A lot has been going on recently, so I thought that I should make an update here. 2020 was tough for many reasons. I lost my father unexpectedly and then had to go into lockdown due to the pandemic. Not an easy situation, from the outset. The middle of the year gave us some protests on Black Lives Matter, a debate that shouldn't even be happening in this day and age. And then I lost my beloved dog of 13 years in June. But as much loss as I have suffered this year, I still managed to find a few moments of joy and creativity.
In March, I got a new puppy. You would have already met him if you've been following this blog. I named him Zeus, because I've always been a big fan of Greek mythology since childhood. And I knew he was going to be big and gregarious in nature. Turns out, I was right. This little puppy barreled his way into my heart as he rambled around my backyard. Zeus turned one year recently and I can't believe how fast he's grown up already. It's kind of funny that most of his lifespan has been during a pandemic. But he is so full of joy and love that sometimes I managed to forget we were under lockdown restrictions.
In the midst of all of the uncertainty, the most interesting thing happened. I decided to start making lemonade with my "lemons". So I got my camera out a few evenings, followed him around and captured some stills and some video clips. I've decided to make this into an ongoing project, documenting his time. It's fun for me and hopefully it helps to build some new skills. I think that I've gotten better at camera movement and editing.
Making The Photos
Zeus might be a big boy but he's still a puppy at heart and very active. He loves exploring the yard and watching out for the lizards. So I usually let him burn off some steam before I take out the camera. Using a long lens also helps, because he is a very affectionate boy and the closer he is to me, the more he thinks it's cuddle time (not that I am complaining). He doesn't stay still but the best strategy I've found is to simply pre-focus and wait until he comes into the focus area. Or just wait until he gets engrossed in something.
Camera and equipment details:
Camera: Nikon D7200
Lenses: Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 VR DX AF-S
Lighting: Natural Light
Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements
Making the Video
The video was much easier in my opinion. I didn't have a concept in mind when I started. I just started recording random clips of Zeus running around on some evenings when I would be outside with him. Luckily he and I have a routine on evenings so it was easy to figure I had written his name on the sidewalk at one point and decided to use that as the introductory shot and title card. I generally chose a frame rate of 24 fps for that old fashioned movie look and a warm colour grade (my editing software is pretty basic for now).
Camera and equipment details:
Camera: Nikon D5200
Lenses: Nikon 50mm F1.8 G Auto Focus-S
Lighting: Natural Light
Software: Adobe Premiere Elements 11
Music: You Tube Creators Studio
Until next time.... be creative and be passionate. And hang in there, it gets better.
