Golden Retriever in Snow

After a good snowfall blanketed the ground with deep powder snow, the skies cleared and we were left with a brilliant sunshine.  I wanted to get some pictures of my Golden Retriever, Sheldon running through the fresh snow.  I waited until later in the day, so the sun was getting pretty low and giving a golden hue, perfect light for a golden retriever. Getting my dog to run through the snow not directly at me was a little complicated. It involved me putting him in position, telling him to “stay”, taking a wide route around (to avoid putting my boot prints in the foreground of the picture), throwing a ball in front of me and off to the side, and releasing him.  I also used a high shutter of speed of 800 to freeze the action of both the dog and the spray of the snow as he powers through it.

In the picture below, you can see the imprint of the ball buried in the snow.  Sheldon sees it as well and never loses sight of it as he jumps toward it.

golden-jumping-through-snow

In a moment of uncertainty, Sheldon looks at me for guidance.  Gives the feeling that he’s actually jumping right out of the picture.good-golden-eye-contact golden-retriever-lunging-through-snow

Most of the shots I wanted to have Sheldon jumping at a slight angle so you could see the power as he drives through the snow.  But i also wanted a couple of “head-on shots, which give a different feeling like in the following image.

golden-retriever-driving-through-powder-snow

Below, Sheldon is proudly displaying his ball in his mouth.  I love this picture because it catches him in motion with one ear prick and one floppy.

golden-retriever-one-ear-prick-one-floppy

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