My Neighbor's Dog

JimMcClain · May 30, 2014

This is Wisco, the dog next door. The picture is the first I am offering for critique from my new camera, a Lumix FZ200. The image started life as a JPG and I have done all processing in PSP X6. I don't like that highlight on top of his head, but I don't know what methods I should use to reduce it.

Thanks for any insight or guidance you can offer.

Jim

Light Guru · May 30, 2014

The light on the head is blown out and since you shot JPEG there is no data to be recovered. So basically you ether live with it or reshoot.

BekahAura · May 30, 2014

You could spend a couple of hours drawing the fur back in with various PS tools, but the easiest thing to do is fix the problem in the camera. Either move the dog into full shade or full sunlight OR have someone block that bit of sunlight for you. Dappled sunlight is the wrost light you can shoot in. It's great that you see what's wrong with the photo now but with more practice you will see these things before you hit the shutter. Keep at it!

JimMcClain · May 31, 2014

Thanks for the comments. My intention is not to do any further editing of this photo, but to discover, through your critiques, what I did wrong and what I did right. Of the 70 shots I took on this day, this and only a couple others had any redeeming quality - I didn't pluralize that because I think the only thing I like about any of the 2 or 3 is the composition. No one has mentioned comp in reference to this shot, but I think it looks appealing to me. There is, of course, so much more wrong that it makes me wonder what areas I should consider the most glaring.

I appreciate those of you who take the time to share your thoughts.

Jim
PS: Rebekah, very nice dog pics on your website. I love dogs, but my health prevents me from having one. I spend a little time at the animal shelter as often as I can.

Designer · May 31, 2014

As for composition; the dog's head and one paw don't necessarily combine to make a good composition. There is extra space around the head and paw as well, in which the only possibilities of redemption lie in the color of the concrete surface sort of "harmonizing" with the dog's fur, and the whimsical repetition of spots similar to the spots on the dog's muzzle.

However, the biggest issue is that the dog's gaze is off-frame. Because he is not looking at the camera, this shot holds very little interest for me.

JimMcClain · May 31, 2014

Wellll... bummer. Just goes to show that what the shooter thinks is good composition, isn't always good composition. However, I don't think a dog looking toward negative space is different than a person posing in the same manner. The subject's eyes should not always be looking at the camera, should they? Just trying to understand this a little more.

Thanks for your comments, Designer.

Jim

vtf · May 31, 2014

The dog looking off into the distance is no different than a person's. Makes me wonder what he's thinking about. Imagine if you took this same picture lying on the ground at his level, I believe it would create an interesting composition. Try to get to eye level of your subject. A hawk is more interesting to view at the same height than one shot from below. Dogs and cats are more interesting at the same level than shot down upon.

BekahAura · May 31, 2014

Thanks Jim =) I think it's awesome that you volunteer at shelters. What do you usually do there? Ever consider photographing the animals? Better photographs create better first impressions online and tend to improve adoption rates. If you're physically able to do it and you think you could help improve the photos why not?

Your photo here (even with the hot spot on his head) is 10x better than many shelter images I see online. Just a thought ;-)

JimMcClain · Jun 1, 2014

Can't tell you how much I needed to read those kind words, Rebekah. I've had dogs most of my life... well, all of my life except for the 4 years I lived in the SF Bay Area (early 80s) and the last 4 years. My last 2 dogs I had to give up; the first one snapped at one of my 4-year old neighbors (came so close his face got wet), the second, a miniature Golden Retriever, was more than my lungs could take (fine floating fur and dander, plus the poop scooping and other upkeep, especially in the snowy winters, was more than I could manage. I blame it on my emphysema, but the bottom line is, it's a disease I did to myself.

I'm not much of a volunteer. I miss petting and holding a dog. I like the affection they so readily give. I don't get any kisses from girls anymore, so a sloppy wet tongue lapping at my hands and face from a furry friend is not a bad substitution (well, there's nothing better than lipstick kisses, so the love of a dog is a distant second

). The animal shelter is less than a mile from home, so I go there as often as I can to sit with any lonely dog that'll have me for a few minutes. The staff honored me recently with the keypad code to let myself in.

I have thought many times about getting a special leash that will allow me to "walk" a dog while I'm on my Segway (it's a 4' plastic rod with a short leash attached that prevents a dog from getting in front of a Seg or a bike). I haven't taken a camera in before, but that's a great idea.

Thanks again for your encouragement.

Jim