Portrait of a Dog

It's been a long day and hot. Heat doesn't bother me as much as the cold but, by midday, the dogs were rooted to the coolest part of the floor.

This evening, my neighbour, who is an expert trainer, came with all the dogs she has at the moment. Two of her own and six boarders. She looks after them whilst the owners are away but, unlike your normal idea of kennels, the dogs stay in an environment which is a home from home. Her patience, understanding and ability to work with dogs is second to none. Not only does address behavioural issues but she also trains dogs for film and stage.

It wasn't her handling that made the photos go wrong. Try to convince ten, totally unrelated and untrained dogs to sit and pose together. She managed! I failed to capture the moment as I should. I haven't used lights for a while, and certainly not on moving subjects. I totally failed the direction of the lighting and resorted to using the on camera flash. A first, I think, in as many years as I've held a camera. This shot of one of Helen's boarders is about the best I took.

Oh well, we wasted a couple of hours and it's back to the drawing board!

One Weimaraner, looking a little darker than it is, for a blip.