Beagle portraits need c&c

[goffgirl]

After spending some time taking pictures of my dog, I think I got a couple of nice shots. Please c&c the following photos. #1 was taken indoors, and I think the right side is a bit dark. #2 was an outdoor shot. In both pictures I can't seem to get the nose in focus. Am I too close to the subject? I used a 50mm lens.


#1

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#2

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[pixilstudio]

what are your camera settings #1 DOF is too little and under exposed

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:
Both images are suffering from insufficient depth of field and under-exposure. Review the tables here and determine what your best aperture and camera-to-subject distance is. As well, you need to bring some additional light into the scene, especially in #1, an off-camera flash, image right would have brightened up the face and provided some life in his eyes.

In the case of #1, your composition is rather too tight, and you've cropped off some of his muzzle. #2 is better, but like other portraits, they're usually stronger when the subject is looking toward the camera.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

Edited to add missing link.

 

[goffgirl]

Thank you so much for the critique. I don't have my computer with me but I think #1 had the aperture set at 1.8 and #2 was 2.0. I hope that helps.

 

[tirediron]

Just to illustrate the DoF point, assuming a camera-to-subject distance of 3', even at f2, your DoF was less than two inches!

 

[goffgirl]

I just wanted to update this post with a couple of new pictures. I hope there is some improvement. #2 has someone in the background, is it too distracting?


#1

f2.2, 50mm




#2

f2.2, 50mm

 

[LizardKing]

No, I don't think of it as a distraction. Your eyes go directly to the dog's face. And the blurry background (including the person) gives the whole picture a sense of story or something.
I believe that's what makes the 2nd one a better composition, in my humble opinion.

edit: By the way, I like this second ones better than the first ones.

Regards,
Lizardking