I absolutely love doing Sky Portraits.  This technique has become the signature style of well known US photographer Kaylee Greer, of Dog Breath Photography, whom I admire greatly.  When I first discovered her work in her book "Dogtography",  nearly three years ago, I fell in love with her wide angle saturated look and set out to learn how to do this on my own at first, then later with instruction from Florida Photographer Gabi Klien Leon, and now, finally, Kaylee herself!


It is not easy by any means.  It is a combination of a very wide angle lens (10mm-20mm), a super low angle and matching strobe lighting with ambient lighting.  One of the hardest things though, is to get the eye contact needed of the dog, or in this case today, dogs.  My first time trying two dogs at once.  It certainly took a lot of treats and a lot of patience for both me and the owner.


The final trick is to wait long enough for the bright sky colours that happen after sunset, which means exposing yourself and the dogs to mosquitoes, especially in a location such as a pond where they breed.  I'm still quite pleased with these images, although I'm not too fond of the muddy, murky water. Note: the pond had a million tadpoles in it as well as the parent frogs who sang a lovely chorus as the sun went down.


~ Diane

 

My Favourite Images

 

A green frog partially submerged in murky pond water, with its head above the surface surrounded by floating debris.
A wet German Shepherd dog carries a purple ball while splashing through shallow water.
Wet German Shepherd dog running through water with a purple ball in its mouth, splashing water droplets in nature.
German Shepherd dog runs through shallow water carrying a purple ball, splashing water droplets in golden sunlight.
Wet German Shepherd dog running through water carrying a purple toy ball in its mouth on a sunny day.
Two wet German Shepherds standing in a shallow river with blue skies and green trees in the background.
A golden dog stands proudly on a rock by a river, with blue skies and green trees in the background.
A wet dog peers curiously into the camera close-up near a lake shore.
Wet dog shaking water off in a lake, with lush green trees and blue sky in the background.
A majestic dog sits atop a rock in water at sunset, with a colorful sky and trees in the background.
A tan dog sits proudly on a rock near a reflective pond, surrounded by lush green trees under a blue sky.
A majestic dog stands proudly on a rock in a river at dusk, with a dramatic blue sky and trees in the background.