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Spring feels like it is finally here to stay, as numerous patches of the pink and white wildflower are appearing.
In natural light, with a Nanlite PavoTube for fill.
Jefferson, Wisconsin, USA
Scotch had a very weird calendar year from the end of December 2015 until now. We set out on a 10 day 4,000 mile from Washington DC to Los Angeles, California in the dead of winter and were treated to extreme weather conditions the entire way. Once here, he's had a blast, despite a number of serious health setbacks. The biggest issue was the rapid advancement of Laryngeal Paralysis which left him barely able to move without struggling mightily to breath. He had last minute surgery in early November--without it, likely only had a couple days left--and has been on the slow and steady mend from that since. In between however, he's contracted e coli infections 4 separate times from dirty Hollywood and from January 2016 to January 2017, has been to the vet and surgical center a grand total of 16 times. This doesn't include trips I made without him to get more information or pick up medications. His medical bills are approaching 5 figures in that year as well which is pretty hard to believe and probably close to all his vet bills combined in the 12 years prior.
His last infection cleared up a few days after new years and he finally seems fairly normal again. We slowly worked on strengthening his his muscles which had suffered severe atrophy from his inability to exercise and have started going on 5 walks a day around our large block in the heart of Hollywood and to the beach again--even in the cold and windy conditions--so he can chase seagulls and enjoy being off the dirty concrete of Hollywood. Outside of his fading orange coat, it's hard to believe he's a 13 year old. He moves better than a lot of dogs half his age, has a huge appetite and seems to be pain free which is great. Prior to the surgery, he had become rather frail, his hind legs no long stable and dealt with daily tremors.
It was October of 2015 when I bought myself a 40mm lens to use solely for Scotch portrait work. Our portraits in California had been steadily becoming more difficult, particularly after he lost his hearing. Because he couldn't function normally while awake--and being awake brought horrible panting and awkward movement--nearly all our portraits were while he rested or slept. For Christmas, I purchased a more compact tripod and also a new pistol grip that had a built in shutter release. The main thought behind this was for portrait work since i could now focus with the left hand and move the camera and fire off the shot with my right. I still intend to use my wireless remote shutter when out at the beach or shooting long exposures, but it seems to work quite well with our portrait work. I can now increase the shutter speed a little more than before and freed up a hand to make the shot adjustments much quicker.
This shot was from a week ago right after I set up the new tripod and pistol grip with the built in shutter release. The whole system is substantially more solid and sturdy than the previous setup and because his health is so improved, I've been able to shoot his portrait with him awake and calm which is so nice after such a difficult year for him. He was sitting on the chaise in my brother's office and I put the large foam board backdrop behind him and lowered the lights. This shot seems to have a lot more detail than some of the portraits over the last couple months and I imagine part of it comes from the new equipment and quicker shutter speeds but mainly from him just being healthy and calm. I'm looking forward to expanding into photographing other dogs around here in the same manner as I do with Scotch and perhaps will even try these styles out with some...humans. In the interim, it's such a relief seeing how much he's improved since his surgery in November and now he's simply a happy, healthy, old dog :)
note: while it's probably only noticeable to me, the area where his hair curls on his neck used to be mirrored on the other side. They shaved down that entire part of his fur for his surgery and nearly 3 months later, it still hasn't grown back fully though during the first few weeks, I wasn't sure it ever would at all. He's never had a haircut in his life other than getting areas shaved before surgery. Just lots of brushing and frequent baths. So yeah...that's my note haha
SCOTCH: age 13
Hollywood, California
January 18th, 2017
SETTINGS:
40mm
ISO 400
f/5
1/13th second
SETUP:
legs: Manfrotto MT 190cx pro4
head: Vanguard GH-300t
The drive in Iceland had nothing been short of a delight. Amidst all those pretty landscapes.. a fine evening in the vicinity of Vik.
This has been an extremely stressful, upsetting week but I'm happy to say Scotch is still with me and barring any unforeseen complications, now has a new lease on life.
It's easier to talk about now but without the surgery he had on Friday, this would've likely been the end of the road for Scotch. In fact, as awful as it sounds to say, I was desperately trying to prepare myself for this possibly being his final weekend with me.
