# Murphy The Lab



## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

*Murphy The Lab..Puppy pics added*

Murphy At 6 months posing,


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Puppy picture at 10 weeks.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Playing in the snow @ 5 months. 
Found that ball under 2 ft of snow.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

He is such a handsome boy!


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## Angie's Bella (Dec 28, 2008)

What a good looking dog  and I love his name!!


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

How old is he now? He is a handsome fellow.


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 18, 2009)

He's gorgeous!!!!!


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

Love your pix! Hope you share lots more.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks everyone!
He is 7 months now and pushing 80Lbs. Havent weighed him recently but the last trip to the vet in Mid December he was 68lbs and had been consistant on his growth and weight gain at 2.5 to 3lbs/week. I hope he slows down soon LOL. I can always tell when he is still at it as his butt will go up a few inches and he gets a tilt going on until the front catches up. He is too big to do the old method where I would weigh myself then pick him up and weigh again and subtract. Cant see the scale readout anymore once I have him in my arms.

Right now I am on the fence about the trip to get snipped. I know all the pros and cons etc but I am considering breding him, not to profit but to pass dwon good genetics. He is well built and solid with no health issues at all and his temperament is simply stunning. Smart as all get out and extremlely friendly. Forget the tail wag, he wags his whole body! I have had to clear all the low tables in the house of brekable items as that tail will clear a coffe table in one swoosh.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Here are a couple more of him in the snow. At first he didnt know what to think of it then I couldnt get him out of it!


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 18, 2009)

I just love him!! <3 The ones in the snow are just gorgeous!!!

If you don't mind me asking... What breeder did you get him from? He looks so familiar its crazy!!!


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## LilOllie (Jun 2, 2009)

He has such an ideal face for a lab (IMO) He is very handsome.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks all, I got him from a private family in PA, too many over priced breeders here on one side of the fence and on the other are poppy mills and quite honestly the over priced breeders are riding the hairy edge of the puppy mill classification (they are mills in my eyes). One in Particular (ill keep names to myself) has labs listed beginning at $1800 for limited registration. I drove there to find the farm environment means a barn with 50 females in 4x6 kennels that have little to no human interaction. They had old breeding stock 8 yo gals for sale for $250. I left in less than 5 minutes. I waited and looked for quite some time before I found him, 4 hour drive to get him and he was on a beautiful farm (real one this time) with he and his litter mates and mommy out playing in a field wth the kids. I feel very fortunate that I did find him and hence the hseitation about the snip trip. He is just too picture perfect for a Lab and has the sweetest disposition one could ask for. Also didnt break the bank and got a reasonable price with full registration and health certification and guarantee.


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## LiftBig315 (Jan 9, 2010)

Nice looking lab, I know how it is with the snow. Moose is wanting to go out, and stay out constantly.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Sounds like you did your homework. Do the same if you decide to breed him. He is a good looking lab.  My neighbor has one and he and Butch are best buds...13# vs 70#...pretty funny looking.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

When he first went out in it he was almost scared of it. In only a few minutes he was running in it, eating it and having a good old time. Now when there is snow on the ground I have to keep an eye on the time and get him to come in after a bit. If he is out for an extended time I put his coat on. I got him boots but he doesnt like them in the least or I would leave him out longer. He really has a blast with the kids playing in it!


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

More snow pics of Murphy. He had a blast in it this morning and slap wore himself out.


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## Deron_dog (Feb 21, 2009)

He is a beautiful Lab, but make sure if you do decide to breed you get all the right tests done. Not just a Vet saying he's healthy, but all breed specific health tests. To make sure he is a subitable canadit for adding to the Lab Genetics.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Nothing better than a pooped dog after playing hard...love the last picture! I don't think mine would know what to do with all that snow...


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

He's a beautiful boy!


