The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum - Fine Art Landscape Photography

Dog portrait

Posted By: psmith

Dog portrait - 05/19/10 08:42 PM

OK, it is way too quiet on this forum. So...I'll post a dog portrait. Give me your critique. My self critique is to not cut feet off, and to go out closer to the golden hour. And to probably stick to cats.

Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Dog portrait - 05/19/10 09:58 PM

Yup, it's a dog all right. I like the angle from which you shot it but, the down side, I also don't like losing the feet. A bit of a Catch 22. The dog is set up nicely and has very cute/lively expression. Ears are UP! Very good. Tail is UP. Also good.

I think I'd like to see the background (is it water?) more out of focus. And the lighting is a bit harsh. I'd clone out the dog tag. Overall, a very nice shot of what appears to be a very nice, happy, alert dog.

Jim
Posted By: psmith

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 12:49 PM

Thanks for being gentle, Jim. I can't tell if it is so mundane that no one else wants to say anything, or if I need to post a really awful one to get some more posts. It was just starting to seem like a ghost town here. Hopefully everyone is just booked and busy.
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 01:14 PM

Well, Jim Poor is off at the Boston Terrier National so that cuts the number of posts by about 2/3 . And James is in the process of editing my 7D Mini-Review which is apparently taking more time and effort than originally estimated. So, it's basically just you and me.

It would be helpful to put the image in context: what was it taken for? Was this a formal session? A candid shot? What exactly where you trying to achieve with the image? Once we know those things, we can be brutally honest .

Jim
Posted By: Julie

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 01:17 PM

The technicals are all fine on the portrait. Your cat photos all have an emotional edge that draws you into them. They are vibrant and you feel almost like the kitty's are flirting with you, or showing off, whatever it is they are doing, they evoke an emotional response.

Though this portrait is sharp, exposed properly and has all the elements of a good photo, it really doesn't evoke that same emotional response. She has a sweet expression, but, nothing really draws you into it.

Next time, try to get the dog to be either playing or sitting with its head turned, stuff like that.

Its hard to critique your photo because there is nothing very wrong with it. Its just missing that emotional piece
Posted By: psmith

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 02:02 PM

Jim, This was a grab shot. I was scouting out a dog park for a client shoot. Looking for good spots, backgrounds, runs. I was shooting black dogs at the park because they seem more challenging to get right.
Posted By: psmith

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 02:03 PM

Julie, I concur. Must...learn...to...speak...dog.
Posted By: StarrLight

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 06:16 PM

No critique here either but I like it, great color and love the stance and expression on the dog.

Diana
Posted By: Jim Poor

Re: Dog portrait - 05/20/10 07:16 PM

On the feet, I don't have an issue with it, especially in an outdoor portrait. Over at BPN, we had "virtual" feet a lot with wading birds and the general concenus is that if there is enough room left in the frame to show where the legs / feet would be when hidden by grass, water, sand, etc there is no problem.
Posted By: Jim Garvie

Re: Dog portrait - 05/21/10 01:17 AM

Quote:

Its hard to critique your photo because there is nothing very wrong with it. Its just missing that emotional piece




I say this much too often but . . . I agree with Julie. There's nothing wrong with it; but it lacks a connection that comes through in all your cat images. It's not that you have to learn to speak dog; you have to learn to listen to dog the way you intuitively listen to the cats you shoot.

Jim
Posted By: StarrLight

Re: Dog portrait - 05/21/10 03:00 AM

I don't know - seems to me this dog is just saying "Gosh what a lovely day, gosh I'm gorgeous, gosh I love running by the lake, gosh get that sun out of my eyes..."

Diana
Posted By: Jenfroh

Re: Dog portrait - 07/11/10 12:44 PM

Hi you all!
I'm new here and haven't figured out yet how to edit my profile (can some tell me where to do that?), but I'll add my two cents if you don't mind.

First, if this were my dog and you were taking her picture I would be thrilled with this shot. It's a perfect composition. The feet being cut off doesn't bother me as much as being cropped by the camera. I agree also that the lighting is a tad harsh, but she also pops nicely against the background. The only thing I would have loved to see is some light in her eyes. She's really cute... it's looks like she's smiling for you!


Jenny
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