He's resting comfortably and healing from surgery to repair his almost fully paralyzed larynx, a condition called Laryngeal Paralysis. I'll spare the technical details but essentially the mechanisms that help allow air in and out when breathing were losing functionality and the result is basically a slow suffocation. If you imagine a drain that's slowly getting clogged until absolutely no water can escape, that's similar to LarPar and Scotch was nearing that that inevitable end.
Something changed over the last week following his birthday and his strained breathing now verged on total distress and despite being so happy, it didn't seem like he could continue like this much longer. 5 minute walks outside would lead to 45 minutes of uncontrollable panting and in turn, the panting was developing into silent strained gasps, with him moving his head and neck around trying to find a position that would allow air in. He literally looked like a fish out of water and it was extremely hard to watch, since all I could do was pet him and try to keep him calm. I called the specialty vet first thing on Thursday morning, relayed my concerns, and asked if he could come in to see if he's still healthy enough for the surgery. They asked if Monday would be OK to come in and that's when it sort of sank in how bad his condition had gotten. I told them I didn't think he could survive until Monday and I'd take an appointment with whomever can do the surgery. That night was very difficult for me and it seemed like his fate would ultimately be decided in the morning when the vet would let me know if he was still a candidate for the surgery or if it was beyond that point. My concerns this summer were about the risks, tremendous cost, and whether at this point he could handle a major surgery again but this became the last resort and I hoped for some type of last minute reprieve.
People always tell you that when it's time to say goodbye to a pet, you just know and for the last few months, I wondered if one day I'd wake up and see something that made me realize and understand this. Each day that his breathing worsened, he still was always extremely happy and trying to run or play even if it was exacerbating his condition. Even this last week when it seemed like he was a few days away from losing all ability to breathe, I saw no sign from him that he was ready to give up and it was heartbreaking to think of having to potentially put down a dog who still desperately wanted to be here.
When we all headed to the vet, the doctor was one of the more calming and reassuring vets I've ever met and I left Scotch there relatively confident I'd get to see him again soon. After the anesthesia kicked in, they did find his airway almost completely closed and shut down and a few hours later, I received the call that the surgery was a success and everything was textbook. Probably the biggest relief I've had in as long as I can remember. My brother and I drove to the hospital this afternoon when he was ready for release and he was so happy to see us. His breathing was already close to normal and he even looks younger. A smiling dog is nice but a dog who spends most of his time awake smiling because he can't catch his breath is not and seeing him without that huge grin was amazing.
He has to stay calm for a few more days (even though he's already trying to run everywhere) and then in a few weeks, he'll get the stitches removed from his neck and can go back to...normal activity. This surgery will not reverse the damage done or other aspects of his older age and he now has some risk of aspiration from food and/or water that can lead to pneumonia but he alive which is the important thing and will presumably be able to do anything a healthy senior dog can other than swim and eat certain foods or treats. We will be able to go on walks for as long as he wants, he'll be able to run off leash, and now can enjoy the mountains a few hours away once the snow starts to fall. To say I'm happy is an understatement and I'm so glad my his time isn't yet up. Who knows, maybe he will start enjoying the car again and can come with me to shoot some sunsets, just like we used to.
_______________________
So...on to tonight's photo. This a 4 shot panorama from last sunday at Venice Beach. I spent the majority of the time there shooting straight out to sea, facing West and watching this amazingly moody sky. I think now on every single trip to Venice, I've attempted to take various panoramas of the pier, but rarely at this size. There was virtually no color out at sea other than a few stray purple/pink clouds, the thin ribbon of a sunset that swept across the horizon just below the cloud cover and the dark ominous blue and gray sky that never really changed much. I was fascinated by these conditions and figured I'd continue to photograph that view until it was too dark to effectively shoot in that direction. As usual, the views facing more South towards the pier and East towards the town of Venice and the boardwalk were better lit and there was actually some break in the clouds as well. I went with the 4 overlapping panels because I really wanted to capture the shifts in color and light that start over by the homes along the boardwalk and end out at sea. The sky to the right of the image is the same dark cloud mass present in nearly all my previous posts from this day. This color didn't last too long but fortunately I had enough time to get enough images for the panorama to mostly match up. When his health was fading, my desire to go out and shoot decreased dramatically and I started to skip beautiful sunsets to hang out with Scotch. Now that he's on the mend, I hope to get back into my routine soon.
