Jim that is REALLY great. And also a compliment to you to finding so many good homes that will do things like therapy dogs international, etc with your pups! Good homes are not always that easy to find. You should be very proud of what you have done. I am not a breeder and never will be as I would keep every single pup LOL, Hallie as you know is a rescue from a shelter and all the indescriminant breeding out there drives me nuts. As long as we have so few homes that thousands of dogs (and cats) have to be killed every year, people should not be breeding like they do. Only responsible people who are truly interested in making healthier, sounder dogs like you are should be breeding, the world doesnt' need more dogs just for the sake of dogs, we need healthier, good temperamented dogs.
OK off my soap box I know I'm preaching to the choir but I get so worked up about the overpopulation of dogs (it's criminal to kill animals who are healthy and nice just because we don't have the space) and people are breeding tons of puppies out there just to make a buck.
Thanks for the tips on the muslin, and that pic with the shih tzu is great I do like that textured look! I guess it's the folds that bother me. Balling it up makes sense. The folds are nice too. I would prefer totally flat...but "textured" is very acceptable. I like the look of most canvas backdrops but some do look like a Sears background which I don't like at all.
James the name is Canfield, have you been to their site? They have some in stock specials with good prices.
http://canfieldstudios.net/Web%20In%20Stock%20Specials.htmI like the quality of the backdrops, I have never seen a real high priced one to compare but these are just great.
Peggy Sue! I am so sorry, we must have been posting at the same time because I just now saw your post above here. That is a great tip on twisting the muslin opposite ways before balling it up. I will try that. I know what you mean about some looking good and some not as you envisioned. I'd love to be able to go into a store and see them all set up and try them out. I will usually grab a backdrop image and cut out a light dog and a black one in photoshop and set it on top to get a general idea but it still does not always look the same in real life. Trial and error! I think I will get a steamer as well just to see how it works and if I like it. It would be so nice to have a permanent studio to leave things set up in!
OH MY GOSH you just compared me to my most favorite photographer ever. LOL!!!!! I am nuts over this guys work, and thank you VERY much...but I don't hold even a part of a candle to his stuff. I am a realist and know my shots are in their very infant stages and have a loooong way to go but it's fun to practice and play. I have his book Horses...and I have been trying vainly to figure out a way to take studio shots of horses with a backdrop, umbrellas, etc. I would like to set it up in an arena because I know a slight wind would carry my umbrellas and strobes away not to mention spooky horses in the mix. But man that would be fun.
I also spent a lot of hours trying to figure out how he had those backdrops made. I love them, they look very earthy. I have looked everywhere for something remotely similar but no luck. I am sure they are custom made....just wonder how he did them? My backdrops look so cheesy after looking at his.
There is just a little info in the back of his Horses book on how he works. It sounds like he soaks his canvas (he calls it a canvas or tarpaulin...wonder what the material is) before a shoot then hangs it between two poles to dry to get the wrinkles out. He used a huge 33 foot by 33 foot canvas for horse shows, that weighed 88 lbs. (I weigh 99 lbs so don't think I'd be toting that thing around alone!). He also talks about all the problems the crew would have setting up with winds, etc.
Any guesses on how he did that backdrop??
His work excites me more than any other photography I've seen, I can imagine the thrill of seeing what he gets after each shoot! Beautiful stuff.
