I don’t multiply by seven. They bred dogs for everything else, even diving for fish, why didn’t they breed them to live longer, to live as long as a man?”
― Peter Heller
Image taken with iPhone 7 Plus and processed using Snapseed, Touch Retouch, Stackables, Photocopier and iColorama
For today: The Ghost Dog
The Ghost Dog
About a Dog and a Chair
This week’s images are about a dog and a chair.
Part of it was trying to change things up a bit. I amaze myself sometimes at how “in a rut” I can get in setting up shots. This chair is in my office and if truth be told, it has been appropriated by Hubble. But this morning, he was off outside chasing the squirrels, so I moved it–and Jack Henry–to the spot where the set-up table is usually put. As always, Jack Henry was a champ, though the pinky tones on his chest are a sign that he is getting worked up about his treat.
I also decided to take some photographs using the I-1 Impossible camera–a newer Polaroid camera developed by the folks at the Impossible Project. I am not sure it is available anymore-they seem to be throwing their energies into an updated version of the One-Step (and at a more reasonable price too I might add). I am still trying to figure the camera out and again, the film is a crap shoot-you just never know what you are doing to get. But the results were intriguing enough for me to want to continue experimenting with the camera. I took a picture of the polaroid and caught some glare so it is not exactly as it looks.
In speaking with a photography teacher who uses an 8 x 10 Polaroid almost exclusively, I was told to make the commitment to the camera–and to the film–and let things unfold. I might surprise myself. So it was exactly what I needed to hear in moving forward with this camera and its process.
Today’s Dog Quote:
“If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.”
-Albert Einstein
Images taken with iPhone 7 Plus and processed with iColorama, Snapseed and Stackables and the I-1 camera using Polaroid I-Type color film.
For today: About a Dog and a Chair
The Dog in the Chair
The Dog in the Chair-Polaroid
Dog at the Table #3
Today, we decided to revisit our Dog at the Table series. And again, I was reminded that while it is okay to make plans, do not plan on an outcome. Jack Henry was a bit restless today and so we did not spend the kind of time that I usually do in working with him.
I came away with a lot of images, but this is the one that most spoke to me tonite. I do not know if it is the lines of his neck or the shadow–it just seemed to be the image to go with for today’s post. There is a solitariness about this image to me and that may be in part of where I am in my other photography work now.
I am reminded too, that Jack Henry is getting older-there is more white around his eyes and snout. But still present is his quiet dignity and presence.
Today’s Dog Quote:
The truth I do not stretch or shove
When I state that the dog is full of love.
I’ve also found, by actual test,
A wet dog is the lovingest.
–Ogden Nash
Image taken with iPhone 7 Plus and processed with Snapseed, iColorama, Stackables and ReTouch
For today: Dog at the Table #2
Dog at the Table #3
Arf! We Are Bone-a-Fide!
Jack Henry Wins Honorable Mention- 2016 MPA Awards
Dog at the Table #1 received an Honorable Mention
We Finished It- Check This Out!
Snappy H'appy Photo Challenge Final Grid
Little Dogs Laughed 