15/52 Look Back Bea

Looking over her shoulder at me.  

Aperture: f7.1

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/1250

ISO: 1600

Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

This week I wanted to show the happy-go-lucky side of Bea.  Here she is tired after running with the other dogs.  A tired border collie is a happy border collie.  I got her attention while she was watching at the dogs, snapping this shot just as she turned to look at me.

All in all I am happy with her expression, which was my goal to capture this week - her smile. 

Here are a few action shots from this week showing Bea's less serious side.

Running with a smile

Stretched out

Turbo Bea! 

Aperture: f6.3

Shutter/Exposure: 1/1250

ISO: 800

Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

I love this pup...

14/52 Swimming Bea

April 8, 2011

Hi mom!  Look at me I am swimming! 

Aperture: f5.6

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/800

ISO: 400

Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

Another very tough week deciding which shot to use.  I ended up choosing the one above because it is something I want to remember.  This was the first time Bea submerged herself completely into the river, over her head and actually swam on her own, braving the current.  She was rather unsure at first, but grew more confident as she followed Brynn into the water to fetch the ball.  I also liked the hint of a reflection in the water, the lighting in her eyes and expression on her face.

As usual I had a couple of runner ups.

The concentration and light in her eyes, the splashing and the detail of the water attracted me to this shot - but she looked scared to me.  

This shot sends me into fits of giggles every time I see it. 

One very determined puppy. 

13/52 Bathtub Bea

March 30, 2011

Awwww look at that face, she has mastered the art of looking pathetic.   Although Camera Face has NO PITY!  Bea was a very dirty girl and needed to be cleaned.

Bea is not a dainty, feminine little girl.  She is rough & tumble messy little piggie who relishes being covered in mud, rolling in stink and eating disgusting rubbish.   She has recently adopted the hobby of digging up and eating earthworms.

The bath will be a frequent occurrence for as long as she keeps roto-tilling our back yard in search of her wormy delicacies.

As I have come to expect from myself I had another hard time selecting this weeks shot.  Technically this one is not the best.  Her eyes are not as sharp as I would like - but her expression makes up for it.  In the comments below (3rd down) you can see how Bea started out and the bathtub shot I almost chose.

Blog post about Bea's Worm Digging Adventures

Aperture: f3.5

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/60

ISO: 2000

Lens: Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Digging and eating worms is a very dirty job

She was none too pleased...

Oh well, Bea.  Another day, another worm.

12/52 Bea - Workin' It

March 26, 2011

Bea is showing off her stylish moves once again.  A new appearance this week is her massive tongue - which seems to be hanging out of her mouth more and more often as the weather warms up.  Another new feature - GREEN GRASS!  Yeah!  Thank Heaven's spring has arrived.

This stance is pretty much standard for Bea whenever she is outside, she takes everything seriously and feels even potted plants need to be stalked.  She does settle nicely in the house...but not much goes by unnoticed.

Aperture: f5.6

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/1250

ISO: 1000

Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

I almost went with this shot, because she was just so goofy and it is completely different than anything else I have in her set - alas the colors were too bright for me. What do you think?

Aperture: f2.0

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/80

ISO: 3200

Lens: Canon EF 135mm f/2L

11/52 Happy to Bea

March 17, 2011

This is the Bea I see when I look at her.  Happy, smiling, yet still focused on what she is doing.

Her ears are fully up.  One of them still leans a bit over her head when she relaxes, but in time it will be fully upright all the time.

Teething has been fun.  I can tell when Bea has lost another tooth, because Brynn will have a big streak of blood on her neck where Bea hangs off her scruff as they are playing.  The other day I had the misfortune of kneeling on on a puppy molar, which darn near embedded into my knee cap.  It was almost as painful as stepping or kneeling one of my kid's Legos. OUCH!   Needless to say I will be happy when teething has passed.

What I have seen evolve over the past couple of weeks is Bea's personality.  She is no doubt going to be a confident, self assured little dog.  She is not afraid of much and has not yet met a stranger.  She loves everyone and is a joy to be around.   She has given herself a few jobs to do around the house.  For example - she feels it is her job to keep the back yard free of crows.  All crows.  Robins seem to be okay, but Crows are most definitely NOT allowed.  She will sit sentry on the back patio waiting for them to show up in the tree's then launch into barking.  We are doing our best to put a stop to this as it will drive me and our neighbors nuts.  *sigh* 

This weeks picture was another tough pick.  I am still struggling with the color of the icky grass in the field.  I went with this one because of her expression.  Her foot is a wee bit blurry, but I thought it showed the quickness of her movements - and her expression melts my heart. 

Aperture: f7.1

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/1000

ISO: 1250

Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

This week's runner up. 

10/52 Bea on Sheep

March 13, 2011


This was Bea's first little teaser on sheep.  Her tail was down the entire time.  She went perfectly to balance, she calmly and thoughtfully came in behind the sheep and walked nicely behind them, of course after a little 'puppy brain' stuff at the beginning - she settled nicely and showed some of the quality work she will one day be capable. 

I shot this photo while walking backward, shooting over the top of the sheep at my feet.  I loved her expression, intensity, yet relaxed assurance that she is doing exactly what she is meant to.  Look at that happy expression...what could be better?

Aperture: f7.1

Shutter Speed/Exposure: 1/800

ISO: 500

Lens: Canon EF 135mm f/2L

 It was another hard choice this week. This week's selection wasn't so much about photographic quality, rather capturing the experience of this special time. I almost chose one of these too - but settled on the one above because of her expression. Sheer joy! 

A nice back lit shot that captured Bea's shadow on the ground.