John Cowie Photography: April 2010

Thick Headed???

After a few days of great warm weather, the cold and wet returned yesterday. We woke to thick, wet snow on the ground, thick flakes floating down and thick layers of clouds. After potty and breakfast, since we weren't going to be able to walk, my Puddies and I piled into the truck, complete with camera gear and headed out to see what we could see.

The sky looked fantastic, and I did my best to do them justice. Shot a bunch of panos and have been playing with them, but there's SO much junk in the images (as in Oil rigs, junky buildings, etc.) that so far I'm not liking them enough to post. Main reason I shot them though, is a project I'm thinking about - capturing nature's beauty that has been tainted by our species.

My 2 favorite shots from the adventure included lone trees. This first tree I've shot before from a different angle. And with this shot I broke some rules, but frankly, I very much like how it turned out. As a pano, it's hard to see in this format. Click the picture to get a larger view...

I liked the way the lower cloud layer framed the bushes and trees in this shot.

Further south, and east, I found a road through farm country that gave me a close view of the Front Range mountains and Longs Peak. Except you can't SEE Longs Peak cause it's hiding behind all the clouds!. However, as the morning warmed up, the clouds did start breaking and letting momentary patches of sun to leak through. And I got this shot. And no, for those that don't know, you still can't see Longs...

My telephoto lens compresses the distance between the ridge line right in front of me, and the mountains in the distance where the sun is breaking through. I very much like how the clouds are playing over the hills and the sun hits the snow while the tree sits in shade.

Hope you enjoy...

A walk around the farms

Well, 3 walks to be exact (No, 4!!! I did an hour with Skittles and Journey first!). I've been volunteering as a trainer at Denkai, an animal shelter just east of here in the middle of farm country. I try to get out there 3 times/week and I typically work with at least 3 dogs during my visits.

Today I met Spunky, an 11 month old Siberian Husky that arrived yesterday. He was surrendered by his owners for chewing and high energy and general lack of self control. Apparently they never exercised him. Uh, people... 11 month old puppy here!!!

Spunky is not his fault, it's the name the shelter gave him....

Sweet little guy, he's all smiles and cuddles and wants lots of belly rubs and affection. Didn't take me long to fall in love (no Sis, I'm not adopting him). And it didn't take long to get him used to a leash. Apparently it was his first walk on one.

Then I walked Blue - I'd like to show you a picture of him, but he wouldn't cooperate so I'll have to try again later. (this is what they call a teaser in the blogger biz)

So, my last walk was with Kona. She's a Labrador/Pit-Bull mix, and she's all calm and loving and little bit scaredy-cat. I think she'd make a great Daddy (if you don't know what I mean, you're outa luck unless you can catch an old episode of "Dog Whisperer")

Meet Kona. She's getting her bandage cut off (she had a lump on her tail that was removed)

I had a great time with her, and fell even more in love. She's such a calm dog, she might could help with my guys as a role model. But she DOES have an obsession with balls, and so does my guy Journey. Between the two of them, Skittles would never get a ball again! (and no Sis.... well... ... ...)

We did have one other companion on the walk, but this tiny little guy had a real problem keeping up, and we quickly left him in the dust, so to speak... Not that it mattered to him...

Art Wolfe is a world-renowned photographer, and he's working on an interesting book where every image has a critter that's hiding within the image. When I caught this picture I thought of his project. The tail of the snake wraps perfectly around a rock buried in the dirt, and his (her? I didn't want to lift the tail to find out - besides, how could you tell?) head lined up perfectly with the crack. Without the shadow, this little guy would blend in perfectly.

Oh, by the way - ALL these images were shot with my iPhone - the 3G, not the new improved 3Gs...

Hope you enjoy

Oh Snap! Finally caught the cuddles...

I can't tell you how frustrating it's been these past months. EVERY time I'd see my dogs doing something cute, something photo-worthy they move before I can grab my camera and get the shot. Move the slightest bit and they're up and wandering over to see what I'm doing.

And you can forget having to go get your camera, much less getting down on the ground for a better angle. Oh, and if you DO manage to get down at their level, better bring your lens wipes to deal with the inevitable nose prints.

BUT - every once in a very rare while I get lucky!!!

This first shot is something I've been trying to capture forever. Skittles has some interesting ways of relaxing with her bone. I could do a whole gallery showing on her creativity:

Don't ask me, I have no clue how she gets into these poses....

My Puddies love to lay in the light coming in from my kitchen windows, and I love the light it creates. I got lucky with this shot. Just as I was preparing to shoot Skittles lifted up a little more to see what I was doing.