I drew the dog body on foam core board and put together a PVC frame so it would stand on it's own. Dazzle was positioned on a platform because I needed both the board and him to be up a bit. This is so I could crop out the sidewalk and bottom of the wall. I did a few test shots and found out I had to cut the board down a bit. I also scooped the neck a little. Dazzle was so patient and let me squish him up against the building and behind the board.
I waited for the thunderstorms (yes, T storms in mid JANUARY!) and gail force winds to subside and then used the bright sun filtered through clouds for the lighting. I think my camera's sensor was fooled by the white board because I would have liked better lighting/definition on Dazzle's face. But when I looked at it on the back of the camera, it looked ok. By the time I got home and found his face was dark, the lighting was full sun and the shadows that would cause wouldn't be good.
The photo I used for the Facebook "working dogs" group was of Dazzle's icy chest. I had been throwing the ball in the yard (about 30 times) with the chuck-it and I guess he got hot (even though he wasn't really panting very much). He went to his pool and was pawing at the ice. I didn't think he would actually go in so I didn't stop him. Then he tried to step onto the ice and it broke. He didn't fall in, but did test the water several times with his feet (again, I didn't think he would go in). But then he surprized me and jumped right in!
I expected him to jump out of the frigid water just as fast as he jumped in, but no. He stood in the water and got a drink just like he does in the summer when the water is warm. Now that he was soaked (and not even shivering!) I had to throw the ball a few more times to help dry him off (thankfully he dries fast).
After the second throw, I realized the water on his hair was freezing! So I had my husband bring the camera and got a few shots of his frozen fur.
The rest of the week will be busy. Agility practice tomorrow night, Disk Dog competition on Saturday and Obedience show n' go on Sunday. Dazzle just can't understand why I'm asking him to rest today :-)