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks all.
If I do decide to breed him I will certainly get him tested, Both his parents were OFA Certified ad had eye certificates. That doesnt allways mean that puppy will be the same but I certainly hope so. Only time will tell and I would certainly wait until he is at least 2 to know for sure. The most passionate reason am considering it is his disposition. I have had many dogs over the years including a couple of labs with the last yellow lab I had, Hoss, being incredibly intellient and healthy as well but not as much so as Murphy. Hoss' genetics were passed down several times over. He was a very large lab at 110 lbs fully grown but not as pretty as the baby of the family is today.
I would also insist a potential mommy be tested as well.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

You are lucky that (i) I don't want a large dog; and (ii) you live so far away, because Murphy would be mine pretty darn quick!!  

I love the photo you have in your sig...it seems to accurately reflect him, from the pics you have posted of him in the snow.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

I count my blessings, Usually as I watch hi sleep LOL. He really is a good boy. Loves to play in snow and with people. Whats funny is when my son Jacob, who is 8 and weighs less than Murphy, sits in the floor and holds a tug toy then Murphy takes him for a tour. Now I just have to find a way to spray the hardwood floor cleaner in front of them without them finding out and make sure Jacob is wearing sweat pants! I have only seen him "spook" once with one person. He had never seen this person before and he loves everybody, except this person. With me already knowing this person, who happens to be related to a close friend, is a dirtbag it further proves that dogs can sense this instantly. He went from wagging for the other people to growling with is hair standing up in a millisecond!

Just when I think he has slowed with the growing as his front end was catching up with the back, I looked yesterday and that downward tilt is going on again. His Vet said when he saw him the first time and he weighed like 18lbs that he was going to wiegh every bit of 90-100lbs just by examining his feet, knuckles and general bone structure. From the looks of things he will get there and maybe more. I chose him out of the litter as the fat one that was in no hurry and just kinda mosied over with his tail wagging all the way. One of his brothers is going to be quite the handful, he was bouncing all over the place and doing a hit and run with the kids. (run up, nip at feet/pants then bolt off again) Then I watched this 8 week old pup take a dive non stop off the top step coming off a deck, missing all the steps coming down and go for a roll and recover then keep going like nothing ever happened.


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## LiftBig315 (Jan 9, 2010)

He reminds me a lot of my uncles lab Tanner. He is a smart, Big Ol' Boy. 
Are you going to be hunting with your dog? or is he just gonna be a companion..and I don't mean anything negative by "just" I have a family full of labs that are companions and haven't hunted. They are great dogs.

I can't wait to get out in this fresh stuff with Moose. He is gonna have one of his hunting partners coming over too. A Vizsla that is about a month younger than him.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Ever since I moved to NJ I havent hunted a thing other than a buck I took with a bow standing in my living room in my boxers early one morning. I doubt Murphy sees any hunting time. My last Lab Hoss was a natural at it. I trained him basic obedience but the hunt was just in his blood. He retreived perfectly but his strong suit was flushing pheasant. He went just ahead of me and would stop and point and look back at me. When he saw me stop he flushed them out. Didnt teach him any of it. Just did it on his own. Not gun shy in the least either. Bad part is Hoss made a crappy fishing partner though. He loved water too much and would not stay out of it. Funniest thing you ever saw, dog would plow into a frigid river in the dead of winter but let it be raining in the summer even a slight drizzle and I had to practically throw him out the door to do his business.
Im eagerly anticipating summer so I can get Murphy started swimming though. I already bought a wading pool for him but want him to be able to do what he was made for. I used to play fetch with Hoss in the water using a 6 ft fence post. We will see how murphy fares with the smaller stuff first.


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## Lab21 (Sep 19, 2009)

That is one beautiful dog.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Awesome lab! I know a lot of labs that LOVE water! Middle of winter covered with snow swimming a couple of hours in Hyde Park's lake, every single day and loving every minute of it! To think they have such a short looking coat too! I guess it's much more insulating than it looks!


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

And you WILL be taking pictures of Murphy doing all this swimming and water stuff. That's not a question by the way... 

