Bark! | Seattle Fine Art Dog Photographer

For a Friend

For those that are new to my Blog, you might not know that I also really love to shoot people, dogs are just winning out right now.  I am 100% confident that I will shoot people professionally again, just not right now.

My fellow photographer and friend, Mimi, is due in August and asked if I would shoot her Maternity Portraits.  I had never done it before, and although I was a little unsure of the unknown, I agreed.  I love to try new things at least once before deciding whether or not I like something.

So we met up on Wednesday late afternoon at her house, shot there, and then while we waited for dusk, went out to a lovely dinner on the water in Ballard.  Afterwards, we went down to Golden Gardens Beach, which I will always have a soft spot for, because that is where our wedding pictures were done.

At any rate, I loved doing these.  It was so fun to collaborate with another photographer, especially because she understands the importance of posing, angles, shape, and light.  It doesn't hurt that she is just gorgeous!

On a side note, I will be on vacation for the next week or so and will have spotty internet connection.  I'll try to pop in now and then, but mostly I'll be reading and drinking those nightly cocktails!  Have a happy 4th everyone, and don't drink and drive.

More from the Antiworkshop

Here are a few more fun pics from the workshop. This shot is of Jamie Fender who traveled all the way from Arkansas for this workshop.  She is one crazy cat, just chilling in the middle of the street to get her pre-visualized polaroid shot.  Love it!

And here are my partners in crime. We were paired together for the 24 shot scavenger hunt of our bride. Our bride shot this pic for us (in the bathroom no less) who just so happens to be a wedding photographer here in Seattle! I'm hoping I get the chance to shoot with her in the future! Oh ya, I'm on the left if you don't know.

Jasmine Star chats, unaware of my camera :)

Um. Some random guy that didn't know I was taking a picture of him.  He has no website.

Not sure who this is?

John Michael Cooper, Dalisa Cooper, and their Daughter

CS3

I finally did it. I upgraded to CS3 yesterday and I'm in love. The improvements in Bridge are so nice and for anyone that works 100% in RAW, you are sure to love it too. I did a few little demo pics on the things I am liking most so far.

A little extra treat is that it doesn't take a freaking hour for Photoshop to open anymore!  I'm incredibly impatient when it comes to computer speed, so I was one happy camper to see it pop up so fast.

A Shift

Some changes are in the mix with my packaging/pricing. While I love viewing photos online, there is just something so organic about getting a package in the mail. On top of that, getting a package of beautifully finished prints is even better!

So I am shifting things around slightly so that my session fee will now include my time, talent, digital processing (time in the digital darkroom), and a complete set of 4 x 6 white bordered proofs from my professional lab in a cute little chocolate brown box.  The client will also get to choose between all color or all black & white.  Once the proofs are received, an online gallery will be released for enlargement & product ordering.

I'm doing this for a few reasons:

1) If I'm going to the spend the time travelling to a location, taking photos, going back to my darkroom and processing them, the last thing I want is for my clients to have (1) 4 x 6 photo of their experience. What good is it to have gorgeous photos of amazing dogs sitting on my computer?  No good at all in my opinion.

2) Holding photos in your hand allows the client to sort through and narrow down what photos the client might like to enlarge in the home. Simply make a Yes pile and a No pile. These are particularly helpful if you want to create a story or series of 3 or 4 on one wall. 

3) There is a difference between a 4 x 6 print produced at Costco and a 4 x 6 print produced at my professional lab.  Sure, I could go through all the reasons why my professional lab is better than the general consumer lab, but it is far easier to touch, feel, and let the client see for themselves. 

So because I am more of a visual person than a textbook person, I created a visual example of the Erin Vey Experience!  Click the photo if you want to supersize it.

Denied

So the other day, on a whim, I decided to finally take the time to complete my application to show some photos on iStock.  Quite frankly, it was a royal pain in the ass, but I figured my dog images were good enough to at least pass the initial application screening.

I guess I was wrong.

I submitted these photos, which are apparently not good enough:

I received this little nasty gram from the iStockphoto Administrator. I'd like to meet this administrator. I have a hunch he is in a cubicle, deep in the heart of an office building, I mean way down in the basement, with a shiny red swingline stapler sitting prominently on his desk. ...

Dear Erin (erinvey),

Thank you for taking the time to apply as a contributor with iStockphoto.com, your application has been declined for the following reason(s):

Comments from the iStockphoto Administrator:

Rhodesian Ridgeback: is ok

Great Dane + Puppy: These images are very similar to another image you have already submitted. We would like to see a demonstrated range of diversity and variety in subject matter, so if you have anything else you can show us we would love to see it.

*** Please delete the samples that were not OK from the uploads page and re-upload (2) replacement samples so we may continue to review your application. Thank You. ***

Thank you for your time and effort.

Best Regards,

iStockphoto.com

...

I, in turn, replied back and said thanks, but I would not be wasting any more of my time deleting photos and re-submitting them. 

Shoot a Cat

I'm not much of a cat person, but once in a blue moon I'll come across a cat that is more of a dog than a cat. My sister used to have a cat, her name was Terra, but we used to refer to her as Doggy, because she was definitely more dog than cat. She was so funny.

