so my wonderfully sweet boyfriend got me a dog for christmas – he arrived a little late (never something to be rushed) but he’s made himself right at home and i love him to death. i couldn’t have asked for a better dog…even if he does hog the bed.

this is a good example of the value & contrast i really love in photography – its a little odd. i feel like now that we have these AMAZING high quality cameras available to us, we feel like all photography has to be perfectly detailed and clear in all areas. as i was editing these pictures, i was thinking about how you can only see half of gozer’s face in most of these pictures and a lot of his black color fades into shadow, the shadow and dog become one and the same. i like that.

value is the backbone of art and photography – its so important, because it makes shapes and composition. it gives our eyes a place to rest in an image. we had this discussion in class the other day actually….old black and white films and black and white photography being so beautiful because of the emphasis on lighting, contrast and value. maybe we CAN’T see everything – that’s what’s interesting about it! color is wonderful but it’s not the most important. its all about value. i like the shapes that gozer makes in these pictures due to the high contrast between his fur and the floor….my dog is a beautiful mutt!

he’s such a nerd. i loves him.