Julie,
I think if you visit the site and look at my show shots/formals, you'll see what I mean.
http://www.cpmcreative.com/Show%20Shots/Formals/index.htmlFor the Doberman shots, I'm actually positioned right off of the left shoulder blade so I see the front legs as one. That's full profile.
The Bassett Hound is just off of full profile and you see two front legs. That's what I'd call a 7/8th. The Rotties, Poodles and most of the other Toy Breeds are more 3/4 with the Pug being almost straight on. Pugs, for formals, are always shot just off of looking straight at you because their most important feature is the headpiece.
I point this out not because you're planning on shooting shows (at this point) but because if you shoot informal portraits and you happen to have the dog standing, the expectation will be to show the dog the way it is posed in the ring. Even my informals -- most of them shot outside for advertising purposes -- will try to feature the headpiece and also the body posed so it looks good. For an example of that, check out the Lumpy photos in the Ocala1105 folder.
I personally would rather shoot informal portraits preferably with owners. Seeing dogs interact with the people they love is always better than just seeing the dog alone. At least to me.
I hope that helps. Keep asking and I'll try to keep answering.
Jim