WHEN & WHERE
Venice Beach Pier
Venice, California
October 30th, 2016
SETTINGS
Canon T4i
EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
4 panel panorama
@18mm
ISO 200
f/7.1
1/8th second
**I also wanted to thank everyone who took the time to listen to me rant about Scotch's health on here and offered support while I was trying to deal with and understand it all. As I've mentioned, I always grew up with dogs in the family but I was either too young or too far away to have any sort of knowledge on dealing with the last chapters in their lives so it's been a lot of learning as I go with Scotch. You all were very helpful and reassuring and I truly appreciate it!**
from the pavement of amsterdam, this building stretches upward, a monument to urban precision and cool elegance. its glass facade mirrors the shifting tones of the sky, like a canvas of reflection. the lines are sharp, parallel, drawing your gaze skyward, as if urging you to follow its climb toward the clouds. there’s something serene in its symmetry, yet a quiet power in its height. the overcast atmosphere softens the edges, making the architecture feel both immense and weightless at once.
This shot was taken in Toronto, Canada looking up at the 1980’s Desjardins Building.
• instagram.com/seanfrankey
Finding a perfect intact Conch shell on the beach has always been a fantasy of mine. I found this one not on the beach but in AI
L'ANGE ET LA TROMPETTE
THE ANGEL & THE TRUMPET
VUE EN CONTRE-PLONGÉE
BASILIQUE NOTRE-DAME
VIEUX-MONTRÉAL
MONTRÉAL
美国－蒙大拿－冰川国家公园－Hidden Lake Trail－生如夏花
Summer flowers blooming by Hidden Lake trail at Logan Pass, with Clements Mountain in background, in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
© All rights reserved. You may not use this photo in website, blog or any other media without my explicit permission.
Thanks to yesterday's rain fall, RLHH 3049 casts a near perfect reflection with the Belt Local as they spot a single tank car from one of Hamilton's many harbour-side industries.
And mine were really really green after this shot I tell you. Didn't realize it was freshly watered! :D
Haven't been out much, so I'm posting one last view in the series of City Hall images from earlier this month.
Trearddur or Trearddur Bay is a community, village and seaside resort south of Holyhead on the west coast of Holy Island off the north-west coast of Anglesey in Wales
A monochrome photo of the Marshall County courthouse built in 1886. The building is a dominant landmark in downtown Marshalltown, Iowa and was constructed in the Classic-Revival style.
The courthouse was severely damaged by a tornado in 2018, which ripped the spire from the top of the building's cupola. Repairs to the structure and other water damage cost $30 million and the restoration was completed in 2020.
Developed with Darktable 4.8.0.
Conversion: Color calibration= gray, Input R = +1.0
Lord Napier became the Governor of Fort St. George (1866-1872), Madras Presidency.
In memory of his service to the British, a memorial park and Bridge named as Napier Park and Napier Bridge were constructed in Chennai.
Low angle framing of pigeons perched on an electric wire with a beautiful blue sky in background.
A humble yet significant creature embodies a spectrum of powerful symbolic representations in various cultures and contexts.
As a unity symbol, these gentle creatures represent the power of standing together, of finding strength in numbers while maintaining your individuality.
They teach us that true harmony comes from balancing personal peace with the broader community's wellbeing. Embracing the pigeon's message means cultivating an inner calm that withstands external chaos, making us a beacon of peace and harmony in a turbulent world.
Rainy evening on Hitt Street in downtown Columbia, Missouri. Photography by Notley Hawkins. Taken with a Canon EOS R5 camera with a Canon RF15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM lens at ƒ/2.8 with a 1/5-second exposure at ISO 50. Processed with Adobe Lightroom Classic.
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©Notley Hawkins. All rights reserved.