Doggone Artsy by Laurie Bartolo

Where Dogs are in Focus

Posts from the ‘dog’ category

iPhone photo fun with my dogs

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I’ve recently been trying out different photo editing apps that allow you to edit and create special effects with photos taken on an iPhone (or other smart phone).  While I still lug my heavy professional camera gear every where I go, there are times when such gear is overkill or otherwise inconvenient.  And this is where an iPhone camera can come in handy.  With 8 megapixels on the iPhone 4S camera, and the cool effects you can apply to your photos using apps like Instragram and Snapseed, you can create unique and fun photos with a lightweight and easy to use camera.

Have you ever caught your dog(s) in a cute pose and then realized your camera was upstairs in a drawer, and by the time you retrieved it, the photo opportunity was over?  This happens to me a lot.  But I often have my iPhone in my pocket while I’m inside the house and found it’s a great way to quickly capture those canine Kodak moments.  In this photo, I caught Daisy and Charlie snuggling on a dog bed together (processed in Instagram):

You know as well as I do that I would have missed that big smile on Daisy’s face if I took the time to grab my fancy camera and adjust the settings.  The iPhone camera is perfect for such occasions.

It’s easy to slip my iPhone in my pocket while I’m throwing the tennis ball in the back yard for the dogs.  Here are Daisy and Webster enjoying their tennis balls.  Daisy’s photo was processed in Instagram and Webster’s photo was processed in Snapseed:

I also take my iPhone when I’m walking my dogs (can’t take the heavy camera gear and manage 3 dogs too!).  I got this cute photo of Charlie on one of his walks; the special effects were applied using Instagram:

And yesterday at the vet, I met this adorable puppy.  After taking his photo with my iPhone, I processed the photo in Snapseed:

The photos I’ve featured here are using only basic features in Instagram and Snapseed, however much, much more is possible.  There are some iPhoneographers doing amazing, artsy work with their iPhone cameras and the wide variety of photo editing apps that are available.  I have just started experimenting myself, but if you want to learn more, I have found these sites helpful for information and inspiration:

Website all about iPhoneography.

Flickr group showcasing amazing iPhone photo art.

Tutorial with step by step instructions for creating artsy effects using multiple apps.

I plan to integrate my iPhone camera into my work, so stay tuned for more iPhoneography fun on the Doggone Artsy blog.

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All ears

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Finally, I have managed to capture this elusive dog with my camera!  For months, my husband has been telling me about a reddish-brown dog with a shaggy coat that he’s seen in front of the old greenhouse with Skinny Mama.  I go by that old greenhouse a lot, but have never spotted this dog outside until today.   Skinny Mama wasn’t hanging out with him but I was still excited to get his photo.  One day, I’d love to get a photo of the two of them together.  I don’t have a name figured out for him yet (Skinny Mama’s Friend?) but I thought the title “all ears” was fitting.

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Bouvier des Flandres

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It has been a while since I’ve featured a new dog photo here, other than those of my own dogs.  The heat wave has kept my regular outdoor dog subjects indoors, and while it’s been disappointing from a photography perspective, I’m glad that I’m not encountering dogs left outside to endure this extreme heat.  With no dogs to photograph, I ventured out with my camera this morning in hopes of photographing the sea of water lilies that have popped up on the marsh at the nearby wildlife preserve.  I was too early in the day for the water lilies to have opened, but I ran into a nice gentleman who was out walking his dog Shadow, pictured here.  Shadow is a Bouvier des Flandres, a herding dog bred for general farm work.

I did some work with these images in Photoshop, including adding a texture to give it some visual interest.  This particular texture is from Jessica Drossin Textures.  She offers a wide variety of textures that are visually appealing and easy to use.  Shadow was lucky to get some outside time with his person before it got too hot today.  And I was lucky to meet them and capture such a nice dog with my camera.

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3 tails, 12 paws and 200 pounds of dog

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It’s been quiet on the Doggone Artsy blog, but that doesn’t mean it’s been quiet here for me.   I have had my hands full since my brief announcement a few weeks ago about adopting a third dog to join us here at Camp Bartolo.  Charlie arrived just over two weeks ago, bringing our pack statistics up to three tails, twelve paws and 200 pounds of dog.  That’s a lot of dog for this petite dog mama to manage, and I’ve been busy with both training and learning.

First, I’m learning all about Charlie and his quirks.  He likes to counter surf (this is my first counter surfer), he likes to hunt in the back yard (familiar with that, thanks to Daisy), and even at 70 pounds of pure muscle he still thinks he is a lap dog (which is somewhat endearing).

