Pet Photos

[rallysman]

I shot these with a ghetto styrofoam box/$20 slave flash combo camera right, triggered by a SB-600 camera left (Demb diffuser). C&C very welcome since this is the first time I've attempted something like this:

 

[Live_free]

Underexposed and poor lighting with harsh shadows.

 

[Don Kondra]

Underexposed and poor lighting with harsh shadows.

You need to check your attitude and your monitor.

Rallysman..

Looks like a good start, nice catchlights.

I find the folds in the blanket more distracting than the shadows, a reflector on the left would help with that.

Keep at it, as I said it's a good start.

Cheers, Don

 

[rallysman]

Underexposed and poor lighting with harsh shadows.

You need to check your attitude and your monitor.

Rallysman..

Looks like a good start, nice catchlights.

I find the folds in the blanket more distracting than the shadows, a reflector on the left would help with that.

Keep at it, as I said it's a good start.

Cheers, Don

Thanks for the kind words and helpful feedback Don. I appreciate it.

I plan on making a frame to get a smoother background in the near future for photos of this nature. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a microfiber blanket thrown over a chair for now. I'll see if I can find some stuff laying around to make a reflector as well. I'll to save a few bills while I'm learning so I can drop some more once I learn what I need.

 

[sunlou]

I definitly like the subjects and the way you caputered expressions (the dog espiciall)

I would have like te first one a little brighter to make it a little more alive. the second one ligthing is a little uneaven..

but then again... I Like the pictures...

 

[Don Kondra]

Thanks for the kind words and helpful feedback Don. I appreciate it.

I plan on making a frame to get a smoother background in the near future for photos of this nature. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a microfiber blanket thrown over a chair for now. I'll see if I can find some stuff laying around to make a reflector as well. I'll to save a few bills while I'm learning so I can drop some more once I learn what I need.

How about for now you concentrate on head shots/portraits ? Or tack the blanket to the wall and drape it onto the floor...

And a piece of cardboard with some crinkled tin foil is the cheapest reflector I can think of

Cheers, Don

 

[rallysman]

Thanks for the kind words and helpful feedback Don. I appreciate it.

I plan on making a frame to get a smoother background in the near future for photos of this nature. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a microfiber blanket thrown over a chair for now. I'll see if I can find some stuff laying around to make a reflector as well. I'll to save a few bills while I'm learning so I can drop some more once I learn what I need.

How about for now you concentrate on head shots/portraits ? Or tack the blanket to the wall and drape it onto the floor...

And a piece of cardboard with some crinkled tin foil is the cheapest reflector I can think of

Cheers, Don

Great suggestions. I was thinking of making a PVC frame since it would be cheaper than repairing the walls and would be fairly portable. I have some leftover "Reflectix" insulation that I'm going to give a whirl for a reflector.

I'd love to concentrate on portraits/head shots but the animals disagree. LOL.. Having said that, this isn't really my thing, I'm just trying to expand and learn a bit more about lighting at the same time.

I'll never be pro (semi-pro, or even advanced), I don't want to turn this into a job. I just want to have some fun and experiment

 

[ChasK]

Nice shots, exposure may be a tad under on the cat but not by much. (I'm viewing on a laptop) Catch lights are good, composition is good, I've seen some a not nearly as good sold. A vignette might help.

I understand the need for homemade, but if you shop around, look at used, you might find the homemade is not that cheap.

 

[Jacki]

Nice shots, exposure may be a tad under on the cat but not by much. (I'm viewing on a laptop)

Does that matter?! I never thought of that, and my only computer is a laptop. Should I be somehow calibrating my monitor or something? Now I'm worried that I'm messing up my pictures in PP because my monitor is off...

Anyway,

rallysman: I really like the composition on your pictures. I agree that the backdrop is a little distracting. Great work though! :thumbup:

 

[kundalini]

I think one of the only issues is that it looks like a microfiber thrown over a chair. Don gave a couple of good suggestions. Think creatively for the scene rather than settling with what you 'think' you have to work with. Removing the wrinkles will go a long way for improvement. Cute pets BTW.

 

[rallysman]

Thanks folks! This makes me feel a bit better about what I've done as this was a fairly impromptu "why the hell not" style of shot. It an experiment more than anything and I appreciate your feedback.

As far as thinking creatively, we all know how creative animals are. They're creative enough to be completely unpredictable. I figured if I could get them in their comfort zone (on the chair) I'd have a better chance at practice. I guess I need to be more creative and get them OUT of their comfort zone and into the "sweet spot".

Again, thanks everyone. Half of the fun is all of the challenge.

 

[nemopaice]

It looks like a good start, I like them too. They are a little underexposed (you can use the histogram to help check and correct exposure on these), but still a good start. Nice job.

 

[Sirashley]

Underexposed and poor lighting with harsh shadows.

Although harsh and lacking any suggestion on how to fix, this is accurate...

These photos could greatly benefit from better lighting... Now if you are like me, you can't afford to shell out allot of $ for good lighting, so... we have to get creative... Try opening a window and getting some natural light on these guys... also, check out the strobist blog Strobist: Lighting 101
There is allot of useful do-it-yourself stuff there. The poor lighting is what caused your harsh shadows, so fix the lighting, and your shadows with disappear.

As far as the background, it is a tad distracting, but I think working out the wrinkles combined with fixing the lighting could work wonders... I also think having an all white, or all black background could help too...

The expressions are priceless, and you have done a great job of capturing the animals personalities... In fact, I think the second photo could even benefit from a closer crop, because the expression is so cute...

Lastly, back to the lighting, play around with the flash... My best experience with an sb-series flash is to bounce the flash off the ceiling (if the ceiling is white!) and also have the subject facing an open window with sunlight falling on their face to remove direct shadows (under the eyes and on the face)... So... my advice... When you are shooting... Play around with the lighting allot and get a feel for what works with what you have... Keep shooting and Keep posting...

 

[rallysman]

Thanks again. All suggestions are greatly appreciated and I'll consider them when I shoot next. Unfortunately I don't get to use sunlight due to the hours that I work but if I get a chance I'll try to arrange things to assist.

For what it's worth, here's what I was working with:

 

[Photo Phan]

cute animals! keep it up =)