My neighbor's dog, Cole, loves the water. I have this picture in my head of when I was driving up the street and in his yard, all I could see were 4 legs up in the air. His dad was spraying him with the hose and he was rolling around in the grass. It was so funny.

Cole will run through any and all bit of water he can find. I love labs...well trained ones that is.


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 18, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Awesome lab! I know a lot of labs that LOVE water! Middle of winter covered with snow swimming a couple of hours in Hyde Park's lake, every single day and loving every minute of it! To think they have such a short looking coat too! I guess it's much more insulating than it looks!


Oh yeah!! Of course it doesn't get NEARLY as cold here in Florida, but it is freezing to me. Harleigh LOVES swimming no matter what temperature! We'll (no, sorry... SHE'LL) go swimming in the Natural Springs (Little River Springs... GORGEOUS place!) and the average water temperature is pretty darn cold... She doesn't even blink an eye. 

Labs have a double coat. VERY thick and insulated.... Even though it doesn't look like it really, they have very thick coats and will swim in any temperature! 

Hey Robrowe... Can you PM me your breeder's name? I swear.. He looks SO familiar its crazy. Looks just like a Lab from a breeder that I "know" of.


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## PetersGirl (Feb 8, 2010)

Wow he is a big boy! Absolutely gorgeous!


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks all,
You can rest assured that when he gets to water I will be taking pictures. Im a photography buff and semi pro, do it as a side business if you cant tell from the photos. water in motio by itself is in interesting subject not to mention the addition of a fun loving Lab. 

My old buddy Hoss was an exeptional swimmer. One story in particular on a nice sunny day when I was still living in SC I put my boat in the water to go fishing right up the creek from the house. (lived on deep water and have so many stories of Lab and marsh mud!) I left Hoss at home because he had already proven to me on seveal occasions that if you want to catch fish you cant take Hoss. So about 30 minutes later we are fishing a small inlet for trout and ny buddy spots this log moving up the creek. I peered over and didnt give it too much thought until I peered down at the water and the tide was going the other direction full force. Then I looked back up and thought t myself how is this log defying the laws of physics by drifting against the tide. So out of curiousity I picked up my binoculars and that log had yellow fur. It was Hoss. He swam nearly a half mile against the tide! I had to pick up anchor and go get the crazy pooch.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

I came across these and had to post them. First one shows the piranha puppy teeth quite well LOL He was 10 weeks in these photos.


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## UsmcWifeyAlli (Dec 6, 2009)

Wow your camera has good quality... What kind of camera do you use?


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

UsmcWifeyAlli said:


> Wow your camera has good quality... What kind of camera do you use?


It better have good quality! LOL
I am an avid photo buff and have a side business with professional photography but I am considered as a semi-pro because its not my main income.

This last set posted were shot with a Canon 1D MarkIII and an EF 85 1.2L lens. Camera goes for around $4K and the lens around $1800. All photos were with same camera but different lenses. Other lenses used include EF 24-70 2.8L and 70-200 2.8L IS.

I do mostly youth sports but occasional senior potrait packages, weddings and some digital rendering. If you would like to take a peep here is my website. Hasnt been updated in awhile as soccer season is over and most has been archived.

http://rnmphotography.smugmug.com/


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## LucysMommy (Feb 9, 2010)

He's just gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks,
He is a cutie and a pleasure to be around. Im sitting here at my desk now with a foot warmer below. He followed me in from sleeping beside the bed and he will stay here until I get up and crawl back in bed. I sometimes just sit and watch him sleep with a smile on my face. He is definitley a daddies boy and often I have to be careful not to stop too fast at the risk of getting a chocolate lab.


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## CrazyDog (Oct 16, 2007)

Wow!!!! I usually don't like Labs but he is one gorgeous animal!  What a great face he has and looks like he has a wonderful temperament too! 

Your photo's are great! I have a passion for photography too! I am fairly new to photography though. I use a Canon as well but I shoot with a 50D. Although I would LOVE to get the 1D MARK III! That would be my next camera of choice!


