# Duke & Barlow Playdate



## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Playing around with my camera today while Duke had a playdate with his BFF Barlow


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)




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## kennyk (Sep 17, 2011)

Wow, they are both very good looking! I bet they both had a blast


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks Kenny, they definitely have heaps of fun whenever they meet up for a playdate! Barlow is just like Duke, and plays really rough, so it's good they can just go crazy together. Looking at these photos makes me desperately want to find a second dog for Duke, so he can have this kind of fun every day!


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Awesome pictures, looks like they had a great time.


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

They look like they are having so much fun!
Your action shots are really good!
What kind of a camera did you use?
Looks like the weather was perfect for a playdate!


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

Great pictures! I love dark dogs, I always think they look stunning. Duke is one seriously handsome dude


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Awesome pics! He is such a cutie.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Janet At Nutro said:


> They look like they are having so much fun!
> Your action shots are really good!
> What kind of a camera did you use?
> Looks like the weather was perfect for a playdate!


Thanks, I took about 300 photos and got less than 20 that I liked haha. I use a Nikon D5100, I was using the kit lens 55-300mm. I tend to set it to continuous when photographing Duke, and take a blast of at least 5 photos, then usually one of them has something going on haha. It was great weather on Saturday, nice and sunny, pretty warm in the sun (but not blisteringly hot yet which is good). The good weather didnt last long though, heaps of rain last night and now raining all this week 




DeekenDog said:


> Great pictures! I love dark dogs, I always think they look stunning. Duke is one seriously handsome dude


Thanks so much :biggrin: I think he's rather handsome too :thumb: only thing I dislike about dark dogs - how hard it is to photograph them! Haha. Especially with a golden retriever in the same pictures, because I can't just adjust the exposure without making Barlow look white haha. The fact that he was wet helped get some decent shots lol


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

There is a Nikon that I have been seriously considering purchasing.
If I could get shots half as good as yours, I'd be happy.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

What one are you looking at Janet?

Seriously these shots are all the work of the camera, not me haha. I just did a bit of research online about the camera settings, so I can use it in Manual mode, and then press "auto tone" on Lightroom 3 (photo editor). I don't even play around editting them lol (aside from the ones I changed the whole colour, and that was a pre-set colour scheme in the program!). It's really easy once you start playing around with it, just have to take heaps of photos on different settings and you start to learn what you need for different situations.

The biggest problem I was having was having everything in focus except for Duke, no matter how fast I set the shutter speed, because he would move once it focussed. I changed from the 18-55mm lens to the 55-300mm lens and it focused on the dogs quite easily, probably 8/10 times. Not too many shots were out of focus :smile:


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Looks like they're having a blast. There's a lake across the street from me and I can take my dogs over there and all of them will get right in and they love it. So I thought I'd buy them a baby pool and they could play at home in the water. The little fools won't get near it! I can stand them in it and they get this look of horror on the their faces and can't get out of it fast enough. Grrr....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Those are fantastic shots! Having a nice camera makes all the difference. Now that we have used the nikon D3100 we won't be going back to a point and shoot, except for underwater photos. Janet, get a nikon! 

Looking forward to the next round of playmate photos!


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Those are fantastic shots! Having a nice camera makes all the difference. Now that we have used the nikon D3100 we won't be going back to a point and shoot, except for underwater photos. Janet, get a nikon!
> 
> Looking forward to the next round of playmate photos!


Yeah I have a very good point and shoot, but it's now unlikely I'll use it much except underwater (and when we go to Bali in 6 weeks and I don't want to lug around my nikon, though I'm definitely still taking it with me - point and shoot will be for when we go out to bars and what not :thumb: lol)

Yep a good camera makes all the difference! It's a great investment Janet!

Fingers crossed the next round of "playdate" photos will be of Duke meeting his new brother or sister, I feel like I'm slowly getting closer to convincing the hubby we need a second dog hehe.


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Those are fantastic shots! Having a nice camera makes all the difference. Now that we have used the nikon D3100 we won't be going back to a point and shoot, except for underwater photos. Janet, get a nikon!
> 
> Looking forward to the next round of playmate photos!


I am working on it!


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## Tahlz (Sep 15, 2011)

Awesome pics Butler!. There so crisp and clear. I have a D7000 and still can't get crisp clear photo's yet!. I am slowly getting there though, SLOWLY. I've been to Bali twice. I am going again next year. How long are you spending up there?. Have you been before?.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks, I've been playing around with the settings on my camera quite a bit, starting to get use to it I think!

Yeah I went to Bali for the first time last year, we went for 10 nights then, and going for 7 nights this time, for a friend's wedding. Can't wait, it's gonna be heaps of fun!


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