These are a few from a shoot the other night.

James

She is a sweety James. I like the first one, with the not-so-tight crop as it shows her true "baby puppy" look (and the backdrop, is that black velvet or a different fabric?) The two lower shots I like but have just a small reservation about how the eyes look.

I was about to put two Cavalier King Charles shots on a new thread, but I hope you don't mind if I put them here, as my question is sort of relevant.

When doing a portrait, how far should one go in telling the dog's owner to clean its face and have the area below the eyes "clean, dry and brushed". When I took this shot (just outdoors, informal) I wanted to ask the owner to clean the dog up, but I knew it would have been "too much trouble" at a busy time and I'd have missed the opportunity of the shot. So I left it to clean up the dog-lead and the runny eyes in photo-shop. Which is best to present to the owner: the original? A cleaned up shot and draw it to their attention? A cleaned up shot and say nothing?

Or am I letting weepy eyes become too important, or even seeing them where they do not exist? (It was Charlotte's cute wink that made me take a second look).

Oh and your lighting is beautiful in these shots, - I know my girl has blown highlights still around the muzzle.

From camera:



And slightly touched-up (I'm going through a "preferring square-format" stage, not everyone likes square) - also interested in people's opinions on it, for and against.

"(and the backdrop, is that black velvet or a different fabric?) The two lower shots I like but have just a small reservation about how the eyes look."

Hey PC,

I hear what you are saying about the eyes. The weepy eyes DO detract from the photograph over-all. However, I think that in PS, these things are cleaned up under most situations. I have posted two examples of the cleaned up shots below. For example, had I note posted the 'weepy' eye, I don't think that most people would have noticed that I just cleaned up the eyes...but on fine examination, you can see that some touch-up work was done.

On another note, the back-drop is made out of felt. They are easily cleaned and I find that the pets love the feel under their paws. They like being on the drop. I had a hard time extricating the poor lass after the shoot was over. LOL

Hey Judi,

The black backdrop is a form of faux suede. The white one is felt. Neither of them is cheap - though both are significantly cheaper than muslin. I am paying about 8 or 9 dollars a square yard. I typically purchase about 4 yard at a time. The material I purchase is about 5 feet wide.

I have two black felt that I use, sometimes side by side. This allows me to stretch out about 9.5 to 10 feet (I have velcro which I have used to jeryrig the cloth).

When you look at the prior shots, really examine Joe Cocker. Joe was quite a heavy eye shmeg dog...as seems to be a problem with a lot of the pedis. Jackie, who is our cat, does not have a problem with it.

James

Hi James, lovely shots and pretty pup. How old is she?

PC, eyes that are a bit watery do not bother me as much as
actual globs of goo. Some breeds naturally have
teary eyes though (I know some Persian cats do!!).

I had a purebred Himmy but she didnt cut it as a show
speciman because she did not have that real flat teary look.

If the animal owner is a "show person" they are more likely to notice and rectify things such as gooby eyes or drool and dribble beforehand. But a pet person 'might' overlook something like that. Hard to say. I guess if theres time you could just offer them a kleenex ...or fix it in Photoshop later.

PC, the square crop I like, in fact I prefer it. I personally would try leaving a touch more space around the left side (ear) so you get to see all of the
ear whispy bits rather than some being cut off. Also I would "add on" a bit more space to the green area above the head. Just a touch.

The contrast/saturation seems boosted in the edited version.

Pretty dog too!

King Charles spaniel? ADORABLE puppy! It is hard to miss with sweet puppies like this. I love how soft and delicate you portrayed the puppy

Hi Julie,

Thank you very much for the compliment. I don't know how I could have NOT made the little girl soft and delicate, LOL. I have several more that I will post later. It is too bad that the family asked that I keep the family shots with the dog private. They came out spectacularly and I would love to share them.

Cheers
James

Two more from the shoot last week. I found the eye gunk a bit harder to clone out on these...not sure why.

James

Damn cute dog James! In that last shot we call that small tongue. I don't know how my wife's family came up with the name but that's what we call it:) That shot with him/her looking up is something else!

I am sure the client was very happy.