Tripping on Asphalt
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In their custom CawfeeGuy Knits sweaters.
TWO PUPPIES!!! In sweaters! Could they be any cuter? Or more nauseating?
My baby, Chewie, looking grumpy, as per usual. Though CawfeeGuy says this is nothing. He gets way grumpier.
And my teeny Nephew Rufie, in a rare moment of serious and still. I think he’s still feeling a tad guilty since moments before this photo he was crapping on the bottom shelf of the tv stand. I still don’t know how he managed that.
They were totally exhausted after this shoot and required treats, incessant petting and an afternoon of napping. The Talent is so demanding.
UPDATE | After CawfeeGuy posted his comment I was reminded of several fun facts about this particular shoot that I totally should have shared. I’m already in vacation mode so apparently I’m forgetting crap right and left. Also, I totally take the boys’ regular comedy routine for granted.
For those of you who don’t know, Rufus is Chewie’s brother and whenever I get to puppy sit for my nephew, we do photo shoots. You can see them here if you search my ‘little guys’ category on the side bar. I’m not linking for you (vacation mode). In order to get Rufus to stand still, because he doesn’t. Ever. I ply him with string cheese. String cheese and poached chicken are pretty much reserved for photo shoots. Rufus is going to be 5 years old this summer so at this point, let’s just say he gets me. Also, for dog shoots, I generally have a helpful and enthusiastic puppy wrangler, Dug.
This day, though, everything was different. I was alone with the boys when I put on their sweaters and groomed them. Then, I set up the equipment in front of the boys so they immediately understood what was coming next. From that point on, Rufus pretty much called the shots. I started with him because Chewie gets tons of camera play. I placed him on the floor by himself on set. He quickly decided he wanted to be standing on the pebble stool where I was going to park myself to shoot. After he hopped on it twice I moved it into frame for him and he posed patiently through about 15 minutes of commands. I discovered that if I made a particular, totally embarrassing sound, I could get him to place his ears exactly the way I wanted them. Eventually Chewie, who had been watching disinterestedly from the couch, decided Rufus was getting too much attention and he hopped from his perch and sauntered into the frame. As for getting the two of them on the ottoman together, well, I just plopped Chewie on top and told them both to deal with themselves. Chewie was pretty much stuck because he does’t like to walk on the uneven ground under his paws. After I checked the shots for focus on the computer I dragged Rufie’s bed over and told him to make love to the camera (while making that super odd noise again). And that’s it. No treats. Not a single one. No begging, pleading, or empty promises of bitches. No divas storming off set. Just 2 consummate professionals modeling.
The calendar and coffee table book are in the works.
Things are getting a tad hectic over here and I have ended up with a lot of half started blog posts and folders of photos still unedited. So for today, I decided to give you this teaser photo from Friday’s Abandoned shoot, which I’m drawn to, but probably won’t get too much play.
Since I’m in the midst of what I’m turning into a grueling web site redesign (you know, the kind where I spend exponentially more time dreading doing the work, than actually doing it), I’m laughing at the thought of just plastering this “Notice of Intent to Demolish” photo over my domain and calling it a day.
I can totally finish this web site. By the end of May. Right?
These are my iPhone scouting shots for today’s shoot.
Thank goodness I’ll have my trusty assistant!
I love Animoto. The iPhone app is incredible for short, free, fun videos with your photos. Check it out!
Little Miss A is much more excited the second time around about this whole tooth thing. And it’s certainly not difficult to get her on board with the whole fairy situation. So here she is showing me loose #2.
And how bout that magenta feather in A’s hair? I’d love to run right out and get myself one today. In purple, of course.
Very recently, it was like my birthday all over again here at Sequined Asphault Studio (I mean, if I had birthdays anymore, which I don’t). The very same week I got to guest blog over at MirrorMirror, I decided on a couple of new ultra exciting camera lenses and ordered the first (with much prodding and many assurances from the gang about laying out that much money for the good of my craft).
And Tricia, who has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders, kindly assented to me coming over and testing out the new glass on 2 of my most favorite wee ones, A and Chase.
Even though it’s a totally new way of shooting for me, and after the fact there are definitely lessons learned, I’d say we got a few keepers in the bunch.
And I mean, come on! These guys can’t take a bad photograph! Too cute, right?
Overheard in the car on the way to the Sheep and Wool Festival {MS T (me), driving. Dug, shotgun. CawfeeGuy and CawfeeMate, jammed into the backseat.}:
Coffee… blah, blah, blah… Such a gorgeous day… blah, blah, blah. Yarn… blah, blah, blah… Sheep… blah, blah, blah… Lobster rolls… blah, blah… Tile… Music… Knitting… (unintelligible sounds and much gesturing from shotgun position, Dug) Deliverance country… blah, blah…
Me Hang on a second, guys… Dug? What’s going on over there?
