Monday, June 6, 2011

up close and personal


While I am not fortunate enough to own a macro lens, I do love close-up photography.  Much to the chagrin of my neighbors, you will find me crawling around on my hands and knees in my yard trying to capture my puppies at play.

Getting the right depth of field and an interesting angle with the short focal length of my beloved 35mm lens is sometimes a challenge. More often then not, I end up with tongue prints and doggie slobber on my lens.  But once in awhile, I get lucky with a full frame of furry goodness, complete with a hairy tongue... then my heart melts.

Look at the cat's eyes in Cynthia's photo. The square format adds to the drama and intensity of the cat's stare. Or is a glare? Hmmmm....   Does it leave you wondering what dear Pussa is thinking or if Cynthia got swatted after she clicked? 

Today, I invite you to get up close and personal with someone (or something) in your life. 

Leave a comment or share a favorite close-up capture in the comment section for a chance to win a spot in The Slice of Life Project with the talented photographer and writer Darrah Parker beginning on July 11th.  We will select one enty at random and announce the winner on Wednesday.

Have a delightful week.

xo tammy lee of bliss and folly

Pussa
Pussa by Cynthia Brown Images

31 comments:

Nancy said...

Your puppy makes my heart melt,too!

Megan Belcher said...

I love these SO much!!! I've graduated from a point-and-shoot to a bridge and rely heavily on the "little flower" macro setting, good composition and lighting, and most of all PATIENCE (translation: taking many pictures but only using a few) to get the best photos of our pets :)

pam said...

I don't have a macro lens either, so it's lots of creative cropping for me!

Sarah said...

Love his hairy tongue! Nice way to start the week... with lovely pets.

Marie said...

Both of these photos are amazing! Love those pets....

Unknown said...

I love the photo of the gray cat. So self-possessed and soft at the same time. Quite the role model:)

Anonymous said...

Pussa is beautiful. I have wanted a macro lens forever. Love close-ups.

Sheila Hughes said...

Love this puppy pic! I too am often crawling around in the grass (annoying the heck out of my 4 dogs) trying to capture their personalities and spirits. My youngest, Tashi, is the one that tolerates me most so she turns up in lots of my photos.

Barbara said...

These are wonderful - I don't think you need a macro!!

Kim said...

I love both pictures and expressions!! Animals are my favorite close-up subjects.....here's our pet gecko, Rex.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimjarenbrooklyn/4425824577/

Kathy said...

both photos are incredible--the focus on the eyes is wonderful. (and the class sounds very interesting)

Kirstin said...

What gorgeous eyes....love this, Tammy! Square is the best!

Kim Switzer said...

Oh the fur baby pictures are adorable! I just want to hug them both. I also really love getting close-up photos. I just had a wonderful few minutes browsing through a few I have up on my Flickr stream--thank you!

Let's see...choosing one was kind of hard, but I think I'll go with this one of my Caisha kitty from a few years ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ariane08/50885315/in/photostream And I think I'll try to get more close-ups of both of my kitties tonight when I go home--I'll let them know they have you to thank for me chasing them around with the camera (again) ;).

aclamp said...

sah-weet! loving macro photog myself, i was fortunate to land an oldie that i could adapt to my cam :)

here is a goodie: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aclamp/5805213382/in/photostream

aviary images said...

the photo of the grey cat really captures all of that fluffy gloriousness of the fur and love that pink tongue of the dog.

gina said...

I love the square format. The kitty picture is delightful!

Arlene 'Marie' Pitts said...

I love the up close and personals. Im going to give it a try. I feel like I have been able to look right into the cutie pets eyes and i want to look to see the tail wag! lol. ...i don't have a macro lens, but a setting on my camera and i'm not sure how to use it. I love mortal muses. Because of you, i make the time to play with my camera and the life around me. Thank you

GailO said...

Thanks to Mortal musers I have been trying square format more and more and really loving it! These are beautiful!

anita said...

I like close up images, they are more personal. Love the puppy!

CyndyIB said...

A good tongue shot melts my heart too!
Slice of Life sounds fab!

Fiona Gains said...

My gorjuss do g is my best model Luv yours

Cynthia Brown said...

thankyou so much for featuring my photos of pussa tammy! humbled and honored as always.... she holds a special place in my heart and i frequently find myself gazing at this photo, lost in her eyes.... :) your puppy is gorgeous, he looks o cheeky and playful! :)

Diana said...

Stunning images! Especially the cat image. ADORE macro photography. It shows the fragility of life. Met you on Picture Color class with Tracey and just returned from Slice of LIfe site. Just awesome!

veggiemom said...

Ooh...this class sounds like so much fun! I don't have a macro lens either. Someday...

Micki said...

I think our four legged must get together in their respective backyards and chuckle at our antics! Oh but when you get two photo's like these...your friends gotta tell ya, "Get back on your knees girlfriend!"

The absolute trust and sweetness of this pooch captured my heart right away! And, the sheer elegance and rather tolerant look of this kitty is stunning.

A Slice of Life would be amazing.

blue elephant photography said...

zac is super cute! and wow on those cat eyes!

Anna said...

These pets up close and personal are too fun!

Barbara said...

The little flower on my P&S is my friend :-)

Unknown said...

Really sweet. Both of them! Because I don't own a macro lens, I've been experimenting lately with reverse lens macros -- turning my 50mm lens around on my camera. Here's one I took recently: http://www.flickr.com/photos/superdewa/5756524054/in/set-72157626674021693/ (not a person or a creature, sorry!).

Laura said...

What great close ups! I must say that one of my favorites has actually become the one I took for Picture Color. It reminds me of the recent beach trip we took, and I can't help but love all the colors and textures of this seashell. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37393365@N02/5814776975/in/photostream

And thank you for this opportunity; I've been eying her class for a while.

Jane said...

Just look at those soul full eyes. What a great shot.

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