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jimshoemaker

At the Gates of Heaven

Pulled from my archive shortly after Bailey died. The first thought when I realized how good the shot was to name it "At The Gates of Heaven". She is ...
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Pulled from my archive shortly after Bailey died. The first thought when I realized how good the shot was to name it "At The Gates of Heaven". She is greatly missed by her Husky companion of 6 yrs and me.
Read less

NIKON D40X

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 1600 Shutter 10/1000 Focal Length 850/10

upload_date

Dec, 2015

Views

556

Likes

+36

Awards

Action Award

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

Absolute Masterpiece

+18

Top Choice

+12

Superb Composition

+12

Outstanding Creativity

+12

Peer Award

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo of Bailey, my beloved 8 yr old female Belgian Tervurin/Huskey mixed breed was taken in Boulder, Colorado on an off leash trail in the Flatiron mountains.

Time

It was at about-fatefully- noon, on a cold snowy day.

Lighting

The sun was out but she was in the shade of many evergreen trees.

Equipment

A handheld Nikon D3400 at 6400 ASA which I use often for low lightening and rich colors.

Inspiration

Bailey was obsessed looking up in a tree at a chatering squirrel. She circled the tree whimpering, jumping and finally sitting down as I fired off many shots over the course of about a half hour. Taking photos of my dogs is my passion. Sadly, one day Bailey would not walk and I took her to the emergency room for what was a 1 hr. wait. I did not know at the time she was critically ill. They put her in critical condition and after 12 hrs., I ended up giving the agonizing command to put her down as I watched the vet do it unexpectedly as I had intended not to as I could not bear the thought of that. But as I waited in the grieving room, they said you better come now as she is going fast. The vet said she wouldn’t feel anything, but as they gave her the shot, she let out an agonizing last whine. I walked out and got in my car and then the silent scream and uncontrollable sobbing began. Writing this, I still break down after 2 yrs.- there is nothing worse than the loss of your beloved companion you spend every day with. It was not until several months later, that I came across this photo and realized how good it was. The title came to me immediately, "At the Gates of Heaven". After submitting it to Viewbug, it went on to become my most popular photo ever, gaining over 325,000 votes 2 years in a row for photo of the year. When I first rescued Bailey at the Human Society, her name at the time was Missy, but I renamed her Bailey. Seven months after the death of Bailey, I found the most perfect Husky on the internet after a very long search. Her name was Missy and I love her to death! The picture of her at night sleeping outside covered with snow also became very popular, gaining 117,000 votes. I have taken something like over 150,000 photos of my dog’s adventures.

Editing

Yes, it went through several iterations. I adjusted contrast, brightness, darkness , color, sharpness, clarity and cropping. The final step was to modify the background.

In my camera bag

A telephoto zoom 28-300 and a lens wipe. Always have a backup battery.

Feedback

The best advice I can give is you have to love taking photos, always take a camera with you everywhere and have a lot of patience. Being in the right place at the right time, luck and going to places known for their beauty increases the odds of a great shot. Take lots and lots of shots and take the time to go through all those shots to find the diamonds and finally enhance it and show the world. Knowing the techinical details of your camera and photography is icing on the cake.

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jimshoemaker

jimshoemaker

At the Gates of Heaven

Pulled from my archive shortly after Bailey died. The first thought when I realized how good the shot was to name it "At The Gates of Heaven". She is ... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow jimshoemaker

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Pulled from my archive shortly after Bailey died. The first thought when I realized how good the shot was to name it "At The Gates of Heaven". She is ...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.