Je t'aime (1999 - 2014)

I had known Je t'aime ("I love you") from seeing her run in the Solvang Streak for a number of years (she had attended the West Coast Greyhound Gathering every year since it began in 2005). It wasn't until two years ago that I got to the chance to do a session with her in the Secret Garden of the Royal Copenhagen Inn. She was a beautiful brindle girl:

She was twelve at the time. There's something about a Greyhound face grown white with age that's so wonderful.

In April of last year (three months before Katie's amputation) she had a rear leg removed due to OSA and bounced right back.

This year will be the first Solvang gathering where she will not be there. She crossed the bridge on my birthday.

Behold the grace and beauty that is the Greyhound

 

 

So there.

(Shot with the Nikon D300 using the 70-200mm VR zoom; shutter-priority, with shutter set to 1/3200 second; camera set aperture to f/3.5 at ISO 400; auto white balance; matrix-metered; normal JPG.) 

Payton and Cezanne

Rest well, you two. I didn't get to know you as well as I would've liked.

Payton (from Rhode Island, at Dewey Beach):

Cezanne (from Nevada, running in the Solvang Streak last month):

To streak, or not to streak

To streak (Sadie):

 

...or, not to streak (Katie):

 

Sadie was clocked at 24 mph/39 kph on a radar gun; Katie registered a 7 mph/11 kph (she was even clocked at -8mph for a few moments).

(Shot with the Nikon D300 using the 70-200mm VR zoom lens; shutter-priority with shutter speed set at 1/3200 second; camera chose aperture of f/4 at ISO 400; auto white balance; normal JPG.)

There could be streaking in Solvang

Greyhound-streaking, I mean.

The past two years we've not been able to let any Greyhounds run in the Solvang Streak because of the rain the night before. But last night, while looking at the extended weather forecast for next Saturday, I read that it would be sunny. That means I'll get to indulge a little in photographing Greyhounds on the run.

The streak is held at the local elementary school. A grassy area is enclosed in orange plastic fencing, and the Greyhounds (usually in ones or twos -- occasionally more) run from one end to the other.

A police officer with a radar gun clocks each dog, and the winners in various categories are given racing silks emblazoned with that category name at the Saturday night dinner.

Greyhounds were made to run -- it never ceases to amaze me every time I watch one do it.

(Shot with the Nikon D200 and D300 using the 70-200mm VR zoom lens; shutter-priority mode with shutter set to 1/2000 second; camera picked aperture using ISO 800 to 1000; normal JPG.)

Solvang Streaking

The West Coast Greyhound Gathering will be held in Solvang, CA, this coming weekend. It's three days set aside where people and their retired racing greyhounds can socialize, go to seminars, shop, and participate in events. One popular event held on Saturday morning is the Solvang Streak. A grassy area within the Solvang elementary school is fenced off, and the greyhounds are allowed to run, either one at a time or in groups (provided they're muzzled), from one end of the enclosed area to the other. The local police clock each hound's speed; the winners of various Streak categories are awarded with racing silks embroidered with the name of the category at the Saturday night buffet dinner at Pea Soup Andersen's.

While the run is not long enough for the hounds to reach their top speed, I'm still amazed to see them go as fast as they do. I'll set my camera to shutter-priority, set my shutter speed at 1/2000 second, ISO at 800 or higher, and then shoot as the hounds pass by. Depending on what model of Nikon DSLR you have, you'd either: (1) turn the exposure mode dial atop the camera to "S", then spin the rear command dial to the shutter speed you want, or (2) on my D300 you'd press the "Mode" button, and while holding it down, spin the rear command dial until "S" appears on the top LCD panel, then release the "Mode" button and spin the rear dial to the desired shutter speed. The camera then picks the appropriate aperture for the correct exposure. I happen to use 1/2000 sec, but if you've never used shutter-priority before, try one shutter speed, shoot a few frames, preview them, then adjust the speed if necessary until you get something you're happy with.

You could end up with pictures like these: