Here are my other 2 kids that put up with me.
Sheltie is Max
Horse is Bandit ~ 27 year young Arabian.

What do you think of these shots?
Thanks
Tami

Here is the other photograph

The Sheltie shot is really nice. Great work!

The horse, to me, not so much. It seems an awkward crop, not a body shot, not a head shot, legs cut off at the knee, hind quarter cut off, and the straight on stare loses the beauty of the face and length of the nose.

Hi Tami,

Thanks for posting these. I agree with Preston. The Sheltie is really beautiful. The one critique that I will give has to do with the focus on the Sheltie. I try as hard as possible to get the eyes in focus when shooting - it is, after all 'the mirror of the soul.' This shot seems to have the focus slightly off of the eye. The pose and lighting of the image though are really quite nice.

As to the horse - it is not really my cup of tea. I agree with Preston's critique. Also, the horse appears a bit orange on my monitor - I am not sure if that is the natural coloring or if it is a result of improper white balance or post processing.

Cheers,
James

Tami,

I have held back and decided to give you my opinion which is against the grain. I prefer the gelding shot. I like the color, angle and attitude of the horse. As an Arab owner it is not a typical or actually preferred shot but I really do think the fence works to carry the interest of the upward angle. If you view many of the shots in Arab ads lately, they cut off the legs in tall grass, rocks, etc. and it really does bother me for an ad. But this is not and I really do like it.

As for the first shot, I have a problem with the balance. I would like to see a bit more room in front of the dog. I also would like to see a sharpness on the nose.

I like the horse in an artsy sort of way. Even the banding in the sky contributes something for me.

The Sheltie looks like it was cropped really significantly or was "rescued" with a significant amount of processing like Shadow / Highlight or something.

Thanks for all the critique.
On the Sheltie Picture. He was sitting in a wood chair all i did was crop out the arm, the photograph was taken with all natural light and i was lying on the floor looking up at him. He does not like having his picture taken and usually looks away from me as soon as i bring the camera up.
On Bandit's (the horse) again i was on the ground shooting up through a picket board fence, the only pp i did was lighten the side of his face cause it was rather dark. He is a blood bay and with his winter fur looks that orangish.

I like to try different angles and will post some more as soon as i can and try to improve to take it to the next level.