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Sometimes your dog can remind you of the joy in the world.

Shot a few quick portraits of Capa outside the apartment.  The light and recent rain were too good to pass up!

Then Tony stopped by and we headed out to the Drive-In.  Good looking country on the drive too!

6 months of wonderful youthful energy!

Note: I know that some people, especially in the south, have a certain view of pitbulls/stafforshire terriers, and believe some of the negative assumptions about those breeds.  I feel the need to say, that based on my personal experience, these were some of the SWEETEST dogs I’ve met while being in GA. 

So yeah, that whole skateboard project?  First round = Epic Failure.

Now, it wasn’t too bad – okay, well, it was – but there was a massive amount of learning that took place.  First off, I learned that the application of the substrate is not as hard as I thought it was going to be.  You just need steady hands and to take your time. So thats good.  Unfortunately, because most modern skateboard decks have a slight concave nature to them (providing more “pop” for the people that actually use these for riding) – this made the application of the prints VERY hard.  It rolled on smoothly in some spots, but didn’t even touch other parts without manipulation.
It was chaos.

I’m still looking forward to trying again.  It just puts the blog contest off for a undetermined time.  Which, well, sucks.  I am a shame to all those on their game, amazingly organized pet photographers out there.  If you wonder who they are, just check the people I follow on twitter : man, these people are on it!

So in order for there to be a next time, I need to sand down the boards that didn’t work – and buy at least one more.  We are going to try to leave one board with out brackets, and use it like a “mold” to press down on top of the prints once they have been placed.  I think this will provide better contact between the substrate and the prints.
I’m not sure how this might wrinkle the prints though – we will find out!  So look for that soon.

Enjoy the photos of me, Tony, & Peter attempting the first round of skate decks.  There are explanations of where we went wrong on each step in the photos

But, IT WAS bath time today. Great news for me, Capa was, well, only humorous for so long. Then she decided that the water hose was evil and needed to be taken out.
Anybody else have a dog that goes nuts around a garden hose? Man, is it funny.
Anyway – here are some photos from today, enjoy!

That being said – when these decks are completed and set -
I WILL BE GIVING ONE AWAY COMPLETLY SCOTT FREE.
Seriously.
Free.  Shipping to the continental US included.
Why? Well, in addition to the fact that I like sharing artwork, doing print trades and making crazy stuff, I feel like I have gotten great feedback and support from the photographic community, especially twitter, and want to do something to pay everyone (well, one random person at least) back.

The details of the giveaway are still being worked out, I am trying to figure out the best rules and procedures for it, but I will announce the complete details when the decks are finished.  I am planning on making 2 canine images, a feline image and 2 more images – that will remain in my possession.  I will post the 2 canine images and the winner will get to pick their favorite (factoring in the success of any of the decks)

Below are images of the first part of the process- getting the decks ready for the application of the fresco liquid, & making them mountable when done.
This process included:

Sanding the laqer off of the bottom of the decks
Screwing in the mounting brackets (sliced up table leg from home depot)
Filling the other truck holes with wood filler
Re-sanding decks to baby’s ass smooth.
All in All about 6 hours of work so far………………..

Next up:
Printing the images on DASS transfer film
Applying the custom substrate
Transferring the images onto the decks
Finishing the decks with a final protective layer
Giveaway!

More soon!
JB

These cards rock! They also get lots of attention because they are smaller than regular business cards.

Seriously, if you haven’t checked out MOO yet, get on it!

Let me know what you think!

During a freelance shoot at a local hospital, we used my marketing contact’s house as a backdrop.
I had the opportunity to quickly grab a shot of his dog “Jazz” who he always refers to as “The Hound”
Jazz has seen quite a few years now, roughly 11 if I remember correctly .
Even though she maintained a great deal of her coloring in age,
something about the way this black and white version came out just felt better.  Enjoy!

Gunther shows his boredom. Guess baseballs not his thing!

Spent Sunday at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, GA for the “Bark in the Park” Event.
Sponsered by TailsSpin, this was an awesome event that brought out baseball and dog lovers alike.
I am looking very much to the second Bark in the Park in August! Being able to bring your pup to the ballpark was a rare treat!

Had a wonderful Memorial Day out on Saint Simon Island.
Its been more than a year since Capa was there, and I think the return visit was just as successful as the first!