The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum - Fine Art Landscape Photography

4th Of July Portraits

Posted By: Jim Garvie

4th Of July Portraits - 07/04/11 08:00 PM

Decided to update my portfolio portraits of some of the kids today since Moxie, primarily, has matured so much since being in heat last month. Plus, despite the heat outside, it gave me an opportunity to try out a couple of backgrounds in the yard and see how they look in portrait sittings. The first setup was using a backdrop of Morning Glories which adorn one of the fences in the yard. Since it was facing East, it provided direct if slightly contrasty light. Here's Moxie (Annihaus Blue Suede Moccasins) at 19 months old.



Then, because we have a guest staying with us for the next week, I decided to update his portrait. Max (Ch Beachwalker Rowdy To The Max CGC) is a 6-year-old son of Rowdy who finished his AKC Championship last December. He was just recently bred to Moxie's mom, Juneau (Ch Annihaus Midnight Sun) and puppies are due on or about August 29. So, here's Max.



When I looked at the shot of Max, it reminded me of a similar shot of Rowdy taken a few years back. Here's Max's daddy and Moxie's granddad, Rowdy.



Tomorrow, I'll test drive a second location with a backdrop of Lantana cascading over a wooden fence. I'll share more then. All current shots taken with my Canon 85 mm F1.8 lens @ F2.2.

Jim
Posted By: James Morrissey

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/06/11 03:16 AM

Hey Jim,

Keep up the great work with your guys. I look forward to seeing the new shots!

James
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/20/11 08:48 PM

Finally had a chance to try out the Lantana background with our dear Rowdy son, Harry Potter. Harry is a long-coated Rottie, so every Summer we take him down to keep him cool -- used to do the same thing with our Golden Crash. So, in honor of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, here is our Harry Potter.



Enjoy!

Jim
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/20/11 08:57 PM

Cute. Do you have any of him in full coat? I've never seen a long-coated rottie, but I bet he's gorgeous.
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/21/11 12:43 AM

I almost took some pics of him earlier this week when it was really long smile. Some look like large Terriers. Harry looks like a Bernese Mountain Dog without the white blaze. I'll scour my files to see if I have anything with him in coat. If I find something, I'll post. The problem with the coat is that it is very fine and therefore mats very easily. Plus it makes him look 10 lbs. overweight. He's only 5 lbs. too heavy smile. He's a great guy and somehow deals with the fact that he's one of Moxie's chew toys. She's relentless.

Jim
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/21/11 01:12 AM

OK, Jim, here's Harry Potter in full coat just before we took him down the first time. Not the best pic but it's all I could find on the operating drives.



And here he is just after his first crew-cut.



And, Crash after he got his crew-cut. They were both so cute together.



If I can find any other coat pics of Harry, I'll post them. He's truly a lovely dog. The other things that ride on the coat gene are very correct structure and outstanding temperament. He has it all. Plus smile.

Jim
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/23/11 05:18 PM

Cool. Is the long coat coarse or soft?
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/23/11 11:18 PM

Harry's is very soft and very fine. Which unfortunately means it mats very easily as it gets longer. But it makes him so much more approachable for many people who are afraid of Rottweilers. That long coat makes him look much softer and sweeter than other Rotties. Whatever it takes! Still looking for some additional shots of him that we ran in The Rottweiler Magazine.

Jim
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/25/11 03:13 PM

Jim,
here's one more from an article we did in The Rottweiler Magazine on coats. Enjoy.



Jim
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/25/11 03:19 PM

What a doll!
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/25/11 08:27 PM

And when he's in coat, every kid comes up and hugs him. When he's trimmed, they hide behind their mommies. Same dog. Welcome to prejudice in America. And, believe me, I understand that this is the least of it. Sigh.

Jim
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/27/11 07:54 PM

Finally completed my July 4 Family Portraits today with Cassidy and Sundance. Let me just point out that each of the portraits of "the kids" was taken with me as poser, baiter and photographer. These kids will all sit and stay on command. Believe me, nobody is as surprised as I am smile! I pose them, walk back to my camera position and then show them a Milk Bone with the left while I shoot with the right hand. It's how I used to do Rowdy and, somehow, all these kids have inherited his posing skills. The stuff that rides on DNA is truly remarkable grin.

For this session, I made a huge mistake. I brought out Cassidy and Sundance together. Dumb idea. While I was posing Sundance, Cassidy snuck over and stole my Milk Bone and then the two of them chased each other around the yard for 10 or 15 minutes. Got them back, washed them off, cleaned off the drool and got back to shooting.

First up is the Queen, Cassidy (Annihaus Rowdy's B Cassidy). At 8 years of age, Cassidy is the eldest of our dogs and is the Alpha Bitch. She inherited that from her grandmother, Annie Fay, when Annie passed away a few years ago. Cass is a Rowdy daughter, is the half-sister of Harry Potter, the mother of Sundance and the grandmother of Moxie. Here's Cassidy Ann.



Sundance is a Cassidy son out of her first litter sired by Sonny (BIS/BISS CH Ivoss Touch The Sun). Sundance's formal name is Annihaus Cassidy's Sundance Kid CGC, HIC. He is truly a ham in front of the camera and is a joy to work with. I like him smiling, so this is the photo I've chosen to share with you. Enjoy.



That completes the Family Portraits. I hope you enjoyed catching up with the Garvie family. No, there will not be photos of Jim and Linda. We believe the camera captures your soul.

Jim
Posted By: Marie Mitchell Photography

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/27/11 10:09 PM

Beautiful images! Look at the shine on his coat! Wow!!
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: 4th Of July Portraits - 07/28/11 12:22 AM

If you had seen it 10 minutes earlier, it was not very silky smile. Sundance is a very special boy. He's very big. He's very sweet. He's sometimes a bit protective. But, mostly, he's a very loving dog that happens to be black & tan. People cross the street to avoid him. He has no idea why 'cuz he'd really like to meet them. He had a bad habit of holding people's arms when he first met them. We told him to get a toy or "get your bone" so now when people come into the house, he frantically runs to find a bone and then runs up to meet them. He is an incredible model. He works well with costumes and props. He's my OMG dog -- people drive by, see him, slow down, roll down the windows and say "OMG, how much does he weigh?" He's a handful but he's truly a joy.

Jim
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