Dug (excited hand gesturing and grunts followed by slightly sinister laughter) Oh, uh, go ahead and finish your conversation.
CawfeeGuy OK. So, blah blah blah (aside: not to be rude here but the wild antics going on in the tiny little space next to me were too much for me to focus at that particular moment on what was actually being said)
Me No. Excuse me. Stop.
Me You guys, he totally found a video of a Yorkie herding sheep. I can’t even see the screen, I can just tell by the smug look on his face… Dug? Did you find a Yorkie herding sheep?
Dug YOU TOLD ME CHEWIE COULDN’T HERD! ‘he’s a ratter. ratter’s don’t herd.’ THAT’S WHAT YOU SAID!!!!
Me You DID?!!! oh… em… gee… I can’t believe it!
Dug This guy is totally herding sheep!!
CawfeeGuy Oh, he’s not gonna let this go…
Me Chewie cannot herd. He has never seen a sheep. He has never been on a farm. He is very sleepy and doesn’t bark.
Dug HE TOTALLY COULD HAVE COME TODAY. RUFUS COULD DO IT! RUFUS COULD HERD!
CawfeeMate Rufus probably could. (laughter)
Dug Look at this YORKIE! (YouTube video playing on repeat, constant sound of tiny dog annoying bark. Video embed for your viewing pleasure all the way at the bottom.) His name is Bruiser… I love him.
Me He’s probably one of those York-asaurus-es.
Dug Heisnot! He’s 4 pounds. 4.
Me Oh.
(more laughter from the back)
CawfeeGuy You are really never going to live this down.
Me I know.
Dug Ohhhh. We should have entered them. Oh. Why didn’t I look this up before! I am so upset with myself that I didn’t look this up before!
Me OMG You cannot throw a dog that has never seen sheep in a ring, or whatever you call it, during A COMPETITION. There has to be training. You have no idea how to ‘handle’ a sheep dog. There is work and training involved.
Dug He can.
Me OK. Fine. We are on our way to a sheep and wool festival. You make friends with some sheep farmer, find someone who trains sheep dogs in CT, and I promise, we can take Chewie and Rufie on a day trip and give it a try.
{silence}
Dug You were wrong.
Me I was wrong. You were totally right.
Me And I would love for Chewie, I mean Rufus – because there’s no way Chewie’s going to have anything to do with A HERD OF SHEEP – to learn to herd. That would be amazing.
My dear reader, if you were here last week, you will understand that Dug is never going to let me hear the end of this. And now I’ve gone and given him an ulcer. Just like Diana predicted.
For the record. When we got home after seeing those beautiful sheep herding dogs, we looked at Chewie and Rufus, and we all agreed that they looked way smaller than usual.
Here’s where I jam in all my favorite pictures from the event. (I do not have pictures of the fried dough, maple candy or lamb burgers because I was too busy stuffing my face.)
GOAT!
This is the first guy we met on arrival and I love him. He sweats through his horns apparently. Random.
Are these not the cutest little handmade finder puppets? The detail is incredible. Dug bought a bag full. No joke.
And these little alpaca/cactus mittens! I had a hard time not coming home with a pair. That’s a sample Beekeeper’s Quilt on the right with some mini-skeins for sale – I happened to have started the Beekeeper’s Quilt hexa-poufs this past week. It’s a loooong term project I’m doing as a knit-along with CawfeeGuy. He’s working on some entrelac in this photo while we spent time knitting in the sun and watching the dog trials.
I was kind of expecting to see 1 or 2 breeds of dogs. And there were a lot of Collies and Australian Sheep Dogs, but there were plenty of other breeds represented as well. They were all pretty friendly and camera ready.
These guys may not look it, but they were the friendliest of the bunch. The reason I got these shots with my new 50mm was because they came right over and were sitting in our laps.
This is Dug. Talking about the dog trial he just saw. And then telling Dave about the alpaca he just saw. I think he sent out a text message to everyone he knows with a picture of the alpacas and the caption, “Taluloo and Carly. The official alpacas of the CT Sheep and Wool Festical. Don’t hate!”
Shearing, and then they sell the coats. They bag them up and tell you the name of the sheep you are buying and all it’s stats! The barn was filled with bags and bags of coats. Poor guys look so pink and cold after.
SHEEP!
Overall a huge success. Well, not a success for my diet. But a great time was had by all. Once we were able to get past the tragedy of not having Sheep Herding Yorkies. Yet.
For your entertainment, I present to you, Bruiser, the sheep herding Yorkie, in incredible action.
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