The Hound Of Ulster

That title works on a number of different levels, I think…
 

Shocking.
 

A reflective moment for James before meeting with his adoring fans for the first time.

The aforementioned fans, adoring.
 
 

Look what I found!

 

Sean is smitten…

 

…and starts planning all the mischief they’ll be getting in to. Soon.

 

Mark is very, very excited.

And also cute.

 

David is a bit unsure at first…
 

…and then a major fan…
 

…and now, he’s not even sure he wants anyone else to hold him.

 

James, however, is unmoved.
 

 
I actually did it on purpose this time.  Not absolutely sure the results work; his right eye gets a bit lost, methinks.  But I really like the highlight around the right side of his face.  Just a little more bounce, and it would have been perfect.  (Course, it’s hard enough to get shots of Sean without setting up any equipment.)

UPDATE: This is The Vitruvian DUCK’S effort.

I like the compositional change, but I’m unconvinced about the rest of it.  He certainly figured out how to bring that one eye out of the “darkness,” and I’m pleased about that.  In contrast, mine looks fairly dramatically underexposed. 

But the side of Sean’s face is gone now.  More abstract, but I’m not convinced it’s the right route to take.  Very Janusz Kaminski-like, which would probably be easier for me to support if Sean wasn’t my kid.  Probably too close to the subject.

(Killer eyes, though, right?)

UPDATE TWO: More from The Duck.

 

Now it’s just starting to get creepy.  I’ll take Kaminski over Warhol pretty much any day of the week.  (Duck uses it to raise a serious question about art and the way an artist relates to his product.  And sneaks in an Andrei Rublev reference for good measure.)

…but I’m still creeped out.
  

 

…something like this:

Perhaps Spring has not yet quite arrived.  Course, it was 65+ today.  The white stuff’s all gone again.  I’ve even got some grass coming up.  This is all so new for a SoCal boy…
 

I’m incredibly blessed.

(And yeah, I know it looks like Sean’s staring out into the surface of the sun.  Could have used a little “bounce” there, I suppose.  But it was “point-and-shoot.”  Oh, and click for a large version.)
 

I’m trying to do the whole “link to a larger version” thing.  Not sure it’ll work yet, though.  Try clicking on the small photo, if you are so inclined.

 
 

…completely different:

 
 

…for something completely different:

Not sure if it’ll be big enough for anyone to see anything, but the blog gets all stretched out otherwise.  (Interesting note: this was a really, really boring picture in color.  Glad Bizzy suggested I think about B&W a bit more.)