Dee Dee,
I agree with the 28-75. I find that being closer to the subjects allows me to communicate things like softening the corners of the mouth better without having to shout. Plus, you have more control of baiting with the Pap.

Jim

Thanks for the suggestions, that is the lens I used, I redid the shoot today. Later evening in straight sunlight. Much better than the previous two, but I wasnt successful with the flash at all! The images were blown almost to pure white straight across. I practiced on my own dog before I went (black and tan) and it worked great. But when I used the flash at the shoot, it blew everything out?? I read some articles Tony sent me, the manual, etc and I used the FEL (although not each time, but none of them worked) and I increased and decreased the ETTL exposure (I am not clear though if increasing to a "+" number will make it brighter or darker, and vice versa??) Regardless I went the max in either direction and it blew it out equally badly. I also pointed it straight up to the sky, to the side, straight ahead, still blew each out. I also moved way back rather than in close, still blew it out. Thank goodness for natural light or I would have blown shoot #3 too

Here are the blow outs followed by 5 that I am sending them to choose from. I prefer the first, the others have little problems like background nuisances or dogs tail not right, or brown ear overlapping brown hair and not being distinct, etc. Would love any input though! Also I was so mad at myself I forgot to bring the reflector which I am guessing would have put some nice highlights in the shadow areas?

Dee Dee,
I'm a bit puzzled about the overexposure but let me suggest one thing: did you set the flash for high-speed flash sync? In ETTL, the 580 will synchronize with your shutter at any speed as long as you set it for high-speed sync. If you didn't -- and you shot Program mode -- the camera would set a maximum shutter speed of 1/125 and you could overexpose the images in sunlight. That would also explain why it would work in test mode if you tested indoors or in a darker environment.

Other than that, I'm perplexed.

I like the first image, too. The DOF is nice and both the handler and the dog look good. I don't mind the shadows in any of them. But I love available light photography so shadows are my friend .

I think you need to put that flash on your camera and find out what's going on. Today's flash units are so smart that there is very little we have to do to get good fill-flash. So there is definitely something wrong with your settings or with the flash itself.

Good luck but nice job with the reshoot.

Jim

Great work Dee Dee. I like the first one and the last one. In the last one I would spend a little time with the clone tool in PS but it is a very nice shot. I think they will like all of them, third time's the chaarm. It is amazing how much a shot like the first one improves when you lay down in the grass:) I can’t help you with your flash situation but agree with Jim, probably a simple setting somewhere.

I agree with jim on the technical side. I think you’re so brave to keep at this, and you will be reward with success as long as you keep shooting. These bumps along the way will greatly help you later when a "real" problem arises. I mean, the more you can learn about light and flash, and how your camera works, the more likely you will be to make great images under less than ideal conditions. Stay at it! DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!

Okay, here's a few simple thoughts. If I’m being to critical or my tone is harsh, please excuse my lack of class, and just tell me, so that I can improve my critique methods, I don’t want to sound mean but I also want to get to the point without having to treat you like you’re a glass slipper. . .

(I know animals and people together are hard to shoot, so with that in mind, I have the flowing comments)

1. I think you need to focus more on the subject of the shot. For example, is it the interaction between the girl and the dog, is it the dog, is it the girl, I get the sense that you’re trying to captor the intimacy between the two, but sometimes it feels like they are documentary shots? Or are you trying to highlight the dogs win? If so, you need more dog and less person. I’ve posted a crop to give you some idea of how I would focus. The crop is the best I could do given what you posted, but you get the idea. This does not mean you can’t, or should not shoot whatever you like, it is meant to give you an idea of how to really focus on the subject, you have to really put your heart, mined and spirit behind that canon when you shoot people. If you think about it this way, you will get better results, and you will feel better at the end of the day... . I think the interactive or intimacy or relationship shots need more emotion and more interaction. Think of yourself as a candid, or photo journalistic photographer just capturing those moments between the dog and the dogs partner.
2. try a few portrait shots,
3. put your subject off center in the landscape orientation, or at least crop those shots so that there's is more balance,
4. watch your background! - use those branches or get them all the way out of the frame, in the second to the last shot they look accidental, and the background is distracting

Keep at it!!! Piece

here's another crop example

one more crop/edit - keep in mind these images are getting very degraded due to compression . . . so use them as a reference and not an absoulte - they are just for crop examples. . .

I would have chosen the 70-200 as it would allow for more isolation of the subject and a very out of focus background. Though you did a really nice job of blurring out the background with the lens you used.

I am a long lens kinda gal. I am probably not correct in my choices though

In truth, I'd would shoot some of each, depending on the light. You get compression with the 200 that you dont get with a shorter lens. Somtimes that helps, somtimes it does not. Just shoot some of both, it's not hard to carry that lens along - he he he ! Take care,

Jim, I was surprised too at how much that flash can blow out an image! That morning at home I had Hallie (black) in the front yard with just very light shade from a tree and used the flash and it worked great. Just enough fill flash to bring out her details in her dark coat. Once I got to this other shoot though there was nothing I could do even in dark shadow (as illustrated by the second shot there which looks awful) to have the subject look good. I don't believe it was set to high speed flash sync, at least I didn't set it to that. I'm wondering if I should have used the FEL more on the shoot? Yes there is something obviously wrong I will take it out and practice some more and see what I can come up with. I am posting one I took that morning of Hallie, as you can see the sun was behind her and without the flash she was mainly a black silouhette, in this picture the background is washed out too much but her coat isn't too bad and it certainly did not blow it out like it did of the girl and her dog where I was even farther away.

Thanks Jeff, I told them once they choose one to let me know so I can photoshop out some of the nigglies in the background. Photoshop is so cool...our local paper once used a shot I took at a show and before I sent it to them I photoshopped Hallie's head inconspicously at the edge of the shot so she'd be in the paper LOL.

Tony those are great! You are King of the Crop for sure. I'm glad you keep reminding me to think outside of the box (or crop as it may be) I am getting so caught up in the technical aspects and worried about the exposure, etc coming out right at the time I don't focus enough on the actual shot composition. And gads no, I am not a glass slipper! I am very tough and want to learn so PLEASE, everyone, always fire away it is the only way I will learn so don't worry about that. Can't hurt my feelings! I'm not at all discouraged, it's all part of the journey to get to the "good shots". I see it a lot like dog and horse training, when you have one that is easy to train it's great and fun but you dont' grow as a trainer, you need problems to solve to really learn how to train well.

I did think of your comments on focusing more on the interaction between man and beast on the last Schutzhund shots, and I am trying to do that more. I admit, again that on these I was so freaked about having to do this a third time and not wanting to make it four that I wasn't thinking of the poses as much as I should, they were really good about posing themselves lol. Their dog 4-H club need photos done and I think I am going to do them all for free just to get the experience. Once I am comfortable with the exposure being ok I think I will be able to come up with more interesting shots!

I do love your crops though, I will present some variables to them and see what they like. They are going to advertise in a couple of magazines with these I believe. In this case, I'd say the dog and the girl have about equal weight as far as importance as this was a big win for her (and this dog) in Juniors, not a breed win for the dog. I'm soaking this all in and really want to not get stuck in the traditional poses so these comments are great!

Now see I should have thought of that too, to try both lenses! These things always hit me on the way home lol. I didn't think of that one but I was thinking I should have been playing with the EC just in case. I didn't realize the long lens would blur more...that is good to know. I wish I didn't have to tackle this mountain of work sitting here right now, I want to go out and practice some more shooting!