I’m also learning about things like how to manage three dogs at feeding time.  And how to keep track of three dogs at potty time (did everyone go?  did I miss something that I don’t want to step in later?).

There have been some of those sweet moments that make you go “aww, how cute” and some other moments where I wanted to kill him (not literally, of course).  And I’m reminded that dogs aren’t all about cuteness and companionship.  Responsible dog owners know that it actually takes a lot of work, a lot of love, and a lot of patience to raise a dog properly.

I’ve had very little time for photography since his arrival, but last night with three tired dogs at my feet, I worked on this piece of photo art featuring Charlie.

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Charlie

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I usually have silly made-up names for the dogs featured here, like Skinny Mama, Country Hound, Chocolate Mint Lab, and Country Girl.  While all very fitting, the names aren’t the dogs’ actual names – just my way of identifying the different dogs I encounter along my dog photo trail.  But today, I am featuring Charlie, and yes, that is his actual name.  How do I know?  Because he is mine.  My husband and I have recently been looking for a third dog to join our family and we signed the adoption agreement on Charlie today.  He will be joining us soon and we can’t wait!

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Daisy, in stitches

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Here is my girl Daisy speeding along on her road to recovery.  While I’m glad she is feeling better after her recent trip to the emergency vet, she is still supposed to be resting until those stitches (seen on the upper area of her front leg) come out.  It’s been a challenge to keep her on the “light duty” regimen that the doctor ordered, especially with the all of the bunnies running around the yard.  Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes to Daisy – as you can see, she is feeling much better now!

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Doggie drama

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It has been a crazy week here but I wanted to share a quick update as I missed my usual Friday post this week.  You’ll notice today’s photo isn’t my usual random-dog photo or a piece of Photoshop fun.  It’s a quick iPhone photo of my sweet girl Daisy, who is partially responsible for my crazy week.

Daisy got into a little tussle with another dog and spent Tuesday evening at the emergency vet getting stitched up.   Of course, she required extra attention and special care in the days that followed, so I had to take a little break from the dog-photo trail to attend to her. (On a side note, I just love the adorable pink bandaging adorned with purple hearts – it really suits her!)

But that’s not all the excitement I encountered this week.  On Friday, I wrote a post about Daisy’s ordeal on my other blog, and it was Freshly Pressed!  I am so excited and honored to be featured on the Freshly Pressed page.  It has been a whirlwind since then trying to keep up with all of the new visitors and comments, but I wanted to take a moment and share the news with everyone here.

Daisy returned to the vet this morning and is making good progress.  She is already starting to feel better and I’m sure will be back to her old self soon!

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Diva Dog

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I met this little Diva during yesterday’s trip to the grocery store.  When I finished shopping, I noticed her in the van parked beside my truck.  It was hard not to notice her because she was growling at me like Cujo while I loaded my groceries in the truck!  After patrolling every corner of her person’s van, she took a break by perching herself on the dashboard!   I was able to capture these photos before I drove off.  I love the skull and crossbones collar paired with her “Lulu Pink” outfit.

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A rare breed – Cirneco dell’Etna

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This photo was taken at the Detroit Dog Show earlier this year.  If you missed my post about the show, be sure to check out the fun here where you can read more about the show.  While I forgot to jot down the name of this breed when I took the photo, I knew that this dog was part of the rare breed exhibit at the show.  After some research, I have determined that this is a Cirneco dell’Etna, a Sicilian dog used for rabbit hunting.  I’ve learned that a common misnomer for this breed is the “Sicilian Greyhound”.   The dog show is a great place for dog lovers to learn about the history of dogs and the many different breeds of dogs that can be found around the world.  You can visit my Detroit Dog Show gallery to view 50+ photos of all kinds of breeds from the show.

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Dogless in DC

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Once again, the real job (i.e., the one I get paid to do) took me to the nation’s capital for a business trip.  I rarely travel without my dogs.  In fact, the only time I travel without my dogs is on these business trips.  While dog-friendly accommodations are available, I know the dogs wouldn’t be happy holed up in a hotel room all day while I’m at the office taking care of business.

During the drive down, traveling on turnpikes and busy Interstate highways, I saw only one dog who had stopped with her person at a rest stop.  One dog in 500 miles – that’s just not enough dog for me!  I arrived in DC feeling dog-deprived and yearning for some canine company.

Luckily, my colleague (and fellow dog lover) lives in the same neighborhood as my hotel, and she filled my need for a doggie-fix by bringing her dog Bo with her for our dinner date.  We found a restaurant with outdoor seating that happily welcomed Bo and brought him a nice cool bowl of water.

Isn’t he adorable?

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