I like to get my pets to pose for me.

[dtornabene1]

Well, not my own pets, but other people's pets. So some say I have a way with animals. I am going to post some of those photographs for those to see. Here are two of a fun natured dog, Cassy. It takes a lot of time, but in the end, the shots are priceless.

Canon 30D, 1/250th, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 100. No retouch.

Canon 30D, 1/250th, f/1.8, 50mm, ISO 100. No retouch.

Thanks,

-Nick

 

[sarallyn]

they both seem a bit soft to me.

 

[basic jammer]

priceless. pity i cant get them to stay that still like with the 1st pic.
some would've focused on the eyes,. like the way the ears are starting to blur up with the rest of the background. NICE

 

[Big Mike]

IMO, shallow DOF portraits work best when the eyes are in focus.

 

[dtornabene1]

they both seem a bit soft to

me.

This was taken with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM. Besides the 85mm. this is one of the finest portrait lenses made (not getting into other manufacturers lenses purposely to avoid arguments). At f/1.8 only the very slim line of focus will seem sharp while producing a softer look.

Believe me, these are not shot soft, as in a soft focus lens. I hate, no, despise soft focus pictures. Only about 2 inches of focal plane is in focus, purposely blurring the background.

With that said, I like your criticism. Doing this over, I would have shot this at f/2.2 or f/2.5. This would have allowed for more focus and would have removed any potential soft feeling.

Thank you. Sometimes it is just hard to get it right without reviewing, shoot, review, shoot, etc. By review I mean by other people such as yourself. So sincerely, thank you.

priceless. pity i cant get them to stay that still like with the 1st pic.

some would've focused on the eyes,. like the way the ears are starting to blur up with the rest of the background. NICE

Thank you so much. It may seem as though the pet is just sitting without a care in the world, but she's not. It is hard to get the perfect focal point (read my response above to sarallyn). Just a bit tighter on the aperture and I would have nailed it. Thanks for the comment basic jammer!

IMO, shallow DOF portraits work best when the eyes are in focus.

Big Mike, I couldn't agree with you more. The problem is the nose. At this aperture, f/1.8, focusing on the eyes would have thrown the nose so out of focus it just wouldn't have worked. That the one thing I have learned most from dogs (at least ones with longer noses of course).

As I mention above, I should have gone with f/2.2 or f/2.5. Still focusing on the center of the snout, I would have brought more focus into the eyes. A lesson well learned.

Thank you for taking the time to view and comment. I really appreciate it!

-Nick

 

[Craddie]

"Believe me, these are not shot soft, as in a soft focus lens. I hate, no, despise soft focus pictures. Only about 2 inches of focal plane is in focus, purposely blurring the background."

Ummmm....why did you choose the 2 inches that halfway between the nose and the eyes? You shot a portrait with a VERY shallow DOF and the result is a subject that is 95% soft.

Nobody is saying you don't have a sharp lens on your camera, you just used an aperture that rendered your subject out of focus.

Great pose from the K9 though....

 

[dtornabene1]

"Believe me, these are not shot soft, as in a soft focus lens. I hate, no, despise soft focus pictures. Only about 2 inches of focal plane is in focus, purposely blurring the background."

Ummmm....why did you choose the 2 inches that halfway between the nose and the eyes? You shot a portrait with a VERY shallow DOF and the result is a subject that is 95% soft.

Nobody is saying you don't have a sharp lens on your camera, you just used an aperture that rendered your subject out of focus.

Great pose from the K9 though....

Thanks for the compliment on the pose.

However, I answered this already. Dogs with longer noses can not be focused on their eyes like humans. I did make a mistake though in using f/1.8. I should have used f/2.2 or f/2.5.

Thanks for the reply.

-Nick

 

[Fraggo]

love the poses, i just wish i could get my dog to stay still long enough

 

[uplander]

Just because the lens has a fast aperture does not mean that all pics at max ap. should work. You need more DOF to make these shots work.

They come off as soft and poorly down. Stop it done a bit and do over .

 

[dtornabene1]

love the poses, i just wish i could get my dog to stay still long enough

Thanks! It was not a 10 minute sesion with the client, I assure you.

great snapshots

Thanks steez!

Just because the lens has a fast aperture does not mean that all pics at max ap. should work. You need more DOF to make these shots work.

They come off as soft and poorly down. Stop it done a bit and do over .

Thank you for taking the time to respond, however this has already been discussed above.

By the way folks, there is a big difference between soft and large aperture. None of the photographs here are soft. They have a shallow DOF (depth of field), but are not soft. There is a difference and we need to do our homework before we use the wrong terminology.

-Nick

-Nick

 

[uplander]

Thanks! It was not a 10 minute sesion with the client, I assure you.



Thanks steez!



Thank you for taking the time to respond, however this has already been discussed above.

By the way folks, there is a big difference between soft and large aperture. None of the photographs here are soft. They have a shallow DOF (depth of field), but are not soft. There is a difference and we need to do our homework before we use the wrong terminology.

-Nick

-Nick

Yes but the shallow DOF sinks the shots!! This is the pro gallery and the pics don't cut it!

No atta boys here!!!

 

[mrodgers]

Beautiful smile on #1, LOL.

My 6 month old yellow Lab has a smile also. If only I could get her to stop long enough to get a good shot of her smiling for me

 

[dtornabene1]

Yes but the shallow DOF sinks the shots!! This is the pro gallery and the pics don't cut it!

No atta boys here!!!

That's your opinion and I thank you for taking the time, but it doesn't help. I can tell from photographs posted you are not a fan of shooting wide open. It takes a lot of bravery to shoot wider than f/4. It is just not as forgiving, hence the comments above.

Also, what is an atta boy? By that do you mean non-professional? If so, read your earlier post about soft focus.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m looking for constructive criticism. Not meaningless comments.

-Nick

 

[dtornabene1]

Beautiful smile on #1, LOL.

My 6 month old yellow Lab has a smile also. If only I could get her to stop long enough to get a good shot of her smiling for me

Thanks mrodgers! Not my dog, but took a lot of shots to get this one. I have another where DOF is not an issue, but the teeth are not showing. That just doesn't seem as cute.

Good luck and here are some tips to get dogs to smile. Best if it is warm, they'll pant. Have them sit and stay. Have the owner (if that's you, someone else) hold a treat over the photographer's head. The dog must stay sitting or standing looking up. No jumping! Once the head looks up, the dog smiles. Keep your camera clicking and see what happens.

Hope this helps with your Lab!

-Nick

 

[ATXshots]

Cute poses, but I agree they would be way better if the dog was sharper.