A Couple of Things

New Filter Ordered

First thing - I finally placed my order for a graduated neutral density filter. It will be my first for the Cokin P-Series mount. I had originally intended to get a Tiffen but instead I've gone with a Singh-Ray. Here's a link to the one I've ordered from B&H:

Singh-Ray 84 x 120mm Galen Rowell 0.6 Soft-Edge Graduated Neutral Density Filter

It's the 2-stop version, as is/was the Tiffen. That seems to be the best range for a lot of shots and a lot of folks recommend this strength for your first filter if you're only getting a single filter.

This is a elongated filter which allows it to be positioned in more places than the "square" filters. If you only need a bit of the top shot through the filter you can do it with this one without having the bottom of the filter in the shot.

And, looking at the right filter in the image from Singh-Ray's website, this filter is closer to a "hard edge" than the Tiffen which basically has the graduation across the full width of the filter. I think this one will be better for cutting in on horizons. But, I'll find out!

Withdrawals

It's been more than a couple of weeks now since my last photography outing and I'm getting antsy. I'm hoping that I can do something soon! Unfortunately I've got a dog that just can't travel and probably won't last much longer and I hate to be away from him. He's been such a loving friend to me for 14 years now and I can't turn my back on him.

That gave me an impetus to try to shoot a picture of him but I'm just not very good at shooting pets. They just don't cooperate as much as landscapes! Same with the picture of myself. If I used to be photogenic at all I don't see it any longer. 

I doctored this some, trying to ease my complexion problems so I'm not so scary. I changed the background to blue because my light blue shirt didn't stand out against the original white wall background very well. At least my boy Alvin looks good! This was shortly after his surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his gum, and just after discovering another tumor on his throat which we just can't do anything more about. He's got an enlarged heart and can't withstand a more rigorous surgery, plus with the type of cancer he's got, it's likely growing in his lungs or stomach as well.

Such a good pup, and has brought us a lot of joy over the years.