Two Dogs C&C! please.

[Nix725]

These two are my dogs, any advice on my shooting or editing would be greatly appreciated. I have only been shooting since Christmas, and any hint or tips would be awesome.

file:***C:/Program Files (x86)/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS3/Plug-Ins/Imagenomic/Noiseware.8bf

 

[Dagwood56]

Mini pins right? I've heard they're very hyper dogs so I'm surprised you go them to pose for you. The first shot though a bit soft [out of focus] is hilarious and I love it! The second shot isn't bad, but i think it would be better if the depth of field were more shallow [more of a blurred background] or if the bacckground were a little less busy, but its stil not a bad shot. Someone will eventually tell you about the dog being centered, but in my opinion, I like shots of animals where they are centered. Also when you photograph them, remember to focus on the eyes so they come out nice and sharp.

A little animal photography hint : If you have someone helping you and you'd like your animal to look a certain direction. Liverwurst is the best thing you can use. It has a strong smell to it, most dogs love it and just a tiny bit on someones finger waved in the dogs direction will distract them from the camera.

 

[Nix725]

Thanks for the advice; I will keep that in mind!

...and yes the Min Pin is SUPER hyper. He is a handful, but that is what makes him special.

 

[Samanax]

Neither picture does anything for me. I think the problem is the subjects are too centered and the backgrounds are too busy.

Softness (or motion blur from dog moving) of the first image just ruins it for me.

Something about the second image is bothering me...how much PP work did you do on it? The dog almost doesn't look real. Try cropping it in tighter to the dog to remove the busy background. And is that a nose on the upper right side poking it's way into the shot?

 

[Stilltime]

As a dog lover AND photography lover, I have a bit of advice. If you have a dog that suffers from the "I'm beaten on a daily basis" look when you ask them to pose in front of a camera, you're better off doing candid shots of them being natural as opposed to setting up the photos the way you did.

All three of my dogs will sit nice and alert until I pull out a camera, and then you'd think they were afraid I was going to steal their souls or something, because their entire demeanor changes. Unless of course you are going for the dejected look, like in your second photo, it's best to have someone help you with lots of treats and toys to keep them looking happy. Otherwise, try to be more inconspicuous.

The first photo, if it hadn't turned out blurry (and a bit under exposed?) would have been Ok, but the second one doesn't do anything for me. The body language of that dog evokes feelings of pity and worry.

 

[Nix725]

Thanks for the advice. The second picture only has had the levels adjusted slightly. Not much PP done on it. I will keep these in mind for my next shoots.

I am fairly new so all this criticism will help me become better in the long run.
Thank you!

 

[Mgw189]

1. The white balance is off. Your focus is really soft and your shutter speed way to slow. As a general rule try to keep your shutter speeds around 1/60th of a second when hand holding. As that seems to be a pretty good estimation of what most people can hand hold reasonably. If you must hand hold slower than that push and hold the shutter release until the shot is done. This will help reduce some camera shake issues. The centered composition of this shot doesnt really bother me but the lack of light on the right side of the dogs face does.

2. A Min Pin. We just got one of these dogs a few months ago. High energy doesnt even begin to describe them lol. I like this shot quite a bit. The white balance seems to be off a bit in this shot too. Although not by as much as the first shot. The composition is better as is the lighting. I would consider cropping some of the dead space behind the dog out though as I think that would help this shot.