The colour from the lower angle of the Algarve sun in Autumn is magical. It’s time to build a new temporary river hide to photograph the Kingfishers and anything else that decides to come for a drink.
Here is Wally taking a drink this morning
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}The angle of the morning sun is getting lower and lower the more the autumn starts to arrive. This morning down at the river Wally was on the river bank in the shade except for a small amount of sunlight hitting his head side on. This made for a perfect shot!
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}You may have heard this spoken many times, “shoot with the sun over your shoulder”, this is so that you get a good light falling on your subject. Of course, this isn’t a rule as such, but often given as advice. However, shooting with the sun at different angles can be creative.
This morning, Wally was taking a drink from the river and he was in direct line of the sun. I took a shot and with some “mood” editing in Lightroom came away with this shot. I love that his tongue is lit.
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}Almost every morning, I get up, drink a fresh “Bean-to-Cup” Coffee to wake me and take Wally out for his walk. Usually, he has to be very patient as I look for new things to photograph on the walk. This morning however, it was all about Wally.
We spent a long time playing in (what is left of) the river. Of course, I still had to point the camera at him!
I love photographs of Dogs playing naturally and think that all dog owners should be taking snaps as (in most cases) they are only with us for a small percentage of our own lives. If you would like your own photography session with your dog(s), for just €75 I will photograph your dog in a location of your choice and provide 5 digital photographs and also include one large photograph print. Of course, you have the option more prints for a small charge. If you want to combine the photo shoot with more than one dog (up to a maximum of 4), simply add just €25 per dog.
Here are some of the photos I got from this mornings fun in the river with Wally.
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.
This morning I was a long way in front of Wally on a downhill section of dirt track as he had found something very interesting to sniff. I gave him a whistle and he came full speed down the track so I crouched to get eye-level and fired off a few shots. Luck rather judgment gave me this great shot of him totally airborne.
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}Over the last few years we have seen Smartphone Cameras increase in quality and functionality at a rapid rate. However, no matter how good they are becoming, they still have a lot of limitations.
These limitations give me an enjoyable challenge and it’s why I love Smartphone photography. It forces you to think about the photo way before you even frame it, trying to overcome the challenges these tiny cameras give. This shouldn’t be any different to any other form of photography and is why its good practice to make you think before pressing the shutter button.
This morning, we had some early hill mist and whilst out walking Wally, he appeared on a small ridge above me. It was a good pose, but the mist behind was a real spoiler, so I took the photo with the thought of making into a High Contrast Black and White photo, using the bright white misty background to contrast him and the Estava plant.
The photo was taken on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ in “Pro” mode, saving as a DNG (RAW) file, then I imported it into Lightroom (on the phone), converted to Black and White and raised the contrast. All this whilst still out walking. I was impressed at the quality, it even made it into my Flickr Albums
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