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## Slick50 (Jan 19, 2010)

Robrowe said:


> This last set posted were shot with a Canon 1D MarkIII and an EF 85 1.2L lens. Camera goes for around $4K and the lens around $1800. All photos were with same camera but different lenses. Other lenses used include EF 24-70 2.8L and 70-200 2.8L IS.


I don't shoot Canon but I know those are expensive lens. The Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 is around $1700. I have the Nikon D200 and do a lot of shots of my Corgi with the 80-200 f/2.8 and it's my main lens for taking pictures of him. 

Just curious-do you do any post processing before posting photos? It's good for improving your shots and great for getting sticks out of the background, eliminating stray hair, and adding layers, etc., if need be. Here's a shot I have in My Pictures folder at work. Most of the photos I take are in RAW format and quite large(about 15mb) and resizing and changing to .jpg for the Internet is essential. Great action shots of your boy-something I haven't quite gotten the nack for yet. I especially love #3 in the snow.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

I shoot everything RAW+M2 jpeg so I process every single shot. I use the jpegs simply as an index. I dont like the way any camera processes the data and converts it to jpegs, even the more expensive ones. I just sold off my 1Ds MarkIII full frame because I found the high ISO copabilites of the 1.3x crop sensor of the MKIII to be far superior and the 1DS is far slower because its processing 21 megspixels. The 1D MKIII fires off at 10 FPS, sounds like a machine gun!

Anywho I find that the in camera processors limited capability of raw processing power doesnt give a true rendition color and contrast. Besides that If I process raw and I boo boo with the white balance I can change that in the RAW. Most of the time its simply converting the RAW to JPEG with software on a computer instead of the camera doing it. Very few images get retouched unless Im shooting a teenagers senior potraits and they have a face full of zits LOL.

Canon 50D is a decent camera for a prosumer body. I got one for the wife along with a 28-135 Lens. I let her use mine a few times and had to set it up for her before she left because the pro bodies dont have photographically challanged modes, but when she changed venues she couldnt change settings. The 50D on the other hand does have auto modes. I prefer to do everything in full manual mode or Av at the worst if the lighting is changing too much while shooting sports. (Sun continously in and out of the clouds)

Glass is most of the time more important than the camera body. I would prefer the images shot with my 300 2.8L on a 30D over a MKIII with a 70-300 any day of he week. But the MKIII with the 300 2.8L is an unbeatable combo for sports. The sharpness and contrast are just amazing then couple that to a camera body that has great High ISO preformance and can shoot 10FPS.........


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## Slick50 (Jan 19, 2010)

The D200 I have gives you jpg, RAW, RAW+jpg and even .tif if you want that humongeous file. I simply shoot RAW and do all processing with Capture NX2 software. You can set nearly anything you want in camera but I prefer to do it later and since RAW is a lossless format, you're losing nothing, as you know. The .jpg files create too many halos and artifacts if you change a file and then come back to alter something else...makes for a terrible picture.

The D200 is 10mp which is plenty large enough for me.I have 11x14's and 16x20's that look as good as a lot of 5x7's I've seen. Nikons flagship semi-pro camera, the D300, is 12mp and is somewhat better than the D200 in low light capability, but quite a bit more. It's no longer offered as they change models about every six months it seems. The D200 does have shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual and Program modes but; I almost exclusively use Aperture mode, liking to control the depth of field over letting the camera decide. It was quite a transition going from film camera (Nikon F2, F2A, etc) to digital but what a revelation and how cheap the "film" is!!

As you mentioned, glass is where you find the quality-not in the latest camera body. Pro glass(fast glass) is quite expensive but, it depends on where you're at photographically. I also shot weddings, portraits, family reunions some years ago before the advent of digital using a large 6x7 Pentax and the images were superb, even using ISO(ASA then) of 400. The 16x20's were simply beautiful but, with a 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 negative, what one one expect? Nikon recently came out with a 70-200 IF AFS f/2.8 VR (Vibration Reduction) lens that from all acounts, has been a great lens, though rather costly. Like most things photographically, you pretty much get what you pay for.