Gracie went in for a checkup yesterday and I decided to grab my Point + Shoot, intending to capture all the drama that ensues as she sees the front door and panics. You see, Gracie used to like the vet, but after two surgeries to take out cysts, while awake, has all but ruined the vet for her. It isn't good to put large breed's under anasthesia if it can be helped.

With all the tungsten lighting, trying to turn off my flash, and trying to shoot manually with a P+S, it just wasn't happening. While in the room there was a whole lot of pacing, and breathing hot dragon breath into my face, and drooling, and just all around freaking out. All for a very basic checkup that lasted under 10 minutes. Is that so hard? I was also not too thrilled that a Basic Checkup (which included the pleasure of bringing in a stool sample...eew!) was $75. For 8 minutes? Comes with the territory of having a dog I suppose. But still. Ok. I'm done.

As I was waiting to pay, Mogli, the resident cat at the vet's office was hanging out in the waiting area. He had found a small little beetle to stalk and swat at. So I set the P+S on the floor and snapped him instead. Isn't he pretty?

New Quote Category

If you haven't ever noticed my little blurb at the top right of the screen titled "wisdom", then now is your chance to officially notice it.  I love to change the quotes as I come across new ones.  Since they float in and out, I decided to add a new category and record the ones I love most for eternity on this little bloggy of mine. 

This is mostly because the quote I have up right now cracks me up.

"I have a great dog.

She's half Lab, half pit bull.

A good combination.

Sure, she might bite off my leg,

but she'll bring it back to me.

- Jimi Celeste -

Have a Happy Day!

Bits of This and Bits of That

I'm feeling wordy today and have a few updates:

First off, I will be out of the office on vacation June 30th - July 8th. This will be a great time for me to unplug from technology and just chill.  But being unplugged will also give me time to sit and ponder all the information from the Antiworkshop that I digested as well as all the beautiful inspiration I found there. 

I have a lot of 'to do's' during my vacation.  Sleep in, read the books I bought yesterday by Jodi Piccoult (love her writing), have cocktails nightly, go on a few walks, swim, sit by the fire, make a real breakfast, and hopefully shoot something new that I haven't shot before.

...

Tomorrow I get to shoot my friend Mimi's Maternity portraits!  She is due in August and we are hoping to get some great shots at sunset on the water.  Summer in Seattle is about as good as it gets for shooting at dusk.

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Also, if you haven't noticed, the Investment section of my site is disabled right now as I redo some of my pricing.  The Investment section of my site has now been updated to reflect new pricing. 

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I am very close to signing with a Stock Agency for my Dog Work and this makes me happy because I finally found one that I like and that likes me for the right reasons.  I've been looking around for the last year to find the right fit and to get my dog images out into the world.  Not all agencies are created equal and not all agencies are nice and have your best interests in mind.  Once things are final I'll post an update.

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I'm upgrading to Photoshop CS3 this week.  I got to play with it at the Antiworkshop and got hooked pretty quickly.  I love that straight from the card you can add Metadata, Keywords and Rename the Files before you even get a chance to look at the images.  Also, Bridge is so pretty to look at and has added a ton of new sliders and settings for RAW.  Not to mention the Patch tool right in bridge!  Oh the gloriousness.  I also plan to review my workflow a bit after the Antiworkshop and cut out a pretty major step.

...

My office is almost done and I love working in it now!  I look around and see all the art and fun colors and it makes me happy.

... And because I don't like to post without a few pictures, let's pull out some Vintage Gracie shots.

The Peeping Dog

The Water Bowl

Bigger Collar or Smaller Neck

My dear friends, I have an issue. It seems that Gracie's neck is growing at an uncontrollable rate. While at the lake this weekend, Gracie is required to be tied up at all times, which means that she has to have her collar on at all times. I looked at her this weekend and said to myself "My God! When did her neck get so big!"  So of course, as most photographer Moms do, I had to get out my camera and document the discovery before actually taking the darn thing off so she could breathe.   But isn't she pretty?

So I am in the market for a leather, urban, stylish, extra-large collar for a very big necked girl.  And it has to be somehow pink or girly, so that people don't call her a boy, even though her belly is almost eye level and it is very clear that she is a girl.  She is still referred to as "hey big guy!"

Send me suggestions!

The Antiworkshop

Wow. All I can say is what an amazing workshop. I seriously don't think I can find any words that would accurately summarize the experience I had and the amazing people I met.

I would love to share all I learned but there really is just too much. What I can say is that if you are looking for an experience that will challenge you, make you think, get you out of your comfort zone, and meet some amazing people, then this workshop is for you.

I'll just throw out some words about my experience and let the images speak for themselves. Over the next few posts I'll try to review more and post some more images. I have oodles.

Friends. Brewery. Polaroid. Blow Up Pig. Pizza. PS3. Brides. Undergound Seattle. 159. The Garage. Bowling. Painting With Light. Taxi. Motorcycles. Bathroom Floor.  Beer.