So... I haven't posted here about four years. I never stopped taking pictures, but my photography habits have fallen off some as I went after other hobbies. Plus, I've haven't been using Pentax cameras since I got an a7r in 2014, though I never stopped using Pentax glass. Pixie dust, and all that.

I noticed this week that I didn't take a single picture in the month of June. Zero. I haven't gone that long without a picture in as long as I remember

On Thursday, I was at the dog park in the morning when a lady came up and thanked me again for a picture I'd taken of her Borzoi running through the water when the park flooded once. That was five years ago. She said it's still her favorite picture of him.

It made me remember how much people love seeing pictures of their dogs enjoying themselves. I used to be a fixture at the dog park, there with my camera every time, several times a week. Anymore, I don't come often enough to be familiar with everyone there.

This weekend, I decided to get back into it. I came at quarter to six in the morning to get the good light. Because of the climate here, it's the most popular time of day at the dog park, anyway.

Right away, I got a good one of a happy pit bull. Her owner was pretty excited to see the picture.



A Shiba Inu came by later. Such cool dogs. I can't remember his name. Something Japanese.



It was a good day for my dog Tasi, a husky mix, or maybe a purebred, who knows. She came from the shelter. She's pure wonderful, whatever breed she is. Several other huskies came, her favorite. She really loves this huge one named Shadow, even though he's never much interested in playing with her.



His owner has a second husky who's a little heavier than Tasi, and her mismatched eyes are swapped, but otherwise they're hard to tell apart.



There was yet another husky there who may actually be a little smaller than Tasi, who's only around 45 pounds. They're perfect playmates.



There were some puppies, too. I don't care what kind of day you're having. Add puppies, and everything is OK.

[Unregistered User 8]

Excellent series Ian. Looks like a fun morning was had by all !!

[scratchpaddy]

Thanks, Peter! We're looking forward to next time.

[Just1MoreDave]

I missed those pictures. Good to see them again.

[paulh]

I missed those pictures. Good to see them again.

What Dave said ^^^
Good to see you in action at the dogpark again!

[eaglem]

A very good series of shots and I'm not just saying that coz I like Dogs

[pentax360]

Any close calls with nose prints to the front of your lens?

[scratchpaddy]

Thank you, Dave, Paul, and Em!

Any close calls with nose prints to the front of your lens?

More than close calls, it gets slobbered/splattered frequently. The young ones especially like to investigate this strange clicky thing in my hands, since I'm right down on their level.

Most scratches I've seen on used lenses look like they came from poor cleaning attempts, like wiping the lens with a gritty shirt. I always wait until I get home, then carefully remove any grit from the lens with a blower and a soft microfiber towel. None of my lenses seem the worse for wear since I got them.

A couple of times, I brought a Samyang 14mm lens to the park. You have to get inches away from anything you want to be more than a distant background, and the front element is enormous. It's an interesting perspective, though.

[photomax7]

These are great images...the rendition of that lens is very nice.

[scratchpaddy]

These are great images...the rendition of that lens is very nice.

For sure, it's a wonderful lens. I just got it earlier this year, and I'm kicking myself for not getting a Limited sooner. It's a pleasure to use.

[Janse]

As my friends above say, great series!