Neat stuff this past weekend! I hosted a small gathering for a stock shoot featuring a fine feathered collection of parrots. . .and the turnout was great. Here you can see a sun conure, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo, a black-capped conure, a white-bellied caique, and the largest of all parrots, a hyacinth macaw.

I had a steady stream of fun locals, all member of the Long Island Parrot Society, streaming into the studio for most of the afternoon. The birds were all well-behaved, interesting, and cooperative. A few (yes you, Bentley), even seem to be now familliar with me and my lenses, and are taking the time to do a few 'vogue' poses.

Thanks to everyone, both bipedal and feathered, for the shoot - the editors at you-know-where are asking for a few already, so I'll cross my fingers we get you into print in the magazine soon.

And how can I forget Oso. . .all 175lbs. of him? Oso came out to Port Washington this past weekend as well, for a full portrait workup in-studio and out. Oso is a Newfoundland, a breed that's large for a reason - he's a natural human lifesaver. Like other Newfoundlands, Oso had just about the sweetest disposition you could ask for, and was very cooperative in front of the camera. It took me a while to get used to his size - man, is that some dog. And his adoptive parents swear he barely eats a thing. . .

He was a little afraid of the steps going down from the studio shoot (ok, he was VERY afraid, as his hips have been giving him trouble), but he eventually made it down and out to a good park for romping, as shown here. Promise next time, Oso, we'll spare you those steps...if you remember to bring a bib.

This shot is from an editorial shoot for a local university magazine, and one I think worked out pretty well. The setting was an atrium, which we cooled using the digital white balance in the camera to a smooth blue, but left our subjects in warmer light. The leading lines and shapes, and even the ceiling fans, lent themselves to the compostion for an overall solid look.

That said, looking over this image and the past couple of dozen shoots is making me look at the results critically, searching for things I can be sure to improve on for the future. One thing I've pressed myself to do lately is not settle into a routine, as the idea of that scares me a little...I'd hate to look over a year's work and find the collection as a whole...stale.

So, I'll keep pushing to avoid that routine, and try to push my boundaries a little.