The Suki Wash

It’s been quite a while since Suki had her last bath, and today was the day. Do you think Suki has any idea what she’s in for at today’s pet store visit?  My guess is no!

The Shiba Inu is a very fastidious and clean animal, so we don’t need to do this too often. I still remember when I gave Suki her very first bath. She was about 10 weeks old. Soon as the water hit her, she let out the famous Shiba Scream. Good night! You’d think I was pouring hot lava on her or something.

Nowadays, she still hates taking baths (or getting wet in general…what are you Suki, a cat?!), but nevertheless tolerates the process:

WASH!

We’re currently treating Suki’s “allergy eyes.” She gets them every spring for about a month at a a time. Poor itchy-eye’d Suki.

RINSE!

SPIN!

DRY!

There, good as new. Extra fluffy…and after a day, she still smells like mango. =)

______

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G

Team Suki

A fellow photographer, and as I just discovered today, super-awesome illustrator sent me the image you see above this morning. Inspired by my work this year for 52 Weeks of Suki, the original hand-drawn artwork is on it’s way to me in the mail. What a cool gift! She included so many specific details that I bust out laughing every time I look at the drawing. Everything’s there, from Suki’s signature paw print collar and proud demeanor, Bridget’s white coat and scarf (and freckles), to my low and tight shooting technique. She’s even got Bridget flying much of that off-camera flash over Suki’s head, ensuring that there’s not too much spill heating up the lower portion of my frame. Brilliant! =)

A big thank you to my friend Cindy for this lovely work of art!

The North Peak

This is exactly where I was standing when I took my week 45 photo of Suki last week, only in this image my camera is pointing south. We climbed to the very top of one of the Twin Peaks in San Francisco with Suki, and while we were trying to get her to stay put for a photo, I turned around and saw this beautiful sweeping scene, with a clear view of the other peak and a gorgeous sunset sky. Fired a few frames, got a weird shot of Suki for the project, and ended up with a bunch of mosquito bites in the process. Ouch!

The image up top is now available for purchase as a print or desktop background at the “City and Landscape” gallery of my website.

___

Image Top: Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/5.6, 1/30 second ISO200
Image Bottom: Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/5.6, 1/160 second ISO200

Going Wide

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 20mm f/4, 1/80 second ISO3200

What a great time to be a Nikon shooter. The company has been releasing an exciting variety of new high-performance glass into its lineup, and I couldn’t help but be a part of the action! Just picked up the new Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 VRII, and I’m in love.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/4, 1/320 second ISO1600

Of course, with an optic this wide, you have to really push in tight for portraits. This is Suki’s “uh, get that big fat lens out of my face” look.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/4, 1/100 second ISO400

This is Suki’s “I’m not feelin’ being on top of this garbage can and am certainly not going to pretend that I’m enjoying it, so don’t bother” look.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/4, 1/100 second ISO400

…and this is Suki thinking “what’s with the crooked horizon line in this shot? You’re killin’ me!” Ok not really….

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/4, 1/60 second ISO800

See? Suki is not as easy to work with as you might think!

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/4, 1/10 second ISO800

Anyway, besides being a definite go-to lens for my Suki Project, this thing will have a special place in my bag for travel, as well as city and landscape photography….

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 16-35mm f/4G VRII at 16mm f/4, 1/30 second ISO6400

….or environmental portraits. I was also thinking of the 14-24 f/2.8 from Nikon, a legendary ultra wide, but size, weight, and cost considerations put me off. No regrets =)