My in camera color profile is Adobe RGB but for the Internet, sRGB is always recommended. Oddly enough, when I've changed it to sRGB for posting on the Internet, the colors and saturation seems to leave a bit to be desired for some reason.

You can see some of the photos I've taken with the 80-200 f/2.8 at flickr. A good majority were shot with that lens.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Tiff is a useless conversion for on camera and will slow you down. If you want tiff you can do that later with post process software.

If I am using any program mode, which is very rarely, I will us aperture priority. However this still lets the camera decide shutter speed which is not always the best idea. One has to remember that the metering looks at whats in the frame so if you want to shoot something in snow its going to be underexposed as the camera will think everything is bright and will increase the shutter speed. Smae is true inversely in most of the frame is dark you will get overexposure. Auto modes only work well when everything in the frame is even. When Im shooting sports I generally go full manual and meter off the grass wit nothng else in the frame and set accordingly. You can watch the meter go up and down as the scene changes when you have players with white jerseys then all of the sudden they are against the woods for a back drop. Full manual and metering a neutral subject for the given lighting will result in consistant images where AV will result in some good and some bad depending on the change of whats in the frame. What you use as for Adobe rgb or srgb does not apply to raw images, only the conversion and what the camera uses to produce the jpegs.

The MarkIII I use shoots RAW and or jpeg in several different sizes and records simultaneousy to 2 different cards. I shoot the RAW to CF and the M2 jpeg (M2 = medium small) to the SD card. They both fill simultaneously or I have the option to record both to one card and when it fills up it shifts to the other or record both to both at the same time for redundancy.

Nikon has a few good lenses. For the focal length mentioned I would prefer the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II


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## Slick50 (Jan 19, 2010)

I learned about exposure about 35 years ago. It didn't take long to realize snow was not a good 18% grey card unless you knew to meter on it and open 2-3 stops, depending on the brightness. Grass and dirt were always and still is the best grey card around. Cameras today, at least Nikon, take in account snow and do an admirable job of correcting for it. Most times, depending on model, you don't have to do anything except perhaps altering the exposure by one f-stop or changing the shutter speed from say, 250 to 125. You couldn't do that with film cameras. Kodachrome 64 taught me a lot about exposure in those days as what you shot was fixed. There was no manipulating exposure with slides and if you blew up, there was no altering the final product-unless you wanted prints.



> What you use as for Adobe rgb or srgb does not apply to raw images, only the conversion and what the camera uses to produce the jpegs.


That's true but, your choice once converted to jpg will affect Internet posting to a degree as most sites are set up for seeing(as are many labs) Adobe sRGB.



> The MarkIII I use shoots RAW and or jpeg in several different sizes and records simultaneously to 2 different cards. I shoot the RAW to CF and the M2 jpeg (M2 = medium small) to the SD card. They both fill simultaneously or I have the option to record both to one card and when it fills up it shifts to the other or record both to both at the same time for redundancy.


That's interesting. I've never seen a camera of any brand that held two separate cards...most unusual. Sort of like having a spare gas tank. With RAW on the D200 I get 240 shots on a 2G CF card. I don't do spray and pray type shooting or sports so, I need nothing more.

Nikon has quite a few good lens with the one mentioned being one. The 24-70 f/2.8 is a sweetheart as is their wide angle AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, 85mm f/1.4D IF(the "cream machine") and the l05 and 135 f/2 DC lens. Major bucks for these but, they are superb optics.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

I hear ya!

I have often thought about getting a AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED and a converter for use on canon. The 85 1.4 is Nikors version of the Canon 85 1.2 Both have great optics but both focus slow as all get out.

You will find most good photogs these days started out with 35mm film. Back then as you said if you blew it it was blown. There are many methods to alleviate under exposure with something like snow whether it be setting up for center spot metering on a dark subject or using exposure compensation. Problem I have with these is the subject isnt always dark and lighting is subject to change and if exposure compensation is used Im not so sure ill forget to put it back to 0 when finished and botch the next shoot before I realize whats going on. Knowing light and exposure from the 35mm days I prefer full manual. I can pretty much look at the conditions and know that if its snow and overcast I need to bump a stop or two or decrease shutter speed. I use metering for reference of where to set Av and Tv and thats about it.


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## Slick50 (Jan 19, 2010)

> Knowing light and exposure from the 35mm days I prefer full manual. I can pretty much look at the conditions and know that if its snow and overcast I need to bump a stop or two or decrease shutter speed. I use metering for reference of where to set Av and Tv and thats about it.


I remember being able to just walk outside, check the lighting situation, time of day, etc., and be able to come within 1/2 stop of perfect exposure. You practice enough at different times of the day, overcast, 12:00 sun and use the same film enough it becomes second nature. I've gotten rusty and don't know if I could do that anymore. 

I had a Leica M2 back in '78 and it had no meter, just like the Pentax 6x7 and that's where my "basic training" on exposure came into play. Both were great cameras in their own way and I miss them but; I don't think I'd want to go back to a acid laden darkroom again...digital smells much better!!


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

Slick50 said:


> I remember being able to just walk outside, check the lighting situation, time of day, etc., and be able to come within 1/2 stop of perfect exposure. You practice enough at different times of the day, overcast, 12:00 sun and use the same film enough it becomes second nature. I've gotten rusty and don't know if I could do that anymore.
> 
> I had a Leica M2 back in '78 and it had no meter, just like the Pentax 6x7 and that's where my "basic training" on exposure came into play. Both were great cameras in their own way and I miss them but; I don't think I'd want to go back to a acid laden darkroom again...digital smells much better!!


I know that feeling, digital darkroom is much better! I have never shot on medium or large format cameras, but have shot film with no meter in camera but always had at least a handheld meter. When doing studio type work I have to use a handheld to get it right as strobes dont do ETTL with the camera. I use a sekonic meter with a built in pocket wizards radio trigger. Put the meter were I want, set the desired stop and push the button, it calculates shutter speed. Of course I do that then take a couple of test shots and review them and adjust accordingly, something you couldnt do in the film only era.

We got another heap of snow yeserday, Murphy is out playing in it now. Ill get some of him in the latest batch a bit later in the day, Have to dig out the cars first and thats going to be no easy task!


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## Slick50 (Jan 19, 2010)

Robrowe said:


> When doing studio type work I have to use a handheld to get it right as strobes dont do ETTL with the camera. I use a sekonic meter with a built in pocket wizards radio trigger. Put the meter were I want, set the desired stop and push the button, it calculates shutter speed. Of course I do that then take a couple of test shots and review them and adjust accordingly, something you couldnt do in the film only era.


When I was doing portraits, weddings, etc., I always used a Minolta flash meter to set my main and hair light. If I used a fill light, I took that into consideration as well. Many times I used either a Westcott 42" or 4x8' white reflector as fill. I used the Quantum Radio 4i slaves to trigger each light and they were always reliable-even at hectic weddings! I took my lights to weddings and without an assistant or two, that would have been impossible. It was a lot more work than on camera flash but paid big dividends. With the large Ed Pierce Signature Edition Halo as main, 60" Eclipse umbrella as fill(both holding 600ws Photogenic strobes) and Monte Zucker 8' adjustable light stand with casters, it was a job.

I guess everyone is over us talking about photography and want to see pics so, let's see some more of those great shots of Murphy when possible.


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## tw1n (May 12, 2009)

I couldn't help myself...


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

LOL @ tw1n

And at the worst possible moment!

I meant to get more pics today but I was too busy shoveling snow that I didnt have time to play, didnt stop Murphy though. He wore himself out, took a nice nap and is out in it again. Have to call him in for dinner in a moment.


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